Whirligig Quilt

I can't remember the last time I worked on this project, but I'm back with it now.  What motivated me was how much I enjoy hand-sewing the binding onto a quilt.  Finished the quilt from the previous post, and thought that I should go back to the EPP project.  So I am.

Here are the two latest blocks.

I think I began this project back in January, 2017.  It might be time to finish it.

Shirts Strings Sing

 

String quilts are such fun, especially when they are made out of men's shirts and bought at bag sales at thrift shops.  XXL shirts yield a ton of fabric, and even smaller sizes have lots to cut.  I look for 100% cotton, although I'm happy to take a cotton/poly combination provided that cotton is the main fiber.  So far I have 4 10" squares done, and lots and lots of fabric to go. 

The Hubz needs a guy quilt, and what could be more guy than men's shirtings?  And do I care if he gets ketchup on the quilt?  Nah.  This is just leftovers.  

The trick is to spend very little money on the shirts, no more than $2/shirt, and even better, if the thrift shop is having a sale of stuff a bag for $5, boy can you ever squash in those shirts! It also helps to have a theme.  So, I look for blue and white and occasionally a bit of green.  Easy peasy to find, since most men's shirts seem to be blue and white.  Stripes, plaids, checks, it doesn't matter.

And on a much slower note, here are the Dots and Boxes joined together.  These are English paper pieced, all hand done, and they take forever.  Nice to do in front of the TV, or chatting with the Hubz.  Im not particularly interested in speed, so EPP suits me just fine.  And now that I'm fixated on string quilts, well there is where I can zoom along.

Such fun!  

And yesterday I found my long-lost Dresden template, and you know what's in my head now.  Little Dresden circles.  I have tons of charm packs, too.  No pics because this is all in my head.

As for my poor knitting, alas, I seem to knit only at night and am working on a very large shawl.  One of these days I'll show you.

Card Tricks

Here's what's on my design floor as of this morning:  Card Tricks.  As usual, I'm doing this with English paper piecing.  Yep, I know, it takes forever and sewing it on the machine would just zip along, but I love this method, and can do it any place and any time and am not dependent on the machine.  It's sort of like knuckle ballers in the baseball world:  we EPP folk love our weird little method.  We're not the norm, but who cares?

Dyeing:  I'm doing a large job for Sock Madness 7.  Three colors to choose from, and priced very very well.  Unfortunately, first class international shipping is going up drastically on Sat, and that affects my international customers.  The rates are doubled, which is just awful.  Domestic is fine as it is.  If you're on Ravelry and are in the SM7 group, you can buy in my Etsy shop.  You know the password for the good price.

Knitting:  Making a baby jacket for the Bunny Child.  No pics yet.  But it's very cute.

What's on my design floor Monday 12/17/2012

"Rustic" quilting in progress.  If you look closely, you'll see some rather crummy hand quilting, but I like the wonkiness of it.  It I stopped and took out every stitch that was off, I'd never get past the first block.  anyhow, it's fun, and the baby will like it at some point in his life. 

Look at my new fabric purchases:

The first one is begging to be some sort of Valentine quilt.  The second one will be a card trick quilt, and I have no idea on the batiks, except that I'm in love with them.  All English paper pieced in something of other.

HeLP for Hexie-aholics!

 It's time for Help for Hexie-aholics!  Check out what folks are doing here.

Tiny Tumblers!  This is going to be a doll quilt.  The tumblers are 1", but even though they're teeny, they're very easy to do.  I started it a week ago, and have one more row of tumblers to do.

Yesterday I was at The City Quilter in Manhattan, and bought 3 fabrics for borders.  I'm not yet sure how I'll arrange them, but I kind of like the brown next to the tumblers.

I have a cute autumnal print for the back.  Not sure what I'll do for the binding. 

Nuts and Bolts, which is going to be a baby quilt for "Mister", due in late January.  I suspect it will be a lot larger than a baby quilt; I'll work until I think I'm done.  That's how I do things:  very casually.  It's part of the designing process for me, and I like to work this way.  I have no idea of backing or borders.

What's next?  Oh dear, I have a gazillion ideas!!!!!!!

Design Wall Monday

Tiny Tumblers 

Coming along nicely.  I think I have enough tumblers for about 3 more rows.  I'll get a solid to border it, and I need a backing and something for the binding.  Going to The City Quilter tomorrow for my last class, so I'll buy it all there.

Here's the back, which I find as interesting as the front.

This is going to be a doll quilt, but however am I going to quilt through all those layers?  So I'm thinking of just machine sewing a straight line through every other tumbler.  Or else tying the layers together with some pretty floss.  Maybe not even putting in batting.  What do you think?  One of the grands will happily toss this around, so whatever I do has to hold.

Design Wall Monday

Nuts and Bolts!  50 little octagons done.  Lots more to go.  I'm beginning to think of the next EPP project. 

This is a quilt-as-you-go class that I'm taking at The City Quilter.  It'll become a doll quilt.  I like the technique and may do something a lot nicer and larger when I finish.  I like this store very much.  There is a bright vibe to it.  Lots of unusual designs and great classes.  I just catch the train into New York, and walk over to 25th.  I pass FIT as I walk, and one of these days, I'm going to take a look at their current museum display.

Design Wall Monday

And here's how far I've come with my sweet quilt.  I need a name for it.  Any suggestions?