Folded Log Cabin

Back in the spring I went to a quilt retreat.  I had brought lots of fabric with me to make sure I didn't run out of things to do.  I had seen the technique done to make a "folded log cabin" block and some of the extra fabric I had brought with me was intended for an attempt to create a block or two.  It wasn't long before I had three blocks done and I had no finished project in mind.  Just that morning we drove into town to the local quilt shop and I bought a piece of fabric that I just liked because it was so colorful... I had totally forgotten anything about the fabric I had brought along.  Well now it is early evening and I have three blocks that I put up on the design wall and ask opinions on.  They had me turning and rearranging, then someone suggested putting them against a black background, and it just happened that someone there had a piece of black so I could audition it.  It was a Wow... sure made those blocks pop.  Then another Wow moment quickly followed... I remembered the fabric I had just bought a piece of that morning.  It had several of the same colors.  It was like I had those 3 blocks with me when I bought it.

I had to wait until I got home to put it all together, but my wall hanging was coming together... one step at a time.  I had not used rick rack in ages for anything.  One of the ladies at the retreat was using mini rick rack for her stems in one of her projects, which put the thought in my head when I was trying to figure out how I was going to finish the edges of these blocks.  Once I determined the positioning for the blocks I thought about the rick rack and used my pinking blade in a rotary cutter to trim the edges of the blocks.  The rick rack and the pinked edge were a natural.  I thought the wall hanging needed some other accent, so I looked for the beaded trim at JoAnn's.

It has been a while, but I finally picked this project back up so I could quilt it and call it finished.  I stitched the binding on yesterday. The plan right now is... it is mine.  Not intended for a gift.... least not yet.  Thought a closer look might be helpful. 

 

It took a while to get this one done, even though it really was a pretty easy project... it is just one that didn't have a priority set, so it just sat there waiting to be finished.  Sometimes my own quilts are the last ones to get quilted.

Here's hoping you are all ready to step into the new year and that your year ahead will be blessed.

Almost Christmas

It has been a very long time since I have created a new post.  When I remember that it has been a while, I think I should take the time, but then I get busy doing something and blogging time slips away.  I'm thinking I might try to see if anyone is still interested in what is going on in my little corner of the world.  Even a one-word comment is welcome.... might inspire me to do more posting.

Right now I don't have anything exciting to post about, but I thought I would start with a tip for the quilters out there.  I don't know how many have bought a panel to make a fabric book for your grandchild.  One of the things you have to keep track of in the process is the sequence of the pages.  The numbers are labeled on the panel, but those numbers get hidden in a seam or cut off before you are finished.  Here is where a Smartphone can come to the rescue.  Snap a shot of the sequence before those numbers are lost.  Now you have a little bit of insurance that you can get the final book pages in the right order. Smartphones can do much more than talking and texting. 

Christmas is just around the corner.  Hope everyone is ready.  Merry Christmas to all.