Color Me Curvy

Color Me Curvy

How's this for a curvy project? There's not a straight seam in this quilt.

Joseph's Coat design has been around for decades, traditionally hand cut, hand stitched and hand quilted. Not me. I cut with Blue Wren's die, pieced with Violet, my Singer 99 and quilted using my Janome MC9450.

I stayed with tradition by using colorful scraps and vintage muslin. I keep thinking the remnant boxes should be decreasing, but they are still full.

I took my time sewing and carefully pressing those curves. Joining the sections was tricky and I used Jack (the seam ripper) a few times. I ended up with a few bumpy intersections but everything lies flat. You can't see imperfections from 3 feet away, so it's good enough for me.

Quilting with a walking foot and off-white thread, I outlined all the circles with the edge of the foot on the seam line. It created a lovely allover pattern. I used a bias binding because of the scalloped edges.

Color Me Curvy measures 46” x 51” finished size. It took longer to sew because you just can't hurry if you want good results. I also spent extra time rearranging the pieces on my design wall to balance colors and separate duplicate fabrics. Even so, I missed a couple.

I'll make this one again later, probably a tablecloth, bed runner, or baby quilt.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6854 Joseph's Coat 11½”
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding

Home Improvement

Well, there's no new quilt this week! I got distracted by a home improvement project that I've wanted to tackle for a while.

My laundry room had an old plastic laundry sink that was functional but kinda ugly. I had disguised it with a fabric skirt in 2017 but it was still not exactly what I had in mind.  Time for a change! 

Before

Last week we ordered a new vanity, sink, and faucet. Our installation took 2 days, since the cabinet had to be assembled and I painted the wall after we removed the corrugated tin backsplash and old sink.

The two of us are pretty handy around the house and have done many DIY projects together. This one went fairly smoothly, with only one extra trip to Ace Hardware for supplies. Luckily, basic plumbing is a skill I acquired early on, since that was my daddy's profession.

New Vanity 2024

We changed the handles on the overhead cabinets to match those on the vanity. I'm considering painting them white, but I sure hate to paint over the alder wood since it's in great shape. We'll see. 

Now that we're done, naturally I see more things to update in other rooms.  I guess there may be fewer quilts finished this year, but we'll be having fun redecorating our nest.

 

Braided Blue

Oh, I love this adorable quilted mat! I've been on a roll with curves lately.

A classic color combination of clear navy blue and crisp white fabric is perfect here. The design is created with a new die from Blue Wren, called Wave Peak.

The small 4” blocks fit together like a puzzle to form a lovely wave or braid. I set them on point, then filled in the outside with white setting triangles.

For quilting, I used a straight stitch and white thread with a walking foot, following around the curves. On the outside edges I added two rows of echo curves.

Braided Blue is only 23” square, since I wanted table mat or small wall hanging size. A larger quilt can be made by adding another round of the braids.

So cute and so much fun to make! I'll be experimenting with this die to create borders or combine with other blocks.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6633 Wave Peak 4” finished

Whirling Sugar Sacks

A few years ago, I bought a large collection of vintage flour and sugar sacks at an estate sale. Today's quilt features some of them, along with a few reproduction fabrics and natural muslin.

The Blue Wren die I used, Whirling Wheels, is very similar to 1930-1940 era blocks like Whirling Pinwheel and Spinflower. I enjoy reproducing antique quilt designs like my grandmothers would have sewed.

The pattern is easy to stitch, even with the curves. The center circle is appliqued using clear thread. I set the blocks on point, then added a 3” border.

Quilting with medium khaki thread, I used a circle ruler to sew large loops across the entire quilt to emphasize the movement of the wheels. Whirling Sugar Sacks is 48” square.

This one put a smile on my face! I have quilts in progress with two other new dies, plus at least twenty more on my ever growing to do list.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6514 Whirling Wheels 10” block
Accuquilt
55553 Setting Triangles 10”
55032 Strips 3½”
55017 Strips 2½”

Cookout Time

I'm ready to celebrate the 4^th of July with a cookout, using brand new hot pads and an apron.

I have lots of these handy hot pads, made with scrappy leftovers from quilts and odd test or sample blocks. These two are the latest in my collection.

The navy smock style apron is reversible, made with medium weight poplin and denim for the straps. I've seen this style selling online for $75 to $150, can you believe it? I made my own pattern, then used fabric from my stash to whip this up in an afternoon.

That was a fun diversion from quilting, but now I'm back to my ever growing list of quilt projects. I'll take a break to grill some burgers on Thursday.