Garden Quilt Show

Yesterday, I spent some time at the Fine Art of Fiber show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Lots of pretty quilts in a beautiful (indoor) garden setting. I usually go every year but missed last year for some reason. 

          Two things I love: walking around outside in my favorite season and looking at some lovely quilts. 

Lots of pretty, colorful quilts and lovely fall surroundings. I was disappointed that there were not many traditional quilts displayed (my style) but they were all beautiful nonetheless. This quilt below, a Lori Holt design made by Lydia Hoelle, was my favorite.  

This sweater reminded me of the quilt.

Still a few flowers blooming here and there.

Some parts of the garden were blocked off because they were setting up a winter light show that starts later next week. One of my favorite parts is always the waterfall. It was closed though, so here are a few photos of what it looked like in years past. 

 

                                           

                                 

                     

 It was a perfect fall day and the colors of the leaves were just beautiful. 

                        

                                   

                            

                     

The weather forecast originally called for rain but it turned out to be a beautiful day. If you're in the Chicago area, the Botanic Garden is always worth a trip. The show runs through Sunday, Nov. 9. 

                                                                                                           -Kathy

Darting Birds Quilt for Fall

I love this block!! Have you started making them yet?  

I decided to make 9 blocks and set them randomly to look like - what else? - birds darting to and fro. 

Then a few days ago I had some time to begin the quilting stage.  Simple stitches for a simple but busy quilt. I opted for no border, just binding. 

A very simple finish. 

Fall Mini Quilt - Darting Birds

I hope you'll join me in making a sweet little fall quilt using the "Darting Birds" block. Isn't it cute? In all my years of sewing, this is a block I've never made before, can you believe it?  

You'll find the pattern in my Facebook group files and also on my website. You can make your quilt with 6 or 9 blocks, add sashing, borders or whatever. There's even instructions to make a 3" block if you're feeling adventurous and want to go smaller. Have fun with them and arrange the "little birds" in different formations to give your quilt a sense of movement. Hope you all have a great weekend! 

                                                                                                            -Kath

Fall Mini Quilt Sew Along

 

If you love playing around with your reproduction fabrics (and especially scraps), I hope you'll join me in my Fall Mini Quilt Sew Along beginning this coming Friday, Sept 19. I'll post the directions to make a sweet little block and you'll find them in the Facebook group files that morning. I'll also post directions on my website www.countrylanequits.com

We'll be making a simple quilt using some of your favorite fall colored fabric scraps. And, believe it or not, it's a block I've never made before. So pick through your fabric scraps this week and come up with a few background lights as well as two medium or dark prints for each block. The more the merrier. The quilt I designed is comprised of six blocks but you may not be able to stop at six so pull out some extra fabrics and maybe you'll enjoy making a few more. I always make a few extra blocks anyway just so I can play around with different colors. Scrappy little quilts are such fun to make!

September

It's September. The temperatures are a little cooler than they've been for a long time. The flowers in the garden may be fading but quilts endure, bringing lasting comfort.

       

                                     

                          

                                  

                                        

Scissors Love

I love cute little scissors. I have a few pairs of "good" ones that are excellent but they're also kind of plain and boring. My favorite scissors are always the pretty ones that I like to use in display photos. I use them when I sew too but I really think a cute pair of scissors adds a sweet little touch to a photo. And using pretty scissors always makes me smile as I'm hand quilting.

Collecting different kinds of novelty scissors is fun. Lately, it's become one of my favorite go-to Christmas or birthday gift items. "What do you want, Mom?"  Me: "Just go to Etsy and buy me some pretty scissors, please." So, yes, Etsy has a ton of cute scissors. I'm often surprised. I've seen some cute ones on eBay and Amazon too. Mostly decorative and not very expensive.  Cute to look at and use. 

The little heart scissors are made by Kelmscott Designs (The Love Scissors, I believe). I found them on Etsy. Other shops may carry them as well. I have a 3.75" pair and then a couple of years ago my daughter bought me that tiny pair. So that makes 2 heart scissors . . . . a good start to a little collection.                           

                             It's just plain fun to use different scissors every now and then. 

                               

These particular scissors went missing awhile ago. I couldn't remember the last time I used them. Or even saw them. Where the heck did I put them?? I checked and they made an appearance in an Instagram photo sometime in 2019 LOL. Hadn't seen them since. I simply forgot where I put them. (Imagine a quilter doing that, haha.) So, for a few weeks I was obsessed with finding them. Looked in every nook and cranny in my sewing room, in storage cabinets, under the sofa cushions, even behind the sofa (in case I got frustrated while hand quilting and threw them). I looked Everywhere in the house. Every day. Asked my husband if he happened to see a little black box with a pair of fancy scissors inside. I asked him Several times. Did he happen to throw the box away by mistake??  He gave me that look. 

Then, for some strange reason, one day I thought of asking him to remove a heavy desk drawer and look behind it. Voila! The box with the cute little scissors inside had fallen and then became wedged behind the drawer.  Glad that's been resolved but now I have to find another special place to store them so I don't lose them again. You know how that goes. I have to hide them so no one else uses them. You'd think a drawer would be a safe place, LOL. Also, if I remember correctly (!), I was on a scissors kick around then and bought another pair of fancy scissors and now I can't seem to find those either . . . Oh well. (No, they're not behind the drawer. I already checked.) 

                         

              Anyone seen these?? 

 

                                 

I bring out a different pair every few weeks or so and keep them on my sewing table. Then, if I have something to show in a photo, I'll admit I like to strategically place my pretty scissors in the picture. Adds a cute little focal point. Looks like I could use a few more pairs. . . .  Just for the pictures, of course . . . . 

Despite all the pretty scissors, my absolute Favorite practical scissors are the ones with a serrated edge. My blue and green scissors you see here are by Karen Kay Buckley - called Perfect Scissors - and they have a micro-serrated edge. The purple ones are made by KAI.  They are just what the name says -  PERFECT in every way. They're especially terrific to use for applique. 

 

Happy shopping! 



                                                                -Kathy

Leftover or Orphan Blocks

What do you do with your leftover quilt blocks? If you ever have any, that is. Whenever I make a quilt I usually make a few extra blocks to play around with the setting. Sometimes, as I'm sewing the blocks together, I'm not happy with one or two blocks that just don't fit in with the others. So having a set of different colored blocks to substitute allows me to play around as I set them in the quilt.  It's fun to sort through them and come up with different ways they can be used. 

That little nine-patch mug quilt in the photo above was made because I was playing around with 1" squares one day to see how difficult it would be to piece something using really small squares. Turns out, not too difficult so I made a bunch. But 1" was small enough and I wouldn't want to go any smaller. I kept the little blocks and then one day turned them into a tiny quilt. I still have a few left over but haven't decided what to do with them. Yet!

Some quilters call these orphan blocks and sometimes those little extra blocks can be used in a whole different quilt. How about a sampler quilt? If they're not all the same size, sew a tiny border around the smaller blocks to make them fit in with the others. Jane Stickle did this when she created her famous quilt.

I remade many of my early wonky Dear Jane blocks because I knew if I didn't they would bother me when the quilt was put together. But some of those blocks are salvageable and perhaps I'll make a DJ runner someday. 

I've got more than one version of that yellow star . . . Each more wonkier than the next, haha. Third time was a charm.

I know quite a few of you used leftover half-square triangles to make the border for your Schoolgirl Sampler quilt. Some of you who have read the book know that my sampler quilt idea was begun when I looked through my pile of extra/leftover blocks and found that many of them were the same size - 4" x 4". And Schoolgirl Sampler was born!

Be creative when using your leftover blocks. They make great pincushions or bowl fillers. Coasters or mug mats. Or, how about using them in a different sewing project - like a bag or tote? Table runner? Find a pretty fabric for a runner and use the blocks as accents on either side. 

Showcase a single pretty block with some borders. 

Leftover star from Scrappy Stars sew along. 

That pink friendship star block was too small but I loved it and wanted to include it in the quilt so I pieced a tiny border around it to make it fit. 

Have fun playing around with your leftovers!