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Pinwheel Squared Tutorial

Here it is, my first tutorial. I hope I will be able to convey my vision in an easy to understand way. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask in the comments section or by e-mail.

I am a part of a modern quilt guild and I am mostly making this tutorial for my month of the quilt bee, I can't wait to see all of the pieces come together!

This is what one quilt block looks like.  The directions are to make two blocks.

First, you will need nine 5 by 5 blocks (charms) and one 12 7/8th square block.

 

The goal is to make a square of 6 blocks by 6 blocks, with each block measuring 2 inches square (finished). You can do this my cutting the charms in four and then piecing them together in a grid. However, since I dislike piecing little blocks and try to keep them straight, I use a different method. Either way should yield similar results, and it's up to you which method you use. Here is the method I use.

 

First, but the charms in half. This will yield 5 inch by 2 1/2 inch rectangles.

 

 

Second, mix the rectangles so no two the same are together and piece them in pairs, sewing on the long edge.

 

Third, press the seams open. I am not a fan of open seams, however, this will make piecing easier later.

After this, you will end up with nine pieces as seen below. Plan them out in three columns as you would like to piece them. making sure that no two of the same are together.

 

Sew the blocks in columns, then cut them in half. You will then have six rows of six squares.

 

 

 Rearrange the rows and sew them together.

 

Now, you have it, a 6 by 6 grid. Take your solid fabric and cut it in half diagonally. Do the same with the patchwork piece.

 

 

Sew the triangles of one piece or patwork and one piece of solid together to recreate a square.

 

My goal when I get the blocks back will be to set them up as a pinwheel. I will have four pinwheels that I plan on sashing for a nice summer lap quilt.

I can't wait to show you the finished top, in a  month or so from now!

P.S. If you'd like to see another finished block, visit my fellow quilter M-R at Quilt Matters

Patchwork Ball

My son's teacher is having a baby, but they kept the gender a surprise.

So on to the dilemna I recently had. Since my son wanted to give a gift to the baby, but I didn't want to give anything in the traditional green/yellow/brown color way, I had to figure out what to make.

I came across this tutorial by Abby over at While She Naps. The tutorial is so well written. Or at least it was for me since I do have some English paper experience. So with my template printed on cardstock in hand, I went on the hunt for fabric.

I ended up deciding to use the Mixed Bag Studio line by Moda. So gender neutral and bright!

 

 

I added some washed cereal bag to the Inside to make that crinkly sound, and this is how it came out.

 

 

 

Though now I have to learn how to make it on the sewing machine. I would love to stock up on these for upcoming babies!

 

Does anyone know how well cereal bags fare in the wash? If not, I'll have to experiment a little... Off to test washing methods!

What!? Wednesday (2)

I made another bow-tie and just wanted to show it to you... Isn't it great for the holidays!

 

The dog I made it for already has a red collar, so I just put elastics on the back like I had done for the bow-ties of a friend's cat.

 

 

 

Don't forget it's What!? Wednesday... So the question of the day is.... Do you have a pet? And if so, what would you like it to wear?

 

You can link up below with a picture or a post or leave a comment!

 

How do you make a bulldog happy?

Why! You give him a lovely bowtie!

 

 

Isn't it adorable?

 

Someone I know asked that I make a bowtie for her dog, who is, by the way, about half the size of our cats!



 

 

It's about 3 inches across.

 

 

And of nice bright colors.

 

 

They are so cute I am now considering making some from my sons.

 

Who could you see this bowtie on?

 

 

 

 

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday andSew Fresh Quilts.

What!? Wednesay (1)

It's Wednesday...I am sure you already knew that.

I, however, needed a reminder, because between being sick, and crazy happenings here in Ottawa, and Halloween, and time changes and children being sick, days just start to jumble in one big mess. You know... those days where you sleep in when you shouldn't because you went to bed too late, where you can't sleep when you should, and when you're whole household becomes out of whack. Well, this is where I am right now, and I have a feeling it will last a while.

So, to feel more 'together' I thought I'd go hide in the sewing room, but what I saw didn't help.... I have wayyy too many projects on the go! So I had the idea that every Wednesday, I would ask a 'What' question. So anyone in for a What!? Wednesday?

This What!? Wednesday question is... What are you working on?

Here is my answer...

A nursery rhyme quilt for my youngest son.

 

A hopefully double sided quilt featuring Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog for my husband.

 

 

 

A design for my local modern quilt guild bee for which I'll have to write a tutorial since I couldn't find one to do what I wanted. My month will be December, so I better get a move on.

 

 

These blocks from a pattern found in Quilty magazine (I love Quilty!) that I originally thought to use for my bee month, but that I then found were too big to follow the rules.

 

 

Another quilt, this one made from a pattern that I purchased from Andy at A Bright Corner called Division. I love how she has the information for many sizes and different cuts of fabric.

And finally...

Some English paper piecing that I work on in front of the tv, or when I have to go somewhere and know my hands and mind will be mostly idle.

 

 

 

So go ahead, it's your turn... what you are working on?

 

Happy belated Halloween!

So how are your kids this weekend? I know that here, we let them eat as much candies as they want Halloween weekend, so you would expect mayhem! Surprisingly though, they haven't eaten all that much candy and all is calm, which I can't say happens often.

I made some cute Halloween bookmarks for a fundraiser at work, but unfortunately, only three out of the sixteen sold. So I made a few more and gave them out to the children in my son's class at school. At least, they seemed to like them!
 







I now have one left. So I’ll be posting it in my store. Go check it out if you are looking for something for next year. Or if you’d like some Christmas themed ones, let me know, they make great stocking stuffers!