Monday Dog Blog

I know this is a quilting blog, but I promised Gus, my standard Dachshund that I'd never do a blog without the Monday Dog Blog. He heard about the Friday Cat Blog and thought canines should have equal time.

He loves these throws. I buy them at Walgreen's every winter. You can usually find him under one on chill mornings. He roots in them until he buries his whole body, and you can usually only see his tail.

The Beginner's Sampler

I did this as part of a techniques class in the Victoriana Quilters group. It is one of Benita's designs. Here is her version.


This is my version of the finished top:

I like the way she has the green and pink as main colors and then uses a little yellow as a consistent accent. I tried to follow this pattern in the colors of yellow, blue, and green. Overall, I think I achieved the desired effect but probably could have done a little better in a couple of areas. I will post the finished quilt when I get it quilted.

I chose the yellow and blue because I saw these two colors used in a room on the BBC version of Changing Rooms, and I loved the way it turned out. There was a touch of white in the room, too. Green is my favorite color, so I wanted to work some green in, too. The diamonds in the border are some of my favorites from my scraps that also matched or complemented my yellow/blue/green color scheme.

Here are some of my component blocks:

This is the Roman Stripes block. I used dark blue (taken from the yellow/blue fabric, and contrasted it with the lighter blue & white prints. It was difficult for me because of the precision needed to get the stips perfectly straight.

The next component is the four patch block. I loved how this turned out. I think the blue and yellow fit with the theme, and the patterns don't distract from one another.

These two blocks are the crazy quilt block and the column with squares on point. They were both pretty easy, and I loved paper piecing the crazy quilt block. I was able to work in all my colors, and I liked putting the sunflower in the middle.

This is a close up of the crazy quilt block that shows some of the detail. I loved how my machine did these "fancy" stitches so I didn't have to.

This checkerboard block was pieced from strips. I had trouble with it because it was so small. Unfortunately, it's a little puckered, but you can't tell it in the final top.

The fan block--I liked the way this turned out, but it was the first time I had used freezer paper as a tool. It was different.

I love how this star block turned out, and it was a really easy piecing technique--my favorite way to quilt is true patchwork. I would love to have a whole quilt in this pattern, made from the same fabrics. I would just alternate the positions of the different fabrics. Unfortunately, some of them were scraps.

This is the boot block. This is the one I like the least because of the gingham I used for the background. It was a little too light for the applique. I do love the color scheme and the fabrics I chose. I just wich the result had been better.

These are the diamond blocks for the border. They were easily done using paper piecing. The hardest part was tracing them enough times to get all the patterns. Normally, I would do these ahead and copy them at work, but I was at home for the weekend, and the quilting bug just took control.

These are my half square triange blocks using the main print. The one around the fan block is the secondary print.
It was a good experience for me to do this quilt. I learned a lot of useful techniques, and, for the most part, I liked the way it turned out, even though the color scheme, etc. evolved a lot from what I had originally intended. It seems like sometimes you start quilting, and the quilt takes on its own life, regardless of what you planned. You find things in the fabric store, your stash, or your scraps that just seem to work so much better.

My Quilting Style

I started this blog so I would have a place to write about and showcase my quilts. I also wanted to chronicle their development, what I have learned through making them, and how I have developed as a quilter. I also wanted a place to put my quilting pictures where someone would actually see them.

I wouldn't consider myself a modern quilter except that I use a machine for almost everything. I have been to quilt shows, most notably the one held every year in Paducah, KY, and see all the modern styles, trapunto, etc. Those really aren't for me. I would consider myself a traditional quilter, probably because those are the quilts I was exposed to as a child. My grandmother was born in 1907. She married my grandfather in 1922, and they had 14 children during their marriage. Much of her quilting came from her need to have enough covers for her family, and she always did. The quilts of Gee's Bend, AL, remind me of my grandmother's quilts sometimes. They are conglomerations of whatever materials were around the house and were put together in whatever way worked. In the end, they made their own unique works of art.

My favorite quilts to make are traditional block patterns and scrappy quilts. I don't care much about using glittery thread, beads, and the newest designer patterns and fabric. I think a quilt is more about how you put together colors and what it means to you than it is about being trendy. I do enjoy paper piecing though. It's great for making complex patterns. In my family, the Shoofly pattern has a lot of sentimental value. My grandma liked it, and my mom made me a Shoofly quilt when I was little. She sewed it on the machine & quilted it by hand. I used it until it wore out. It was my special quilt, and I loved it. I spent many years sleeping under it, putting it under a tree to lie on while I read during the summers, and looking at how my mom put together the colors.

My family always encouraged me to learn quilting. I played at hand quilting, but I never really had time. I am 43 now and have no children. I have a moderately successful career and have the time and disposable income to quilt now. My best purchase recently was a Singer quilter's machine with all the quilting accessories, pre-programmed stitches, etc. It makes my quilting so much easier than my old machine. I have a bunch of fabric stash in my dining room, and I sit in there and work on my quilts. It's good time to relax and think. I have made a couple of quilt tops, but haven't finished a full quilt yet. I suppose I am a little afraid of messing up during the quilting process. Also, I am too excited about making new tops to finish up what I consider the less exciting part.

I love fabric and putting together colors. I have learned a great deal by being in Victoriana Quilters. It's an online quilting group owned by a Canadian designer, Benita Skinner. I think they do a lot more hand quilting, but I'd never get anything done if I did that. I would like to do some hand appplique if I ever get time.