Square in a Square Technique

I have been working with the Square in a Square ruler by Jodi Barrows.  It was a ruler I bought 15 years ago when I took a class. I had not used it since then. On April 10 I went with a friend to Jodi's lecture and trunk show at Quilted Memories in Montague, MI. She was touring Michigan talking about her new book and the Square in a Square technique and products. 

To make a long story short, I got out my ruler and began working with it again. I felt I understood the technique and ruler much better after the lecture. The projects I have done are pictured below. 

30" x 30" - I taught this as a class.

30" x 30" - I made this after the class
 and the floral burgundy fabric around the edges is going to be the backing fabric. 

42" x 42" - This was the class sample I taught from.

This is a table runner made as I demonstrated the technique for the class - 19" x 41"

Have any of you used the Square in a Square ruler?  If so, what do you think of the technique? 

Lastly, the other day I sent photos of one of my EQ projects that I finished to the EQ gallery (click here to view it in the gallery). 

It is a quilted pool table cover that I made per my husband's request. We were traveling in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan a few summers ago when we stopped at a quilt store in Paradise. Normally he doesn't go in quilt stores, but this one had a very woodsy theme so he came in. On the wall were a number of quilt samples. The panel in the middle of one caught his eye and he asked me if I could use it as the center of a quilt for his pool table. I said no problem (yeh!) and we bought it. It did take a year and a half to get it from the EQ design stage to the final quilt top, then I waited a few more months for the longarm quilter to finish it. It is very colorful and he likes it. And now that it is on the pool table, I no longer use it to lay out quilt blocks for sewing, I just can't bring myself to cover it up. 

Here it is on the carpet to show the pattern. The colors in this photo are more exact than those colors in the photo below. 

And below, it is on the pool table.  

A College Graduate

Gosh, when I looked at the date of my last post, I thought maybe I had been gone on a trip. 

But, alas, no. It has been a busy 10 days around our house. Our daughter finished her college career on May 9 with her last "final exam." She accepted a job offer in March, so packing began to move her to her new apartment in a new city for a new job. We took two pick-up trucks (one pulling a trailer), her smaller car and my vehicle. Of course there were things she needed to purchase, so we went shopping for a couch, TV stand, food supplies and other necessities. We are packing a box of things from my kitchen cupboards (I have 2 of many things) to get to her. One of the things she asked for is one of my sewing machines. YES! I will be getting one of them ready to take to her as soon as possible. I am not sure of the projects she has in mind, but I am happy that she wants to sew.

I did re-size a pair of curtains for her craft room; hey, I did sew a bit today! I am behind with many of my projects. I was able to find a slot of time to register for the AQS show in Grand Rapids, MI, this August. I am now thinking of the great classes I will be taking during the 4 days. 

What have you been sewing lately? 

Has anyone sewn the snail? If so, send a photo, I would like to see them. 

Chevron Quilt

Got a bit of sewing done today. I finished the top of a paper pieced tulip wall hanging and will work on getting it quilted this next week or two. 

My daughter wants a chevron quilt like one she saw on the internet. We used the EQ7 program to design it in her desired size, colors and arrangement. We printed out the fabric requirements and headed to the "big city" of Grand Rapids. (She was going there to buy the TV for her apartment anyway.) We stopped at JoAnn Fabrics first, and we were able to use coupons. We got Kona Cotton in white, grey, and yellow. (I like using Kona Cotton when I am working with solid colors.) Unfortunately, they did not have the teal color at the store, another day. Now for her to finish exams and we will work on the quilt together. 

EQ designed Chevron Quilt, 90" x 90", white, grey,
yellow and teal. (The black is a background
color so the quilt can be seen.)

I chose  to donate a lap quilt I made, called Flower Boxes, for the church raffle this coming weekend.  My DH took this photo, not the best, but it is the only one I now have. It is much prettier than the picture indicates. I quilted it this past fall on the Sweet 16 at the art studio using Sally Terry's Leaf designs. I see on her website that she has refined the technique and calls it SHADOW RHYTHMS. I took her class at the AQS show this past August. The technique is very easy to learn and the quilts look great. Click HERE to check out the video on her website for more information. 

EQ Stitch Discount Through May 12

I thought I would pass this on to anyone who might not have heard that EQ is offering 20% off site-wide May 3 through May 12. I took advantage of this offer and ordered the book: EQ with Me: Learning EQStitch.

I figured it was time I have a bit more help on all the possibilities. I have watched two of the videos by Yvonne Menear, EQ7/EQStitch educator and author of the EQStitch companion book. They have been helpful and easy to understand. You can find them HERE.

Now to find, or make, the time to practice some of the options the program offers! 

My weekend is busy with baking for a church gathering, so there will be little sewing for me. And the weather has been pretty nice, so I have been in the garden, prepping it for planting at the end of May. 
Have a good weekend and I hope you find time to do some things you like to do. 

Distracted by Scraps

I began tidying up my sewing area. I had a pile of scraps from the past month that needed to be tended and I have become distracted for the past day. I cut scraps into usable size squares or strips and put them into boxes by size. The other pieces and triangles are usually placed in a box for making "new fabric." I have been making "new fabric" for the dog quilt for our daughter's dog. I decided that I would begin making some more "new fabric" today since I had the urge to sew but not start a new project. The pile of scraps is gone now and this is what I have in "new fabric": 

The scraps

Chain sewing any pieces together

Sewn, ready to trim

A rough trim is good enough.

Sections sewn, ready for a squaring up 

This I do not save. I know a place that takes fiber scraps for recycling.

So that is what I do with my scraps. Now that they have been taken care of I am ready to start a new project. 

I wanted to let you know that there is a Blog Tour for the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 7, which will be released May 7, 2013.  I have purchased the magazines as they come out and am very pleased with what is offered. But the chance to win the new one would be great. There are many great ideas on the blogs. Check them out and perhaps you will find a new idea to use in your next project.