Tag: Quilting

Holiday Festivities

December 18, 2024

It’s been a quiet December. A number of local holiday gatherings have conflicted with family plans and therapy dog activities this year. The one event I could attend was lunch with my Friday Sew Squad. Unfortunately, I had to pass on this one because I had the upper respiratory ick that’s currently making the rounds. Ditto for the neighborhood holiday gathering that was rescheduled due to weather.

When not sleeping, I read and made HSTs for the Bonnie Hunter Winter Mystery Quilt. My chosen color way is blue (Bonnie used red), aqua/teal and green (Bonnie used coral) with an assortment of white and cream fabrics. As with the FG for Week 1, I had to rework the instructions to incorporate my green charm squares. The HSTs are done and I’m happy to say all the miscellaneous green charm squares in my stash were used up in the HSTs.

Half square triangles for Bonnie Hunter Old Town mystery quilt.

After four days, I felt human again. My final Monday enrichment class was yesterday. Sadie and I made our last therapy dog visit for 2024 today. One of my private sewing students completed her craft apron. The finished project is absolutely adorable; however, the project’s poorly written directions made it a true pain the posterior to make. I’ll modify the instructions with our methods for her to follow as she wants to make aprons for her crafty homeschool friends.

Student modeling her craft apron.

All the family gatherings happen between now and next Monday. This means I’m really looking look forward to a quiet Christmas at home! I plan to make good use of the three week break before 2025 therapy dog visits resume and classes at the SQTM begin.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. See you in 2025!

Quilting through the holidays

December 9, 2024
Stacks of Hourglass Quilt Blocks – Week 3 of the Bonnie Hunter Old Town Mystery Quilt

I’m tired. No wonder. I’ve made about 400 little bits in total for this quilt over the past two weeks. I’m all caught up and I’ve successfully figured out how to cut QSTs for the hourglass blocks using Bonnie’s Essential Triangle Ruler. Minimal unstitching and everything turned out the correct size, with only a tiny bit needing to be trimmed away. Last time, I used my Featherweight and the blocks turned out too small. This time, I used my Elnita EC30. Having the ability to adjust the needle position made all the difference for me.

I’m thankful that Bonnie Hunter offers a mystery quilt along during the Christmas season. This is my first time participating in one of her annual mystery quilts. The project has helped keep me engaged and in relatively good spirits during what can be a hard time of year. Family drama isn’t pleasant – especially when it causes a rift among family members on my side. Five years later, I will say the peace that comes with not having to deal with certain folks during the holidays is a gift in itself. This year, there are signs that some of the younger family members as they reach adulthood are interested in rekindling the familial relationship. This is welcome news.

The next two weeks will be a flurry of activity, but Christmas will be spent at home with hubs and Sadie. Christmas and New Year’s fall mid-week, so I’ll be able to stitch with some of my Friday Sew Squad at the library between Christmas and New Year’s. Are you joining the Stitchin’ Heaven crew on New Year’s Day? I’m with Team Rob and have already pulled my bin of red, white and blue fabrics. It’s a fun day and you don’t have to complete the quilt unless you want to. Last year, I made a handful of blocks, which became placemats to donate to Meals on Wheels. Placemats in patriotic colors are always welcomed by the staff.

Oh, and I’ll be working on the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt until it ends in January.

Cutting Quarter Square Triangles

December 7, 2024

There are many ways to cut QSTs. In this case, I wanted to cut my QSTs from leftover strips – like Bonnie Hunter does – without having to buy another ruler. QST math formula is finished size of block + 1-1/4″ equals the size square to cut. You then cut on both diagonals to yield 4 QSTs. I did just that and compared one of the QSTs to every ruler I had. I’m sure there a mathematical formula to figure out this out, but it’s Saturday and I didn’t feel like mathing that hard on the weekend.

A QST has a 90 degree angle at the peak. If you have a companion angle ruler, you could give that a try. I do not have one of those, but my Clearly Slotted Trimmers Ruler B (even numbers) provided the solution. The original strip was cut at 1-1/2″ and the hourglass blocks finish at 2″. If you see the comparison with the QST sample I cut, the 2-1/2″ line is where I need to align the ruler with the bottom of the strip to cut the correct size QST. The little bit (point) at the top that’s missing is okay, because the hourglass unit will end up slightly oversized and need to be trimmed to 2-1/2″. I cut full sides on the legs of the triangle – not cutting off the dog ears as I would for a regular HST.

My preferred trim down tool for hourglass blocks is my Tucker Trimmer from Studio 180 Designs. As you can see, the end result after trimming is a perfect 2-1/2″ hourglass block waiting to be sewn into a project. Now to make a few dozen more. The bonus: I used up short strips of fabric I would have otherwise thrown out.

Challenge yourself to figure out solutions using what you have on hand.