Gail Griffin's New Raw-Edge Tile Quilt!

This is Gail Griffin's stunning new raw-edge tile quilt. I like how the circles and ovals keep your eye moving. Take a look at those flowers in the corners too. So artistic. Here's what she said about it:

I finished my raw edge tile quilt top and have attached a photo. It was a lot of fun to make and I enjoyed the process. It made me feel like an artist! There is an orange block, several Christmas blocks, a couple of red, white and blue blocks, and a block that shows all the states I've lived in. Great pattern - thank you!

Want to make one? See Raw-Edge Tile quilt pattern.

New Pattern Coming Soon

I've been experimenting with felted quilt ties. It took 7 (small) quilts to climb the learning curve. That's because I was starting from scratch, and wondering "What if?" Those favorite quilter's words. (After "I'll take a yard of each one!") This pattern is almost finished. Can't wait to show you.

All the new snow is sparkling this morning. Good day for a walk.

Blizzard Photos

The storm is over and we have 2 feet of snow! It's very windy. You can see the snow blowing in the photo above. That's my quilt room porch. 

This is the side entrance to our "barn." It's a garage, but it's red, so we call it a barn.

We won't be using this back door any time soon either. So you can see I have no choice but to keep sewing.  Until spring!

I hope you are all safe and warm. I'm not too worried about you quilters in Australia, probably at the beach!

The Blizzard has Started!

Now this is a snowman! From Brunch in April.

The blizzard has started! Don't worry, I made sure I had plenty of fabric. 

Here's some blizzard humor for you:

From the New Yorker magazine (above).

Photo of Chicago blizzard (above).

From TYWKIWDBI. 

Another Way to Tie a Quilt - Sheaf Stitch

Here's a nice "Sheath" stitch for tying a quilt. It's basically three parallel lines cinched in the middle and tied with a square knot. (Sometimes a few words are worth a thousand pictures. Haha.) In the photo above, there are two "arms" that have a shadow under them. Those are the tied ends, sticking up a little.

The loose end in the top part of the photo will be part of the square knot (in photos above and below).

In the photo above, you slide the needle under the stitch (so you can gather up the 3 parallel stitches into the square knot).

Above, you're ready to tie the square knot.

Trim the ends and you're done.

See "Quilt Knots, Ten Ways to Tie a Quilt."

New Battings Make Tied Quilts a Good Option

Antique quilt from the Iowa-Illinois Quilt Study Group

The NEW battings don't require as much quilting (or tying) to prevent them from shifting around inside the quilt. Warm & Natural cotton batting calls for 10" intervals between quilting/tying. My ties are closer than that, just because it looks nicer.

Recently Sharyn mentioned having to repair some antique tied quilts because the batting had shifted. The new battings aren't going anywhere. This makes tying a better option than it used to be.

What do you think?

Read June Calender's comment.

Cute!

My Mom sent me this. I don't know where she found it. 

(She's 83 and very up-to-date with electronic devices.) 

How to Tie a Quilt, Ten Ways to Tie a Quilt, Quilt Pattern

You might be closer to having a pile of finished quilts than you think! I hope that's true for me because I have 50 UFO's! But not for long.Tied quilts finish fast, and they can be absolutely stunning. Take a look at my new pattern: "Quilt Knots, Ten Ways to Tie a Quilt." One is called "Monster Noodles." Haha!

"Double Woolies" Pattern #2 in "Quilt Knots"

Included are lots of handy tips that I discovered while doing these 10+ projects. I used lots of different materials and tools. I show some of the quilts before and after machine washing and drying. There is a detailed supply list. Even a handy pattern for those occasions when you need it done yesterday. 

Take a look.

Could someone please put this on Pinterest and FB for me? Thanks.  :)

Another Sneak Peek!

Yes this is a quilt! And it's from the same pattern as the photo from yesterday's post. Haha.

I'm almost finished. I'll show you soon. Quilting is so much fun!

Sneak Peek!

This is a photo from my next pattern. Can you guess the topic? I can't wait to get it finished. I woke up early today with a few new ideas so I had to get up and try them before I forgot! Happy quilting!

30 New York City Fabrics

The City Quilter in New York has a fabulous new line of 30 NYC fabrics. The subway dots above would look great in a selvage quilt. (The dots are 1/2" high.) I wonder what the selvages look like.

Win a Book and 3 Fabrics Now

My friend Pam at the Learning to Be Me blog is having a giveaway! You could win this book (which is full of great quilt inspiration) and 3 nice pieces of fabric. 

You'll also be helping to dig a well in Africa! Go to her blog and check this out.

On My Design Wall Today

It must be January because I'm really needing all these colors. There is no color outside today at all! 

There are 6 blocks that have more colors than 2. I'm deciding now whether to replace them with 2-color blocks or not. Normally I'd leave it like this. Or I could make two quilts. Lol.

Bonjour to all my recent blog visitors from France! 

Happy quilting!

Selvage Quilt by Ansje in Oregon

This pretty lap size selvage quilt is the creation of Ansje Ferguson of Portland, Oregon. She has it listed in her Etsy shop, Jenny Lake Designs, for $325. Nice job, Ansje!

Star Bright is Done!

The quilt and the pattern are finished! I decided to go with Version #2 (scroll down to see post) because I really like the illusion of an empty box in the middle of this star. Thanks for all your input!

Here are some close-ups. 

This is the first time I've tied a quilt. It was fun. I used DMC Pearle cotton #5.

Carla Needs a Cartoon Caption

Quilter/Humorist Carla Barrett is looking for a caption for this cartoon. Click here to read the ones that have been suggested, and add your own ideas. (I have two captions there so far.)

Coming Soon: The star quilt that I asked your advice about recently; it's almost done!

Keep Calm and Carry Yarn

This is good advice! Bag is by Jennie Gee from Nebraska. See this bag and more like it here.

Nice job Jennie!

Vintage Lone Star from North Dakota

This 1930's style vintage quilt is machine pieced and hand quilted. Niki in North Dakota has it listed in her Etsy store Rubisco for $199, but she's going out of business and everything's 50% off. Seems like a good deal for the vintage quilt collector. There are a few stains, but I really like the splash of black and red in this quilt. Some of the fabrics are feed-sacks. Great photo too, don't you think?

I Need Your Advice

Option 1: Star standing on one point.

Option 2: Star standing on two points.

I'm making a new selvage quilt and I need to decide whether to use Option 1 or 2.  Which do you prefer? I think the background will be a yellow retro print.

When I look at Option 2, I see an empty box (in the center 6 blocks).

Embellished Sewing Machine!

Jean Kake of Baltimore, MD and the Quilted Cupcake (blog) bought this sewing machine at Goodwill for $15 to decorate for her studio. It works, but she doesn't use it. With her, it's all show and no go. Haha. Jean has an Etsy store with the same name Quilted Cupcake. You rock, Jean!