Navy Blue Diamond Scrappy Quilt

The Navy Blue Diamond Scrappy Queen Size Quilt is a treasure of scrappy fabrics.  

On the frame--finishing first row of edge to edge long arm quilting

My favorite scrappy fabrics - I used the last but of orange coy fish fabric in this photo.

I picked a light olive green fabric for the backing and beefed up its appeal with art panels.

The cutaway triangles from snowballing the corners are never thrown away--because they make beautiful borders.  

This quilt was pieced using my 1954 Singer 301--a wonderful machine.

Here you are looking at the discarded triangles, sewn together to make half square triangles.  (320 pcs).  Sewn together a second time, end for end to make the artful border around the perimeter of the quilt.  This takes forever to do--but the impact is worthwhile.

With 320 half square triangles, there's plenty left over to build art panels for the backing.

This photo shows 1/2 of the backing construction.  For quilting--I need backing fabric 100" x 110".  Two art panels helps me reach 100" width required.  

Photo taken before starting the long arm quilting

I will be selling my quilts, purses, cell phone carriers, fabric/rope baskets, fabric journal covers, and potholders.  

Memorial Weekend, May 26-27

Rising Star Mill  - 10a until 5p

Nelsonville, WI

At the show I will be demonstrating on a 1920 New Home hand crank sewing machine. 

I recently got the New Home hand crank up and running after acquiring original parts from Steve in California, and Skipper from Alabama--members of Victorian Sweatshop Forum who are collectors of old machines.

Parts found: an original New Home hand crank and grey hound New Home shuttle.  Uses Boye #14, 20 x 1 needles.

Tip: I use a modern Universal 15 x 1 needle, by lowering the shaft of the needle slightly when I install it.  The antique Boye needle is slightly longer, harder to find, and cost more than a modern Universal 15 x 1.

Teal Diamond Quilt and the 1951 Singer 201-2

Joining half square triangles to make the quilt border 

Smooth sewing on the 1951 Centennial Badge Singer 201-2 with knee lever speed control.  I don't care for knee levers, so I plugged in my stand-by 3- prong power cord (2 wire) fitted with a 1960s clam shell foot control (preferred).  

How to make the quilt:

Grayed-green background fabric:  Cut 10" Squares (80 pcs).

Scrappy Fabrics: 4" Squares.

Draw diagonal line wrong side of scrappy 4" fabric squares.  Pin one 4" scrappy square at each corner of the grayed green 10" square.  Sew on the diagonal line.  Cut off excess fabric 1/4" from the seam line.  This is called snow-balling the corner to make a block.    Keep the excess cut off fabric triangles to make the border (see first photo above).

Sew 8 gray green/scrappy corner blocks together to make a row.  Makes 9 rows.

Sew the rows together.  Suddenly, you have a Diamond Quilt.

I pieced the backing fabric with lots of scrappy fabrics, using the leftover 8 snow-ball blocks and leftover borders of half square triangles.

Frame loaded with backing, batting, and quilt top

Floral Feathers sequence begins with a spiral (spine) ending in a feather loop, then back tracking with feathers the entire length of the spine back to the starting point (upper right).

Now back at the starting point, fill the other side of the spiral spine.

Finish with feathers around the curl, then back track echoing those last feather back to the top.  Sequence begins again from that point.  And that's my Floral Feathers.

It was love at first sight when client Ellen saw the Teal Diamond Quilt.