Quiltmaker's - Hip to be Square

This will be my last quilt for Quiltmaker's Scrap Squad 2011.  This has been a very fun year getting to make quilts for the Scrap Squad.  Most of all, "thanks" to all the other Scrap Squad ladies for their inspirations, fun times and sharing over the past year.  You will find lots of good pictures and ideas on their blogs:

          Dionne in Washington

          Jane in Tennessee

          Ruthie in Indiana

          Kim in New York

          Carol in Ohio

          Linda in California

          Pat in New Brunswick, Canada

I am a new Electric Quilt user and this is my first attempt to draw a specific block, put it into a quilt setting, color it, rotate it, and just have fun exploring how this block could be used.  The Hip to Be Square block is designed by Elizabeth Dackson and has proved to be a very versatile, pretty block that I like a lot.

Usually, I am drawn to use bright, clear colors but, after trying several colors in EQ I decided to use a more subdued color pallet.  The centers of the blocks are all very “scrappy”.  The corner units, the rectangle with triangle on the end, are the same fabrics in all blocks.

Fabrics I used

Two blocks, with one rotated

Since this quilt is called Hip to Be Square, I thought, maybe, I could make it “more hip” if I added more squares.  So by rotating every other block until the corner aqua units came together, instead of the 4 patch unit, a new aqua square was made inside a larger white square, which turned out to be “on point”.

Once the blocks were completed, I laid them out like the original pattern and then tried them with every other block rotated.   I liked both, but decided to use the rotated version for my quilt.

Straight set, like pattern in magaine

With every other block rotated

When I am going to make a pieced border, I like to pull out an element from the block.  The centers of the Hip to Be Square block made a great border with each border separated with a one inch piece of background fabric.  By just putting the squares around the corners, I can always get a perfect fit on the border, because I can adjust the size in the center background fabric of the border.

My finished Hip to Be Square quilt.

TIP:
One tip that I would like to share.  Instead of drawing a diagonal mark on each square to be added to the rectangle unit, I made a piece of cardboard, just larger than the square, corner to corner, held it down as I sewed along the side of it.  Saved a lot of time and the markings on the black square was too hard to see anyway.

Using a cardboard to mark and sew diaganol line

QuiltMaker Scrap Squad - Project 2

This is the 2nd project for the Quiltmaker Scrap Squad.

This pattern, Raspberry Dessert, was designed by Julie Herman of Jay Bird Quilts.  She is a very talented designer and has lots to look at on her web site.  It is definitely worth a look to see her patterns and the other things she is doing.  Julie is providing a FREE PATTERN giveaway at each of the Scrap Squad member's blog.  There are eight of us.

April 5, 2011  9:45 AM   WE  HAVE  A  WINNER!
Using the random generator at random.org, number 23 was selected from the 65 comments on my Raspberry Dessert.

                                       The WINNER IS:  Marcia Burt

Congratulations Marcia, I will be emailing you to get your mailing address so that Quiltmaker can mail you the Jay Bird Quilts pattern. 
Please respond within 48 hours (10AM April 7, 2011) or another winner will be selected.

Thank you all for the lovely comments you made.  I appreciate it very much.  Hope you will visit my blog again.  We, in the Scrap Squad, are all looking forward to our next project, which will be coming up soon.  Watch for the next "reveal date" at Quilty Pleasures
 See other Quiltmaker Scrap Squad member's blogs to check their winners
Dionne
Jane
Ruthie
Kim
Linda
Pat
Carol


Also, Quiltmaker is having a fabric giveaway on QUILTY  PLEASURES.
   Click on this link to go to their site for instructions on how to enter the Free Fabric giveaway.

There are also links to what is going on with the Quiltmaker Scrap Squad at QuiltersClubofAmerica
 Just click on "Groups" and you will see our logo.  To see pictures, click on "Media" and there is always conversations and comments.

                         Quiltmaker's Raspberry Dessert - Finished March 2011

This is my finished Raspberry Dessert   (called RAS)

I made my RAS in fruity colors for a light weight summer quilt.  The squares in the black & white border represent pieces of the dessert or cobbler.  The quilt is backed with a small checked black and white gingham.

The pattern used 2" strips and 3 1/2" squares.  I chose a dark for the center, then a medium and light color for the strips to go around the center square.

To organize my block making, I cut Post-It notes with the sizes and number of strips it would take from each color way to make two "Y" blocks and two "Z" blocks.  I then labeled them if they were to be cut from the dark, medium, light, or background strips.  This made chain piecing the blocks a breeze!

       This is how the Y & Z blocks went together to make a larger block.

When I laid out the blocks, I could see that I didn't like the way the yellow block looked.  There was not enough contrast in the center.

I un-sewed the center of the four "Y" and "Z" blocks and replaced them with a darker center and liked them much better.

This is the block that is used to set in the "on point" blocks.  I had never used a pieced set-in block like this before, but it went in very easy.

The block has to be trimmed to straighten the outside edge, after it has been set in.

Since those edges are on the bias, I sewed my first border piece on to help stabilize the edge before I trimmed it.

The 3 1/2" squares are framed with a 1 1/2" piece of border print to make the corners have a special look of "pieces of dessert".

A black & white gingham backing was added, quilted and a black binding finished the Raspberry Dessert just in time for a nice spring time nap!

April 5, 2011          Selected from a random drawing,

                              The Winner is:    MARCIA  BURT

            

To enter this giveaway, leave your comment at the bottom of this post by midnight, Monday, April 4th.

The pattern is provided by Julie Herman of Jay Birds Quilts.

All of the comments will be entered into a random drawing.
On Tuesday, April 5^th, a winner will be selected and the winner’s name will be posted here.  Come back and visit this post to see if you are the winner.  Good Luck to all of you!

Quiltmaker Scrap Squad 1st project

Since late December, when I was selected to be one of eight Quiltmaker's 2011 Scrap Squad members, we have been busy, busy, busy trying out the new pattern Rhapsody in Bloom.  It is a beautiful pattern designed by a teen age boy,

Doug Leko of Antler QUilt Design.

It is amazing to see how eight different quilters can take one pattern, choose their own fabrics and come up with eight different, beautiful quilts.

Here is how I choose the fabrics and made the pattern into a wall hanging or table topper.

Four Rhapsody In Bloom blocks

Fabrics I choose: Border Print and Batiks

Center Block

Mitered Corners from Border Prints & borders

This is how 4 blocks and 3 borders made the finished Rhapsody in Bloom.  This is before it was quilted.
40 x 40 inches.

I tried it as a wall hanging, there are some old pictures on the wall of my husband, Clarence & I in 1952, and one of our grandaughters, Lindsay and Liz when they were young.

The last is how the quilt looks as a table topper.


I was happy with this project and can't wait until we get our next assignment!


Some links you can find all Scrap Squad members work at is the http://www.Quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/2011/01/28/qm-scrap-squad-interpets-rhapsody-in-bloom
 and at http://www.quiltersclubofamerica.com/groups/qmsrapsquad/default.aspx

All members have personal blogs too.

Donna:    http://www.donnaquilts4u2c.blogspot.com/

Dionne:   http://www.sewmanyquilts.blogspot.com/

Jane:      http://www..forestjane.blogspot.com/

Ruthie:   http://threadsofmine.blogspot.com/

Kim       http://pokeytown3.blogspot.com/

Linda:    http://linfer101.blogspot.com/

Pat        http://quilttown.blogspot.com/

Carol:   http://www.quiltwithus.connectingthreads.com/profile/Carol%20Vickers/