Quilt Along 2015, Time to Get Started

I've been teasing you with my first two posts about the Drunkard's Path Quilt Along 2015. Now it's time to actually get started. You can read the intro here, and I really suggest checking out the second post here, which shows optional fabric choices. Just because my quilt is meant to be a Christmas quilt certainly doesn't mean yours has to be. There are sooo many other possibilities.

The design is based on a Drunkard's Path block with a slight variation. A traditional Drunkard's Path block would look like the small block shown below in the upper left corner. 

Notice how the quarter circle does not come all the way out to the corners of the square. The result is a leg that breaks up the design giving a staggered appearance when several blocks are put together. This style of Drunkard's Path block creates a lot of interesting designs. Just search for Drunkard's Path quilt designs and you'll find several.

However for the purposes of my design, I wanted the quarter circle to come all the way to the corner of the square and flow unbroken into the next block. This variation feels more modern to me and lends itself to many wonderful possibilities. I might even have new designs to show you down the road.

Quilt Basics:

• Each Drunkard's path unit made up of 1 quarter circle and 1 leg finishes at 4"x 4" 
• There are 16 units per block for this design.
• Each block finishes at 16" x 16"
• A quilt of 9 blocks set in 3 rows of 3 blocks will be 48" x 48" without borders. 

I haven't decided yet about borders. I've sketched up the quilt both ways but am taking a wait-and-see approach. Most of my quilts do not have borders and I like it that way. In this case, I may want them if I feel they complete the design better, plus they would also make the quilt a bit bigger. But I'll be using my quilt as a wall hanging for the holidays so a bigger size isn't so much of an issue. I'll take a look at borders in a future post and show you some options.

Templates:

Go here to download a PDF of the templates. Be sure to print at 100% to get the correct size. I have included a 1" scale box on the template for reference. All printers are different. For some reason, I need to print at 98% to get a true 100% on my printer. Go figure.

I recommend using quilter's plastic available at most quilt and craft stores to cut your templates. It's more durable than cardboard and easy to cut. If you don't have plastic, any stiff cardboard like cereal boxes will do just as well. The easiest way to cut the templates is to glue the printed copy directly to your chosen template substrate and then cut out with an exacto or sharp paper scissors. Just be accurate.

NOTE: The leg template is drawn to include an extra 1/4" on the two outside straight sides. That's why they measure 4 3/4" while the quarter circles are 4 1/2" along the straight sides. I did this because the end of the leg only needs to be 1/2" wide but this can be a little tricky to cut and sew since it's so narrow.  I prefer to leave the leg a bit wider and trim after the pieces are sewn. It's much easier to work with and more accurate in the long run. The quarter circle templates are the exact size. More on trimming will be in the next post. Just don't forget it before you start sewing the pieced units together or you'll end up with a traditional style Drunkard's Path.

Yardage:

Yardage will vary depending on what size quilt and type of design you decide to go with. The cutting info below lists how many pieces you can get from various fabric cuts.

For each full block of the Christmas version like I'm doing you will need: 

1. 8 red quarter circles  (2 each of 4 different prints per block)
2. 8 green quarter circles  (2 each of 4 different prints per block)
3. 4 green leg pieces  (1 each of the same 4 green prints from step 2)
4. 12 background leg pieces  (I am using 4 each of 3 different light green on white prints) 

For the 9 blocks total that I'm making I will need:

1. 72 red quarter circles  (2 each of an assortment of prints, feel free to duplicate prints, just remember they need to be in pairs of two)
2. 72 green quarter circles  (2 each of an assortment of prints, duplicate prints in pairs of 2)
3. 36 green leg pieces  (1 each to match each pair from step 2)
4. 108 background leg pieces  (I'm using 36 each of 3 light green on white prints but you could just as easily use all the same fabric in the background.) 

Cutting:

For quarter circle:

Cut strips 4 1/2" wide. Use the quarter circle template to trace and cut the number of pieces needed per fabric. The most economical way is to flip the template back and forth to get the most pieces from each strip. You should be able to get approximately 8-9 quarter circles from one width of fabric strip or at least 16 from a fat quarter if the templates are tucked in. If you're using scraps you'll need pieces at least 4 1/2" x 8 1/4" for each pair of quarter circles.

For leg pieces:

Cut strips 4 3/4" wide. Use the template to trace and cut the number of pieces needed per fabric. You should be able to get approximately 12 leg pieces from one width of fabric strip or about 24 from a fat quarter if the templates are tucked in. If you're using scraps, one 4 3/4" x 5 3/4" rectangle will give you two leg pieces. 

Preparation:

I decided to cut all the pieces for all 9 blocks at one time. I find it easier and more time efficient to cut all at once while I have all the fabrics pulled out. I even placed them on my design wall to see which fabrics I wanted to repeat and how to distribute them around the quilt. You can see below that I repeated several fabrics but generally no more than three times. I also grouped darker fabrics so that some of the blocks would be darker overall than others. The middle block in the top row is the first one sewn together so it looks smaller.

Once I liked the layout, I took a digital photographs of the overall layout AND each individual block for future reference. Then I removed the pieces from the wall one unit at a time, placing the leg piece on top of the correct quarter circle. I stacked all the units for that block and placed each stack in individual ziplock baggies labeled with row and block numbers. Now all I have to do is pull a baggie and sew when I have time. My plan is to sew blocks on guild sew days throughout the year. A project all ready to go. I really like that.   : )

Now you have the info you need to print your templates and get started with the cutting. Perhaps you'll opt to cut one block at a time rather than do them all at once like I did. Whatever works for you.

I'll be back in a few more days with the piecing instructions. See you then.

oops

To those of you who might be getting what seems like a repeat of an older post about the quilt along, I apologize. In an effort to title all the quilt along posts consistently, I changed the title of the first post and it apparently triggered a whole new posting.  I've never claimed to be a tech wizard. Sorry.

I'll be posting the official start later today with the follow up tomorrow. Hang in there with me while I work out the kinks.

Button Button, Who's got a Button?

I used to love playing the game Button Button, Who's got the Button when I was little. Does anyone else remember playing that? You'd have a button in your hands and pretend to pass it to another person as you went around the circle. Then you'd guess who ended up with the button. I'm probably dating myself but it was a good way for Grandma to keep all us kids sitting down, relatively quiet and calm. And all you needed was one little old button. Life was simple then.

In just three weeks I'm going to play the grown-up version of Button Button at QuiltCon. I ordered a supply of 1" pinback buttons from Wacky Buttons and they were delivered today. WaHoo!!!  I love them. Here's my pile of 100 on the tote bag I'll probably be taking. I didn't plan on them matching my bag, but love that they do.

When I ordered mine, I also got a few for my local guild, the Boulder Modern Quilt Guild. We have a little over 20 members now and at least six of us are going to QuiltCon. I love these too. Of course I'm a little partial to the logo since I designed it.

Can't wait to swap with as many online blogger friends as I can while in Austin. . . or as long as my supply lasts.  If you've got buttons to swap at QuiltCon,  I'm ready to play.    : )

PS if you got a strange blog post from me yesterday, it was my attempt at testing the download for the quilt along templates. Please ignore. The real info and templates will be posted in a few days. Sorry about that. It's going to be a great way to kick off February (which just happens to be my birthday month.)  Hope you're planning on joining in the fun.

Drunkard's Path Quilt Along 2015, Fabric Options

Today I'd like to show you some design options for the Drunkard's Path Quilt Along I posted about at the beginning of January. You can read the first post here. This is my first block and I love it!!!

One of the first things I want you to know is that while my plan is to make one block a month (9 blocks total) and get my quilt done for Christmas 2015, you can go at whatever pace you'd like. Don't want to invest in the whole quilt idea? Well how about making 3-4 blocks for a nice table runner or bed topper for the holidays? Or even just a single block made into a pillow. The block is 16" x 16" so you can go with whatever fits your needs and/or your motivation level.

Secondly, I'd like to show you how well the design lends itself to lots of different fabric styles. Your quilt doesn't have to be a Christmasy at all. With all the cold temps around the country you might be wishing for spring to arrive NOW!  So how about a fresh spring color scheme? Pinks, yellows, corals. The design is meant to invoke flower petals and leaves but who am I to say. Maybe you see propellers and all things spinning and whirly. Here are some illustrations and fabric combos showing just a few of the optional ways you could approach color and fabric types.

First up is a modern fabric version. A very springtime look I think. Love those pinky, peach, coral colors. In this example, the center of each flower is emphasized by using a darker shade of the outer petal color. Of course it would look great done with scrappy petals and no value change more like the Christmas version but with fresh modern fabrics.

This second example is a more traditional floral and leafy print version with each block using a different floral and leaf print. Even though I don't use this type of fabric much anymore, I have a lot in my stash from my impressionist quilting days. I love flowers regardless of type so maybe I'll make one of these. To be honest I sometimes find gardening with fabric more successful than gardening in real life.

And finally, here's a completely different approach. Forget about the concept of flowers and go for something fun and playful. Maybe propellers or colorful pinwheels. I think solids and modern prints would look so good. Maybe your favorite line of juvenile prints for a kid friendly version. Or what about some sky fabrics for the background and lots of fun colors for the propellers/pinwheels.

Hopefully this has given you a few ideas. There are just soooo many possibilities beyond the Christmas theme that I'll be doing. I could easily be tempted to start one of these other options too. I love the idea of a springtime version with fresh modern fabrics in a scrappy style. But for the time being I'm going to retrain myself. For awhile anyway.    : )

I'll be back in a few days with the templates, directions and all the info you'll need to get started. Hope you'll consider sewing along with me. I'll leave you with this lovely block made by Cynthia, one of our guild members. The two of us sewed a block last weekend during our guild sew. She's planning to use up some of her older Christmas fabrics and make 12 blocks instead of nine. I think it's a great use of her Christmas stash don't you?  I hope you'll consider playing along.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday and Needle and Thread Thursday. Always fun to see what everyone is working on.

2015 Finish A-Long, Quarter 1

It's high time I finish some of the many many many projects that seem to build up in my studio. My quilting fairies have apparently gone on strike. They are certainly nowhere to be seen . . . and believe me I've looked.  So that just leaves little old me to knuckle down and actually finish a few things.

Finishing is hard for me without a deadline attached. I'd much rather be designing and starting the next project than actually finishing the one I just got cut or pieced. Call it quilter's ADD or whatever, but finishing can be hard. So I'm going to join in the fun (and probably some frustration too) by listing a few projects I'd like to actually finish as part of the 2015 Quarter1 Finish-Along hosted by Adrianne at On The Windy Side. Check it out if you need a little reason to motivate and finish. There are prizes involved just in case that helps you commit. The deadline for signing up is Jan 17th.

I want to keep it realistic for my first attempt at this. Not to mention QuiltCon will be occupying a bit of my time. So here goes in no specific order.

1.  Blue Matrix;  a baby sized quilt made as an example of design options for my Matrix pattern which also needs to be finished and released. Needs quilting and binding.

2.  Scrappy Matrix; another example for the matrix pattern. Needs quilting and binding.

3.  Tumbler green/gray version. Top almost done. Needs quilting and binding.

Tumbler hot pinks and oranges. This one just needs to be bound.

Do you see a common element here? Most of these are projects are finished tops that just need quilting. Not my favorite part as I've said a thousand times before. But I can do it. I know I can. Especially when the quilt is smaller like the first two on my list. And for the larger sized quilts I have absolutely no problem sending them out to a long armer. Just wish I could afford to have more of them custom quilted but alas, edge to edge will do just fine for most.

So that's it. Four projects, all of which are nearly, but not quite, done. I also have quite a long list of projects to start. So many beautiful fabric groupings pulled and ideas percolating. But I'll save those for next quarter.

Wishing all of you who signed up the best of luck. Wish me luck too.   : )

Version Four

Last year I made three different quilts from a new design I was exploring. When I'm working on a design, I find it soooo hard to stop playing and start making. (And of course finishing is a whole different story.)

With this design, there was one particular design option I was anxious to try and my online bee Mid Century Modern seemed like the perfect chance to try out the idea. The great thing about our bee is we work from our stash so I always get so many great fabric combinations. Way more than I could accomplish on my own. I have a pretty large stash but am always surprised when the blocks start rolling in that there are very few repeats of fabric choices among the blocks and just a handful that use fabric I have in my stash. Obviously this makes for some great diversity and a very scrappy look even when the color scheme is limited.

For these blocks I asked for chartreuse to yellow/green with dark gray and low volume. This week I set out to enlarge the overall quilt by filling in with more blocks and balancing out the colors. Yesterday I pulled more greens and grays. These pics look way more green green than what I ended up using.

I proceeded to make quite a mess with said fabrics. As I cut I just toss the fabric aside and move on the next fabric. Needless to say, a pretty big pile develops as I cut. There's something very satisfying about seeing that pile grow. Means I'm making progress.  : )

Now my design wall looks like this.  I'm ready to start sewing the additional blocks. I hope to finish up the top this week. WaHoo!!!

Plus I already called the longarm quilter I frequently use and asked her to pencil me in. Just making that decision to have her do the quilting is so freeing. I'd much rather be designing and sewing up the next design I've been toying with. Too many ideas . . . never enough time. Can you relate?

I'll leave you with a review of the earlier versions of this design.

Linking up this week with WIP Wednesday and Needle and Thread Thursday.
What are you working on this week?

On another note . . . five weeks from today I leave for QuiltCon. Are you going?

Drunkard's Path Quilt Along 2015, Intro

How many of you thought you'd get a Christmas quilt done only to once again set the idea aside because all the other holiday things got in the way?  Me too!

I started. I really did. Here's a peak.

Actually I haven't made a Christmas quilt in years. And as long as I'm confessing that, I might as well fess up and tell you I have more Christmas tops than I have Christmas quilts done. But guess what?  I hang the tops up anyway raw edges and all. Yep. Unfinished quilts hang on my walls during the holidays. But hey, they add a lot of holiday color and cheer even in their unfinished state and most people don't even notice. Each year I think I'll finish them and each year they get folded back into storage. This is what one of the unfinished tops looks like . . . border test strip along the side and all.

After all these years, I'm embarrassed to still have the same unfinished top hanging in the family room, not to mention my tastes and style have certainly changed. I've decided it's definitely time for a new Christmas quilt. Of course I didn't remotely start it in time for this past Christmas. But I did start. And in order to actually get it done for Christmas 2015, I have a plan and I'm inviting you to join me.

I plan to make a block a month. Then possibly add some borders and get it finished in time for Christmas 2015. Really. Finished. Want to join me?

I love poinsettias so I designed a block with the feel of this lovely Christmas flower. Here's the first one. I'm using those great red and green Kaffe fabrics I posted about here.

This block design will look just as good with modern prints or even solids in lots of different shades of red and green. It would also look great with bright pastels for a springtime look. I might even sew one up from some older floral/leafy prints just for fun. I'd really like to put those older fabrics to use in fresh new ways.

Here's the general layout. Nine blocks total. I may add borders as things move along. We'll see. Doesn't it look like a bunch of blooming poinsettias?

I'll be back later in the month with more details. Optional layouts. Templates. Instructions. Maybe even some alternative fabric samples. This won't be anything formal. Just a monthly goal to sew one block and finish in time for Christmas 2015. I hope you'll consider sewing along with me.   : )

Linking up with WIP Wednesday for what will be a year long WIP.
I'm also linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday.