Category: quilting

Posted in drawing, quilting

Progress on latest quilt

Posted on by Laura Kate

Almost two weeks ago, I started work on a baby quilt that will be a gift for my niece who lives in Oregon. Her baby is due in August.

I have no title for this project, so for now I will call it the Oregon Baby quilt. In my first project post, I shared sketches under consideration as subject matter. They focus on animals and plants native to Oregon. This week I added two more:

Painted Turtle
Oregon Swallowtail

Having received a lovely bundle of fabrics from Connecting Threads, I have proceeded to cutting and sewing. Here are a couple of images of strips. They are not cut precisely, but range from 1 1/4 to 2 inches in width.

After cutting, I shoved the strips into four baggies: Solids, lights, mediums and darks. My plan is to alternate the strips, not so much by color as by value. Forging ahead, I completed the first block, which is assembled from four strip-pieced squares.

The solid 2 inch strips (In this block, the pink strips) will be placed consistently at the widest point on each square. I chose a brightly colored floral fabric to act as a mini focus point for the block. These two elements should serve to unify the multitude of fabrics that will be used in this quilt.

Moving on to the first feature block: I chose the rufous hummingbird. After making a pattern from my sketch onto tracing paper, I cut out the parts to be appliqued and fused them in place onto background fabric.

Eventually, shading and details will be painted on, the applique edges will be machine stitched and hand embroidery will create finishing touches. That’s secret code for I don’t know for sure what I will do next.

For now, I am waiting to receive more Jacquard Textile paint.

I’m so relieved that I’m back into action at my new address.

What are you working on this month?

Posted in drawing, quilting

Finally Friday: A New Project

Posted on by Laura Kate

During the past week I had correspondence with my niece who is expecting a child in August. I offered to make her a crib quilt, and she happily accepted my offer.

Suddenly my creativity was rekindled.

The stirrings of this project began a week or so earlier when I checked out Carolyn Forster’s book, String Quilts, from my local library.

While I am familiar with this construction technique (It is one I taught to fiber arts students in 2019) Carolyn had some excellent advice and also examples of variations that helped me to envision a baby quilt.

My niece kindly sent me an image of her nursery palette.

At this point, I graphed a design. There will be five rows of four 10 inch blocks, framed by a 4-inch solid border

I must have been channeling those days when my granddaughter was expected and I was knitting like a crazy woman. Just as then, I decided on a theme of baby animals. The animals will appear on the background color blocks. They will be made using a combination of applique, paint and embroidery. Suddenly I felt a strong desire to collaborate with Amanda, my granddaughter’s mother and also a talented fiber artist.

She was thrilled to be asked. We will need ten feature blocks. The two of us will share in designing and making these.

Yesterday and today I spent an hour or two happily sketching creatures that would fit nicely into the diamond shaped picture frame of our solid blocks.

Rufous Hummingbird
Baby Red Fox
Red Dragonfly
Baby Raccoons

This is just an audition. There is much work to be done before we cast all the roles.

I have also done a fabric pull and begun cutting blocks and strips. Once the fabric I ordered from Connecting Threads arrives, I can start piecing.

Posted in quilting

Quilt Reveal 2025 SAHRR – Daily Fiber

Posted on by Laura Kate

These past few weeks have been tumbling like dominoes for me. It’s the last day for posting my finished round robin quilt, but it is not finished. Not yet.

After Round Six, I still needed several more blocks for the front of my kimono/quilt. In the interest of speed and economy, I chose some of the simpler designs in the Japanese quilt block dictionary. Here they are arranged with the two kite blocks.

The quarter-sized blocks frame what will be the front opening.

My next step was to make the quilt sandwich. I chose to use cotton flannel as a thinner option for the bat. Then I started to search for a backing. Nothing I saw looked right for the job.

As I was beginning to pack my studio, in anticipation of moving house, I came across some red fabric – yards and yards of it, which I had purchased to make some drapes and totally forgot about it. It was polyester woven in the style of raw silk. An unusual choice for a quilt backing/kimono lining, but a beautiful match.

So I got busy cutting, pinning and quilting. By yesterday, I had quilted the shoulder/sleeve section using stitch in the ditch method. My choice allows the block piecing to show to the fullest. At the end of the day, I had sewn the back piece on, but not the front section. I laid it down on the carpet to get photos of front and back.

Quilt back, showing the red lining, which will be turned back to border the sleeves.

Quilt front, laid in position below the shoulder section.

There are some wonderful finished quilts at Quilting Gail’s In Linz party. I will be happy to add my almost-finished one to the parade. To see them all, click.

Here.

https://fresh.inlinkz.com/party/0e4465b5dfa6471681a87b0fd5c4fee5

Posted in quilting

SAHRR 2025 Round 6: Kites

Posted on by Laura Kate

A brand-new-to-me quilt block, kites was select by Emily at the Darling Dogwood for the final round of the Stay at Home quilt challenge this year. First, I practiced making the shape with scrap fabric. I used instructions given by Diane at Little Penguin Quilts and came up with a decent sample. She recommended this site: Scrapdash, including a post called Catch That Kite Quilt Block.

Flipping through my Japanese block directory, I discovered no kites at all. There was a block that started out as a kite, but ended up as a tiny kimono.

Instructions and fabric cuts
Cutting and sewing the kite
Here’s where the kite is split and turned into a kimono.

So I went a different direction. I decided to “fake” a japanese style block by selecting a general design, inserting small kite blocks into the design, and then finishing the block with sashing. It went like this:

Kurume kasuri musubi is designed to be used with traditional kasuri fabrics (plain weaves in solid colors, also ikat fabrics) The design itself is based on a knot.

The four squares in the knot will be replaced with four kite squares. They finish at 3″ each, leaving room for the sashing and border in a dark color. I had to estimate my fabric cuts, but managed to figure it out.

My fabric choices are solid gold, dark gray, and a metallic print black which features little flowers.

Cut fabric for the first block
I love that my kites look like manta ray fish in the photo

Now the fun design decision: how will I orient my four kites?

And the winner is……..

As you might expect, the assembly of my made-up block did not go smoothly. I had to rip apart my first try, re-cut some of the strips and sew it back together. The second block went much faster.

These two will be added to the front of the kimono, just below the sleeve section.

Here is how my quilt looks today.

I still have two rows to make up, and the whole center front, which will be built from half blocks on either side of the opening. No doubt you may have trouble visualizing it. Me too – honestly, I haven’t decided what patterns to use for the remaining rows. They could be some simple repeats of earlier rounds, such as half square triangles or quarter log cabins. Or more Japanese traditional blocks.

Fortunately, I seem to have enough fabric left.

I hope you have been enjoying all the products of on-line quilters who are making SAHRR quilts this year. Check out their work at our design creators’ sites.

  • January 13th: Center: Gail @ Quilting Gail
  • January 20th: 1st Round: King’s Crown block or inspired by your first initial  Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing
  • January 27th: 2nd Round: Half Square Triangles   Anja @ Anja Quilts
  • February 3rd: 3rd Round: Stars Gail @ Quilting Gail
  • February 10th: 4th Round: Slice & Insert  Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
  • February 17th:5th Round: Partial Log Cabins Brenda @ Songbird Designs
  • February 24th: 6th Round: Kites or inspired by your first initial or the letter “k”
    Emily @ The Darling Dogwood 🠜 You Are Here
  • March 24th: Finish Parade: Gail @ Quilting Gail

Be sure and check back with me after March 24th. Maybe I will be finished by then.

Posted in quilting

SAHRR 2025 Round 5 – Daily Fiber

Posted on by Laura Kate

Thank you, Brenda, of Songbird Designs, for choosing log cabin block for this round. It’s just about my favorite block to make, and one of the most beginner-friendly as well. Brenda has chosen to use the quarter log form of the block in her quilt. I like that, and made a few test blocks in this version.

Quarter logs, some borders added
or maybe they look better on point?

I’ll likely use quarter logs at some point. But for this round, I want to use a Japanese version of the log cabin. My block directory has two to choose from:

Pieced raimon, also known as the spiral block, is interesting. But those are very narrow logs to squeeze into a nine inch square block.

Hiratsume sanmasu is what we in the West might call Courthouse Steps log. I also like that this pattern has one set of strips cut 1 and 1/2 wide, to finish at 1 inch. And I have the perfect fabric to take advantage of the layout:

When I unwrapped this fabric, among the selection I purchased from kimonomomo on Etsy, I knew it would be a good companion for my crane star blocks. So I made three concentric square log cabin blocks. Here they are in place.

And this round finishes out the rows of blocks for the back of my kimono.

Next week will be the last challenge, and I have a whole front side yet to make. I will be repeating some of the block patterns used on the back, especially the blocks that make up the sleeve section. And I will be doing some improvisational design, inspired by Japanese quilts, of course.

To see how other quilters handled this challenge, visit Songbird Designs and click on the InLinz link. Here is the complete list of SAHRR 2025 host sites.