February 2013 – Quilting my way through life!

A Quilt Along, My Life

Moda Signature Quilt Along – Day 8

February 28, 2013 suznquilts

It seems like I was just here,

but it has been such fun!!!

These are the blocks for Day 8.

Block #9 by Sandy Gervais

I like the added dimension that the pink stripe fabric gave this block.

I decided to turn every other block to change the direction of the stripes.

I couldn’t help but notice that Sandy did not put the cross pieces in her circles, wonder why…

There is a mistake in this pattern.

When you go to slice segments off the strip set, you should cut them 1-3/4″ (not 3-3/4″).

Easy mistake, 3-3/4″ is the width of the strip set.

Fortunately I was concentrating when I got to this step.

Not my favorite block in the sewing, but the finished product I think is stunning.

As a tip, I used my walking foot to sew the squares together to finish the block.

The circles are a bit bulky to sew over.

With my regular foot the fabric wanted to slide to the side.

The walking foot sewed right over the bulky portions & kept my seams straight.

Block #2 by Minick & Simpson

I sewed this one yesterday on my featherweight machine.

See the accuracy of those points?

I’m going to keep my featherweight out and use it more often, it was fun!

Block #23 by Pat Sloan

This block was easy & fun, my two favorite adverbs when sewing.

I’m accumulating quite a stack of beautiful blocks here.

Until next time,

Susan

A Quilt Along, My Life

Moda Signature Quilt Along – Day 7

February 27, 2013February 27, 2013 suznquilts

Moving right along into Day 7…

These are the blocks of the day.

I’ve been out of town for a few days

and I took one of my featherweight sewing machines

and these blocks to work on.

The weather in mid-Eastern Illinois wasn’t forecasted to be very nice,

so just in case I was snowed in, or if I got the chance to sew I could.

Since I don’t sew on my featherweight machines very often,

I kind of have to re-teach myself to use them.

You know, where is that pesky scant 1/4″?

How do I rewind a bobbin if heaven forbid I run out?

Imagine my surprise when I got done with this square-in-a-square and it looked like this:

Perfect!!!

I can’t say this for all of my sewing all of the time, for sure.

I was very pleased with this progress however.

I also found it very nice that the pattern actually told me what size this piece was supposed to measure at this point, thank-you!

Block #4 by Primitive Gatherings.

This block turned out so nice…I love it!

Block #19 by Me & My Sister.

This block was a breeze too.

I wouldn’t mind making more of these either.

Block #13 by Malka Dubrawsky.

Looks pretty good from here, but…

I had to re-sew two of the seams, one of them twice to make it satisfactory to me.

I had to laugh when I was pressing it and trimming the threads before I photographed it.

It reminded me of a funny story that my MIL & husband tell of my SIL and her 4-H pancakes.

Anyone take “Milk & Eggs in Your Meals” for a 4-H project?

Back in the day, for the show, you had to make 3 pancakes EXACTLY the same size and present them on a plate to the judges.

They would critique them for size, color and of course they got to taste them too…

(how many COLD pancakes they must have had to taste that day, yuk!)

and then you were awarded a ribbon.

Well, that morning was very stressful to say the least, said SIL could not get 3 pancakes the same size to save her life, so she got out a pair of scissors and trimmed away the excess!

I can’t image the judges didn’t notice cut edges and I never did hear what color the ribbon was for those pancakes, but it makes everyone laugh whenever we are reminded of it!

This is what I thought of while I was trimming the threads.

Too bad I didn’t think of the pancake story before I ripped out those seams.

I probably could have saved myself some time and just trimmed something instead.

Hopefully yours will go together more smoothly, but if not…

Until next time,

Susan

A Quilt Along

Moda Signature Quilt Along-Day 6

February 26, 2013February 25, 2013 suznquilts

Are we having fun yet?

I guess it’s because I love playing with fabric that I have to say “yes!”

Here are the patterns for Day 6.

I love the fact that I have strips cut of background fabric that are just the right size for slicing off another couple of rectangles, a few more 2″ squares, another 3-1/2″ square, etc.

Block 12 by Laundry Basket Quilts.

Block 30 by Kathy Schmitz.

Block 27 by Lauren & Jessi Jung.

Each one is prettier than the next, don’t you think?

Just four more days to go!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life

Suzn Quilts in The St. Louis Post Dispatch

February 25, 2013 suznquilts

Ok, so there was no red carpet involved, but yesterday was pretty special to me…

In case you don’t recognize him, that’s my Abraham Lincoln quilt,

gracing the cover page of the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Home & Away section!!!

Last month I was contacted by Diane Raab Wiggins, a writer for The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

She heard through my quilt appraiser, Hallye Bone of St. Louis, MO,

that I had a unique Abraham Lincoln quilt/pattern that would tie in nicely with President’s Day.

Diane wanted to know if she could come by and interview me and have me, my quilt, and our home photographed for the Post’s Home & Away section.

How exciting!

Well, of course my was reaction was “sure!”

It would be an honor to grace their paper with my quilts.

The next week Diane came over and we sat and chatted,

then the photographer, Christian Gooden, Gooden@post-dispatch.com, showed up with his camera.

While he moved around our house photographing my quilts,

I learned his mother, now living in Pheonix, is a quilter.

He was pretty sure his mom would be very intersted in this story.

It took a few hours between the interview & the photo shoot.

Over the weekend the article was released.

I couldn’t be happier with the story, oh except for one thing…

One question I had of Diane as she was interviewing me was “Do you really need to know my age?, why???”

Well, she answered that yes, they always require that.

I then asked her that if she must print my age could she also print that I already had my birthday this year???

That didn’t make it into the article…

If you want to know how old I am, you’ll have to read the article.

Fortunately my photography isn’t good enough for you to read it here.

Here’s to 2013!

Until next time,

Susan

A Quilt Along

Moda Signature Quilt Along- Day 5

February 22, 2013 suznquilts

Another day, three more blocks…

I’m really enjoying the three blocks a day.

It doesn’t hurt that they are cute little blocks, that are mostly blocks that I’ve not made before.

In particular, I’ve never appliqued a block before that was raw edge appliqued with no fusible web.

So far I’ve made two different blocks that way.

This is block #18 by French General.

The other block was block #20 by Zen Chic.

That’s one of the reasons I decided to do this Quilt Along.

I’m sewing blocks I never would have made otherwise.

This is block #5 by Kansas Troubles Quilters.

Cute little bowties.

Lastly,

Block #10 by Kate Spain.

I really like the fabrics that I chose for this one.

They make the block very eye appealing.

Well, that’s week #1 under our belts.

We’re half done.

We can take a break now.

No new blocks until Monday.

Or if you’ve not started yet, you have the whole weekend to get caught up with the fourteen blocks that I’ve already made!

Until next time,

Susan

A Quilt Along, My Life

Moda Signature Quilt Along-Day 4

February 22, 2013 suznquilts

Moving right along here…

Day 4 only resulted in two patterns.

Block 15 by Fig Tree Quilts.

Block 24 by Jan Patek.

Jan is a master at applique and so she stitched a cute little house in the middle of her block.

Maybe when I get the pdf I’ll add it to my block too.

These blocks are quick when you already have the fabric choices narrowed down to just a handful.

I can spend a lot of time belaboring that issue!

I also read the first three patterns and cut background strips of each size that I would be needing before I started sewing.

The other nice thing that Moda did was use pieces of the same few sizes.

I keep going back to the 3-1/2″ strip and cutting off a few squares or rectangles.

Then I cut a few more 2″ squares, etc.

This really simplifies the cutting.

Are you really not going to join in the fun?

If you are sewing the blocks, send me your photos and I’ll post them along with mine.

Until next time,

Susan

A Quilt Along, My Life

Moda Signature Quilt Along-Day 3

February 21, 2013February 23, 2013 suznquilts

What fun!

Day 3’s blocks were easy, and would have been quick, if only I had paid more attention..

Block 25 by Thimble Blossoms.

If you can tell, the brown fabric is directional and I wanted all of the squares going the same direction in my block.

If I’d paid closer attention to the placement of the brown squares in relation to the pink/cream half square triangles, I would have saved myself time AND frustration…

The rest of the exercise was great!

Block 14 by Julie Comstock.

I had fun reading Julie & Eric’s post yesterday.

Julie thought her day to post was tomorrow (today), but realized all too quickly in the getting-ready-for-school with their four children that her day was actually N-O-W.

Apparently her block wasn’t even sewn.

Too funny!

I can see that happening to me…

Her block was made lickety-split and by the second time I went to their blog it ready.

Block 11 by Deb Strain.

I’m having some fun!

Have I enticed you to join me yet???

It’s snowing fiercely here.

This is a view out of my sewing room.

The flakes are huge!

In about 20 minutes we already have an inch.

We’re supposed to get 3-5 then top it off with some ice, yeah…

A good day to sew don’t you think?

Until next time,

Susan

A Quilt Along

Moda Signature Quilt Along Day 2

February 20, 2013February 23, 2013 suznquilts

Day 2 blocks are complete.

Block 16 by Cotton Way.

Block 20 by Zen Chic.

Block 28 by Bunny Hill.

The instructions for Anne’s baskets tell you to make the handles with your favorite bias method.

I used these,

These bias bars are worth their weight in gold!

I cut and made two short handles of each color instead of cutting one long bias piece.

I didn’t have to cut a long bias chunk out of my 1/2 yard of fabric that way,

and it’s easier to work with two short pieces instead of one long one.

Are you sewing yet???

Until next time,

Susan

A Quilt Along

Moda Signature Quilt Along

February 19, 2013February 23, 2013 suznquilts

Have your heard about Moda’s Signature Quilt along?

I hadn’t until I decided to bop on over to Moda Lissa’s blog yesterday for no apparent reason.

I decided it must be Kismet…

and so I printed out the 3 block instructions for the day…

decided on a fat 1/4 bundle that I’d bought at Paducah ??? years ago…

that actually was a 1/2 yard bundle, but it was so long ago I had forgotten…

Today I started sewing…

Blackbird Designs block #6.

Barbara Brackman Block #7.

Basic Grey Block #22.

There are 3, 9″ blocks each day for 10 days; this week and next, no weekends.

So, 30 blocks in all. That’s a 5 x 6 setting. 45″ x 54″ without sashing or borders.

Not sure how long I’ll last, but I couldn’t resist!

How about you???

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, Suzn Quilts Patterns

Wow, time flies!

February 19, 2013 suznquilts

I didn’t realize just how long it had been since I’d posted!

What have I been doing you ask???

Well, for starters I turned a year older. Need I say more, lol…

OK,

I was working on my Christmas sampler, then

I went on our annual retreat with friends to Rosemary’s.

Then went to Mexico for a week with my husband.

Did a little radio interview about quilting on the Cityscapes program on St. Louis Public Radio, 90.7 KWMU.

You can listen to the interview with Steve Potter here.

I told you 2013 had some new & interesting things for Suzn Quilts.

Helped my oldest, Chloe, celebrate her 21st birthday!

It’s no wonder I’m tired…

Now that these things are over I need to get back to my Christmas designs for Portland’s Spring Market in May.

What have you been up to?

I hope it involves quilting!

Until next time,

Susan