There's no place like home.....

click the heels together three times and say there's no place like home, there's no place like home................. I found red shoes while vacationing in the north woods of Minnesota. I love red shoes. 

 We stayed in a lovely cabin by a lake, hubby fished, it rained, the sky was grey a couple days, I didn't get sun burned, I didn't take any pictures, the mayflies hatched so fish were eating fresh mayflies not hubbies night crawlers on a jig. I read, I knit, I relaxed, I knit and read some more. We shopped, I found more shoes, and sock yarn and a berry bowl. Hubby found jigs in every color and a rain jacket. The lady slippers were not blooming on our way to the cabin but they were on the way home, they were beautiful, I didn't take any pictures. It rained at home too so there are weeds to pull and clothes to wash and yarn to knit and quilts to sew....there's no place like home.........Ann

into the world

 Yippee I sold a baby quilt on etsy!! Now there is room in the closet for a different quilt. I made 3 quilts all of the same block and setting from this little bundle of fabrics. I backed up photos onto CDs a computer ago and this computer will not read a CD only DVD's so I can't show pictures of the other quilts. I do have them in print in a photo book of all my quilts but what good does it do to back things up when technology won't let you into the backup plan????--Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 It has been a dark and stormy morning with the day getting darker instead of lighter and a couple crashes of thunder have made me jump off my chair. Now it is just raining hard, soon it will move to the east and the sun will come out and it will be a beautiful day, only it will be humid since we had rain then the mosquitoes will be out and they are always blood thirsty so I will stay inside and sew.

I sewed the center 4 patch with a 3/8 inch seam, that was easier and quicker than trimming the 4 patch smaller. I matched the point of the triangle to the seam to center it on the 4 patch and look how perfectly they fit around the 4 patch, no cut off corners!! I centered the next round of triangles in the square and sewed. I forgot to add the triangles going counter clockwise on the second round but I remembered on the 3rd and 4th. It did make a smoother transition to the next triangle. I also used the partial seam method, (click for the tutorial) meaning the first triangle was sewn short so that the 4th triangle would end behind the first seam when I completed that seam. Scroll down or click for cutting how to.

 The final arrangement of blocks, I off set the outside snails so the eye moves around the quilt instead of jumping back and forth. I'm going to sash the center with the green and the outside with the yellow print. I don't have enough of the green to go all the way around the quilt. That's what happens when you go through a phase of buying fat quarters and half yard cuts. The challenge of bringing it all together and that is one of the reasons I enjoy making scrap quilts, making due with what you have.--Ann-- linking to Patchworktimes DWM and Stitch by Stitch AGM

Snail Trail cutting

Super simple cutting for the snail trail block.......first cut a stack of fat quarters into 12 inch squares then take the top square and press in half cross wise, lengthwise and twice diagonally. You will find out for sure if your square is square or if over years of use you have shaved the sides so your cutting square isn't square anymore.  Might be time for a new ruler.

The first pile I cut I moved the ruler around the square 4 times this is quicker.....match the diagonal line on the square up ruler with a crosswise fold, the 8 1/2 inch marks on the ruler should match the lengthwise crease, check all points again and cut.

Flip the square around, match the crease and the 8 1/2inch marks again, your first 2 cuts should match the 8 1/2  inch lines on the ruler. Check all points again and cut.

Now match the diagonal line on the ruler with the diagonal crease on the fabric. The 6 inch mark should match  your creases, cut and flip ruler, match the 6 inch lines and points again and cut. Easy.
The 3rd cut will match the 4 1/4 inch marks on the ruler and the 4th cut will match the 3 inch marks. Cut the 3 inch square into 1 1/2 inch squares. Easy. Always match the diagonal line on the ruler with the crease and check all points before cutting.


Now it's time to play with your block parts and arrange and rearrange until you are happy and sew them back together again. On this batch of blocks I am sewing a 3/8 inch seam for the 4 patch in the center that gives me a little more seam allowance for the first round of triangles and I should have square corners on all the 4-patches. --Ann--

Safe spot found

 Yesterday I couldn't find the Buggy Barn book Certifiably Crazy because I put it in a safe spot. I looked in 4 safe spots before I found it. The book shelf, the cutting table, the catch all table, the other bookshelf where I have to get on my hands and knees and look under the table and hold my head at an uncomfortable angle so I can see through my reading glasses and be careful I don't hit my head, then I looked on the first book shelf again. Where was the last time I saw that book???? When I was deciding on a pattern and fabric! I pushed the whole stack of books into the fabric stash closet. The bad thing about safe spots it they move all the time. Things are never ever in the same safe spot as the last safe spot.

I found more fabric for the next quilt, this will also be a snail trail but I am going to sew it together in a different order so I don't have the sharp points intruding into the previous round of triangles. Buggy Barn calls the block Monkey Business. If you have never sewn a Buggy Barn pattern you should, they are fun, you stack up a bunch of fat quarters, iron the freezer paper with the pattern traced onto it, cut, shuffle and sew! It is the best possible way to sew a block with a five point star. Happy stitching--Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 These sewed together as quick and easy as a log cabin block especially since I didn't stress over cut off corners and overlapping points. The 12 inch cut block shrank to 10- 9 3/4 inches after sewing round and round. I trimmed everything to 9 1/2 inches.  I will be sewing this block again, I might trim the center square so I don't cut off so many corners, I may sew the triangles rotating counterclockwise with a partial seam for the first triangle of each round eliminating the overhanging points.  I did cut 2 more pairs of triangles to make the blocks larger, they now measure 13 inches so with an added border this will make a nice throw quilt.

I have to give credit to the ladies at Buggy Barn Quilts for the idea of cutting the corners off a large square and reassembling for this quilt. I put the book in my safe spot and now I can't find it. I need to make a note as to where my safe spot is in my sewing room. Hope you find lots of great inspiration at Judy's DWM. --Ann--

On the needles

More of that favorite color combination. The peonies will be loaded with flowers when they bloom. I gave up on the Henley sweater and am knitting the split neck tee shirt from knitting pure and simple. The Henley was so boxy and over sized and comparing that sweater with the split neck I think I will be happy with the fit of this one if I ever finish. Linking to Judy's OTN. Enjoying June in South Dakota.--Ann--

Just Beachy Finish

 The final stitches on the binding last night!! I used the same stripe for the bias binding as the border. I love bias stripe binding. The original plan was to put the beach umbrellas on the tan for the sandy beach I was never thrilled with that plan. The turquoise is so much more alive! I added a couple fish just for fun. They were made with the tri rec tools and a 4 patch.  And guess who thinks she should get this quilt!?!! Darling Daughter!! The beach balls are all fabrics that she picked out as a little girl.--Ann--linking to Nina Marie
scroll down to see more of the machine quilting

Everything is Just Beachy!

 Machine quilting this has been fun. A lot of spirals in and out of the beach balls where the stripes go in circles and loops or Vs when the stripes are the other directions. Lots of scrolls for waves in the turquoise. And of course a red hand for Wilson, from movie Cast Away on the black and white ball. It was suggested that I applique a red hand on the black and white ball but I thought that would look too much like the Red Hand of Ulster. Upon finding the link my thumb is on the wrong side for the Red Hand of Ulster. Some crazy Irishmen had a bet on who touched the shore first could claim it for their kingdom, they were racing in row boats, so the one who was behind cut off his hand and threw it ashore. I wonder if alcohol was involved? I free motion quilted sailboats in the borders and squiggly lines between the sails for clouds. Some of the stripes made me think of the setting sun as I was stitching. Now onto  the binding. Happy sailing--Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 The chore of starting a new quilt especially when it is for no one in particular. I'm like a kid with too many toys in the toy box, what should I play with today??? First I pulled a lot of weeds from the garden, then I washed all my wool sweaters and folded them neatly and wrapped them in cotton because the wee beasties that like to eat wool (protein) don't like to go through vegetables (cotton) to get to the protein. I also spent a day in my hometown because a girlfriend was home for a few days, she shed a few pounds and looks fabulous I need to try harder,  we had lunch and shopped on Main Street. So sad that most of the stores are now thrift shops with the exception of two that are owned by classmates. I bought a new top. I took my oldest son out for supper so nice to have him all to myself that doesn't happen often that I get my boys all to myself. Then I pulled more weeds and fabrics and patterns.  Decision Made! I started a snail trail from pastels. The first fabrics I pulled from this stack were duplicate fat quarters imagine that, I bought duplicate FQs then lights and darks for a total of 20 fat quarters and barely put a dent in my stack. I cut 12 inch squares and cut the corners off 4 times then cut the center into 1 1/2 inch squares. It will sew back together into a 9 or 9 1/2 inch block. I might do alternating blocks or add another round of triangles. Linking to Judy's DWM. --Ann--