scrap block tutorial

Hello Everyone!  Brrrrr...it's another cold one here in Calgary, light snow outside and a high of -22C (-8F)....yup, that's the high temperature for the day, so I thought this might be a good time to show you how I made those scrappy blocks I posted about the other day.

I should be packing up the house and getting everything ready for the renovations, but really, what would you rather do....pack or spend time in the sewing room??  I knew you would agree with me...;-)

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances




Scrap basket emptied on the sewing table, ready to use...



Telephone paper, cut to size: Top rectangle is 6.5 x 4 inches; purple strip is 6.5 x 1.5 inches; bottom rectangle is 6.5 x 2.5 inches 




First scrap picked out and placed on top of telephone book paper foundation...be sure to shorten your stitch length so it's easier to remove the paper once your are done



Second scrap piece selected...



...and ready to sew on...




...finger press open and add third scrap, placed to the side just to change the direction of the strips in the block...



...continue adding until your foundation paper is covered...it won't look pretty at this stage...





...press with hot iron...



...trim away excess fabric to shape of foundation paper, some of the larger scraps will go back into my scrap basket...

 

...there you have one rectangle complete...

...add purple strip, I leave the foundation paper on until the block is finished, but you could certainly remove it at this point if you like...



...one block done, trim to desired size (6.5x 6.5 inches).



Playing with scraps

Hello everyone!  I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Angie & Dolores, thanks for signing up!  Much appreciated!!

I told myself on New Year's Day that this would definitely be the year I take time to do a little sewing every day, maybe even make a block with my scraps every day....(cue hysterical laughter)....well, looks like I'll have to set that particular dream aside and just sew when I can...like everyone else!! ;-)  I have managed to make just a few scrappy blocks, no pattern in mind, just putting them together right now.


Enjoy!
Mary-Frances

Here's the first block I made.  I have admired a lot of the wonky slash blocks found at www.15minutesplay.com/ and wondered what the blocks would look like with just a single slash of fabric. Could I make something from that?  Would it look ok?



I made a few more, changed the colour of the slash for one block and even made a regular scrappy block just because. :-)



Put the blocks on point and I like this configuration better than the previous one.  Now I'll have to make a few more and see if I want the blocks to continue 'spinning' in the same direction or do I want them to go out in different directions, do I want to keep them in sets of four, do I even want to make the new blocks a larger size?  



Weekend in the Mountains

Hello everyone!  We took our daughters to the mountains for a quick getaway this weekend.  Yup, drove through the blizzard to get there.  The wind was just wicked, blasting the SUV and pushing us from side to side as though we were a little Matchbox car, but the weather cleared once we got closer to the mountains, so it was smooth sailing from there.

We also treated hubby's co-workers to a night in the castle (aka Banff Springs Hotel) and a celebratory dinner, just to thank them for all the hard work they do throughout the year.  Everyone arrived safely and we all had a great time at dinner.

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances



I was in such a rush to get to the hotel I didn't stop to take a photo...but this is what it looks like in the summer (and yes, the photo is public domain)



The view from our suite, the curling rink and skating rink.  They also had a nice firepit going so those brave souls who ventured outside could try to keep warm. 





All dressed up for dinner.



This is the only thing I thought to take a photo of...the food was just excellent and the presentation was lovely.  All of the above chocolate goodness was gluten free...hubby said it was delicious!


 

A view of the mountains and main street as we are leaving Banff.  You can't really see much of the mountain, it was a hazy, light snow kind of day, but the drive back was much better (read faster) than the drive in.



Two more projects ready to finish

Hello Everyone!  Look what I picked up from my long-arm quilter on Tuesday afternoon!  I wasn't expecting them to be ready so quickly, so this is a very pleasant surprise.  Thank you Rita for all the excellent work you do for me.  Both quilts are original, meaning I didn't follow any patterns for them, just made a few blocks and started playing with placement and fabric choices.

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances




I originally wanted to have this quilted with a fan-shaped pattern, but that wasn't working out, so decided to go with the diamond-shape...a classic.  I wanted an old-world feel for this quilt to complement the muted tones of the Robyn Pandolph Canadian Cottage fabrics.

Tried to get a better shot of the quilting and the thread, a lovely dark green, but this is as close as I could get without making everything blurry.

Here's my second project done.  It's really a shame my skills as a photographer are so bad because the colours on this quilt are really quite rich...the brown is a lovely deep chocolate brown, but everything just looks washed out...(sigh).

Really love the swirly quilting on this one, done in a pink variegated thread.  So fun!

Calm before the storm...

Hello everyone!  Seven days and counting before DD heads off on her grand adventure in England.  Eight days and counting before the madness of the renovations begin...new flooring, new carpet, new washrooms, new tile, more grey hairs :-0!  Oh yeah, and little sewing I would imagine while that is going on, so must take advantage of the calm while I can!

PS - Thanks to all who left comments yesterday about my new to me quilt, that means you Zoey, AnnieB, Anya, Lisa Marie and Joyce...appreciate the time you take to stop in and say hello.

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances



Hubby and Victoria getting some reading in while they can...



Laundry all done, so a little computer time is in order, right Sarah?




Ahhh, a nap on the couch, next to two lovely quilts (I'll show you those tomorrow)...




Even Max the wonder dog, or his royal furriness as I like to call him, is taking it easy.



A nice surprise

Hello everyone!  Just want to share a nice surprise I received this Christmas, a gift from my hubby.  I saw this lovely antique quilt at a craft show before Christmas and my husband snuck out and picked it up for me.  My first antique quilt!  How lucky am I?

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances



It's a double wedding ring pattern, made in the 1930's.



Here's a closer look at the binding, which isn't as faded as the rest of the quilt, so I wonder if that was added later as a replacement, anyway, it has a scalloped edge, not something I would attempt to do at this point in time.



Another look at the fabric, there is some wear and tear, but overall it's in pretty good shape.  Looks like I'll be doing some research on how to care for and clean antique quilts.



An afternoon in the sewing room

Hello everyone!  I spent a little time in the sewing room yesterday and managed to finish up some blocks for my black and white quilt.

Ta-dah!!!  I decided on the barn raising setting for this one and will do something different for the other black and white quilt I'm working on.  Thanks Zoey and AnnieB for your feedback!  Joanne - just so you know, I'm going with the zigzag for the next one!

Hopefully I'll have some time to put it all together this week...before the madness of the renovations begin!

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances