Ties that Bind Birthday Party!

This was the message last Wednesday night:  Let's Party!  Here's our own Norma, helping get the food set up.  Wasn't everything delicious?

You just can't have a birthday party without cake.  How about this amazing pinwheel cake?  (By the way, it was as good as it looks.  I tasted it just to make sure.)

Good job, everybody, on the blocks of the month.  July's block was a birthday cake block (click HERE for the pattern, if you missed it).  There were 32 blocks!  Helen L. was the lucky winner.

We also had rousing games of quilters' dice.  It is so much fun to go home with different (more? or fewer?) fat quarters than you came with.

The big highlight of the meeting was Show and Tell.  This month we were asked to bring our first quilt, and something we're working on now or recently finished.
There is absolutely NO WAY I could put all the great photos of your quilts into one post.  So I'm going to put a few in every week until I've used all the pictures I took.
This week's focus is bright colors.  There are MORE bright colored quilts coming, but here is the first batch.
Hold on to your hat, you are going to be impressed.

These quilts and quilters are amazing!  I apologize for any blurry or off-center photos, I'm still learning my new phone.

Block of the Month

Our block of the month for August is Saw Toothed Square.  It's a 12 in. finished block.
Click HERE for the pattern.

Here's my version.
The pattern comes from Quilter's Cache.  Don't forget to click the Page 2 link to see the rest of the directions.
You will need two floral fabrics, one light and one dark.

Click HERE to see blocks made by another group.  All sorts of colors just seem to work well together.

Want a shorthand version of the directions?
Make one 6.5 in. (6 in. finished) center hst, and 12 smaller 3.5 in. (3 in. finished) hsts.  Then put them together as shown.

I apologize for not printing out the directions for you.  My printer is Not Cooperating right now. :-(
As always, if you have any questions or problems with the Block of the Month, leave me a message or give me a call.

Thank you to everyone who participated in July's meeting, to Norma and Mary M. for cooking and arranging, to all the cooks who brought such great food, to all who shared something for show and tell, to all who attended.

The second best thing at Ties That Bind meetings is sharing quilts.
The best thing is sharing with quilters.

Have a wonderful week!

Inspired By You

Where does our quilting inspiration come from? 
At a meeting this past spring, Nancy asked us where we find inspiration for our quilts, and many of us named designers or web sites or books.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized I am inspired by YOU, Ties that Bind members.

I'm inspired by members who volunteer to help sew each month at Sew Many Pieces and chair our booth at the Winter Quilt Show.

I'm inspired by leaders who manage our charity fabric collection (and make great bourbon fudge!)

I'm inspired by people who go the extra mile time after time, and still are cheerful and fun!

I'm also inspired by people who are too shy to let me take their picture (!), or who had not yet arrived when my grandson decided we should leave, or who let us sew together in her shop (thanks, Mickey!), or who couldn't make it that particular day.

As you probably guessed, these photos were taken at the June charity sew at Sew Many Pieces.
We can be very proud of all the work Ties That Bind does for local charities.  We are not a huge group, and yet we make quilts for those in need, and make items to sell to raise money to donate.  Everyone contributes in her own way, in accordance with our circumstances.  Take a bow, ladies!

Inspired By Nancy
At the May meeting, Nancy sent two quilts by Colleen that she had made for charity, using a pattern that intrigued many of us.  I talked to Nancy about it at a chance meeting in the park, and mentioned that I might share it here.
Note:  This is NOT the block of the month.  I'm providing the pattern here just in case you are interested.

Here's what the block looked like. 
To make one block, you will need two fabrics, one light and one dark.
From each fabric, cut 4 rectangles, 2.5 in. x 4.5 in.

Ok, easy cutting.  Now for the sewing.

Arrange the rectangles like this, with four in the center, alternating colors.  Sew the four center rectangles together on their long edges, as shown above.

Now sew the side rectangles together on their short edges, as shown above.

Add the side rectangle sets to the center set, matching the center seam.
And that's it!  The block should measure 8 in. finished (8.5 in. unfinished).

You can also turn it this way for a different look.

If you'd like to make a 12 in. finished block, cut the rectangles 3.5 in. x 6.5 in.

Ideas for quilts are all around us.  But I find the best ideas and inspiration at our monthly meetings, when our members share what they've been working on.

Thanks for sharing!  See you at the July 18th meeting!

Happy Birthday, Ties That Bind!

Let's make a birthday cake block!

I was the lucky winner of the Block of the Month in May, so I get to provide the pattern for July.

Here's where it came from:

It was originally called Happy Tiers (get it?) and appeared in American Patchwork & Quilting in April 2016.  To the designers it looked like birthday cakes and/or chandeliers (when upside down).
Either way, it's a cute design, and easy to sew.

Here's the diagram of the block, upside down.
I loved all the colors they used, and some of them really did remind me of birthday cakes.  I hunted through my stash of 2.5 in. strips, and finally chose the pink/orange floral print shown above.  It makes me think of a pink cake covered with piped frosting flowers.
I wonder what kind of "cakes" we'll all come up with.

Fabrics:

You will need a 2.5 in. strip of solid white for the background (just white, please, NOT tone on tone) and a 2.5 in. strip of a bright color. If your strip isn't quite 42.5 in. long, you will need at least part of a second strip.

Cutting:

From the white strip—cut 2 rectangles, 2.5 in. x 2 in.; cut 2 rectangles 2.5 in. x 3.5 in.; and cut 2 rectangles 2.5 in. x 5 in.

The white pieces are in pairs.

From the print strip—cut 2 rectangles 2.5 in. x 11.5 in.; cut 1 rectangle 2.5 x 8.5 in.; cut 1 rectangle 2.5 in. x 5.5 in.; and cut 1 square 2.5 in. x 2.5 in.

In the photo above I've laid out the birthday cake on its side.  (Good thing it's not really cake.)

Okay, all the cutting is done.

Assembling the Block:

We will work from the bottom of the cake to the top. 

Here are all the pieces, laid out but not yet sewn.

1.  The bottom two rows are the 2.5 in. x 11.5 in. strips. Sew them together on the long edge.

2.  Next, sew the 2.5 in. x 2 in. white pieces to the 2.5 in. x 8.5 in. cake piece, one on either end.

3.  Now sew the 2.5 in. x 3.5 in. white pieces to either end of the 2.5 in. x 5.5 in. cake piece.

4.  Then sew the 2.5 in. x 5 in. white pieces to either end of the 2.5 in. square cake piece.

All the rows are done, so now just sew the layers (rows) together.

Ta-da! Easy as pie.  And absolutely no calories.

Note:  The block is a rectangle, not a square.  It should measure 11.5 in. x 10.5 in. unfinished, which is 11 in. x 10 in. finished.

What if you added lace to look like icing?  Or what about embroidered candles?  Is there fabric that looks like chocolate icing with sprinkles?  What about a different fabric for each layer?

Ties that Bind has meant so much to me over the years.  I am very happy to celebrate our group's birthday.  Let's have many more!

Cheers,

Sylvia

P.S.  Got questions?  Leave a comment or email me and I'll be glad to answer.