Hope Valley String Quilt

I've been seeing string quilts around blog land recently and I really wanted to make one.  When I fell in love with one a fellow guild member was working on one featuring Hope Valley fabrics at our PMQG sew day a while back I knew I had to do it.  So I hunted around the internet until I found some Hope Valley and was able to get myself some (and on sale!)  That's one great thing about trying to find older fabric. If you do manage to find it, it's usually on sale, so I got a great deal!  I ordered from Hawthorne Threads, one of  my new on-line favorites. 

I was able to get all the colorways....

I wasn't sure exactly what I was doing, but after a few false starts I wound up cutting my foundation papers at 9 3/4".  I knew I wanted my "middle" string (I'm using gray Quilter's Linen), to be thinner than the Hope Valley strings.  I wanted them to finish big enough that you could really see the prints.  I wound up cutting the middle strings at 1-1/2 to finish at 1" and the Hope Valle strings at 2" to finish at 1-1/2".  I know a lot of string quilts use varying sized strings, but I'm a very symmetric girl so wanted them all the same or I'm afraid it would make me twitch.

So, here I go...some strings cut...

I first thought I'd use some "applique paper" that I found at a quilt show about 10 years ago that I absolutely had to have and have never used.  So, I cut some up to use as my foundations.  Didn't work too well. I didn't like the way it went through the machine, it seemed to "pull" as I was sewing.  It just didn't feel right.  It's shiny on one side (kind of like freezer paper - heck, it probably is just freezer paper that I over paid for).  So, I spied some packing paper from a fabric order I had laying around that seemed like the perfect weight for my foundations (and plus it was free!).  So I cut it down and it worked like a charm.  But I only had enough for about 10 blocks.  So I asked hubby if he had any packing paper at work I could use and he did!  Awesome!  And it's still free!

Here are the first two blocks...

You really have to "design as you go" with this one.  It's kind of like putting a puzzle together, which made my stomach churn at first, but now I'm getting the hang of it and it's fun.  I also found out it's better to stitch these using my walking foot.  I'm really enjoying making these blocks.


Here's what I've gotten done so far.  I had to interrupt my progress for the time being to work on the red & white wedding quilt.



I can't wait to get back to Hope Valley!

Where I Sew

Pink Chalk Studio is hosting "Where I Sew" month on the blog.  I know I love seeing others' sewing spaces and thought I'd join in the fun.  Mine isn't fancy (or even very neat right now), but it works for me.  It's in the smallest bedroom (we always called it the "little room", now it's just called my sewing room).  I've got a lot packed in there and thought I'd move into my daughter's former bedroom when I moved the longarm in there because it's bigger, but I like this room for a lot of reasons (and not just laziness at not wanting to move everything!)  This room is right off the top of the stairs (I live in a split level) and I can hear whatever's going on downstairs easily and just peek my head around the door to see what's going on.  I don't feel like I'm tucked away in this room.

From the doorway you look straight to my sewing table which houses my beloved Bernina with a small cutting mat to my left, a couple of baskets for this and that in the back and a selection of threads...

Thread, up close...

To my right is my "big board" ironing board and the big design wall.  Which is a kind of a pain to use because of the big board being in the way, but I deal with it.

 When you come in to the room to the left of the door are a set of plastic drawers that house catalogs, patterns, notebooks, rulers, gadgets, fusibles, freezer paper and what not.  The tray on top holds the rulers I use most....

There's a smaller design wall (piece of flannel tacked to the wall) on that wall.  Then on the side wall are 3 bookshelves that hold books. magazines, some stash, WIPS, threads, and a myriad of stuff...it looks messy but I know what's there...

In front of the bookcases is my cutting table.  Then tucked in the corner is a glass front cabinet holding yet more stash with my tv on top...I love catching up on all of my DVR'd (is that a word?) shows while I'm sewing (in fact, I use *TV Ears* so I can hear over the sewing machine!)...

(What the heck was I watching???)

So, this is where I sew.  And I love my space.

Busting Some Stash!

Red and White stash that is! 

My daughter was invited to a friend's wedding in September and, of course, I offered to make a quilt for her to give as a gift (because I'm always looking for an excuse to make another quilt, like I don't already have enough quilts in the queue I'm nice like that).


So I quiz her about style, colors, etc. and we determined modern and red & white. So, just like for the Green quilt, I pull all of the red and white stash off the shelves and lo and behold, I believe I have enough - LOL!

We (and by we, I mean me) decided a half-square triangle quilt in an off-set barn raising pattern would be just the ticket!  I figured a size of around 64" x 72" would be good.  I'm making the HST's 4" finished.  Using my mad math skillz (not!), I figure I'll need about 288.  So, I'm busy, busy, busy making HSTs....here's a few... 

1. 

With a cool quilting design, I think it will be crisp and modern!  And I'll get to say that I've finally made my own red and white quilt which is all the rage right now.  Plus, those piles really are going down!

This is why you should keep notes....

Or....How many yards of fabric do you have to buy before you get the right shade?  Answer - 9-1/2.

I decided I wanted to make a pieced back for this quilt to use up the rest of my Kumari Garden fabrics.

So I came up with this for this middle of the backing...

When I realized I didn't have enough of the leftover blue Quilter's Linen for the rest of the back, I got the number from the selvedge and proceeded to order another 3 yards.  I like this fabric alot and wanted to be able to use it in another quilt so I figured I'd get a bunch. 

So, I order it and this is what came....

 Looks right, doesn't it?  Nope, not so much.  In fact not even close!  Although the first 4 digits of the fabric number was right, apparently all of the Quilter's Linen blues have the same first 4 digits, but there is a 2 digit code after that is not on the selvedge.  I thought about sending it back, but it's a pretty nice blue so I'm sure I'll use so I decided to keep it.

So, back I go to the internet to search for the blue I need.  Ah, there's another blue, so I order 3 yards of it figuring it has to be right.

Waaaaay off.  Really?  I can't believe this!  I finally figured out that I must have originally ordered Aqua, not blue (because there were no other blues).  So, I nervously ordered a half yard of Aqua...

Bingo!  That was it!  But I only ordered 1/2 yard and it wasn't near enough to finish the whole back.  Luckily, this time I kept the receipt and just went and ordered 3 more yards.  And now I'm done.  And I have enough blue Quilter's Linen to last me for awhile.

Swoon...

While perusing some quilty blogs, I came across Swoon from Thimble Blossoms....

I love these large blocks (I think they are 24" or something like that).  I found  some great FQ bundles and this Meadowsweet floral/plaid for the binding from a new-to-me shop called Sew Fabulous Quilt Shop.  I'm using Moda Bella Gray for the background...

I love when fabric comes tied up in pretty ribbons (and you bet I'll be reusing them!)...

The bundles were made up of some Meadowsweet, some Lila Tueller, Lakehouse Drygoods, Sandi Henderson and more.... 

Sweet! (And I stacked them back up and retied the ribbons after I took these shots o:) )

Kenny's Flea Market Finds

It's summer and my hubby is back to his Saturday yard-sales buying junk stuff he plans to re-sell (but that doesn't happen much yet).  He did get some great bargains today though.  For $2 each he got...

4 yards of this Alexander Henry print...look at this explosion of color!  It will make a great quilt back...

This one I love - there are 2 yards of this gorgeous seashell print...I'm definitely making a quilt with this as a focus fabric...

And this has to be one of the greatest bargains of all time...8 yards of this fabulous neutral...

Thanks Hon!

Back in Central Park

I had to interrupt my Central Park marathon to do a few other quilty things, but now I'm back to it in earnest.  I am just itching to get my Postage Stamp quilt quilted, washed & crinkled and put to use!  I started quilting on Sunday - using the Daisy Swirl panto (I know I use this one a lot, but it's just so summery!)...

And since I can only stand at the longarm for so much time before my back starts to hurt (or maybe I like piecing better than quilting???), I'm also working on the "big" Carnival.  Here are the "right face" blocks all done...

And here are the pieces for the "left face" blocks cut out and ready to sew...

That was Monday.  Tonight, those blocks will be finished and I hope I can have this one all put together by the end of the weekend.  I'm also hoping to get the quilting and binding finished on Postage Stamp by the end of the weekend too and I can start next week with something fresh.  (I just love starting a new quilt!)