Finished Urban Lattice - "Facets"

I finished!

(and in time for Bloggers' Quilt Festival!)

Here is my finished Urban Lattice Quilt, made from the Urban Lattice Quilt Along over at Cara's.  (For previous entries on the process of making this quilt, including directions for making the block without paper piecing, please see this link).

I've decided to rename it "Facets."

The weather was not being cooperative today, but I did finally convince the hubs (home unexpectedly due to unseasonable rain) to try to hold my quilt for me so I could get a picture.



He compared it to holding a heavy flag.

I really wanted a cool shot with the flooded rice fields in the background...

I think I got a better shot of his feet... and you can see the sort-of even-ish straight lines for quilting.

In this picture, the wind is holding it up against an old dog kennel we no longer use.

I'm pretty thrilled it's finished though.  With the first trimester, working three days/week, and a busy little man, it took longer than I hoped... but now it's all done (except for the wash).  But I have loved this quilt from concept, to completion.  

I made it for my husband, though I have a feeling Steiger's big boy quilt won't be done in time, so he'll probably get to borrow this one for a "biddle bit."  Besides, when I had it laying on the floor, and he had just got up from his nap, he explained "Dat's pretty."

The fabrics are some various blenders, Moda Bella solids in Medium Gray, Ivory, and White, Kona solids in Ash, Stone, and Bone (I think), and Kona Charcoal and Quilter's Linen in Black for the Lattice and Binding.

For the back, I used Bella Gray, some Robert Kaufman Metro Living Circles, and some of the Pastry line Voile from Anna Maria.

Thank you Cara for the Quilt Along design, and Maritza for the inspiration of using mixed neutrals!

Happy Quilting!

(Only 8 days left of work for me!  Steiger's face captures well how I feel about that!)

and she's all basted...

I would like to be proud of my (quilting) accomplishment for the weekend.

I turned on my sewing machine (first time in a month or so!)

Pieced a back.

And got my husband's Urban Lattice quilt all basted.  

It was nice to be able to bend at the waist without wanting to puke.

I quilted half a line, stopped in the middle and decided I needed a nap.

But it was a start, and definitely progress. ;)

WIP Wednesday -- ch ch ch ch changes...

I'm posting this a little early, and hope to get it linked to Lee's WIP Wednesday sooner rather than later!

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First up -- 

You might be sick of seeing it by now, but I finished my Urban Lattice quilt top.  

I've been talking emailing with Wendy, and she mentioned Greenfield Hill for the backing.  I was thinking this plaid print, with maybe a little of the chevron pieced in???






This week, I also got eight of these blocks made for my niece's quilt (she's due March 1!)

I'm toying with the idea of writing this quilt up in to a pattern... what do you all think?

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Somewhat sadly, sewing has slowed down in my world. 

This week, I went back to work *gulp*

I think I've told you all that I live in the middle of nowhere?  Well... in that middle of nowhere, I used to work at the very tiny high school where I also happen to be an alumna.  A few days ago, they asked if I'd be interested in taking back my old position as English teacher, as the person who took my place got a job in a much bigger place than out here.  

I'll now be there three days/week until the end of the school year (I'm not planning on going back full-time any time soon).  

Of course I already miss Steiger (and sewing) like crazy, but he gets to stay with Grandma or Daddy, so I feel pretty good about that.  

I also feel pretty good about the fact that my vocabulary adjusted quickly from topics of trains and milk and pee-pee to things like persuasion, and paradox, and context.  

Please don't forget about me if I can't be in blogland as often, and believe me that I'll miss you! 

WIP Wednesday -- two quilt alongs now. :)

Yep, that's right.  I'm now in the thick of not one, but two quilt alongs. :)

First up --

Cara's Urban Lattice.

This is going to be Jay's manly quilt... and fittingly, Jay stayed up late with my Sunday night to finish all forty-eight blocks.  I finished at 11:57.

I tried to get up before S on Monday morning to lay them all out, and I did beat him, but not by enough time.  So I finished the lay-out during his nap, and got half of them sewn together that evening.

I am proud to report that making the blocks without paper piecing still resulted in perfectly aligned points.

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Next up -- Aneela's "Pickledish" quilt along.

(I have heard that this isn't technically a pickledish block, but a modified wedding ring -- I'm not an expert, but I thought you might be interested in that little tidbit)

These are my latest obsession.  I would sew these all day (and night) if I could.

You saw the last two...

...and then there were three.

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In good news -- 

I got a finish this week! (show you Friday).

But I'm starting a new one (for my niece due to arrive sometime around March 1)

I love this Pink Lemonade look. :)

I'm linking this in to Lee's WIP Wednesday!  Go see who else is playing. :)

a quick how to: Urban Lattice Blocks without paper piecing

I've got 32 of the required 48 blocks done (for the size I'm doing... twenty-eight of them are pictured above.)

This is my version of Cara at Me? A Mom?'s Urban Lattice Quilt Along.

You can find a list of all Cara's directions here.

Materials needed: a 12 1/2" ruler (I got mine here when it was on sale last year some time)

Cutting:

I used Cara's specifications, with a couple changes...

For the main body pieces: I didn't use a trapezoid template, but just cut mine at 5 1/2" x half the WOF (don't worry about trimming selvages)

I added a small inner strip of the contrast lattice that I cut at 7/8" x ~11" (I cut the WOF in to fourths)

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*Note: All seam allowances are 1/4" and I pressed all seams open for this block

• Sew a body piece to each side of your main 1 1/2" x half the WOF center lattice strip.  The lattice strip will finish at 1".  

• Shown in the picture below is a completed body section.

• Mark at about 10 1/2" from the top.  There are tiny white marks on the lattice strip.  These mark the approximate center of my piece.  I used the lines on my cutting mat to help me keep everything straight, then laid the quilting ruler across a line to mark the outside edge of the center.

•  If you want to add an inner contrast strip to your triangles, cut 7/8" x WOF strips and cut those in to fourths. Take your 5 3/4" squares, cut them in half on the diagonal, and sew the contrast strip to the hypotenuse (bias edge) of the triangle.  Press.

• Line up the flag section (that's what I called it) so that the raw edges are lined up RST, and the point of the triangle (at the right angle) is pointing at the center mark.  (You can see the little white marks better in this picture).  Sew down and press.

Now is time to trim everything up!

Originally, I had taped my ruler to see where the edges lined up on my 12 1/2" ruler.

As you can see, that didn't work out very well, and wasn't actually necessary.

• The diagonal center of the ruler is marked in one direction (It's hard to see in my picture -- click here to see what I'm talking about).  I lined that up in the center of my lattice strip (I drew tiny dots equidistant away from the corner of the ruler to mark where the edge of the lattice should line up with the edge of the ruler.  
• Center the ruler(ish) and trim on all sides.

• A completed Urban Lattice block (sans paper piecing)!

Making your blocks this way does require a consistent seam allowance and accurate cutting, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for an early beginner, but the blocks do line up so nicely.  I am confident my lines will look great when I sew them together.

P.S.  Quilt Hope In is accepting donations for a "soft" opening!  (We're trying to get all the kinks worked out with funding,etc.)  

WIP Wednesday - someone else's quilt along

It's true -- I have my own quilt along to finish... and I will (Christmas sewing was a major derailment!)

But in the mean time...

I've started my "manly quilt" from Cara's Urban Lattice Quilt Along.



For Christmas, my darling husband let me get got me Electric Quilt 7.

I haven't figured out most of it, but I did manage to mock this one up, to make sure my idea of multiple neutrals...


...would look good somewhere other than in my own head.

And it did.



I've got much of my cutting, and eight of the forty-eight blocks done.

This thing is massive!  (You can see my thread spools down in the corner)



Much to my friend E's chagrin, I don't have any scrapbook paper in my house (my mother-in-law meets all my scrapbooking needs)... and I really can't stand tearing the paper off when I'm done (really -- I can't stand it).

I do though have a large 12 1/2" square ruler.  So with a few tape marks on it, and careful sewing, I think it's going to turn out fine without any paper piecing (*phew*).  The other change I made was to add a small inner border around the inner colored scraps.  Jay likes it that way -- and I figure since this is "his" manly quilt, I'd better give him at least a little say.

I'm linking this to Lee's WIP Wednesday!



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I just discovered most of the people linking to Lee's linky party are including stats.  *gulp*  Here I go... (in no particular order).

To be quilted:

1. Nicey Jane Fat Quarterly quilt along
2. Blissful surprise
3. Breakfast at Tiffany's Rob Peter to pay Paul (already basted)
4. Christmas quilt top
5. Rouenneries couch quilt

In various stages of piecing:

6. French General Schnibbles (just needs borders)
7. My Chubby Stars (this is the next to be pieced!)
8. Pure Surprise (oh yea -- this one too). ;)

You don't even want to know all the rest -- these are the ones at the top of my list.

You can see it was a good decision to sit out of swaps for a bit. ;)

(one more angle)