Student Work

Mug Rug insanity :-)

2011-12-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

I've been making some mug rugs in the last few days to have on hand as little gifts. What a lot of fun these little gems are. They are meant to put on your desk or sewing table and will hold a mug and there is also room for a cookie or snack. This keeps your work surface clean and protected from spills. It can be thrown in the washer and dryer for quick clean up. You'll need several for your own desk :-).

What a lovely disaster I had in the sewing room working on these little mug rugs.

In the middle of the mess, I found my chocolate emergency kit LOL!

Some finished mug rug tops (they need binding yet):

If you would like to make mug rugs in class, I have all the materials ready to make as many as you like!

Pineapple paper pieced sample block

2011-10-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

This is the 6" pineapple block that we will be using to learn paper piecing. This one is done in only two colours, but you can make fun designs using a different colour for each side or doing them totally scrappy!

The block looks totally different if you put it on point and three or five of these squares would make a lovely table runner:

Pinwheel table topper

2011-05-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Alice made this cute pinwheel runner from a kit:

A few of the kits available:

Student work completed

2011-05-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

Some of my students have been busy finishing projects. Here is Alice's wonderful Square Dance quilt she made for her daughter. She used half yards of 8 prints instead of FQ's and this worked out to a nice single bed size with the borders. Aren't the colours awesome? Alice has just started quilting last fall and this is her second quilt she has finished including the quilting!

Alice and her finished quilt:

Backing:

Closeup of the backing:

Chris made a lovely tote bag for the Cancer Relay for Life in June. She quilted the cancer symbol ribbons in the front and back of the quilt!:

Mitered border table toppers

2011-04-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

The mitered border class has been a lot of fun and some lovely table toppers have been produced. This is the sample I did with a spring striped fabric I had in my stash and a pink floral FQ:

At the second class, we figured out a brainstorm for using the cut offs of the mitered corner and leftover bits of strips to make mini toppers and coasters :-):

The mini table topper fits perfectly in the center of the large one:

Joyce and Maria both used this wonderful border print and matching center:

The bonus mini:

Cathy D's cool butterfly table topper and bonus mini in the center:

I apologize for the quality of these photos...it's snowing outside today and it's really bright in the sewing room. That's my excuse for being a lousy photographer!

Table runners

2011-04-18T07:08:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of the pinwheels table runners we've been working on. Maria's small table runner:

My small table runner:

My larger one:

Joyce's larger table runner:

Beginnings of a Christmas hexagon shaped table topper:

Update - The borders are now on the Christmas table topper :-)

Chris tried this table topper as well and used a tablecloth border print which was 60" wide. She used the dark green as the background and the floral print for all the pinwheels except the bottom center, which she cut from a sparkly gold fabric to look like a bow on the wreath. I will post an update once she has her borders on. Great job Chris!

More student work....

2011-04-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

There were some miscellaneous photos on my camera of class projects, so I got them downloaded for you all to see what we have been up to lately. We learned about mitered borders this week. Chris brought a table runner that she had made and we added the mitered borders around it:

Laurie and Alice shared a lovely spring border print and put different coloured centers in. They turned out so different, but both are gorgeous. Alice added a blue center to hers:

Laurie put a lovely buttery yellow in hers (the yellow is washed out a bit by the light):
Megan came a couple of weeks ago and made a matching pillowcase to the quilt that I made for her new baby. Great job Megan!

Sisters, Judy and Elaine, came during the March break to make their selvage edge Handy Snippet catchers:

Student Log Cabin Quilts

2011-03-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the results of our recent log cabin classes. Sandra's first squares. She is making a bed size quilt in blacks and whites:

Rosemary is making a quilt for her sofa:

Cathy is making a king sized bed quilt with these two block layouts:

Alice is making a sofa quilt and has added borders to her star orientation quilt:

Cathy B is making a King size! quilt using her own design of varied log cabin blocks. Here is the layout of the blocks on the design wall. Isn't this one striking? Cathy only started quilting last November! Wonderful work, Cathy.

More student work

2011-03-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more projects we've been working on at various classes. Laurie made a really cute Square Dance quilt with sock monkey fabrics:

Closeup of the monkeys:

Lydia's trip around the world:

Log Cabin inspiration

2011-01-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

The Log Cabin is a wonderfully versatile pattern for quilting! It's a great quilt for beginners and experienced quilters alike. One great option with Log Cabin blocks is that they can be arranged in lots of different ways. And the size of the strips can be adjusted to produce larger or smaller quilts easily. Here are some ideas for for log cabin quilts.

This is the basic block:

The setting for this quilt is called 'fields and furrows'. All the blocks are made with the same fabrics (each one used twice) and all placed in the same position in the block:

I made a Log Cabin lap quilt for my Dad a few years ago and decided to make it funky :-). The center is a half square triangle instead of a square for a bit of a different effect. Here are four different ways these blocks could be arranged:

Here is the finished quilt showing the layout I finally picked :-)

This quilt gives the illusion of curves and is accomplished by using smaller strips on the light side (the leftover strips were used in the piano key border):

Here are a few different ways the blocks could have been arranged for the above quilt (it is the same quilt in spite of the colour difference...the above was outdoors and the photos below were taken inside).

This little miniature quilt was done with 1" strips using the same fabric for all the strips on the dark side and the same for the light side. These little blocks also make a wonderful table runner:

A four block Christmas table runner (one of my very first projects!). Don't look too closely LOL.

....more production from the students!!

2010-12-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some miscellaneous projects made by students in the last few weeks. Cathy B made a hotpad in class:

Julie A made one as well:

Chris B made this pretty snippet and thread catcher:

Here she is posing with her newly finished project:

Aileen P came over a few weeks ago and made this cute bag for her sister for Christmas:

Spinning Four Patch fun

2010-12-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, several students took a class on the Spinning Four Patch. Here is Julie's original fabric, an Amish farm scene:

Here are some of the cool blocks you get out of this print!

This is the same block, but set on point which gives it a different look:

Diana did a "Cow jumped over the moon" fabric...what fun!

More pillowcases...

2010-12-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

These pillowcases are addictive :-). Here's Laurie with two of her pillowcases finished:

And, here's Cathy B with her very first pillowcase!

...and Judy's cool polka dot version:

Christmas Tree Skirt class

2010-11-08T08:25:00.001-08:00

Classes will be available for two Christmas tree skirt patterns. The first one is a very simple, quick design using only 8 Fat quarters. The photo shows the top almost together. It will have a circle cut out of the middle and red binding around the outside edge, inner circle and both sides of opening. Choose two darker FQ's of similar value as the blue ones in the photo to make the design work symmetrically or purchase an extra dark blue one. The outside green row works best with two fairly equal value tone on tone fabrics. The other option would be to make them identical.

The second tree skirt is a diamond log cabin design. This is my old, dated tree skirt that I made in the early 90's? Normally I would have put the red on the outside, but our old house had a rust carpet :-). This tree skirt looks great in all kinds of different Christmas fabrics...choose lights for the one side, dark for the other or red on one side, green on the other, etc.

Here is a country version using plaid homespuns:

If you are interested in this tree skirt, email for fabric requirements.

More student work

2010-10-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind posting my student's work. Here are some things they accomplished in the last few months. Joyce's lovely quilt top:

Judy's four patch table runner - she squared off the ends:

Tracy's four patch runner. Tracy completed 5 runner tops in the last couple of weeks!

Sandra's four patch runner:

Lydia's yummy colours of her Trip around the World quilt:

Here is the finished top without borders:

Sandra's lovely pink square dance quilt:

Adriana made a tote bag from a practise quilt block she did years ago. Great memory and it's a functional item!

Julie's friendship star table runner - another UFO finished!

Tracy's Spinning four patch quilted by Bonnie Wilson of Woodstock with the binding machine sewn on ready for handstitching to the back.

Four Patch table Runner Class

2010-10-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

Four samples for the 4 patch table runners have been completed or partially completed. Pictured below are four different sizes that can be made.

Sizes from left to right are:

6 1/2" x 39 1/2"

8" x 44 1/2"

9 1/2" x 44"

10 1/2" x 40"

Below are a few more photos of the individual table runners:

A possible binding for the runner with the white squares :-)

Finished Fall runner:

The smallest version of the runners (this cabinet is 12" wide):

Cathy and Diana's recent work

2010-09-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Cathy made a snippet/thread catcher:

Diana made a pillowcase:

Brianne and Sandra's pillowcase and snippet catcher

2010-08-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

Sandra brought her friend Anne and her daughter, Brianne for a quilt class today. Brianne is 12 years old and made a pillowcase. Isn't it awesome? Great job Brianne!!

Sandra made a handy snippet catcher this afternoon. Here are the selvages she chose:

The finished thread catcher. The squares on the design wall behind her are also Sandra's. She is making Split Decision using a jelly roll. What fun colours :-).

Do we have fun at classes.....................

2010-08-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

We had a tote bag class recently and getting the students to post with their projects can be like pulling teeth, especially if we have a mother/daughter team :-)!! Here is Stephanie and her Mom, Corinna, trying to come up with a good pose to show off their completed tote bags!

There we go....a lovely Mother and daughter photo!!! Aren't they just so cute? :-)

The Handy Thread and Snippet Catcher

2010-08-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

We're making Handy Thread and Snippet Catchers in class. These are really fun to make from selvage edges. Kits can be purchased at the class, which includes the fun of rooting through my selvage stash to choose 12 to 15 pieces for your snippet catcher. The first two (lime green and pink) are the class samples:

Donna almost got hers finished at class.

More photos will be added soon.

Student tote bags

2010-07-11T18:05:00.001-07:00

Anne made the cutest little lunch bag out of a couple of fat quarters at the Tote bag class this week. It turned out great Anne! I'll bet your lunch tastes better now :-).

Pat K made the quilted bag with lovely bright purples and lime green! Great job Pat.

Diana made a lovely little blue and red tote bag:

Stephanie and Corinna with their tote bags:

TOTE BAGS

2010-06-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

The samples for the tote bag classes are finished! Here is the quilted version which is about 12" wide x 12" high with an 8" wide bottom. This one is made with leftover 2 1/2" strips, but it can be made with one piece of fabric as well.

This bag is about 17" high x 14" wide with a 6" bottom and is lined with cotton (no batting).

The little bag would be perfect for a child's library books and also has no batting. Size of this one is 12 1/2" tall x 10" wide with a 4" bottom.

The bottom two bags can also be quilted or fusible fleece or interfacing can be added if a sturdier bag is desired.

Here are some of the kits which have been assembled...more coming :-)

Pillowcases

2010-04-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

These pillow cases are really quick and fun to make. These pillows are the queen sized ones. This is a solid coloured one with a print on the cuff to match my bed quilt with the accent strip in a light yellow. I would have loved to make the pillow case with the black print fabric, but did not have enough fabric left. Click on the photo to enlarge it:

This one has chocolates printed all over it and a polka dot cuff:

There are kits available for the pillowcase class:

I will add more as I put them together :-).

Here is Adriana with one of her finished pillowcases. Great job!

Sandra and her music pillowcase:

Stephanie and Corinna with their pillowcases:

Square Dance Baby Quilt

2010-03-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

Finally got the sample ready for the Square Dance quilt. This is a really fun quilt to put together and goes quickly. It is made with 8 fat quarters of fabric.

The above top is the original pattern. It doesn't have borders making it a very quick and easy quilt. This finishes to about 36" x 45". However, I had this wonderful focus fabric that I used to choose the colours and didn't use it in the actual quilt top. So, I added a narrow border in between to separate the 'wild' and added a 3 1/2" finished border around the whole thing.

Here is a close up of the border:

Psalms blocks progress

2010-03-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

We've been working away at our Psalms blocks. Here are a few pictures to share. Hope to take pictures of Annette J's and Tina V's blocks altogether next time. Here are Joan's first four blocks:

The same blocks on point. Amazing how different they look:

Annette P's first five blocks on point:

Same blocks set straight:

Annette J's second block:

These blocks are all pieced by hand and several of the girls have never quilted before. They are learning a lot and their skills are improving by leaps and bounds each week :-).

Pure Fun and Games :-)

2010-02-04T19:24:00.001-08:00

We had lots of fun making half square triangles in the table runner classes this week. Here are some of the layouts we tried out. This is Stephanie's first layout:

Stephanie's second layout just switching a few blocks around:

Sandra's layout using the smaller squares (have I mentioned lately that I LOVE polka dots?)

Pat K's lovely purples:

Pat K's first variation:

Loni's lovely soft spring colours:

Diana's first two diamonds using the smaller blocks as well. These fabrics almost glow :-)
Deb D's coffee themed fabrics:

When the runners or table toppers are finished, I'll post pictures so we can see what layout they decided on. Great work ladies!!

Here is Laurie and her table topper so far...she's adding a border yet of the light fabric. The light fabric has tea cups on it.

HST TABLE RUNNER CLASS ~Pure Fun! ~

2010-01-23T14:02:00.001-08:00

Playing with half square triangles (HST's) is just plain lots of fun!!! Unbelievable what you can do with these identical units to change the look with just a few squares rearranged. Several methods of HST's will be demonstrated. A supply list will be emailed to those who are interested in taking the class. Classes will be held the week of February 1st and will be the usual $15.00 per class and $3.00 for the instructions which will include photos of variations for inspiration. There will also be some kits available for sale. As soon as I have them together and priced, I will add the information to the blog.

Here are a few photos of the variations that I've come up with. The sky's the limit! Here was the first one on the design wall using some perfect fabrics for a Valentine's table topper:

Check out the different look just by changing the orientation of four squares!

A star variation:

Very symmetrical variation:

Totally funky variation:

....and a rectangular version

These designs were made with smaller HST's which will result in many more variations, using some pretty Moda fat quarters. The first few are for a rectangular table runner (borders would be added):

A more symmetric layout:

Just a few squares turned around:

Same squares, arranged for a square table topper:

The HST's could also be made even larger and a lap quilt or even a bed quilt made from them :-). Simply make lots and lots of these units and keep designing.

Machine Quilting classes

2010-01-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

In November, we held a machine quilting class in free motion techniques. We had a great time doodling all over scrap fabric and batting sandwiches. Another class date has tentatively been set for Wednesday, January 27th @ 7:00 p.m. An additional class will be held at 1:00 p.m. on the same day. Cost for the class will be $15.00 and practice sandwiches are available for $1.00 each. You can also bring your own scrap fabrics and batting pieces. Email jvanmep@execulink.com if you are interested in taking this class and I will let you know if there is room and what you need to bring. Here are some samples of the work done at the class.

Joan's I spy quilt finished

2010-01-14T05:17:00.001-08:00

Joan sent me a photo of her totally completed quilt. It looks great with the lime green binding on it Joan! Great job.

Lydia has her quilt top finished!

2010-01-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

Lydia finished her quilt top and came over last night to pin baste it and hopes to get quilting this weekend. Just love the red sashings and border! Lydia added a few more blocks that she found on the internet to complete her quilt top to make 12 different blocks. Awesome quilt Lydia...I'm sure Stephanie will love it.

Productive catch up class

2010-01-07T16:02:00.001-08:00

Yesterday several students came for catching up on class projects and to use my Bernina sewing machine for free motion quilting their quilts. We got a lot accomplished! Here is Cathy's baby quilt which she quilted all over with loops. This is her very first attempt at free motion quilting. Great job Cathy!

Here is Cathy holding up the finished quilt:

Erica made this quilt during the summer and quilted in the ditch in both directions last night. Aren't the colours just awesome? We also got the binding cut out which will be the same purple as the inner border:

Tracy got her quilt for her son Michael back from the Amish who handquilted it for her. She got the binding prepared and attached by machine yesterday. Here is Tracy trimming the edges of the quilt:

Border quilting:

Lovely dresden flower quilting in the blocks. Awesome quilt Tracy! You did a beautiful job sewing this quilt:

DOUBLE WOW!

2010-01-07T15:49:00.001-08:00

Check out Erica's beautiful bed quilt top!! This is a queen sized quilt top made by Erica, who is all of 15 years old (!!) and her Mom. All the blocks were made in the Star block of the Month sampler class. Erica and Sandra each made a block of the 10 different stars we covered in the classes. Erica chose the lovely fabrics. We brainstormed the setting and came up with a dark chocolate brown for the sashings and they added a border made up of 2" squares and an outer border of 2" x 6" rectangles. The binding will eventually be chocolate brown. Great job ladies! This was the first quilting project Erica and Sandra started, but both have been starting lots of other projects in between :-). Addicted? Me thinks so!

Tina's stars

2009-12-26T10:40:00.001-08:00

Tina has been working on winter themed fabrics for her star sampler. At the last class she had 6 finished and a 7th one on the go. Lovely colours!

Tracy's Spinning Four Patch

2009-12-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Tracy made a Spinning Four Patch quilt at a recent class. This is the fabric she started with:

This picture is a little washed out...the sun was shining in the sewing room. Can't believe the difference in the colours...you will need to use your imagination for this one :-). This fabric worked very well for the four patch blocks and turned out beautiful. This quilt will be a lap size.

Joan's I spy quilt

2009-12-04T15:23:00.001-08:00

Joan got her I spy quilt all quilted and is ready to put the binding on. Awesome job Joan! It turned out very nice.

Joan's daughter and granddaughter admiring her quilt :-)

....and again....more hotpads :-)

2009-12-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

Sandra's pretty hot pad (wow, that green star is pretty perfect Sandra!!):

Pat K's cool chocolate brown one...we had chocolates at this class which went well with these colours!

Loni's Christmas hot pad (love how the trees are going around the outside):

Erica's funky hot pad. Erica is 15 years old and does a great job at quilting and keeps us all young at heart with her wonderful colour choices:

Adriana's lovely Christmas hot pad. Love how that white star stands out on this one:
There are three more ladies that had to leave earlier and didn't get the bindings on yet. I will add Laurie's, Judy's and Joan's pictures as soon as they are finished. I'm in the mood to make another hot pad now :-).

......and even more hot pads

2009-12-03T04:28:00.001-08:00

Here are the hot pads from yesterday's morning and evening classes. The bindings are not sewn down by hand yet on the back of some of the hot pads :-).

Gail's sheep (Gail pressed her triangles so some of the sheep would appear on the front :-):

Diana's lovely grey tones. Love how that yellow star seems to be glowing in the center:

Deb's pretty Christmas stars:

Beth's lovely chocolate brown hot pad. Wow Beth, your star points look perfect!:

Ann's candy cane Christmas hot pad. Ann switched the busy floral to center to have the green colour show the most. The candy cane binding really finished it off nicely:

My sample that I had on the go to demonstrate the technique and try out bigger stars. I wasn't very careful with this one and the star is not totally even, but it's amazing how forgiving this design is. The more contrast you use in the colours, the more obvious little slips become. But, when you have this potholder on a table, you don't even notice that a few of the sides of the star are not exactly even :-).

Hotpads on a roll!

2009-12-01T19:43:00.001-08:00

The first hotpad class was held tonight and the first two students did a wonderful job. Here is Helen's. This is Helen's very first quilting project! The binding needs to be sewn down by hand yet:

And here is Stephanie's funky hot pad. Stephanie has never even touched a sewing machine before. Is this impressive or what!!

Happy with her first project. Here we are together :-). Awesome job Stephanie!!!!

HOTPAD CLASS

2009-11-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

These hotpads are very fun and quick to make. We will be having several classes to make these. Students will be able to complete (or come very close to completing) a hotpad in an evening or morning class. These hotpads make great Christmas (or birthday) gifts. And, the great thing about them is that they can be made from 'cheap' and 'ugly' old fabrics...you know the ones that you come across and say, "Now why did I ever buy that?" Here are a few pictures of different colour options:

Email me at jvanmep@execulink.com if you would like to join this class and I will send you a list of possible time slots. The first classes will take place the week of November 30th, 2009. I have evenings, mornings or afternoons available.

Cost for the class is $15.00 plus $3.00 for the pattern. If you would like to purchase a kit, which includes all the materials needed to make one potholder , they will be $8.50. Extra kits will also be available if you would like to make more. They can be addictive :-).

You are welcome to bring your own materials. A supply list will be emailed to you if you prefer this option.

Psalms blocks

2009-10-27T09:34:00.001-07:00

A few ladies of my Church are getting brave and working through some of the Psalms quilt blocks from Carol Honderich's wonderful patterns (with permission). We began with an easy block called hard times, based on Psalm 142. The ladies learned to hand piece the block and did a great job. None of these ladies are quilters (maybe they will yet become quilters :-). Here is Joan's block:

Annette P's block:

Annette J's block:

While we stitched, we talked about the Psalm and God's faithfulness and comfort in times of overwhelming hard times. They are looking forward to coming back for the second block :-).

Spinning Four Patch class

2009-10-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Spinning Four Patch class and we had a great time! Here are some of the blocks done by the students. Tracy's blocks are turning out great!

Sarah used a wonderful paisley print which produced these cool blocks:

Pat K's lovely zany, wild blocks!

Laurie's first two fishy blocks...they really look like they're swimming in a fish tank!

Jaime is doing blocks with a fall print which are very sophisticated looking:

Gail used an Australian print which actually has maggots on it!! Fortunately, once you have the blocks made, you don't really notice them LOL!!

Diana used a very soft flannel with kitties on it. The kitties really look like they're having fun :-). The top left square has to be taken apart....didn't notice that til I looked at the picture!

Deb R's wonderful coloured blocks:

Deb D used a cool Christmas fabric with cats on it...they're having fun too!

These blocks definitely are addictive. I'll post more photos later when they are set into quilt tops.

Spinning Four Patch fabrics

2009-10-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here are the fabrics that I have available in my fabric stash if you do not have time to shop for the upcoming Spinning Four Patch class or would just like to try the blocks and not have to worry about fabric selection. Let me know if you would like me to set one of these aside with your name on it. First come, first served :-). If you prefer to shop for your own fabrics, these photos will give you some idea of the types of fabrics that would work. Fabrics with 3 or 4 colours and no more than about 20% background are good. Click on the photos to see a larger view.

Gorgeous flowers on a brown background $20.00 (2 metres):

Same flowers on black background $20.00 (2 metres):

Landscape scene $20.00 SOLD (2 metres):

Farm scene should yield some fun blocks $12.00:

Birds on a blue background. These long beaks should produce some very interesting blocks $12.00:

These birds would be great set in white and navy blue and are a nice option for a more masculine quilt or for a bird lover $12.00:

Delicate burgundy, blue and green on a cream background with a gold fleck in the burgundy flowers would make a lovely lap quilt $25.00 (2.3 metres which should be enough to do borders or binding). You can see a quilt done in this fabric here. SOLD (This is a perfect fabric for a Spinning Four Patch quilt!)

Trains on blue background (not sure if there's too much background on this one, but it would be fun to experiment). $15.00:

This fabric would be interesting to see how it works out...pastel trucks with a mountain scene in the background. $15.00:

Spring print with butterflies. (This fabric works very well.) $15.00:

Japanese print on blacks and greys $15.00:

This fabric has quite a bit of background, but I did love the colours and since the leaves and branches swirl through the background, this one should work $15.00:

This floral fabric looks a bit washed out on the photo, but is a beautiful Hoffman print. This one is $25.00:

There is 2.5 metres of this fabric which could also be used for borders and/or backing. Total $28.00. Four repeats of the fabric would be $15.00 and own choice borders can be added:

This Hawaiian fabric makes a great spinning four patch. The squares need to be cut a little larger since there's quite a bit of background. This was a real bargain fabric and provides an inexpensive opportunity to try this technique out. $7.00 for enough fabric to make the four patches.

You can see a quilt made with these blocks here

Funky floral $16.00

Daisies $15.00

Here is an example of a fabric with motifs that are too similar. It did not produce really great spinning four patch blocks.

Spinning Four Patch class

2009-09-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

We will learn the basic blocks at the first class and then decide how to set the blocks into a quilt top. Other classes can be added as required to finish the quilt.
You will need four identical repeats of a fabric to make these spinning four patch blocks. Wild, multi coloured fabrics are perfect. This is also a great project to use up one of those ugly wild prints you bought years ago! :-)

Pictured here are some quilts made with this pattern (click on the photo to see a larger version):

This quilt is a baby sized quilt done with a pastel 'stuffed animal' type print.

You can see the original "Hawaiian postcard fabric" on the border of this quilt. The blocks were cut a little larger as there was quite a bit of background between the florals.

A wonderful bright multi-coloured print produced these wonderful designs. This top needs borders yet :-):

These blocks are done with the same fabric as the red/yellow/green one above in a different colour way. The blocks were set on point with quarter square triangle square blocks in between:

This was the original hydrangea fabric that I purchased to try out the spinning four patch blocks. I set the blocks straight with two different sashings and mitered the borders and added a 'lippy' between the outer borders:

These blocks are done with a kids print of diggers and dump trucks! What fun these are. They are the leftovers of the backing of my grandson's I spy quilt :-). I had just enough identical repeats that I could get 21 blocks from the squares, just enough to put a baby quilt together one of these days:

This is a new one I've been working on for the chemo unit at the local hospital:

Sashed with three different solid colours:

This large table topper or sofa quilt was done with panels. A matching fabric from the same line was used for the border:

As you can see, the sky's the limit with these blocks. You can go funky, fun and bold or classy, serious and soothing. It all depends on the fabric you choose.

I Spy Quilt Class

2009-09-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

I SPY QUILTS There have been some requests for an I spy quilt class. This class is suitable for beginners and experienced quilters.

FABRIC Lots of variety in fabrics makes these quilts interesting. Sets of I spy fabrics in either 6 1/2" or 4 1/2" squares will be available to purchase for your I spy quilts. You can supplement the kits with fabrics you have on hand or that you buy which suit the quilt you are making. Any extra squares you have can be taken along to the class to trade with others.

Set of 25 of the 4 1/2" squares = $7.50
Set of 25 of the 6 1/2" squares = $12.50

WHEN This class will take place in October and/or November. Let me know if you are interested by emailing me at jvanmep@execulink.com with the evenings you are available for a class or, if you prefer, which day times you can come. I will let you know what you need to bring for the class.

CLASS FEES We will have the one class to plan out the quilt and begin stitching it together. For those that are interested in another class, that can be scheduled at that time. A class for machine quilting and for binding will also be available. Class fees are $15.00 per class plus a $5.00 fee for the instruction handout.

SOME SAMPLE I SPY QUILTS

This quilt was done with 6" squares and a border of rectangles of I spy fabrics with black or dark backgrounds (approx 46" square):

Another quilt with 6" squares and a piano key border done with 1 1/2" leftover strips (approx 46" x 52"):

You can also go serious with these quilts and use grown-up themes. This quilt has sewing themed fabrics using 6" squares with small corners to make them 'snowball blocks' (approx 46" square):

Another sewing themed I spy quilt with 6" blocks done in a colour wash theme with narrow sashings and corner stones (approx 60" x 68"):

A girl themed I spy quilt with 4" blocks and a straight set from light to dark towards the bottom (approx 44" x 52"):

Another girl themed quilt set in pink (same size as above):

A 4" block quilt done in a colour wash spiraling out from the center with all blue based blocks (approx 40" square):

A multi coloured quilt spiraling from the center (approx 48" square):

A 4" block colour wash from the top left corner to the bottom right corner with a very wide ric rac trim between the binding and the border (approx 40" square):

This quilt has I spy squares alternating with solid four patch blocks to create a secondary pattern (approx 45" square):

Star Sampler Class block

2009-09-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the blocks being made in the classes so far. Pat K's blocks:

Maria's blocks:

Erica and Sandra's blocks:

Audrey's blocks:

Sarah's blocks:

We need to take a picture of Loni's finished blocks :-).

Lemoyne Star Challenge

2009-09-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

We tackled the Lemoyne star last night and this morning at quilt classes. The blocks turned out very nicely and everyone successfully finished (survived!!) the class :-). Here is Sandra's block (sorry about the small photo...I forgot to take a closeup and had to pick it out of a photo of all the blocks!)

Pat K's block:

Lydia's block:

Loni's block:

Erica's block:

I will add more of the Lemoyne star blocks as the others catch up.

Don't I just have the sweetest quilt students?

2009-08-26T08:57:00.001-07:00

Loni brought me two pieces of handmade soap last week that she and Pat made! This soap smells so wonderful. I don't like strong scented or perfumed soap and these bars are so mild. I put them in my guest bathroom which my students use when they are here for quilt class. Thanks Loni and Pat!! I love them.

Last night's Quilt Class blocks

2009-08-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

At quilt class last night, we worked on catching up missed blocks. Here is Lydia's Rainbow Ribbon Star block:

Loni's lovely striped long legged star:

Sandra's Rainbow Ribbon star:

Erica's Rainbow Ribbon star:

Isn't this just the yummiest pile of fabric? Erica and Sandra are putting their blocks into a quilt for Erica's bed.

Pat was almost finished with her star last night and I'll add the photo as soon as she sends it to me :-). Here is Pat's lovely block:

Crazy 8's

2009-08-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

We took a break one week from making star blocks and several of my student's (plus a new one) work on some Crazy 8's blocks for a fun baby or lap quilt. Here are Jaime's first blocks:

Melissa stayed for the whole day and got all her blocks finished for a baby quilt for a friend:

Loni's first block together:

I hope to add more pictures of the progress of these quilts as well as the other students' work.

Here is Corinna's Crazy 8's top all complete:
Her top is not crooked...it's just the angle of the photo. She is hoping to put a narrow border of the green around the quilt and then bind it with the same colour.

Paper Piecing Experience

2009-08-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

My quilt students learned how to paper piece last night as part of the Star Sampler Class they've been taking this summer. As Pat posted on her face book last night, "I learned paper piecing at quilt class last night and I lived to tell about it" LOL. I'm already scheming a project to get them beyond the simple units we learned and make some more complicated :-). Here are some of the blocks before the block was assembled.

Pat's block...don't you just LOVE the colours?

Pat just sent me this picture of her second block she did today. Love this one too Pat!!

Lydia's block:

Loni's block :

Erica's lovely block! Erica is 15 years old and is doing a wonderful job on her star blocks. I absolutely love these retro colours!!

Sarah started her block and is finising at home and Sandra's block was not quite finished. I will add those photos at the next class.

Here is Sandra's block:

We have a saying in class here that "If it can't be noticed from the back of a galloping horse, don't worry about it". That poor horse has had some abuse over the summer! One student, who shall remain unnamed said her horse had to be blind to get over one of her blocks :-). But, they did all agree that these blocks sure turn out precise! Onward ho to next class where we will learn the Lemoyne star with its inset squares and triangles.