Projects Archives - Page 115 of 217

Modern Medallion Border 5

May 22, 2013 jennifer Quilting and Sewing

The Utah County Modern Quilt Group met last Saturday morning, and I stayed up ridiculously late Friday night, determined to finish another border in time to share it at the meeting.

In these photos the quilt top is hanging over a window, so the back lighting shows all the seams and makes the colors look more saturated than they otherwise would, but I think it looks kind of cool.

One of the leaders of the group did this border on her quilt and I really liked the mosaic feel it had. My measurements are different than hers, but construction was the same. To make mine, I needed 28 – 6.5 inch squares. Each square is made up of a nine patch block, and the “squares” in each block are two rectangles.

To make my border, I cut 30 – 1.5 inch wide strips of fabric (averaging about 41 inches long). I paired the strips, starched them carefully so they wouldn’t begin to curve, and sewed them together. This gave me 15 strips of fabric that was now 2.5 inches wide.

I then cut each strip into 2.5 inch widths. I then started laying the squares out in three strips of three blocks, with the blocks alternating in a horizontal and vertical orientation. I pieced these together until I made 28 of them, then made two rows of 6 and two rows of 8 blocks. They were then sewn to the quilt and it now measures 48.5 inches square.

Now I have decisions to make. I want to keep adding borders to this quilt, but I also need to start deciding how large I’m going to let it be. One thing is certain: I am loving this project!

Jennifer

15 Days of Happiness :: Give a Gift

May 18, 2013 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty, Pretty Packages

There’s nothing like receiving an unexpected gift. I’m pretty sure that the only thing better is giving the unexpected gift. Once upon a time I felt like I was a really good gift-giver. It was back when I only had a few little children and I was pretty much still in control of my life. I had more energy and resources than they required of me, so I focused on becoming a good giver of gifts.

As our family became larger and the older children required more (and ate more!) my time and resources were all directed toward simply taking care of my family and I didn’t have much money, time or creativity left for giving gifts. I began to hesitate to give them because I felt they weren’t good enough, and they certainly didn’t feel like an adequate expression of my regard.

I’m repenting of this folly. Each of us is of infinite worth. There will never be a thing I can give to someone that could possibly match their worth. Some of the gifts I give will be perfect and some may feel more like I’m offering dandelions instead of roses. But a gift is a gift, and if it’s offered from my heart with sincerity then that is good enough. We must learn to give gifts without expecting a certain response, expression of gratitude, reciprocation of gifts or recognition. When we let go of all expectation and simply give the gift with no emotional strings attached, we experience joy. The purity of our intent allows us to feel joy in the giving no matter the reception.

I am also learning how to give gifts that are hard to give. Perhaps it’s a thing we hesitate to part with, or time we don’t feel like we have. We can give “expensive” gifts without spending a penny when we share our time and efforts. These gifts are, in some ways, the healthiest to give. They stretch us and make us bigger than we were.

I recently gave a treasured out-of-print book to a friend. It wasn’t easy to part with a favorite I may never see again, but it was the right thing to do and has made me happy every time I reflect on it. Simple little things like a package of mints or a bottle of favorite nail polish can be delightful if wrapped with a pretty ribbon and a kind note. It takes effort, but the return is totally worth it.

Today, give a gift. Maybe you just finished reading a book you enjoyed. Wrap it up and give it to a friend. Stopping at the grocery store? Grab an extra pound of strawberries, tie a bow around them, and write a note to someone telling them how much you appreciate them. Keep it simple, but put your heart into it. It only needs to take 5 minutes but it will make you happy.
Have a great day!

Jennifer

Medallion Quilt Top: Border 4

May 15, 2013 jennifer Quilting and Sewing

I managed to get the 4th border on my medallion quilt, and that’s no small accomplishment at this time of year!

(My 15 minute approach was what made it happen.)

For this border I went with half square triangles made from two of the prints in the Carnaby Street collection by Pat Bravo. I really like how the pink and citron are so unexpected.

For the corner blocks I made a simple pinwheel using solid fabrics. The pink and yellow are similar but a little brighter and I’m pleased with how the corners stand out without competing with the rest of the border.

How I made it:

Half square triangles: cut 20 – 4 inch squares of two contrasting fabrics. Use these squares to make 40 half square triangles. Trim them to 3.5 inches square. Sew 10 squares together. Make four strips. Strips should be 3.5 inches wide and 30.5 inches long.

Corner pinwheels: cut 8 – 2 5/8 inch squares of two contrasting fabrics. Make16 half square triangles. Trim to 2 inches square. Sew four squares together to make pinwheel. Make sure pinwheel block is 3.5 inches square. Sew a pinwheel block to both ends of two of the half square triangle strips.

Attach the border: carefully pin and sew a strip of pinwheels to one side of your medallion quilt top. Press. Attach a second strip to the opposite side of the medallion. Carefully pin and sew a strip with pinwheels to one of the remaining sides. Repeat with remaining border. The quilt top should now measure 36.5 inches square.

This is a medallion quilt of my own creation. You can see previous posts, including measurements and other instructions (including where to find the paper pieced arrow pattern), in these posts:

Lone Star Medallion center Lone Star medallion center tutorial Paper Pieced Arrow Arrow Border and Border #3 I’ve started working on border #5 and am excited to see how it looks. This quilt top is turning out to be one of the most fun projects I’ve ever worked on. And my Marcelle Medallion ? Still hanging in the sewing room, waiting for the flying geese border. Hopefully I’ll get to it soon.

Happy Sewing!
Jennifer Linking to Freshly Pieced

5 comments medallion, quilting

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