A February Mini

Happy Leap Day!

The end of February 

means it's time  

 to share my

monthly mini.

It seemed the common theme this month

for many of us was redo, reuse or recycle.

My, not too mini log cabin quilt,

"Log House-1973"

42" x 42"

was a year long 

Leaders and Enders project

using 1.25" strips 

cut from various projects.

I arranged the precut light and dark 

pieces on a

labeled flannel board

so it was easy to pick up and sew.

As I worked on other things

throughout the year,

the log cabin blocks were continually being made.

I quilted in the ditch

just to add texture,

which isn't as easy as it sounds.

If you've done it before, you know

what I mean. 

 Blink, and you've jumped out.

****

The reason I called this 

"Log House-1973"

is because the first house 

Running  Man and I lived in

as a married couple was a 

log cabin owned by the state of Colorado

way way out in "no where" on 

the Western slope in an area 

known as the Piceance Basin. 

It was quite the beginning,

log house and all.

***

We just got back from a little

mini trip up to the

 YMCA of the Rockies

in Estes Park, Colorado.

It 's a great place to stay

and enjoy the mountain scenery.

Check in with Wendy, The Constant Quilter,

 to get the 

links for more February Mini's.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

February Is Red and White

 With red and white hearts 

as the popular design element 

for February

you have to think of 

the classic red and white quilt.

  A Red and White Tribute

2011

 The pattern is so crisp and well

defined especially when it's pieced

with solids.

 It has been a popular combination

 

for centuries and

  will continue to be
sewn by quilters no matter the month.

So Sweet

Until Next Time-

I Can Be Such a Cut Up

 We've all known someone 

we would be classified as a

"cut up".

You know, someone who

acts pretty silly and can 

make you laugh.

If you know a quilt maker or

are one, you know

we can spend a lot of time being a

"cut up".

In this case, it is 

the literal translation.

In fact, I spent all of last week,

cutting,

auditioning,

and cutting some more

as I worked on about

4 projects.

It started with wool.

and a project from

Primitive Quilts and Projects

designed by Lynda Hall.

I cut lighter, more springtime colors,

and here it is ready for stitching.

The background is an old skirt,

with the seams included.

Then with two BOM's that 

need to be cut each month,

I dragged out the fabrics and

cut applique pieces for the 

the Noah and Matilda quilt

and got the next 4 blocks

ready to stitch.

I'm not sure about the indigo leaves on the 3rd block

sticking straight up.

Maybe those are quilting muscles.

Then the A-Z with Ewe and Me

required more cutting

and designing 

and leaving a huge fabric trail.

And one more,

the Roseville  Album Quilt or

"the quilt that just never seems to want to get done".

I cut out freezer paper templates...

 and cut up

all kinds of small bits of fabrics,

more than shown here.

(Please note: I've finished a second one

of those "delightful" trees.)

Now I'm ready to stitch.

With all of this hand sewing ready,

it must mean I'm heading 

to Denver to wait for a new baby to arrive

any time now.

Until Next Time-

A Color of February

The colors of February

are pink, red and white

all smothered in hearts.

(a vintage Valentine Hankie)

Although I have 3 daughter's

when they were little,

I didn't dress them much in pink.

Pink isn't really my color either.

But when it comes to vintage 

double pinks,

that's another story.

We all recognize those

cool double toned pinks

that resemble the bubble gum,

called Bubble Gum Pinks.

And those wonderful 

double pinks, or "cinnamon pinks"

 from an earlier time period

that had tiny darker prints

on a rosy pink background.

Did you notice how

this quilter from the past

just let her humility

be part of the pattern.

 

 I love the simplicity of a two colored quilt,

with the double pink print and the tiny pink

and white shirting in the alternating plain blocks.

This is the color of February for me.

Until Next Time-

Crayon Box Colors

When I worked at the quilt shop,

it was always a challenge to interpret what

color a customer was looking for when they asked for

a "crayon box color".

A "crayon box color" is a  color word,

like:

Hunter Green

Desert Sand

Sunset Orange

Based on experiences or the ready 

availability of a crayon box, we each

could have a different interpretation  of 

what that lovely color looks like.

  Last week as I making some progress on 

my February wool transition project,

or my 11 Progress Process Plan

 I remembered another reason why

I had quietly set this project aside.

The pattern listed the required wool with color names.

I had gotten frustrated looking for the 

right colors to fit the names.

I needed:

spring green

meadow green

grass green

sage green

moss green

holly green

evergreen

I could definitely see the  differences,

but those descriptions or words just got in my way.

I finally reminded myself to use my eyes instead.
I really needed

7 greens ranging from light to dark,
and from bright to muddy.

That helped me.

I also needed:

Christmas Red

Garnet

Saltware

Rust

Wine 

and others

I really needed 8 reds that worked well together

and had enough difference that you could tell

one from the other.

I love the names of colors.

I love the images that it brings to mind.
 Wouldn't you love to have a job where you got to

name the color on paint chips or crayons:

Timber Wolf

Tickle Me Pink

Cedar Chest

Aqua Pearl

With this project
I just needed to use my eyes to 

select my colors and

not  get hung up on a those fun
descriptive words.
It worked better when I did.

Until Next Time-

Itching To Get To Work

Here it is the middle 

of February
and I need to get

started on my February transition project.

I love working with wool and have 

done lots projects over the years,

but I always forget how wool makes

my hands feel.

They get very tingly.

Not really itchy,

more like little pins lightly pricking my fingertips.

Tracing the pattern on to the fusible web

was no problem, no wool involved.

Deciding which pieces should be fused with which wool pieces

involved touching lots of wool.

Here comes the tingle.

Cutting out the pieces, of course, is next.

Every so often

I needed to give my hands a break.

I've always been sensitive to wool, but I

think the dry cold weather has increased that sensitivity.

Now I could wear gloves while I buttonhole stitch, 

but I might end up stitching my gloved fingers to the block.

I'll just have to work bare handed.

What we quilters are willing to endure!

Until Next Time-

February Means Hearts

It's February already,

It's a month filled with heart felt thoughts.

I keep this wool heart in my sewing room

It reminds me of the gift of friendship,

and the importance of keeping  those friendships
 close to my heart.

 I love the wool pennies.

February also is a month for chocolates.

 What's not to love about that.

A couple of years ago, I noticed I had
a wonderful collection of  milk chocolate browns
and strawberry pink fabrics.

  Many of these were from a group of 

prints designed by Buggy Barn.

Strawberries and Chocolate Quilt.
2010

It was a perfect Stashbuster's project when
I was teaching that class at my local quilt shop.

The pattern is one of Carrie Nelson's delightful designs
called "Quiet Times".

The blocks are made up of 2 half square triangles

 and 2 quarter square triangles.

It was fun to take a simple block

and create a wonderful secondary pattern based on the placement.

One of the wonderful machine quilters in my area,
Kathy H. did a great job with an overall swirl.

I like how it shows up on the back.

More fun designs on the borders.

All this mention of Strawberries and Chocolate has
me craving something sweet.
I'd better go see if there's anything left in my secret chocolate stash!
Hope so.

Until Next Time-

Cover Me in Quilts

When you were a kid and the teacher accidently

scraped her fingernails on the chalkboard,

 everyone in the class would screech and cover

their ears.

It's a horrible noise.

When I worked in the quilt shop, invariably,

someone, both men and women,  would

say, " Look at all those pretty blankets."

For quilters that is the same sound as

chalk scratching a chalkboard, maybe worse.

Blankets?  Please.

I use my quilts as if they were blankets.  

In fact, I don't think I have many b's left in my home.

February is a good month to cover yourself in quilts.

So here are a couple from my collection I'd like to share.

When my daughter and son-in-law celebrated their 

second wedding anniversary the appropriate gift is cotton.

What's better than a quilt?

"Happy Anniversary"

2010

72" x 84"

I originally started this quilt as a store and kit sample, but

knew it would be just what they would like.

It was a pattern from Timeless Treasures using

Tonga Batiks and designed by Annette Ornelas.

Besides the wonderful batiks it used,

 it had a dimensional technique similar to the

cathedral window pattern.

It created a curved pattern without sewing curved pieces.

Folded pieces of fabrics are inserted and

 sewn in the seam allowances and then

folded back and smoothed into a curved shape and

then top stitched to make the curves permanent.

It's a great technique.

My machine quilter, Karen, at Cabin Country Quilting, did

a fantastic job adding her magic to the quilt.

Another quilt for February would have to be red.

What other color is associated with this month?

"Still Crazy After All These Years"

2005

70" x 86"

This is another one of Buggy Barns wonderful

crazy patterns.

It is a great stashbuster design to use up some of those

red and cream fabrics.

The pattern is in their book, Certifiably Crazy.

This pattern loves to have all shades of reds and creams playing together.

The more the merrier.

 This pattern uses a fat quarter of each fabric.

Look at all the fabric I used up!

Looking at this makes me want to dig out my Buggy Barn

books and start something new and fun.

Don't forget the label.

You don't want to become "the unknown quilter".

Keep covered with quilts and

always cringe when you hear...

"What pretty blankets you make."

Until Next Time-