Reader Poll: The Better to See You With

Quilt designs are everywhere and, in my experience, waiting rooms and health care offices can be splendid places for design inspiration--if nothing else they take your mind off what it is you're waiting for.

My dentist's office, for example, yielded some inspiration.  I love the simple but interesting design of the light fixture over the sink in the ladies' rest room.  (There may be an equally interesting one in the men's room, but I didn't check that out.)

I had occasion, in short and illuminated bytes, to study the light focused on my mouth while getting my teeth cleaned.  The hygienist thought me a wee bit crazy at first when, as we waited word on whether I'd need a crown replaced (I do), I asked if I could take a photo of the light.  (It looks a little alien-like, doesn't it?)

Here are some design ideas that came out of, and evolved from, the photo; let me know in the comments which you like best.  I know, some of them look very much the same as the next, but there are a few differences, if quite subtle at times.  And the colors are probably not the final ones,though the relative size and placement on the quilt would be as shown.

Sigh.  I like each of them, for different reasons.  Help me to decide.

#1  

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

The hygienist wants to see the quilt when it's finished.  There may be more than one in it.  :-)

Let me know which you like best!

"Spinners" Mystery Quilt, Clue 4

This week we're preparing another strip unit for the block.

4.1  Using a sharp pencil or an erasable marker, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the Red 3-1/2” squares.  As last week, don’t be slap-dash about the line; the accuracy on the next step will depend on this line being truly corner to corner.

4.2  With RST, place a Red  3-1/2” square from the previous step on one end of a White 3-1/2” x 9-1/2” strip, making sure the drawn line is oriented as shown.   Sew on the drawn line. (As in the previous clue, you may wish to sew just a thread or two toward the outside corner of the square, to allow for the thickness of the thread and the fold-back that you’re going to do. )

Fold back the triangle and press, using the White strip as a base to line up the edges.  

Pull the triangle back so you can trim the seam to approximately 1/4".  

4.3  Repeat with 23 more White 3-1/2” x 9-1/2” and 23 more Red 4” squares, for a total of 24 strip units.

4.4  Draw a diagonal line, from corner to corner, on the wrong side of 12 of the White 4” squares.  (Note that you’re using 4” squares now.)

4.5   With RST, place this White square on a Red 4-1/2” square.   Sew a scant 1/4" on both sides of this drawn line.

4.6  Cut on the drawn line, giving you two units. 

Fold back the  Red triangle and press

Square up to 3-1/2”, making sure the seam line runs from corner to corner.  

I like to use the Bloc-Loc Half Square Triangle ruler (I'm not paid to say that!), but you can also use a square-up ruler.

Repeat with the other unit to give you 2 HSTs (Half Square Triangle units).

4.7  Repeat with the other 11 marked White 4” squares and 11 Red 4” squares.  You will have a total of 24 Red/White HSTs.

4.8  Sew a Red/White HST from the previous step to the end of a strip unit from Step 4.2, making sure the Red triangle is oriented as shown.  Press toward the White.

One more clue followed.  Well done!

Print friendly version of Clue 4

Previous clues/posts:

Clue 1
Clue 2
Clue 3

"Spinners" Mystery Quilt, Clue 3

With the cutting behind us, it's time to start sewing!

3.1  Using a sharp pencil or an erasable marker, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of 24 of the White 3-1/2” squares.   Don’t be slap-dash about the line; the accuracy on the next step will depend on this line being truly corner to corner.  (Spoiler alert:  you will be doing this with ALL the White squares you cut, so if you’re on a roll you can draw lines on all of them, then pull out 24 of the 3-1/2” squares for this clue.)

3.2  With RST, place a White 3-1/2” square from the previous step on one end of a Blue 3-1/2” x 12-1/2” strip, making sure the drawn line is oriented as shown. 

  Sew on the drawn line. (I usually sew just a thread or two toward the outside corner of the square, to allow for the thickness of the thread and the fold-back that you’re going to do.  This is the equivalent of a scant 1/4”.)

3.3  Fold back the white triangle.....

...and press, using the base of the Blue strip to match the edges exactly, and maintain the 3-1/2” x 12-1/2” measurement.

Pull back the white triangle, and trim the seam to approximately 1/4".

                    

3.4  Repeat with the remaining 23 Blue strips and marked White squares.

Total units:   24, measuring 3-1/2” x 12-1/2”

That’s it!  I said it wasn’t going to be difficult, didn’t I?

Print friendly version of Clue 3

Previous clues/posts:

Clue 1
Clue 2

"Spinners" Mystery Quilt, Clue 2

With your fabric ready to go, let's do some cutting; this cutting will prepare you for all the upcoming clues.

Ready?

Blue:
(8) strips 3-1/2” x WOF;  subcut EACH into (3) 3-1/2” x 12-1/2”
(1) strip 4” x WOF; subcut into(10) 4” squares
(1) strip 4” x WOF; from this subcut:
              (2) 4” squares (Add to stack of previously cut 4” squares)
              (2) 3-1/2” squares
(2) 3-1/2” x WOF; subcut EACH into: (11) 3-1/2” squares, for a total of 22
              (Add these to the Blue 3-1/2” squares cut previously.)

Red:
(8) 3-1/2” x WOF;  subcut EACH into (3) 3-1/2” x 12-1/2”
(1) 4” x WOF;  subcut into (10) 4” squares
(1) 4” x WOF; subcut into:
              (2) 4” squares (Add to stack of previously cut Red 4” squares)
              (2) 3-1/2” squares
(2) 3-1/2” x WOF; subcut EACH into (11) 3-1/2” squares
              (Add these to the Red 3-1/2” squares cut previously)   

        

White:
(16) 3-1/2” x WOF; subcut EACH:
               (3) 3-1/2” x -9-1/2”
               (3) 3-1/2” squares
(2) 3-1/2” x WOF; subcut EACH into (11) 3-1/2” squares.
(3) 4” x WOF; subcut EACH:
               (8) 4” squares
               (1) 3-1/2” square

Inner Border:
(7) 1-1/2” x WOF

Outer Border:
(7) 3-1/2” x WOF

So, when all is said and done, you will have:

Blue:
(24) 3-1/2” x 12-1/2”
(12) 4” squares
(24) 3-1/2” squares

Red:
(24) 3-1/2” x 12-1/2”
(12) 4” squares
(24) 3-1/2” squares

White:
(48) 3-1/2” x -9-1/2”
(72) 3-1/2” squares
(24) 4” squares              

Inner Border:  (7) 1-1/2" x WOF

Outer Border:  (7) 3-1/2" x WOF

Printer-friendly version of Clue 2 (pdf)

Clue 1 (Fabric Selection) post

A New Mystery Quilt: Spinners!

Think motion and designs that spin!  I like to tackle a mystery quilt now and then, and I'm hoping you do, too!   This "Spinners" design has been on my design wall (well, archives) for awhile now, and it's time it found some legs.  The quilt doesn't have a lot of pieces, or small pieces, and I think a beginner would be fine with it--though it may not be appropriate for a first quilt.

There will be 6  or 7 more clues, depending on how I decide to divide up the finishing, and I'll post a new clue each Monday.  (Starting next week, I'll also include a link to print-friendly version of each week's clue.  They will have diagrams, rather than photos, to try to save you some ink.  :-)  

Let's get started with choosing fabric.

Clue 1: Fabric

I will be giving the finished sample quilt to Quilts of Valor, so I'm using a red, white, and blue color scheme, but other colors and combinations will work, as long as there is good contrast among the fabrics.  Think two fabrics with good contrast, and a background (white/tan, in my case).  

I think the quilt would also look good if you used three different shades of the same color  (hmm....blue would be fun), provided there is good contrast.   Winter holiday colors, or colors for a kids' quilt will work.

Large prints with a lot of stuff going on are probably not the best choice for this quilt.

Here are my choices:

You will need:

Red:   1-1/4 yards

Blue:   1-1/4 yards
White/Background:  2-1/4 yards

Inner border:  3/8 yard   (Choose either the Red or Blue; I will be using Red)

Outer border:  3/4 yard     (You can use one of the fabrics in the rest of the quilt--though not the same as the Inner Border, or you can use a complementary fabric.  I will be using the same blue as in the rest of the quilt)

Have fun choosing fabrics, and I'll see you back here next Monday!

Five Arguments I've Had With Quilts (And Who Won Them)

We quilters are accustomed to quilts talking to us, telling us what to do:  this fabric needs to replace that one, that block needs to go here, etc., etc.   Sometimes I talk back.  Well, I argue.  (When you live alone, I guess you like to argue with someone other than yourself sometimes, especially when you don't always win the arguments with yourself.)

Mind you, most of the time I listen to the quilts because they are usually right, but sometimes I'm a contrarian and I really don't want to do what they tell me.   Here are five of the most vigorous discussions I've had with quilts.   You don't need to keep score; I'll track which of us won the arguments.

1. "The sashing needs to be narrower.  Narrower.  Narrower."

This was simply trying to avoid very narrow sashing, because I know many people don't like to cut and piece narrower strips; they're "fussier" and you have to be careful about accuracy, because 1/16" error across a 1" cut is more noticeable than across, say, 2-1/2"--which is the size of the sashing I started with on Underwater Basketweaving.   Truthfully, I knew that was much too wide but it's a handy, common size in quilting.

So I cut it down to 2", then 1-1/2", and finally, reluctantly, 1" (finishing at 1/2").   Really, it couldn't have been any wider; it just looked too clunky and detracted from the diagonal block design.

Students in the class complained about it and, to to this day, some are still cursing my name.   Sorry, but it had to be!

Quilt:  1
Karen:  0

  

2. " The quilting needs to be straight lines.  And 1/4" apart."

I have a longarm (Molly) and I love her dearly, but she is hand-guided so straight lines are no picnic.  If a quilt is small enough I will opt to do straight lines on my domestic machine, rather than loading up Molly.  However, I was determined to get better at custom quilting on the longarm and this is a fairly sizeable quilt, so....

I wanted the green shapes to be quilted to look like plowing. The "fields" are quilted with straight lines, 1/4" apart.  I tried 1" apart.  I wasn't having any more luck with that argument here than I did with Underwater Basketweaving and the sashing.  So, 1/2" apart.  Sigh.  All, right; 1/4" apart.

 MOST of the fields are straight lines, 1/4" apart.  (I DID learn a lot while doing it.)  I rebelled and did one of the fields with 1/2" lines, and one even has curved lines, as if it was contour plowed.

So, I'm going to score this one as:

Quilt:  1/2
Karen:  1/2

3.  "This Focus Fabric is Perfect Where It Is.  Keep it."

I love the colors in the floral fabric at the top,  which is why I chose it to be the focus for my color choices for the rest of the quilt.  (This was made in a "Quilter's Playtime" class with Dianne S. Hire.  If you think you might like to try improvisational quilting for a whimsical quilt, this is a terrific resource.  It's out of print, but track down a used copy.  It's tremendous fun.)

I've been putting off quilting this because I just can't make up my mind about that fabric in the quilt.  As inspiration for color it was top-notch but I'm just not sure....The quilt keeps saying, "Keep me, keep me!"  but I'm still arguing this one.  "OK, smarty; what would you put in its place?"  "Well, maybe a solid color, or more black and white."  "Blah, blah, blah...."  

Yep.  This could go on forever.  And it very well might!

How to score this one?   Argument called on account of....wishy-washiness??

Quilt?
Karen?

4.  "The cords need to extend into the binding."

I didn't argue this one for very long before I succumbed, because I really did agree with it.  But I almost rebelled while I was doing it.  The black was tricky enough--getting it to be in just the right spot, and EXACTLY the same width as the pieced cord was at the edge point where it met the binding.  But he floral?  Ay, yi, yi.  That angle was a hair-tearer.   A mathematician or a finish carpenter would have been able to do it in a flash, I'm sure, but I am neither of those.   There was some colorful language in that argument but the quilt fought back.

BTW, the name of the quilt is "Unplugged."  You don't need to be an electrician to know that ALL of these cords are unplugged.  It's a metaphor.  And the quilt told me that all the plugs wanted prongs. (And grounds, of course.)

Quilt: 1
Karen: 0

5.  "I want pink."

I like pink, I really do.  I can even wear it pretty well.  It just isn't really my thing.   When I first designed 'Boxed In" as a bonus pattern for my Frivolity group it was all black and white and grays, and I liked it that way.  But I wanted a punch of color in there.   I tried purple.  "I want pink."  Nope, not doing pink.  I tried teal.  "I want pink."  Nope, not doing pink.  I tried bright green.  "I want pink."   Sigh.

But I really didn't want to give in on this one so, in the end:

Quilt:  1/2
Karen:  1/2

The scoring (such as it is, incomplete as it is) puts the quilts a bit ahead but, of course, they were all a win for me, too; the quilts are better for it and it didn't hurt me to work through other options.

  I just like to win an argument now and then.

THIS Design. No, Maybe This One. Or This One.

I don't really do New Years resolutions, but if I did I would have resolved to spend 2016 focused more on teaching and one-of-a-kind designs, and less on published patterns.   So far, so good--though at only a bit more than 3 weeks into the year it may be too soon to celebrate success.  It's back to "Design Mondays" for the Spinster.  :-)  And she's pretty happy about that.

I'm still designing things for classes and for a few special events at my LQS, and I'm trolling around for ideas for a May class.   People have been asking for a curved piecing class, and I've been thinking about a Drunkard's Path class for some time, but I haven't quite hit on the right design.  In the end I might just do a fairly standard DP design but it has revisiting a design I did months (or maybe years, at this point) ago.   It was originally for a class, but its time had not come,   Still, I like the basics of the design and decided to pursue more designing today.

Retro Fans Original

Here's the original design:  Retro Fans, which combines Drunkard's Path and Pinwheel blocks.  I really, really like the basic "block", the variety of colors and the simplicity of it all.

Retro Fans Class 1

 Originally, for the class (way back when) I wanted to simplify even more, so participants wouldn't be daunted by the number of units they'd have to make.  So, I reduced the number of units/blocks, and set it in a modern, a-symmetrical set.

Retro Fans 1

I still like that, but for a one-off design for myself I wanted a little more....something.   Thinking that I might like a base or stand for the fan, I tried a few possibilities and, in the end, settled on triangles.  And a fan makes the air move, so perhaps something to signify the waves of air movement would add to the design.  Odd numbers, especially 3, are more pleasing to the eye, and I like a bit of shift from straight-line order.   This is still pretty symmetrical, but OK.   MAYBE this one would be it?

Retro Fans 2

Yeah, no.  Not it.  Not yet.  It's better with graduated length of lines, don't you think?   You probably can't tell the difference, but the lines in this version aren't all centered in the "blocks" for the lines.   It changes the spacing, which might not seem significant--especially in an illustration this small, but it does change the spacing between the lines.  I may or may not like it.






But there are other ideas to try out, as they start rolling through my brain.   We could extend with lines, with a a break in them, of course, to give us some white space.  We could shift the whole design concept into a diagonal.   I'm finding that rather a good idea.

       

Retro Fans 3

Retro Fans 4

                           

Retro Fans 5

What if I extend the lines again, and have them start to flow (blow?) off the top edge of the quilt.  (OK, I was being lazy.  I didn't want to shift everything down in the design software.  But off-the-edge is a modern design concept, so I thought I'd give that a try as a rationalization for my laziness.)   Frankly, it's not my cup of tea in this instance.

Retro Fans 6

There was another option for the airwaves:  lines closer together.   Bleah.  Too much density, and drawing attention too much away from the fans.














BUT I could introduce the denser waves with the dispersed waves.  Better.  It adds a bit of texture and interest without bulking it all up.  The denser waves could be extended, or remain only close to the fan blades. I could live with either.
           

     

Retro Fans 7

  

Retro Fans 8

I think I could get rid of the fan bases.  They're a little distracting, and don't add much to the design.

Retro Fans 9

Retro Fans 10

And I knew I had buckle down and shift everything down, so the right-most fan started in the bottom corner., which fixed the issue of the airwaves getting cut off at the top left edge. It's OK to hit the edge of the quilt, but not to have the design cut off before its time.

Then I wondered how it would look if some of the ariwaves moved over to the adjacent fans.  Actually, I don't hate this.  It might be all right.  I would want the lower right fan to be the color I wanted to dominate, as the quilt would have more of that color (and the least amount of the color in the upper left fan.) 

Retro Fans 11

I thought I was finished, and happy, but suddenly the squared-off base of the airwaves looked clunky, and not a good contrast with the general diagonal flow.  So, a little more adding and deleting of blocks and....I think I've reached the end of working on this design.  For today.    I'm not sure which one I like best; what do you think?

Retro Fans 12