Archive for May, 2011

Georgia on My Mind block tutorial

May 27, 2011 at 11:49 am · Filed under Quilts, Tutorials

For my purposes, I’m going to call this block Georgia on My Mind. Mainly because the block is called Georgia and it’s on my mind. I have to admit that I’ve never been to Georgia so I think the state itself can’t really be on my mind. I’m sure it’s lovely though.

Taking inspiration from Amy’s lovely tutorial layout for the Japanese x and + block, I did up some drawings rather than photo explanation. I’ve added some detail photos for the inset square. Click on the images below for full size.

Georgia on My Mind

Honestly, you know me (lazy…), would I make you do an inset seam if I didn’t think it was the best choice aesthetically? You can do this!

The photos below show how I pressed my corner blocks. The goal is to reduce bulk. You may find a better way that works for you. You may also need to trim the completed corners to 3 1/2″ square. If you do, each half of the block should measure 1 3/4″ (i.e., don’t just trim the square to 3 1/2″, make sure the corner square is 1 3/4″ and the mitered pieces are 1 3/4″).

Have fun!

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Dear Georgia…

May 26, 2011 at 6:06 pm · Filed under Fabric, Quilts

Now I’m just teasing you. I’m almost done with the tutorial for the 1957.5/Georgia block. It has been raining here for days hampering efforts to get decent photos. Since it’s still raining, I took maybe less than decent photos today. Will post the tutorial tomorrow.

I’m off to de-humidify something.

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1957.5 + 1970

May 18, 2011 at 2:31 pm · Filed under Books, Fabric, Quilts

What a coincidence! I’ve been puttering around with a block I saw while thumbing through Barbara Brackman’s Encylopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

I have many old block reference books but only recently added this one to the collection. Clearly an oversight on my part. Clearly.

So, I’ve been puttering with this block working out sizing — the book is a block reference, patterns are not included — and today I arrived at a successful test block.

This is referred to as 1957.5, the Georgia block as published in the periodical Hearth and Home. My version came out to 8″ unfinished. It almost ended up bigger because I couldn’t initially work out the maths involved in sizing that corner square — it is inset into an corner formed by a seam that is pieced at a 45 degree angle. I persevered. Now I am happy with the size.

By coincidence, I said to myself, hey, I’ve been cutting a lot of 2″ squares lately for my One Block Over virtual quilting bee blocks. I wonder if those blocks are the same size as these blocks?

Would you look at that?

Now, the blocks to the right and left of 1957.5 are 1970 (only one page over from 1957.5), a spool block attributed to Nancy Cabot from 1938. This block has gotten the “Badskirt bump” lately. Amy (badskirt) posted a tutorial for the Japanese x and + block after loads of people went gaga over a quilt by Setsuko Inagawa, a picture of which the lovely Jan posted after her visit to the 2011 Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival. I went gaga as well. Happily for me, Amy posted her tutorial just as I was getting ready to send out fabrics for my month of the quilting bee. There are loads of blocks to see over at the quilt-along Flickr group.

I have a sinking feeling I may need to make two quilts — or maybe three? — one quilt of only 1957.5, one quilt of 1957.5 combined with 1970, and one quilt of 1970.

::sigh::

Whatever the outcome, both blocks are great ones to use up scraps (especially the spool block/1970) and they are Goldilocks-sized — just right. I’m not sure why they seem to perfect at this size but they do. Hmmm, maybe I could even modify the center of the 1957.5 block so it has one rectangle rather than a different fabric square in the middle. Hmmm, I feel more puttering coming on…

Would anyone like a tutorial?

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Yoo-hoo!

May 16, 2011 at 1:47 pm · Filed under Dollies Online, Fabric, Quilts

Hey, who took away the warm part of spring? I just got my sandals out. I had the air conditioning on for a night.

Now the furnace is back on and I wore my winter coat to the bus stop. Bah!

Oh well.

A tease of warm weather certainly got me in the mood for sitting on the porch with an icy beverage. It also got me in the mood for light, bright colors.

This is the latest Dollies Online quilt called Fans of May.

I just love this palette of colors. It was also fun to mix some “of the moment” fabrics with some oldies but goodies from the stash. I’m being careful how I use that Kaffe yellow dot on grey. Endangered species, that.