Sewfrench

I Can’t Wait!

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Sewfrench

It’s almost time for the semi-annual Blogger’s Quilt Festival!!

Though I haven’t been very prolific, this year, I do have a finish I haven’t shared. Originally the hand-quilting category was eliminated, but the masses spoke and it was revived. I predict this year will have the largest number of entries, ever! I hope you are as excited, as I am, to see all the quilts this time round!

For now, I am still working on emptying out my scrap baskets. I currently have 5 quilts in progress, straight out of those baskets and here I decided to start another…. A take on the old-fashioned maple leaf quilt. Each square is cut to 5 1/2″. I have about used up all my Kona scraps, haven’t decided if I should dig into my stash or quit now… Deciding on a final size is always the hardest part! (That is exactly why I haven’t finished the 5 I spoke of!)

P.S. I recently saw someone else making a similar quilt but I can’t remember where I saw it. Remind me if you recognize it, will you, please??

Linking up with:

Fabric Tuesday
WIP
Let’s Bee Social

See you back here soon!

Posted in Bloggers' Quilt Festival, Design, fabric, Fabric Tuesday, Let's Bee Social, Linkys, Quilting, WIP | Tagged BQF, Kona, Maple Leaf Quilt | 7 Comments

Some would think I became French when I married…

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Sewfrench

Reminiscent of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence, Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull was an enjoyable read.

When asked how she came up with the book’s provocative title, she said – “It’s tongue-in-cheek. It sums up the main theme… expatriates’ struggle with identity and their sense of belonging. On the one hand, after eight years in France, I’ve adopted some French customs and I’ve been very influenced by French ways of thinking. Yet I don’t feel French at all and I know I never will. If anything, as each year passes I feel more Australian. This permanent state of only ever being ‘almost’ French – never ‘entirely’ or ‘completely’ – is really the essence of my book.”

Makes me want to return, but for a much longer time, next time.

Posted in Books, Reading, Travel | Tagged Almost French, books, Eiffel Tower, Paris, Peter Mayle, reading, Sarah Turnbull | 4 Comments

It takes some serious pondering to make a great quilt.

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Sewfrench

Sitting here with my feet in the sand,

thawing my winter weary bones.

Thinking about it being National Quilting Day and not a needle in sight….

Pondering making a beach quilt and wondering if I should put batting in it or make it as an old-fashioned counterpane/summer quilt…

I would think it would carry home less sand, that way…..
Leaving more for others to enjoy….

Posted in Favorite Things, Quilting, Travel | Tagged AMI, Anna Maria Island, beach quilt, florida, National Quilting Day, pondering, relaxing, sand | 7 Comments

A Stack of Books and a new toy

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Sewfrench

I recently splurged and bought myself a new light box. I was using a 25-year-old Princesses tracing box until the bulb went out and apparently they are not replaceable. Or I’m not as smart as a 5th grader because I couldn’t figure out how to get the bulb out to replace it.

Then I dug around and found a Lion King one. Same bulky idea, where the top opens to store all your stencils for tracing. This was only about 20 years old. Well, that one didn’t last much longer before it gave up the ghost. That’s when my lightbulb went off and I decided it was time for me to get my very own, grown-up light box.

I studied them all, read all the reviews and finally decided on the Artograph Light Pad Light Box in the 12″ x 9″ size. After finally deciding on this brand, I struggled deciding which size to order. I let reasoning take over and came to this decision based on most often using the printer, in conjunction with tracing, and with traditional sized printer paper size this would be a perfect fit. And it is. I love this thing!

It is lean and clean, lights up evenly and is beautifully bright.

I tried many different methods of transferring lettering the lettering and for me, my trusty blue pen, and fonts pulled off the computer, for tracing worked best. And if I was a wiz at identifying the fonts of the book titles I choose, or even a font with similar characteristics, things would be going even faster!

This project is taking me forever, but I’m learning to embrace it.

Not really. It is a perfect example of faking it until you make it though. I’ll fake knowing what I’m doing. And liking it. And smile all the while. 🙂

And two years later, it is still the quilt project I keep coming back to when nothing else is prepped to work on in front of the evening TV.

I just keep reading and just keep stitching… And adding books than made an impression, on me, as I go.

Linking up with:
Fabric Tuesday
WIP

Posted in Books, Design, fabric, Fabric Tuesday, Favorite Things, hand quilting, Quilting, Sewing, WIP | Tagged Artograph Light Pad Light Box, books quilt, embroidery, font, Kona, light box, light pad, new toy, quilt, quilting, stack of books, tracing, transfer | 24 Comments

Granny Squares Quilt

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Sewfrench

When I was in 5th grade one of the things we did at recess was to make granny squares, by crocheting. Rene, who one of my best friends, had a grandmother who was an award-winning crocheter. She taught Rene, who then shared her skills with the rest of us. Not sure who supplied the yarn and hooks, but it sure was fun. Much more fun than chasing boys like some of the girls did. 🙂

I wish I had kept up the crocheting, but I didn’t. I’ve pretty much forgotten it all… I turned my granny square talents to quilting and have a Granny Square quilt to share. It is finished and gifted. This one went to my youngest sister, Amanda, for Christmas.

I used a Kona Ash gray and two charm square packs of Malka Dubrawsky’s fabric line A Stitch in Color. I just love this line! I bought, and hung onto, this fabric for quite some time, waiting to come up with the perfect project. When I came across the Granny Square quilt made by Blue Elephant Stitches, I knew this was the perfect quilt to showcase these fabrics.

The charm packs are 5″ squares, so they just needed to be cut in quarters to make the 2 1/2″ squares used in this quilt. This saves a LOT of cutting time, lets you get right to sewing. This is one of the very few quilts where I have stuck with one fabric line, for the entire quilt. And because this fabric is so different looking than almost any other fabric out there, I can’t imagine combining it and have it work as beautifully as it does alone.

I opted to machine quilt this one and I chose to do a long stretched zigzag. On my machine, Janome Memory Craft 6600, I set my stitch width to 5 and my stitch length to 4.

Using my walking foot, and putting in some practice, in worked like a charm. This created just the texture I was looking for.

“Granny Squares”
12-25-2013
For my sister Amanda
50″ x 60″
Machine pieced, machine quilted
A Stitch in Color and Kona cotton fabrics
Quilter’s Dream request cotton batting

Linking up with:

Finish it Up Friday
Link A Finish Friday
TGIFF
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Posted in 2013 completes, A Sttitch in Time, Can I get a Whoop Whoop, Crazy Mom Friday Finishes, Design, fabric, Family, Gifts, Linkys, machine quilting, Quilting, Sewing | Tagged granny square quilt, granny squares, Granny Squares quilt, Kona, Malka Dubrawsky, sewfrench | 31 Comments

How many different stars in a constellation?

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Sewfrench

That is what I have been working on this week.
Counting the stars.

I pulled out a dozen, or so, quilting books and after flipping through them all, I picked out a variety, of different stars, and started making them. It’s been very relaxing. Perfect for the cold, snowy, lazy weather of this winter.

No pressure, no deadline and only a slight plan. I feel like a kid playing creatively.

I finally got around to starting Steven King’s, time travel book, 11/22/63. I am really enjoying it, he is such a great writer. Reading free Kindle books, is all fine and dandy, but reading a well written book is a whole ‘nuther game.

Life is good.

Linking up with:
Fabric Tuesday
Freshly Pieced WIP
Let’s Bee Social

Posted in Fabric Tuesday, Linkys, Quilting, Reading, WIP | Tagged fabric, pattern, quilt, quilting, star, Steven King | 13 Comments

Seeing the Forest through the trees.

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Sewfrench

Can you feel the breeze blowing through the trees?

This is the second, hand-quilted, tree quilt where I used the idea of creating the feel of the breeze blowing through the trees. Freehand quilting is definitely not as easy as it looks, but I am really happy with the results that hand quilted lent to it.

And for the back, I think I came up with the perfect woodlands fabric, Riley Blake’s Fox Trails.

Does it remind you of last years “What does the fox say” video?? I thought so, too!

Hope you love it, Baylor, and know just how much love was stitched into it, especially for you!!

“Birch Trees”
inspired by Amanda Jean
12-24-2013
For our great-nephew Baylor
45″ x 45″
Machine pieced, hand quilted
Kona cotton
Quilter’s Dream request cotton batting

Linking up with:

Finish it Up Friday
Link A Finish Friday
TGIFF
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Posted in 2013 completes, A Sttitch in Time, Can I get a Whoop Whoop, Crazy Mom Friday Finishes, Design, fabric, Fabric Tuesday, Family, Finish it Up Fridays, Finishes, Gifts, Linkys, Quilting, Sewing, Show it off Friday, TGIFF | Tagged baby quilt, bright birch trees, crazy mom quilts, Fox Trails, gift, hand quilted, kona cotton, modern, riley blake, scrap, scrappy, what does the fox say | 26 Comments

What do you call this pattern?

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Sewfrench

If a quilt has a traditional name, I try to use it. No creative cutesy name here. And I do think creative names have a place. Like when you create a new design. You create it, you get to name it!

Since this quilt design is known by Whirligig, Kansas Twister, Texas Trellis, Whirling Triangles in a Hexagon…. Yes, it is even considered a hexagon quilt… I’m wondering if every pioneer woman gave it, its own name based on her experiences, where she lived, what her quilting bee might have called it. It is a really old design. It dates back to at least the late 1800s. And this is where my mind goes when piecing quilts! I plan on calling it Whirligig

This is the third, in a series, of serious scrap busting. I say series, as in since I pulled all this fabric out and haven’t attempted to fold it back up and put it away, this is the third top I’ve created. By making all these tops, from fabrics that have been around for probably 25 years, I hope never to fold any of this fabric up, again. Well, except in quilt form.

When I get around to the backings, I know I will have the opportunity to really make a dent in it.

Hoping you are having a Wonderful Wednesday!

Linking up with:
Fabric Tuesday
Let’s Bee Social

Posted in Design, fabric, Quilting | Tagged hexagon, kansas twister, quilt, scrap, scrappy, Texas Trellis, traditional name, triangles, whirligig, Whirling Triangles in a Hexagon | 18 Comments

It’s a wrap; or unwrapped, depends on how you look at it…

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Sewfrench

You remember when I first bought all this Marcia Derse fabric, at the Grand Rapids AQS quilt show?

I recently finished putting it together as a quilt.

And finally gifted it, to our first-born daughter, Krystal, and her husband, Dustin.

I think she liked it! She loves color.

And this one has lots of color and texture.

Texture is the spice of life, you know. You knew that, right?

I also made pillow shams, complete with invisible zippers, that I completely forgot to take pictures of. This quilting in secret, for gift giving, is for the birds…

Next time I go, to visit them, I’ll get a picture. And you know I’ll be going because I need to see this little grandbaby who is growing up way too fast. All ready.

“Thick and Thin”
100″ x 110″
for Krystal and Dustin
Christmas 2013
machine pieced, machine quilted
Quilter’s Dream Request, cotton batting

And for all you quilters, I just want to share the latest blog post from my favorite quilt charity, Margaret’s Hope Chest. The work they do, with postpartum depression particularly, really tugs at my heart. If you find yourself looking for a new charity to work with, this one is doing some much needed work. Keep them in mind. They will be grateful. 😉

Linking up with:
Needle and Thread Thursday
Finish it up Friday
TGIFF
Beauty Observed

Posted in 2013 completes, A Sttitch in Time, Charity Quilt, Crazy Mom Friday Finishes, Design, fabric, Family, Finish it Up Fridays, Gifts, Linkys, machine quilting, Quilting, Sewing, Show it off Friday, TGIFF, video | Tagged Amelia, Blue Underground, gift, Grand Rapids AQS quilt show, Marcia Derse, quilt, Thick and Thin | 22 Comments

What I’m working on…

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Sewfrench

as I look out my window…

and the forecast isn’t looking any better, any time soon.

So I am piecing quilt tops. My plan was to use up a bunch of these really old scraps. This is starting to sound like an annual theme to me. I’ve focussed on using up mauves with Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend and then pastels with Sweet Strings. This time the focus was on purples but it looks like I actually pulled a lot of blues, too. It feels like Time Traveling because many/most of these date back to the 1980s and have been seen in dozens of quilts and even some clothes! This is lap quilt sized coming in at 60″ x 72″.

And as long as I have all this fabric scattered about… I decided to play with 1 1/2″ finished squares and some 3″ finished half squared triangle blocks. I know this is a classic quilt pattern, I just can’t remember its name. Do you know?