This is what I’ve been working on. It’s four disappearing hourglass blocks, sewn together. I picked this version of disappearing hourglass because it makes my favorite eight pointed star in the middle. I’ll quilt it to emphasize the star. It will also probably have borders that continue the diamonds in the corners.
Here’s my latest disappearing block. I found it in this YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFyLNGMEHrg.
First, I cut it into nine equal parts. Since it was 12.75″ each cut was 4.25″ wide.
Then I rearranged the pieces and sewed it back together.
I really like this one. It seems like the possibilities for these block variations are infinite. Every time I think I’ve seen them all, another one appears.
I’ve never made a Chanukah quilt, so this is my first. I started it on January 1, which was the last day of Chanukah. I used the same fabric as the previous quilt. Someone asked me if it was hand dyed fabric. No, it’s commercial, and I wish I’d bought more of it. It’s almost all gone now. This is a 12″ x 12.” So I actually have two quilts to bring to the 12 x 12 meeting this month. Rather than zigzagging the edges, I sewed around the edge in one continuous line, as part of the quilting. I’m also really happy with the quilting around the flames. As for the rest of the quilting, I prefer the previous quilt.
I made this one because my Tree of Life hamsa sold! The 12 x 12 show is still up at Bay Quilts http://Www.facebook.com/BayAreaQuilts/ until 12/28, but someone bought my hamsa, and now there’s a blank space where it used to be. I made this one to replace it. I’m happy that it sold, but the blank spot really bothered me. I wanted to finish it quickly, so I worked on it most of the day on Thursday, and finished it after midnight. I’m not sure how I feel about the colors. It’s certainly vibrantly colored, though.
I read that you can use two layers of acrylic felt as the batting in a small quilt. It’s especially useful if you’re going to hand embroider it. I had some bearding (the batting poked through), on some of my 12 x 12s when I embroidered them. I used the felt batting in this hamsa, but then I didn’t do any hand embroidery on it, just machine embroidery. I do like the stiffness of it though.
I’ve been working on a 12 x 12 for tomorrow.
I made a 12 x 12 frame out of paper to help me visualize where the edges will be. I decided it needed a dark contrast in the triangular hole at the upper right.
Then I sewed the pieces together.
Oops. The dark contrasting triangle is too big.
This is better.
I trimmed it to 13 x 13, because it will shrink when I quilt it. It looks kind of like an angry face to me. I have no idea what to name this piece. If you have a suggestion, please leave me a comment.
I’m working on another UFO from the same class as the previous UFO. I think it will be my 12 x 12 for this month.
My quilting buddies gave me some good comments about whether or not the previous UFO looked like a peace sign. My favorite advice was from Nann on the Lib-Quilters list. She wrote, ‘give peace a chance.’ I love that! However, my tentative plan is to turn it upside down so that it looks like a tree.
I’m working on the same old UFO. I cut it apart, then sewed the pieces back together again. I thought I would sew it back into a circle, but now I’ve got spaces between each piece, that I think I will piece a contrasting strip into. It looks a little like a peace sign. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I like peace, but peace signs are overused. What do you think? Does it look like a peace sign? If so, do you think that is a good thing or a bad thing?
You’re invited to the opening of our show! I have eight small quilts hanging in it. Come say hi to me and 27 other alumnae of the “12 x 12 challenge.” The opening is 12/4/16 from 1-4 PM, 5327 Jacuzzi St. Richmond, CA. The show will be there from 12/3 to 12/28, so you have a month to see it if you miss the opening.
Although the address is in Richmond, it feels like El Cerrito because it’s off the Central Ave, El Cerrito exit.
I made a little bit of progress this evening. It’s interesting that this UFO started out round and then I cut it up. And now that I’ve got most of the pieces sewn together, it’s back to being round again. Maybe I’ll piece it into a darker blue background. I’m almost out of these fabrics, since this is an old UFO. Now I’m sorry that I used some of it for postcards. The fabric I have the most of is the light blue one.
I was having a hard time getting started on a project, so I decided to make some fabric postcards for EBHQ out of an old UFO. (A UFO is an unfinished fabric object). These two postcards looked really interesting, so I decided to see what I could make out of the rest of the UFO.
This UFO is from an EBHQ class I took several years ago on sewing circles by Gwen Maxwell-Williams. I have similar UFOs from a class I took from Sherri Lynn Wood. Maybe I’ll combine them.
