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2022 Block of the Week – We’re Finished!

Hey everyone! If you are here you have made it to the end of this year’s block of the week project. Give yourself a pat on the back! If you are just finding my blog, click the link here to get to last week’s post where you will find links for every week since the beginning. This week it’s time for me to share how I put together my blocks into a fun, scrappy wall hanging. I will give you a link to the directions also. The topic this week is on pieced borders and how they complete a quilt. You’ll see why I chose this when you look at the completed wall hanging.

Make sure to comment or ask questions below. I am going to choose a winner for my prize package on September 19th from everyone who has commented over the whole series. Here’s the package:

So…. drum roll, please…. Here’s my finished wall hanging!

You can find the instructions for completing the wall hanging this way here: 2022 BOW Finishing.

Pieced Borders

As you can see by the wall hanging above, I love to play with borders. I don’t mind plain borders, but as a scrap quilter I usually have to find a way to make these scrappy too. 

The first step in bordering a quilt is to measure your quilt top to make sure you cut and piece borders that will fit. Now, with a wall hanging you probably can skip this step because it’s smaller and there’s less of a chance that it doesn’t measure the right size. Here’s how you measure your quilt tops:

  • Step 1: Measure your quilt top vertically in 3 places. On the left, in the middle and on the right. Add those numbers together and divide by 3 for the average. (See diagram below) That will be the length of the border strips for the sides.
  • Step 2: Attach the side border strips and then measure the quilt top horizontally in 3 places. Through the center and on the right and the left. This will be the length of the border strips for the top and bottom. (see diagram)
  • Step 3: Add the top and bottom borders:

You can use this method to get your quilt top to the size you need for your pieced border as well. For example, if your quilt top measures 61 x 61″ but you need it to be a number divisible by 4 to make a pieced border fit right, you can add borders to get your quilt top to 64 x 64″. Or, sometimes, I like to put a plain border between the quilt blocks and the pieced border as sort of a frame, like I did on my quilt, Scrappy North Stars:

The piano key border above and other simple ones are fairly easy to do and you see them on quilts quite a bit. But… here are some unique ones that I like to do.

On these quilts below, I actually took an element of the block, and turned it into a border.

For Trinkets, on the left, I took the color print unit from the quilt block and used that to border the quilt. For Star Wheels on the right, I took the black print unit framing the star blocks and turned that into a border with color prints:

Here are some fun pieced borders that are a bit unusual. I had fun coming up with these and I think they add a lot to these quilts. Most of the time, I will do really unusual borders on smaller quilts first, like wall hangings or table runners before trying it out on a large quilt.

These types of borders are also a great way to use up left over fabric from the project or to make the quilt bigger. 

So, that’s a wrap on this year’s block of the week sew-along. I hope you had fun whether you put it together into a wall hanging like mine or use the blocks in your own way.

Don’t forget to comment to get more entries into the drawing that takes place on September 19th!

***We have a winner! CONGRATS, Donna!!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

2022 Block of the Week – Block 8

Here we are, up to block 8 of my 2022 BOW series. This has gone fast! All the patterns from block 1 through today are still free for you to download. These are easy to piece 6 1/2″ blocks. When we have all 9 blocks done, I will share how I piece them together to make a wall hanging and will share those directions. However, you can put the blocks together however you like! To get the previous patterns, click on the week shown here: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6 and Week 7. OK… let’s get started!

2022 BOW Block 8 – Windmill

The instructions to make this block are found here: 2022 BOW Block 8. This block will require you to use an accurate 1/4″ seam allowance. I will cover the importance of the 1/4″ seam allowance as part of my top ten tips I like to share for quilters, beginners and advanced!

The earliest appearance I found for this block was in the LAC in 1897. A variation of it was called Turnstiles in a 1928 LAC publication. There are also many other variations of this block also entitled “Windmill” throughout the early 1900’s. Some of them I found were ones that could probably be easily made now as a paper-pieced block. Other names found for this block were: Modern Envelope, Old Windmill, Pinwheel, The Whirligig and Whirlwind.

Top Ten Quilting Tips

Here are my top ten quilting tips that I like to share for beginners and advance quilters alike. If you follow these tips, my hope is that it helps you to have a more relaxed quilting experience. Now, these are the tips I think are the most useful. Others may have tips they feel are the most important. Feel free to pick and choose!

 

3. Cutting. Whether you have a dedicated sewing room or you sew on the dining room table, make sure your cutting area is clear of items that can get in your way while you are cutting our your pieces. Also have your rulers close at hand.

LOL! Confession time… I had to clean up my cutting table to take this picture, so maybe I should practice what I preach! 

Related to cutting, be sure you have a sharp rotary blade to cut your pieces correctly and avoid injury. How will you notice if your blade has become dull? If you have to press down hard or you feel your blade skipping as you cut it’s time to change the blade. Usually after cutting out several large projects, you will need to replace the blade. This is for safety as well as for preservation of your fabric.

4. Organization. If your quilt has a lot of blocks made up of many pieces, organization is important. I’ve talked about it in other blog posts. My patterns usually have letters, and sometime a combo of letters and numbers, for each piece cut. I like to label a stack of pieces with masking or painters tape marked with the letter. If the piece is cut from several different colors, I keep them separated by color as well. Here’s an example below. 

 

7. Keep tools close. I suggest keeping tools you use frequently close by. I have a small shower soap dish attached to my sewing table where I keep my scissors I use for clipping seams and a small ruler for measuring seams and other items I may need.

10. Quilt layout. Finally, I recommend using a design wall or a large floor space to layout finished blocks. This makes it easier to arrange your blocks the way you want them before stitching them into rows and then into a quilt top. Otherwise, you might get all your rows stitched together and realize you have two blocks next to each other that you wished were not. This will save you a lot of “unsewing” time!

One Last Tip

For this block, you will be joining a half-square triangle square and two triangles. We did something similar for block 3 of the 2021 BOW and I made a mini video to show how to do this type of piecing. View this video to refresh your memory (fast forward to the 3:06 minute mark where I show joining a triangle and a square) and I hope it helps you making this block.

When the stitching together the pieces for the 4 units that make up this block:

Lay the two pieced triangle units right sides together, lining up the 90 degree corners first. I recommend stitching the diagonal seam with a scant 1/4″ seam (slightly under 1/4″), then evenly trim the resulting square to 3 1/2 x 3 1/2″. By doing this with all 4 units for this block, your completed block should measure 6 1/2 x 6 1/2″ when done.

Well, that’s it for this week. Come back next week for block 9 and some more tips and techniques.

Remember, comment or ask questions throughout this series. At the end, I will have a grand prize giveaway. This will include my book, two of my newer patterns, some fat quarters and sewing scissors!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

2022 Block of the Week – Block 7

Welcome back! We are now on to block 7 in this sew along. You can still join in. All the patterns are free throughout. If you missed any of the weeks, here are the links to each blog post: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5 and Week 6. This week, I will share some interesting thoughts and tips on one block quilts and making them as dazzling as samplers. So lets get started!

2022 BOW Block 7 – Swing in the Center

The instructions to make the block are found here: 2022 BOW Block 7. This block will allow you to practice the stitch and flip technique a lot! I covered this technique earlier in the week 3 post if you need a review.

This block, first appearing in 1897’s LAC,  is also known by the names Mrs. Roosevelt’s Favorite, a name given by Clara Stone in 1906 and Roman Pavement, given by Nancy Cabot in 1938. And those aren’t the only two names! Others are Ladies’ Wreath (1943) and Eight Hands Around (1932). That’s about all I could find in relation to this block. If you have more information, feel free to share!

One Block Quilts

One block quilts are great because once you make one of the blocks and it measures correctly, it’s all smooth sewing from that point on. The cool thing with one block quilts is you can make them pop by playing with the colors used in each block. This week’s block even changes depending on where you place the color prints. Here’s a few examples:

Interesting! You can actually take the same block design, shift around where you have the color prints and tans and it looks completely different! That’s one way to make a one block quilt look like it has a variety of blocks.

Here’s one of my quilts, Marbles & Jacks, where I used the same block in a straight row setting but alternated the background between black and tan and also alternated color prints.

Two other ways to jazz up one block quilts are to add a fun pieced border or add sashing between blocks to create a secondary design. The quilt on the left, Star Wheels, is one where the blocks are all the same, just various color prints and it’s framed by a unique pieced border. The quilt on the right, Open Windows, makes a one block quilt interesting by adding sashing to create a secondary design and also flipping alternating blocks to make another pattern emerge.

An on point setting is another way to add interest to a one block quilt. Below is my quilt pattern, Stepping Stones, that has the blocks set on point and I’ve added appliqué around them to make it more unique.

To sum up, one block quilts can be just as exciting as a quilt with several different types of blocks. Other than making the blocks in an assortment of color combinations, jazz them up with pieced borders, sashing or appliqué!

Well, that’s it for this week. Enjoy creating this fun block and join me again next week. Let me know if you have any unique one block quilt ideas. Comment or ask questions throughout this series. At the end, I will have a grand prize giveaway. This will include my book, two of my newer patterns, some fat quarters and sewing scissors!

Until next week… Happy Quilting!
Deanne

2022 Block of the Week – Block 6

Hi! Welcome back to my block of the week sew-along! We are now on to block 6 in the series. You can still join in on the fun. Here are the links to the previous weeks: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5. The patterns are all free and you can download them all from those previous blog posts. As I did in the other week’s posts, I will share some tips. This week, color choice and color contrast. Now on to block 6!

2022 BOW Block 6 – Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

The instructions to make this block can be found here: 2022 BOW Block 6.

Most versions of Robbing Peter to Pay Paul are those that have curved seams like this one:

I was only able to find this one version that is pieced from the 1897 LAC (Ladies’ Art Company). This pieced version also has the name “Arizona” given by Nancy Page in 1936. It is thought the name for this block came from a phrase credited to King Edward VI. In his 16th century reign, he actually ordered St. Peter’s church in London to sell land it owned to pay for repairs to St. Paul’s church.

Interesting trivia, King Edward VI was a boy king and mostly a figurehead while those behind the scenes battled to rule. He was 9 years old when he became king and his reign ended at age 15 upon his death. It is thought he died of progressive tuberculosis, although it’s not clear because he also had the measles before that. 

Color Choice and Contrast

Well, enough of the history lesson on the renaissance years! Let’s talk color choice. Choosing colors for a block or an entire quilt should not be scary. In fact, if you understand how colors play off of each other based on their shade, tint and how they contrast, choosing color is fairly easy. One of the best tools to use is that simple color wheel we learned about in grade school!

Bring this tool with you to the quilt shop. You can choose general color families you want for before going and then use this tool to hold up to fabric bolts to pick the correct shade. Look at the photo above. On the left, you can tell the colors are “warm” and on the right they are “cool”. You can choose all your fabrics from the left side for a warmer look or from the right side for a calm, cooler look. The closer together colors are on the wheel, the less they will contrast for a calm, quiet look. The opposite is true of the colors are further away from or opposite each other. The contrast will be high and designs will pop more.

Here is a brief description of shade, tint and tone that will also help you in choosing fabrics:

  • Shade is taking the pure color, for instance blue, and adding black to it to make it darker, for a dark blue.
  • Tint is taking the pure blue and adding white to make it lighter, making a light blue.
  • Tone is adding grey to a pure color to make it less intense. Most colors around us in the world are tones of pure color.

Here is a real world example of color choice and contrast. This first stack has fabric very close in shade, so there is little contrast:

When I replace two of the fabrics with the same color, but lighter (tint), look what happens. More contrast!

The two above examples feature cool colors. Now, watch what happens when I take out two of the fabrics and replace those with warm colors:

Look at the contrast now!

Another tip on picking fabric: pick out a bolt that you want for the quilt and then look at the selvage. Yes, I said that!

On most fabrics, you will find a series of “dots” or other marks with the colors that were used in printing the fabric. Use these colors to find bolts of fabric that will coordinate nicely with your already chosen piece. And you don’t even need to stay in the same fabric line.

Once you have fabrics at home in your stash, here’s a simple way to choose what you want for your latest project. Pick out fabrics and lay them out on a table. You can either stand back and look at them all together or take a photo on your phone and look at that. A fabric that doesn’t quite fit in will probably “jump out” at you as you look at the stack. Take that fabric out and replace it with another. Repeat until you get the look you want. I call this “auditioning” the fabric.

Well, that’s it for this week. Come back next week for block 7 and some more tips and techniques.

Remember, comment or ask questions throughout this series. At the end, I will have a grand prize giveaway. This will include my book, two of my newer patterns, some fat quarters and sewing scissors!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Welcome to Block of the Week!

Welcome! It’s time to start the 2022 Block of the Week project. If this is your first time visiting my blog, my block of the week project (or BOW as I call it) is made up of nine 6 1/2 x 6 1/2″ blocks. I release one each week for the next several weeks, starting today. You will get a link to the PDF instructions for free for each block. On the tenth week, I will provide free instructions for a setting for the blocks to make a wall hanging. You can use my idea to set the blocks or feel free to use your blocks however you like. I will also share some quilting tips that will be useful when making these blocks. So, how about we get started?

2022 BOW Block 1 – The Railroad

The instructions to make the block are found here: 2022 BOW Block 1. The block is made up of half-square triangle squares and four-patch units. Fairly simple units to piece even if you are a beginner.

Like a lot of traditional quilt blocks, this one also has been known by other names. Some of the other names for the block are the Underground Railroad, Jacob’s Ladder, Stepping Stones and Wagon Tracks. This block pattern dates back to the 18th century but was first officially published in 1884.

Tip of the Week – Strip Sets

Four-patch blocks, like those in the Railroad block, are one of the block types that can be pieced by starting with strip sets. What are strip sets? Strip sets are made from joining two or more long strips on their lengthwise sides. You can use width of fabric strips (40-44″ long) if you need a lot of pieces cut for your project, but I prefer to cut those in half to 20-22″ long. It’s easier for your strip sets to distort if you are using longer strips. The strips in this week’s pattern are 17″ long. 

To make a strip set, start by laying two strips right sides together and pin in a few places:

The when it’s time to stitch, do not pull on them or push them through the machine as you are joining them with the 1/4″ seam. Just gently guide them along. Doing otherwise can distort your seam.

Finally, press the joined strips open. Make sure to press and not iron. It is important not to distort the seam of the joined strips. If you iron along the seam instead of pressing, you run the risk of stretching the fabric or the seam or both.

If you are joining more than two strips together, alternate which end you start at when stitching. This also helps to limit distortion of the whole strip set. The diagram below shows what I am talking about:

To be safe, after adding each additional strip to a strip set, finger press open and measure to be sure your seams are accurate and the size of the strip set measures correctly. For example, if you are joining two 1 1/2″ wide strips, when pressed open, the strip set should then measure 2 1/2″ wide. Adding another 1 1/2″ strip on will then make the set measure 3 1/2″ wide. It’s important to keep the width size accurate, otherwise the segments you cut from the strip set will not measure correctly.

So that’s block 1 of the 2022 Block of the Week and the tip of the week. I hope you enjoyed this and will join me in the following weeks!

Comment or ask questions throughout this series. At the end, I will have a grand prize giveaway. This will include my book, two of my newer patterns, some fat quarters and sewing scissors!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne