Film in the Fridge » Heather Ross

a quick tutorial – the starburst block

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:48:54 +0000

You asked for it!

[And now for a word of warning - this tutorial is more about the process I used when putting together these blocks. It may not be the best way to do it, and you might find something that works better for you, but these are the steps I took. Also, please note ahead of time that this particular method does create some waste, so keep that in mind if you plan on making these blocks with your favorite fabrics!

Oh, and one last thing, I'm sure some of this might be unclear, mainly since I wrote it in a hurry before work this morning -- feel free to ask questions!]

Let’s get started! You’ll need a variety of scraps – for 10″ blocks, you’ll need scraps that are at least 6″ in length and a variety of widths. To start, I pull out about 5 or 6 scraps which would make up half the square and I lay them out and kind of visualize the rectangular shape I’ll be making. I’ve been making 10″ blocks, so each trimmed half square block will measure 5.25″ x 10″.

I start from the left side and grab a piece that’s about 6″ long (since the points line up in the center, you’ll need pieces that extend at least 5.5 – 6″ from where the center point will be.The next piece will need to be slightly longer, since it’s on a diagonal – about 7″ or so, and so on. I lay mine out on my cutting mat so I can check to make sure that the pieces will cover the area I need for the rectangle. When you’re starting out, it might help to cut a piece of paper to the 5.25″ x 10″ size and lay your pieces over the paper so you can be sure they’re large enough to cover that area, keeping your seam allowances in mind (I find that bigger is always better, since you can just trim it down to size later!)

Start with the two pieces on the left, and with right sides together, angle the second piece on top of the first and sew, going from the longest part of the first piece and angling down so you have a wedge shape. I recommend that you sew an angle that doesn’t go directly to the point of the first piece of fabric. You’ll want your points to match up about 1/4″ – 1/2″ or so away from the edge of the fabric so that you’ll be able to trim it to the correct size later. (it may help to read through the rest of the tutorial first so you can see what I mean).

Trim the excess fabric and iron seams open.

Add the next piece of fabric. With right sides together, make sure that this next piece of fabric is about 1/4″ away from the point where the fabrics are coming together. This will ensure that your points meet when you add this next strip, sewing with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Trim excess fabric and press.

As you sew the pieces together, you can check to make sure that your sizes are correct. As you can see in the photo above, you should have about 6″ in length from where the fabrics meet at the point, and you should have about the same distance in height.

Keep in mind that you’ll want to make sure that the point where your fabrics meet isn’t on the very edge of the fabric, but rather about a 1/4″ in from the edge, as you can see above. When you trim it down to size, you’ll need this extra 1/4″ for the seam allowance so you can sew the two halves together. (this might not make sense right now, but it will later when you go to trim it).

Continue sewing the pieces until you’ve pieced enough fabric to cover the necessary area.

Trim the block to size. As you can see from the photo, you’ll position the point in the middle and then will trim 5″ away from the point on each edge. Trim the bottom edge 1/4″ below the point (I position the point where the fabrics meet on an intersecting line on my cutting mat and then using a clear ruler you can easily make sure that you’re trimming 1/4″ below that point). Trim the top edge 5 1/4″ from the bottom edge.

And here you can see two finished blocks – you can see that they’re both trimmed to 5.25″ x 10″, leaving 1/4″ below the point where the fabrics meet at the center).

Sew them together, matching the center points and iron the seam open. Since there’s so much fabric meeting right at the middle, it will be hard to iron and there will be a slight bump right there in the center. I used extra steam and pressed quite hard to make it as flat as possible. Your resulting block will be 10″ square.

Stand back and admire your crazy new starburst block! (and then go make a bunch more for an entire crazy starburst quilt!)

far far away 2 quilt (with the registered holsteins)

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:47:07 +0000

I’m really really happy with this quilt.

(really happy)

I started it right after I finished my Flea Market Fancy lattice quilts, and it was that quilt that inspired this design – the reverse of the lattice quilt. I used Heather Ross’s new Far Far Away II line — I wanted to see larger pieces of each design, and this quilt design worked well for that. I cut each square on the bias so that the pattern design would be oriented correctly when I set it on point.

For the backing I used Kona Artichoke paired with the Kona Snow used for the sashing with strips of the remaining Far Far Away II prints (of course!).

I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to quilt this one – it’s on the larger size so I wasn’t really relishing the idea of straight lines, but in the end I really felt that’s what it needed. And then to make it take even longer, I decided it also needed double quilting lines… But now that it’s finished I’m really happy I went for it. You don’t notice the quilting as much on the front side, but it really stands out and makes a great pattern on the backing.

Have I told you about one of my favorite parts of quilting? Taking photos of the finished quilts. (I think that’s partly what pushes me to finish quilts quickly!). I love driving around and looking for fun locations. This weekend we went to a tiny little town in New York to visit my grandmother for her birthday. During the two hour drive I worked on the binding of this quilt and kept looking up periodically looking for a spot to photograph this partially finished quilt.

We passed this barn on the way to NY and I was totally in love with the color, the weathered look, and that sign, but we had already driven by and I didn’t want to annoy anyone in the car. But of course then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Luckily it was still light out on our way back home later that day (and by that time the binding was done) so we were able to stop for a brief little photo shoot. There was a house nearby where I’m sure the owner of this barn lived — I wonder if they were in there watching us and wondering what we were up to, or if perhaps we were so fast that they didn’t even notice us. In any case, thank you to the owner of this barn! If only it was located closer to my home – I’d be using it as a backdrop quite often!

Notes:

Original post about this quilt can be found here.

Looking to buy some Far Far Away II? Hawthorne Threads just received a few more of these prints, with more arriving in August. Fabricworm & Pink Chalk Fabrics also have some of these prints available at this time.

Oh, and for those who asked, I think this line is great for quilting, even though it’s a cotton/linen blend. I like the contrast in textures, and I really like the extra weight that the linen provides, especially in a quilt this size. It gets cold here in VT, so I’m happy to have a heavier weight quilt!

I’m nothing if not predictable (another FFA2 quilt)

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:07:16 +0000

Because if it’s not a patchwork square quilt, it’ll probably be a strip quilt!

I know, I know… try something new already! That’s pretty much what I say to myself too, but then I find myself once again making another strip quilt. Because if I’m perfectly honest, I really love them. I’m pretty sure that I could make a patchwork quilt and a strip quilt out of all my favorite fabrics lines and continue to be quite happy.

I originally planned on making a second patchwork quilt out of the remaining Far Far Away 2 fabrics I had left over, but at the very last second decided to go for strip quilt instead. I’m happy I did, because I think the strip quilt works well with these designs — you get to see a little more of Heather‘s fabulous designs this way.

I added in some Kona Snow and some Essex linen blend (in putty, I think?). The back got a couple extra strips of the prints along with some more of the Essex linen. I really love the texture and extra weight of the linen/cotton blends. And to add to the predictability, I used my favorite lime green binding. Of course.

I’m not sure where this one will end up… I’m kind of tempted to keep it, but we’ll see! I do know that I’ll first spend some time fixing a little error I just noticed. (photos always show you the errors that aren’t blatantly obvious when you’re just looking at the quilt in person, don’t they?) Well, I just noticed in these photos that one side is clearly not straight, even though I remember making sure it was square… (hmmm…), so I think I’ll spend a little time ripping out that section of binding so I can trim that little bulge down. Good fun.

I’m on a boat (with a quilt)

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:09:59 +0000

A trip across the lake for ice cream… you’d bring your quilt, right?

Of course!

I finished up the binding while on the boat (not recommended! the waves and the speed tend to hinder progress) and so of course had to take the opportunity to get a couple shots while in this tiny little town.

I bought 1/4 yard cuts of most of the prints, and then used squares that were 4.5″ for this patchwork quilt (that way I have enough for a second quilt, should I be so inclined!).

Since some of the prints are a larger scale print, I did have to cut right through the designs, but I think it’s ok in this type of patchwork – it’s kind of fun to see a slightly different little picture in each of the squares.

The back is predominantly pink, with several of the extra squares from the front. I was most pleased that the quilting lines actually go through the diagonal on the squares on the back as well (this of course was not skill, just pure luck!).

It’s now been washed and dried and measures 46″ x 52″. Many of you asked about quilting with this fabric since it’s a linen/cotton blend – I found it to be quite similar to the Etsuko Furuya Echino fabrics – it’s a nice weight, not too heavy, and I think it gives the quilt a great weight & feel. Since it’s made of a linen blend, it’s not as soft as a regular quilting weight cotton, but I enjoy the texture the linen provides, and I imagine that it would continue to soften up with use and with additional washes.

This quilt will be listed in the shop shortly! Sold, thank you!

Notes:

Solid colors used in this quilt -

Konas – Sage, Woodrose, Eggplant, Petal, Stone

Robert Kaufman Essex cotton/linen blend – Natural, Putty

Moda Bella – Pistachio, Mist

(I don’t know the color name for the solid orange though I believe it was a P & B Textile solid.)

—

far far away II patchwork

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:32:11 +0000

Just because.

I bet you knew I wouldn’t be able to resist…

a new favorite – a quilt with Far Far Away II

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:50:26 +0000

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Heather Ross’s new line, Far Far Away II, mainly because I always adore everything she designs, and this time the prints are on a linen/cotton blend which is really beautiful. I managed to snag a FQ bundle of this new line just before it was available in stores (now available at Superbuzzy & Fabricworm, and soon to be available everywhere) and spent quite a few days admiring the prints and trying to think of a good way to show them off in a quilt. (I love mixing and matching fabric lines, but lately I’ve also become quite fond of making a quilt out of a whole fabric line (unfortunately this one is missing the Sleeping Beauty in Plum). It’s sort of my way of having a visual reminder of one of my favorite lines… though I suppose a photo of the fabric stack would work too… anyway, I digress…)

So, back to the quilt. I tried out a couple things without too much success. I think my main problem was that half of these prints are a larger scale and since I only had a small amount of each, I didn’t have the luxury of fussy cutting the designs. In the end I gave up trying to cut them perfectly, and decided that I’d actually be quite happy just seeing different portions of each design.

The design came about as I was admiring my latest Flea Market Fancy quilt. So as I was looking at it, and thinking about how much I really do love the string quilt design (possibly too much, I admit) I started thinking about how I could replace the white squares with the Far Far Away prints and use a corresponding solid for the sashing — a reverse of the FMF quilt, if you will. (Of course, at this point it’s no longer a string quilt, but I still look at it and think of a string quilt.)

So here it is. And can I tell you how much I absolutely love it? More than I even imagined. Initially I thought this would end up being baby sized and consequently would probably end up in the shop, but instead it’s ended up being a pretty nice throw size and now I don’t think I’ll be able to part with it!

Notes:

Blocks are cut on the bias - 5.75″ square

Sashing is Kona Snow

Currently it measures about 58″ x 72″

Oh, and the feel of the fabric? Very much like Echino. I think it’s perfectly appropriate for a quilt!

goldfish squared baby quilts

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 11:59:06 +0000

I showed you a few of these goldfish blocks recently and now I’m happy to show you the quilts they ended up in!

This Heather Ross goldfish fabric lends itself so well to fussy cutting, and I knew I wanted to use them as the centers of each block. So I cut them up into single goldfish and pairs of goldfish, framed each with a thin border and then surrounded that with other fun prints and solids.

Originally I wasn’t sure about adding the Kona Stone into the mix, but after using it in the twin strip quilts, I loved it so much that I wanted to use it in these twin quilts as well. I ended up using the same design I used for my munki martians quilt and my munki in the middle twin quilts (I must have a thing for twin quilts!), framing each individual block with white and sashing them in the Kona Stone. I love how the blocks pop off the neutral background.

I kept the backs pretty simple – more Kona Stone with a little pieced section to add a bit of fun -

I quilted it on the diagonal with double straight lines and since I loved them so much, used the same stripey bindings as on the previous quilts.

They each measure 33 1/2″ x 36 1/2″ and are listed in the shop!

___

Oh, and of course (it goes without saying!) thanks so much for all the nice comments about my new table! I’ve been using it for a few days now and I must say that having this much space on a tabletop is fun, though I have to keep reminding myself that just because the space is there doesn’t mean I should fill it up!

To answer a few questions – the blue wall color in the den is Overcast by Glidden. The butterfly and crab framed paper art in this post was made following this tutorial. I don’t yet have a chair to use while sewing at the new table, but I’m thinking I’ll probably get a couple backless stools so that I can put them under the table when not in use. And speaking of sewing, my main machine is a Pfaff Expressions 2036. I also have a Pfaff Grand Quilter which I keep upstairs. Answers to other FAQs can be found in the FAQ discussion thread over in the FITF flickr group. (Did I get them all?!)

twin baby goldfish quilts

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:57:54 +0000

If I have one favorite go to fabric for baby quilts, this is it! I’m so in love with these Heather Ross goldfish!

These two little quilts were made and gifted last weekend to summer friends who are having twin boys in a couple months. I had such a great time pairing these cute little goldfish with some other fun fabrics.

I love the goldfish print in a strip quilt, since I think it’s fun to see a whole row of goldfish. In the past I’ve made similar strip quilts, using turquoises and oranges, or blues and browns… and this time I added in one of my favorite neutral solids, Kona Stone, as well as a bunch of orange, blue and brown prints and solids.

Both are quilted with simple straight lines, sewn 1/4″ away from each seam, and then bound with those cute stripey bindings!

I hope they will be well loved!

___

For those who might ask — the Heather Ross goldfish fabric is now out of print, but if you’re looking for something similar, you might look for the Heather Ross Munki Munki version of goldfish in bags. You can buy some over here from Kerri!

stripey bindings

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:37:30 +0000

make me happy!

Especially knowing they’ll be attached to a couple cute little baby quilts!

Now, before you say anything, let me reassure you that I’m not always this prepared. In fact, I almost never make my binding ahead of time (though I always wish I did!). Most of the time I don’t know what I want to use for binding until the very end, but this time I was definitely feeling the stripes (or the squiggly stripes, as the case may be).

(orange squiggly stripe is Sweet Pea by Jackie Shapiro, and the brown stripe is by Lecien)

____

I still haven’t heard back from one of the winners of the Tufted Tweets giveaway. Kate, if you’re out there, send me an email or leave a comment here. If I don’t hear back from you by Sunday night, I’ll pick a new winner on Monday.

goldfish stripes in blue and brown… a baby boy quilt

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:37:33 +0000

I almost forgot to show you this one! I made it a little while ago, and then it was immediately mailed off to its new home, so I didn’t really get to spend any time admiring it. It was pretty cute though!

Perhaps you recall the stack of blue and brown fabrics I showed earlier? I really love those colors together – simple yet sophisticated, I think. And I’m always happy when I can come up with something appropriate for a boy.

Once again, I went for nice simple stripes so I could really show off those cute Heather Ross goldfish.

For the backing, I used a nice blue solid (blueberry, maybe?) and a wide stripe of some of the remaining fabrics. Goldfish on both sides – what could be better than that?!

I stippled it with a cream colored thread, and bound it with the brown Katie Jump Rope basketweave print.

I hope it will be well-loved in its new home!