Category Archives: flimsy

Crumb Blocks Find a Home

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I had a large pile of crumb blocks that desperately needed to find a quilt home.  These blocks have been sitting on the shelf in my studio for years collecting dust.  As we all know, blocks on a shelf do not do much for warming a body or soul.

So, recently, I took that stack of 40 crumb blocks off the shelf and transformed them into two large lap size quilt tops. (62″ x 74″).

At one point I had all 40 blocks sewn together into one large quilt top without sashing and cornerstones.  I wasn’t happy with the chaotic look of that top and so I picked out the seams and stacked the blocks back on the shelf.  The blocks sat for a few more years without being touched because of the memories invoked by all that reverse sewing that I did!

crumb1 crumb2Each crumb block is pieced together from 4 smaller, 6″ square crumb blocks.  There is everything in these blocks–nine patches collected from a guild nine patch block exchange many years ago, scraps of fabric from leftover quilts made for Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter, floral, and other themed quilts.  These quilt tops are truly a trip down memory lane.  It always surprises me how much emotion and memories can be triggered by looking at the scraps of fabric in one of these quilts.

Fabric requirements for each quilt:

20 crumb blocks – 11.5″ square

Sashing – 34″ WOF cut into 17 – 2″ wide strips, subcut into 49 – 11.5″ strips

Border – 35″ WOF cut into 7 strips – 5″ wide

Backing – 4 meters

 

String Flimsy

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string topI am on a roll.  I am determined that all of the completed blocks that have been stacked on the shelves for years will be put together into quilt tops.  After all, empty shelves allow room for new fabric purchases!

Over the years I have used different techniques to piece together crumb or string blocks.  The blocks in this top are strings pieced together onto muslin foundations.  The many seams and extra layer of muslin make this a very heavy quilt top.

I am not sure how this will be quilted yet because of the weight of the top.  I am debating whether I will finish this one without batting or not.

Finished flimsy size:  54.5 ” x 63.5″

Happy 25th Anniversary!

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On September 5, 2012, my brother and sister-in-law celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.clark and kari3This picture of the happy couple was taken September 2, 2012 in the restaurant at the hotel/convention center where we celebrated their wedding reception 25 years ago.

clark and kariMy brother and sister-in-law have wanted one of my bed sized quilts for quite some time.  The marking of 25 years of marriage seemed like the perfect time to present them with a quilt.  I didn’t want to promise that I would make them a bed-sized quilt from scratch because I wasn’t sure exactly how long it would take to finish it with all of the other commitments I have.  So, I went to my stash of flimsies and picked “The Simple Cross” to quilt and gift to them.  Although they saw the quilt top on September 2, 2012, it wasn’t until June 22, 2013 that they were presented with a finished quilt.

clark and kari2This is a picture of the quilt on the bed at my brother and sister-in-law’s house on the evening of the day that the finished quilt was presented to them.

The Simple Cross was made from a pattern that was in the September/October 2000 issue of Fons and Porter’s magazine, For the Love of Quilting.  I started making the blocks for The Simple Cross on March 12, 2006 and finished the quilt to the flimsy stage on March 28, 2006.

Butterfly Trails – Finished Flimsy

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This photo was taken of the daisies in our yard.  I don’t have much time for a flower garden but I love flowers.  These daisies are perfect–perennial and low maintenance.  They keep coming back year after year, despite my neglect!

This weekend is a long weekend in most provinces in Canada.  Monday is BC Day here in British Columbia. I used one of my annual leave days from work and made it an extra long weekend–4 days.  That extra day proved to be a very productive day.  I finished this quilt to a flimsy.  Today, I will be loading it on the long arm and I will start the quilting.  The colouring in the photo is off–it looks blue, but it is really purple.

This is a close up of the blocks. 

This quilt is called Butterfly Trails from Terry Atkinson’s book, Time Out Quilts. This quilt is lap size–finishing at 63″ x 77″. I love Terry’s quilt sizing. So many patterns say they are lap size but they are really no bigger than something that would cover your legs if you were sitting down. Terry’s quilt sizing is generous–when Terry says lap size, you know you will have something you can cover up with when you are having a nap on the couch with enough quilt to wrap generously around your feet.