Just a Sampling

When it comes to samplers, make mine chocolate!
Or, quilts!
Many of our first quilts were samplers.  A sampler quilt is a great teaching tool.  Different blocks teach us different techniques, and when we're done piecing, we learn to quilt and bind.
The following are some of the sampler quilts from our last meeting, when we brought our first quilts for show and tell.

Very nice color scheme here, and nicely done.
I have to admit, I didn't have the best angle for taking pictures.  Plus I'm still learning my new cell phone camera, so I apologize for the poor quality photos, and for sometimes accidentally cutting out the quilt maker.  (Nancy looks good, though, doesn't she?)

I'm not sure if this is a sampler or a quilt of valor, sorry.  Either way, it's a lovely red white and blue.

Good colors, here, too, and lots of patterns.

A nice selection of blocks here.  Some of them don't look like beginner blocks to me!

It's amazing how different a quilt looks, just based on the colors.  Lots of nice stars here!

Fifteen great blocks here, nice set!

Beautiful selection of patterns and colors.

Isn't the blue and yellow color scheme striking?
Nicely done, ladies!
And good job finishing your first quilts.  
How inspiring!

By the way, don't forget the block of the month!  We're making 12 in. Sawtoothed Square blocks, in two florals, light and dark, like this:

Click HERE for the directions.

Are you working on your project for the Brown Bag Challenge?  I am actually hoping to start on mine before December 1st.

Thanks for reading the blog.   See you on August 15th!

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.

Reminder--Meeting this Week!

Don't forget, the meeting is this Wednesday!   I will be out of town :( but I will see you all next month.

 

June 20th:  Ties that Bind Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Pilgrim Lutheran Church
462 Meadowbrook Drive, West Bend, Wisconsin
All are welcome.

Here's Homework Puppy to remind us what to bring in June.

*Pincushion Competition!  Bring your cutest/best/most useful pincushion.  (I believe this needs to be made by you.)

*Your favorite notion

*Brown Bag for the Brown Bag Challenge

If you'd like to participate, here's what to do.  Get a brown bag.  Put a fat quarter in it.  Put your name in it (Not ON it).  We'll exchange them.  Each participant will make something with the fat quarter in the bag they drew for the person whose name is in the bag.  This will be your Christmas gift to that person.

*Cash contribution for the food pantry (if you so desire)

*  Your appetite!  We are having an ice cream social for our refreshments.

 

Have some fun for me!

Just Because It's June

Good morning!  Here it is, finished at last, the June Block of the Month!

Ta-da!

The pattern is called Spring in a Jar, and was an attachment to the June newsletter.  The contributor was Pat P.

This is a big deal for me.  I have to admit, I was a little bit intimidated by this block.  Piecing the background was fun and easy, and I've always liked the way pieced backgrounds look with applique.  The problem for me was the machine applique itself.  It's just not something that I usually do.

Let's be clear, I actually like applique.  I don't think of applique as the "A" word (like someone we know).  In the past I've done quite a bit of hand applique, and I've worked out a method I like.  I'm not planning a Baltimore Album quilt, but I'm comfortable with it for the most part.

But machine applique is a whole nother animal.  Of the more than 20 sewing machines in my house, only one even has a zigzag stitch.  That's my Pfaff, which is also one of the only two that use electricity.  I'm a treadle girl, and although there is a zigzag attachment that can be used for treadles, it is very primitive.  (Believe it or not, the needle doesn't move side to side, the attachment moves the fabric to zigzag.  Seriously.)

Normally I use the Pfaff just for machine quilting, so I had to get out the manual to see what stitches I actually have.  Sadly, no blanket stitch or buttonhole stitch.

I did manage to find some Heat n Bond fusible web in the basement, so I could fuse all the little pieces to the background.  And after hunting around I found threads to go with each color.  But how was I going to sew them down?

Internet to the rescue!  I found this tutorial from the Crafty Quilter, and she shows several ways of stitching down the appliques, including using just zigzag stitching.  Armed with this information, and blessed with the two year old's nice long nap, I got it done.

Here it is on my table, with my own blue jar.  I didn't have anything red blooming, so I had to settle for the pink peonies.
I really like this block.  I definitely made some placement errors and the stitching is a little amateurish in places.  If you win this block, I hope you'll overlook the imperfections.
Now I feel better about doing machine applique.  Thanks, Pat P.!  It's always good to learn something new.
Are you making the June block of the month?  If so, my advice would be to take your time, practice on a scrap first, and (definitely!) don't wait til the night before the June meeting to get started!
Have a great week, everybody!

May/June Update

 

Hello, Summer!  No snow prevented us from meeting in May.  Suddenly it's summertime, with picnics, gardening, lawn mowing, vacations, and, always, quilting.

What's happening in June?

June 7th:  Charity Sew at Sew Many Pieces in Richfield, starting at 10:00.  This will be the last one organized by our faithful charity quilt committee until fall.  They are taking the summer off.  More details about the summer at the June guild meeting.

June 9th:  Saturday Open Sew, Germantown Community Library, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We have to be out by 3:00, because that's when the library closes.  Bring your sewing projects, machines, etc.  An ironing board and iron will be provided.  You can bring your lunch, or take your choice from lots of nearby restaurants.

June 15th and 16th:  Annual Rummage Sale at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg.  Friday, June 15th, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Saturday, June 16th, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. 

Do you have sewing/knitting/quilting items to donate to the museum sale?  Donations will be accepted on Tuesday, June 12th from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, June 13th, from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.

June 20th:  Ties that Bind Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Pilgrim Lutheran Church
462 Meadowbrook Drive, West Bend, Wisconsin
All are welcome.

Here's Homework Puppy to remind us what to bring in June.

*Pincushion Competition!  Bring your cutest/best/most useful pincushion.  (I believe this needs to be made by you.)

*Your favorite notion

*Brown Bag for the Brown Bag Challenge

If you'd like to participate, here's what to do.  Get a brown bag.  Put a fat quarter in it.  Put your name in it (Not ON it).  We'll exchange them.  Each participant will make something with the fat quarter in the bag they drew for the person whose name is in the bag.  This will be your Christmas gift to that person.

*Cash contribution for the food pantry (if you so desire)

*  Your appetite!  We are having an ice cream social for our refreshments.

What about the Block of the Month?

When the newsletter hits your email box, it will include a copy of the pattern for the Block of the Month (thanks to Pat Patoka and our faithful newsletter editor Pam!).  I asked to have the pattern early so I could make up a sample for you.

This is how far I've gotten.  The background is pieced, and the rickrack is sewn down.  The rickrack will be flower stems, did you guess?

The pattern is called Spring in a Jar.  Next up, sew down the jar.

I'll post again when I get it done, with step by step directions and photos.

For now, stay cool, and keep quilting!