A New Cross Stitch Pattern

Rejoice Sampler is my newest cross stitch pattern! I used both Valdani 6 strand embroidery floss, and DMC embroidery floss to stitch the sampler onto Weeks Dye Works 36 count Mocha linen, using 2 strands of floss over 2 linen threads.

 

Rejoice Sampler

It's now available on my website as either a paper pattern mailed to you, or as a PDF instant download. I also have it listed in my new Etsy shop as a PDF instant download.

I finished all of the block and fabric replacements on my "Economy Patch" turn of the century quilt I blogged about last time, and now I'm on to the hand quilting phase. It should be interesting, as the border is very "ruffly", a feature I've never dealt with before, as I've always hand quilted my own quilts, which I make sure are perfectly flat. So, we'll see, LOL!

I've also taken on another quilt restoration project, this time on a quilt top I purchased online. I have an affinity for one patch quilts, made of many different prints, and this is such a one - made entirely of diamonds, with a 5" border. The quilt looks to be pieced in the 1870-1890 period, and is very well pieced, although all of the seams are very narrow - 1/8" wide. I read in Eileen Trestain's book, "Dating Fabrics", that quilters during this time period were encouraged to use narrow seams in their piecing to lessen the weight of the quilt. Very interesting! And this quilt top is certainly very light.

The quilt was tied some time later than the piecing, with a cotton batt, and a backing fabric that looks to be a 1930-40 fabric. I washed the quilt before removing the ties, and many of the fabrics fell apart after washing, principally the fabrics with brown in them. So, I'm replacing those patches with reproduction fabrics. Luckily, I have a good collection of reproduction fabrics, which I started buying when they first came on the market.

Here's an example of some of the patches that needed to be replaced, and then what I replaced them with:

 

"Before" replacing the patches

 

 

 

 And the replacements:

 

I auditioned the fabrics first by laying the reproductions close to the damaged patches to try to find fabrics that most closely resembled the originals, in color and tone. I hand pieced them together, but I'm using a 1/4" seam allowance, haha!

That's all for now! Until next time,

Martha

Prairie Patchwork Quilt Along - Block C

Westward Ho!

We continue our journey along the trail by making Block C for the Prairie Patchwork Quilt Along sampler quilt. It's appropriate to our "journey" theme, that this block is best suited to hand piecing, a technique that would have been the only way a women on an overland journey could have pieced blocks along the way (unless, of course, the family made room in the wagon for a precious treadle sewing machine!).

 

Prairie Patchwork Quilt Along - Blocks C

If you're unfamiliar with hand piecing, or if you'd like to see how I piece this particular block specifically, I've put together a video tutorial on hand piecing the sunflower block. The techniques I share can be applied to any quilt block, simple to complex. 

CLICK HERE to download the fabric requirements and cutting instructions for Block C.

Prairie Patchwork; Treasured Quilts and Tales of Time

Prairie Patchwork: Treasured Quilts and Tales of Time is my newest book, published by Martingale Publishing, and just released last week! First of all, it was such a pleasure to work with all of the staff at Martingale. It is a very professional bunch, and my book was put together all along the way with the utmost care!

That being said, I'm extremely proud of the result!

 

Prairie Patchwork

You'll find patterns using a variety of techniques for making the quilts in Prairie Patchwork, from hand piecing to machine piecing, foundation piecing to strip piecing. You'll also find a variety of sizes as well: bed quilts, wall quilts and doll size quilts. A pattern for a sweet little wool applique needlebook is also included.

The Benefits of Having Unfinished Quilts

Last year, 2019, was a mostly sedentary year for me, as I worked on sewing the projects for my upcoming book, and then writing the copy, and drafting the diagrams.

I entered this new year, 2020, with the goal of getting back in some sort of shape. My son and I went on a little hike a few days after Christmas. Afterwards, although I didn't fall or anything, my left leg was aching. After the first of the year, I went to the gym and did some weights, and a few days later started going to a fun line dancing class three days a week.

Long story short, things took a turn for the worse, and at the end of January I tore the meniscus in my knee, and I have been forced to stay off my legs for the last few weeks.

Time to pull out an old project!

I started a quilt in the year 2000, and it's been an on again, off again project for years. But the last of it is an appliqued border, and the pieces, for the most part, are prepared and ready to applique (except for the hundreds of berries, which are in various stages of production).

I'm happy to say that although I'm not happy about being injured, at least I have a little progress on this quilt to show for it. The vines are completely done on this last border, and the two red birds are applied. Woo hoo!

Left to do will be making and adding berries to the vines on two of the borders, then sewing them on the quilt. Here is what the berries look like on one of the completed borders:

The interior of the quilt has twenty five hand pieced and appliqued blocks, and that part has been done for a long time. Each block has completely different fabrics and here are just a few: 

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And in my case, the lemonade is a little progress on my 20 year old quilt project!

Until next time,

Martha

On the Cover! Quiltmania!

Very shortly the newest issue of Quiltmania will be on newsstands or in your mailbox if you're a subscriber - the November/ December 2018 issue. Here's a sneak peak of the cover!

Quiltmania #128 November/December 2018

AND.... I'm proud to say that the quilt featured on that beautiful cover is my quilt - Georgetown Circle! You may have seen some of my previous posts while I was piecing and quilting Georgetown Circle, and what a joy it is for me to see it on the cover of one of my favorite magazines!

I've been busy getting new patterns out the past few weeks and I have three published and on my website. Here they are!

Happy Jacks Table Square

Fancywork Journal Cover

 

Countryside Needlebook

Countryside Needlebook and Fancywork Journal Cover are patterns which were originally found in my book Annie's Scrapbag. I've had many requests for the patterns, as Annie's Scrapbag is now out of print, so now here they are! You can see the inside pages of Countryside Needlebook on the website.

I have more patterns to come, but that's all for now!

Until next time,

Martha

Bits and Pieces

The new year rolled in, and found me hunched over my drawing table working on a proposal for a new fabric line. In between drafting, drawing and painting, I would squeeze in a little time for hiking .....

Picacho Peak

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness

Old building on route to the trailhead

and stitching a variety of works in progress......

All nine wheels finished piecing! Ugh, now to press!

Several hours later, they are all nice and flat

Four appliqued corner squares finished!

Now that some of the bits and pieces are put together I can finally finish a few projects!

Valentine's Day is just a few days away, so I'll leave you with this adorable vintage card as my greeting to you - Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Until next time,

Martha

My Pick up Project

In my last post I wrote about some of my quilting/textile adventures in London. When I returned home, mid-January, it was back to business! There was much to do to get ready for the upcoming American Quilter's Society Quiltweek, held for the first time here in Phoenix, Arizona. I had the finishing touches to complete for new patterns, a few quilts to finish binding, and a new fabric line with Henry Glass Fabrics to edit. It was almost impossible with all of this busyness to do a little stitching (save the binding), but thank heavens for my pick up project. More about that later...

Here is one of the new patterns I was able to finish just in the nick of time for AQS Quiltweek. It's called "Breakfast Tea", and it's completely pieced using my Elementary line of fabrics.

Breakfast Tea

And another pattern, "Bats in the Barn", a fun mini quilt -or it could be a table topper, too.

Bats in the Barn

AQS Quiltweek was a four day event, February 5 through 8. It was wonderful to see many old friends and to meet new friends too. Our booth was across the aisle from the Arizona Quilter's Hall of Fame booth, which was hosted by the nicest group of women I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time. We were all antique quilt lovers, and two of them came back one afternoon with some wonderful antique quilts they had just purchased from one of the vendors. Although I didn't purchase a quilt, I allowed myself to buy some sweet little quilt blocks:

 

Two of the blocks have a conversational print with little keys:

This key print was reproduced at least 15 years ago, and one I used for a quilt I finished in 1999. It was fun to find the original in my little quilt blocks. Here are some details from the blocks in my quilt where I used that reproduction print with keys:

 

Well, as I said before, with all of the busyness, it was hard to get any stitching in. But fortunately, I prepared what I call a "pick up project" last summer, that I can "pick up" and work on a few minutes at a time, if need be, when I don't have extended periods of time. 

If you follow my Facebook page, you may remember a block I pictured that I was working on during one of my airplane flights last summer. Below is that block on my design wall, in a more finished state. I'm auditioning the center circle fabric, and I'm planning (although it can always change) to use the brown stripe as a border. So far, I like the way it's turning out.

After making this first tester block, I decided to make the outer rings of each block first, and then follow with the inner rings. The outer ring is made up of 64 pieces, so it seems a bit less daunting to make all of the outer rings first. 

So far, I've completed enough outer rings for 3 more blocks - progress! And all of the piecing was done on planes, in hotel rooms and with 10 or 15 minutes to spare here and there during my "busy" times.


By the way, the name of this quilt block is Georgetown Circle.


Do you have a pick up project that you rely on when things get hectic?

Until next time,

Martha