Classical music fans may recognize my play on the name of this little quilt. This is what I made for Randy (barristersblock blog) for our April swap. She received it this weekend, so I can share it with you now. And since it is basically all I have sewn lately that you haven't already seen a few times, this is all I have to share.
This time around I chose the fabric we would use (we could add anything else we wanted to, but I sent her half of some jelly roll strips from Barbara Brackman's Richmond Reds line, and that was our base). Randy suggested the theme of Log Cabins, or any variation of them, and we decided to stick with the 12" size. I haven't received mine from Randy yet, but she tells me she has used her own variation of those guidelines. Can't wait to see. : )
Each of the blocks I made was taken from this book. I scanned and reduced until I had them the size I wanted. Then I printed them on newsprint and foundation pieced the blocks.
This shows the back of the top, pre-paper removal. The blocks finished at around 3", I believe.
The quilting was all stitch-in-the-ditch. With blocks this small and busy, I felt like more than that would look out of place.
Thanks for playing along, Randy! I enjoyed the challenge. : )
Now I look forward to May, when I have a little quilt swap lined up with another blog friend.
Until next time,
Janet O.
I believe I have stated before that I take ditch stitching very seriously on my mini quilts. Well, that is what has pretty well consumed my sewing time since my last post. Here is the evidence.
Only just beginning the ditch stitching on the little log cabins. Then I have some cable designs I am thinking will go well down the furrows.
I was going to try to do this entire basket quilt with straight line quilting, but after doing all of the ditch stitching, and the basket weave and handles, I was sick of straight line quilting on this piece. I will set it aside for now.
The cross-hatching I had planned
in the setting triangles may just be too much straight line for one little quilt. I may put feathers in them to
juxtapose some curves onto all of the angles here.
This was a little Pam Buda SAL (Orphans and Scraps) a year or two ago. She made hers as a mini runner, but I wanted a little square. The blocks finish at 4". The 9-patch cornerstones are 1 1/2".
This was all ditch stitched, except the border. Often on minis I feel like too much fancy quilting can detract from the piecing, so I usually keep it pretty simple.
Here we have one of those Temecula SAL quilts that I tended to do in excess. I think I made three of these. The other two were gifted long ago and this one has yet to be finished. This SAL was called Summer Stars. I wasn't enamored with the layout Temecula used, so I exchanged it for a
layout they had used on similar sized blocks in another SAL called
Blessing Baskets (I made 4 of that one).
Ditch stitching all finished here. This will probably get curved cross-hatching in the setting triangles, and I haven't decided yet on the outer border.
This is not a small quilt--it is a holiday table topper for the breakfast nook table. I pieced it from scraps I got in a scrap bin at a LQS years ago. I wanted to try a freehand holly design, and never could get up the courage. I finally went for it (after ditch stitching the borders).
This is the result. Better than I had hoped. As I stitched, I felt like the design was going down very unevenly, but it doesn't look as unbalanced as I feared.
Had a sweet surprise in the mail yesterday from Pat (Amity Quilter blog). I had commented on a fabric she had used in a quilt and I was interested in it. She sent me some and I already know where it will go. See all of those HSTs a friend gifted me? This will be a perfect border fabric for a quilt from these pieces. I will throw in a little more darker blue with the triangles to tie it all together, but the orange-y coral and browns work great! Can't wait to get a chance to work on this. The quilt has been dancing in my brain for a while now.
Thanks, Pat!
Until next time, I am doing my best to stay away from SALs!! They really suck me in, as you can tell above. : )
Janet O.
P.S. The Beast is in hibernation right now, but I really need to wake him up and finish him. It is so peaceful in the sewing room when he is asleep.
What started out as a simple leader/ender project quickly became my main focus. 
Wanted to get these little log cabin blocks made and sewn together. I've only ever made small log cabin blocks using foundation paper piecing, and that's not how I did these.
So I was a bit nervous when I began squaring up the blocks, afraid I would have very wonky ones that wouldn't look good once they were trimmed. I was pleasantly surprised. To the right is all that came off as I trimmed thirty 3 1/2" finished log cabin blocks. Just a fuzz pile! Whew! That means all of my piecing of minis has paid off in more accurate sewing.
I am certainly my own worst enemy when it comes to finishing up the pile of little flimsies. I keep adding to it! The leftover 1" log cabin strips were sliced into 1" squares and now these little blocks are taking shape.
I did complete the smallest two little quilts from my last basting binge. The one on the left was a block gifted to me by Vic. Quilting on it was pretty basic--SITD and a scallop in the border.
The batik quiltlet was one of my test pieces when I reviewed Lisa Bongean's Itty Bitty Eighth rulers. I used her Pinwheel Garden pattern.
I ditch-stitched this as well, and then added some swags in the white and the border.
All of the HSTs in this were from a swap I did quite a while back with Sandi. I have made a baby quilt, ornaments, a pincushion and now this little quilt, all from those HSTs. There are still a handful left. I think I definitely got the better end of the swap!
Have finally chosen a spot for my Lori Smith Fit to Frame piece, which is still nameless. It now radiates its charm in the dining room--at least for a while, until I change my mind and move it somewhere else.
And through it all, I continue to plod along on the mammoth T-shirt quilt, which has now spilled onto the floor. My design wall accommodates a queen size quilt, but this beast exceeds the limits.
All of the blocks have been bordered to bring them to a uniform size and the fussy-cutting of the plaid sashing has begun. The shirts are not in their final layout yet. My OCD-ness will not allow the colors to have such random placement. I've just been too lazy to bring in the step stool I need in order to reach the top blocks and rearrange everything.
It is this time of year again on the farm. Twins and triplets will soon be frisking about the pasture and I will have full view from my sewing room window. I can't wait!
Until next time,
Janet O.
