NEVER say no when receiving
someone’s sewing stash – take what your want and pass it on!
Scrap quilts only breed more scraps.
Cactus Kilter Quilter got tipsy at the Pueblo West Quilters’ April
meeting. CKQ still hasn’t recovered and doesn’t plan to. She loves being tipsy.
Read further to see why…
The perfect companion beside your sewing machine is a pair of tweezers.
Change your needle OFTEN.
April Block of the Month is
the Star of Stripes block. Sandy
Strickland decided we need to remember the past by sewing Y-seams and this
block is full of them! Also, she requested using the 1930’s prints. You know,
small printed fabrics, generally with white in them.
On a solid white background, the chevron star will be made of red,
yellow, and blue strips.
Finding a tutorial was a challenge. Cactus Kilter Quilter had to go back
to the 1930’s to … well, no. but it felt like it until CKQ reminded me to break
down the pattern. It’s an 8-pointed star block, with stripes. Here’s a picture
of the block but the blue and red stripes are reversed. The picture shows the spinning going counter-clockwise and
Sandy’s pattern has it going clockwise.
Hold on. I’ll see if I can track down the directions… talk amongst
yourselves until I get back …
It’s taking longer than I imagined so here’s a link to making an
8-pointed star with Y-seams. Did I mention this tutorial is for hand-piecing
left-handers?
Need:
4: 4.75” x 4.75” solid white fabric
2: 5.25” x 5.25” solid white fabric, then cut on the diagonal to make
triangles for a total of 4 triangles from the 2 squares.
From the Blue, Yellow, and Red 1930’s fabrics, cut one 1.5” x 42” (WOF)
strip for each color. Sew the strips together => 3.5” x 42”.
Cut into eight pieces using a 45 degree angle, 4.75” long. Diamonds,
diamonds, diamonds. A CKQ’s best friend!
Use the links above to assemble the star.
This makes a 15” x 15” finished block so the quilt assembly will be fast!
Not the block. Pesty Y-seams. But the block will have large seamless, negative
spaces for quilting.
Rulers with thin lines have better accurate measurements than rulers
with thick lines. Just saying
For a quick baby quilt, use the pages of a baby’s cloth book for the squares. Use a contrasting fabric
sashing to unify the blocks.
Mystery Quilt Challenge, Part 3
Back by
demanding CKQs, Becky gave us the next set of instructions. (See the attachment
from the President’s newsletter for continuing instructions.)
Version 1:
Note that this is for a regular flying geese block. Becky had us using
the half-triangle squares for the purple squares (dark triangle pointing
inward.) to create two triangles in the corners.
Version 2:
Half-square
Triangle Picture (Just in case you forgot last month’s instructions.)
Flying Geese
Assembly Pictures
Caveat:
Instead of using the gold batik fabric, replace with your half-square triangles,
with the dark triangle pointing toward the center.
Trim to 3.25”
x 6” rectangles.
Becky
explained an easy way to trim the sides.
Align the ruler at the 3” line with the center of the rectangle (This line
bisects the large flying goose tip.)
To trim the top by aligning the 3” center line
and pulling the ruler down until the .25” line intersects at the goose’s tip.
Now for the very, very important tip of the
month….
Don’t
get confused with aligning the ruler at the 3” mark for the tip with it being
the same measurement as the width.
The
final split-flying geese rectangle size is 3.25”
x 6”.
After you’ve
align your ruler’s .25” with the large
goose point and cut the first (top) edge; for the last step, be sure to measure
3.25” from the top edge and NOT 3”, when cutting the parallel
bottom edge.
3.25” x 6” is your dimensions, not
3”x6”. Ask me how I know this. Just ask me.
And yes, it
was in the morning, before work, so I was awake. The Cactus Kilter Quilter kept
whispering Cut it, cut it, cut it. So
I did, even after double-checking my lines.
CKQ is still
laughing.
CKQ has some
possible ideas about what the quilt block’s going to look like. Have you? Can’t
wait until next month for the conclusion of the Mystery Quilt’s Instructions.
Love broccoli? Use the blue rubber band as a gripper. Wrap it around
your sewing machine wheel, wrap it around your finger as a needle grabber, or –
CKQ shook her head – use it as a
tourniquet when the blood gushes…
Speaking of gushing blood, when you get your blood drawn, ask for the
band they use to wrap around your arm. That’s a gripper too.
The PWQ Board
presented the program – have you guessed it? Tips. What tips do you use and love? The Board entertained us with
their fast-paced, assembly-lined tips and provided paper to capture them.
Fortunately, they gave us take-home pizza boxes filled with the tips. And M
& Ms.
Set up a towel bar next to your sewing machine. Hang your cut strips
over it to prevent wrinkles and it’s handy to pull off one strip at a time.
Guess what?
PWQ will be hosting CSC, Colorado Quilting Council, in October 2015. All hands
on the quilting frame and a few others. The more the merrier. We’ll entertain
quilters from all over the state as well as neighboring quilters so finish up
those UFQs for the greatest Sew N Share ever. You have 17 months. CKQ thinks a
few of you can start from scratch and create and finish 5 quilts in this time.
If we can’t share our masterpieces at S-N-S, maybe a display of them can fill
the halls and room…. Up for the challenge?
Not into make-up? Use make-up brushes to remove lint from the bobbin
case in your machine.
After blow drying your hair, use the blow dryer to remove heat-removing
marks from your quilt.
A nod to the
Mystery Quilt Retreaters … A Cactus Kilter Quilter or two popped up at the
event to encourage the two dozen quilters. CKQ spoke about waxing their cheese, sneaking men into the dorm rooms, and used Tired Old Ass Soak to ease her
tense back muscles.
CKQ spoke on the phone, I do my best work at night.
Overhearing, CKQ’s date said, I can hardly wait.
Oh yes. The
following indulgence is for adults only.
Rum Chatas Shots
4 oz. Instant
Cheesecake Pudding
¾ c. milk
¾ c. Rum
Chatas
Mix together.
Fold in
8 oz. Cool
Whip
Fill shot
containers (1 oz. plastic containers with lids).
Sprinkle
graham cracker crumbs on top. Optional.
Freeze the
shots.
Indulge.
Stop quilting for
the day? Create a place marker with a contrasting fabric scrap attached to a
safety pin and pin where you’ve stopped. Next quilting session, find the
marker, remove it, and begin quilting.
Did you enjoy Pride City Quilt Guild’s Quilt show? Jean McDonald’s quilts
were like having her life’s passion on display. CKQ took the time to read her
plaques, learned about her life and what was happening in the world as Jean
created these quilts. September 2001 is very poignant. History in the making on
a personal level.
What about you? Have you taken the time to stroll through your quilts? I
know – you haven’t had the opportunity to display all your quilts at one
location. Or, you gave your quilts away as soon as the last stitch was knotted.
Or, I don’t make showcase quilts. Or, --
Enough!
CKQ is speaking about something more personal. Have you documented your
work? Taken photographs? Chronicled about what’s happening in the world during
the quilt’s creation? Saved scraps, patterns, and notes in a shoebox? Anything
to bring back memories?
This is important! Do it now. Do it as you live. People want to know. Can
you imagine having bits and pieces of your life in a museum? CKQ bets neither
did the belongings of others who had their lives exposed at the museums. So
make your life count. Record it the best way you know how.
Place LED flashlights around your studio. Focused lighting brings forth
illumination.
Tipping is optional.
Cactus Kilter Quilter
