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Finally got this one finished! And then of course started another one!!
Figured I would try a focus fabric in the middle and cut it a bit bigger than I have been so there would be more of a square in the center of the blocks. I also decided that I would iron all the seams in the strips open so that I would get more precision and that worked beautifully. Those were the only seams that I did open though.
Here it is done with my glaring mistake!! The lighter blocks were supposed to be in the middle. I didn't have enough strips to do them all the same. Oops! Of course I didn't notice it until it was all sewn together and I took a pic.
I am always on the lookout for a new block that uses strips (because I have probably 100 lbs of them cut by now). I found this one on a FB post. I had seen it before and couldn't figure out how it was made but liked it. A very nice lady posted the instructions in detail and it is super fast and easy and makes very good use of strips although I think I need a little bit of sashing between the blocks -- matching the centers I think.
Here I have three of the blocks done and really like them. I am constantly on the lookout for neat blocks to make with my strips and save those ideas in Pinterest.
I also spent considerable time on EQ8 designing a house quilt but wanted trees in it. I took a Bonnie Hunter pattern for a house but didn't tilt it like she did in her blog. This house block only uses 2 inch strips of which I have a plethora! Will probably work on a couple of houses tomorrow. I plan to a bunch of these house quilts as our quilt group in Wilmington makes them for Habitat for Humanity new home owners. They need 15 for this year and I intend to contribute a few!!
This is essentially what it will look like except the trees are different widths so it will be a little bit more random. I will also turn some of the houses around just for variety.
Those little areas of white are because EQ8 doesn't allow you to make anything but whole number blocks. This hasn't been a problem before but wanted 7 1/2 inch square blocks so I could use the Bonnie Hunter pattern.The following is the link you can use to make the house block - Bonnie Hunter Instructions .
I had lost one of my cameras for a bit and when I took out the card, I realized I had never posted the final iteration of the "it never goes as planned" stack and whack that I did for the talk I gave back in May. It will definitely be given away as a charity quilt!
I was also playing with some of my non-successful mandalas. I had cut this one up as in the uncut version, those purple sections were on the outside and there was a nondescript section in the middle which was downright boring. I liked this iteration better but thought I could improve it even more so again made diagonal cuts.
If I can find these pieces again, will put together in this pinwheel version and maybe make a pillow cover as this was one of my smaller mandalas.
This is the final Hidden Well piece with the borders not attached yet. I will use the dark blue as the binding as well.
I am working on another one now that doesn't have as many different fabrics in it.
Caris started off show and tell with this incredible purse that she has made. First she felted the wool, then eco-dyed it and then constructed this elegant purse. Below is the other side of the purse.
The handles are made from cork fabric. Can you see the shibori on the bottom part. Gorgeous!!
Joyce shared several of her recent pieces with us. She has been dyeing and painting up a storm!!
Donna just did these wool scarves. She is a champion felter but wanted to try out the acid dyes first on purchased wool so she could get a feel for the colors. They certainly are bright. She overlaid turquoise onto yellow with lots and lots of resists!
Loved these tees that she did by putting paint on manhole covers and then printing on the tees. She is getting official permission from the town before she does more!
Jessie shared a whole bunch of indigo dyed fabrics that Donna did for her!
Liz s a bit obsessed with Halloween and this was her latest!!
Regina is one of our most prolific and talented artists. I just loved this piece.
I loved these next two black white and red pieces as well. This is a palette I have been drawn to lately.
Two of our group members are finalists in the Cherrywood fabric competition! A big yeah to Ann and Elaine!!
This is the Hidden Wells Version 1 finished. In this version you line up all the square sandwiches with the identical orientations.
Before I started sewing strips together, I decided to test sewing a bunch of 1 inch strips together of random fabric from my huge strip collection!! This shows what I will call Hidden Wells Version 2.
This is the second set of strips I decided to try and decided to make two blocks just to make sure I have it right! You will notice the horizontal squares are both the same while the two vertical arrangements are mirror images. You stack an upper square and a lower square and then sew 1/4 inch seam around the whole outside. Then you make two diagonal cuts and open up which results in four squares.
I always like to test a couple to see if I find the color arrangement pleasing before I commit to cutting the 5 additional strip sets. This particular strip set is 10 1/2 inches wide so you can get four cuts out of a 45 inch wide strip. This results in two blocks which are about 13 inches finished.
Four are finished but unfortunately I cut one set too big and then had to scrounge around for some fabric that would match so I could remake the bottom right squares. Measure twice, cut once is a good maxim that would have prevented this mishap!
Now I have six done. Like in the other quilt, I have used a variety of fabrics in the filler areas -- the yellow and the lime green areas as I didn't cut up a lot of the 1 1/2 strips like I did the others. The width of the strips was 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 1 1/2 inches resulting in the 10 1/2 inch wide strip which is ideal for not wasting. These six blocks comprise half the finished top which will measure about 39 inches by 52 inches before I add borders -- nice size. Really the most difficult part of this is the sewing together as there are lots of seams to match. I may try one with just four 2 1/2 inch segments like my very first block, but with the new arrangement. We shall see! Instead of Stack and Whacks for charity, this year there will be Hidden Wells!
As I have mentioned, I have cutting fabric 1 yard and less into strips. I only have true blues, purples, browns and black and whites to go but am getting bored and am surrounded by about 70 lbs of strips now!! This will be good to make lots of charity quilts. I am only cutting up what are called "solid substitutes" leaving the more pictoral or interesting fabric alone as it will work better as large squares or triangles.
Hidden Wells is pattern created by Mary Lou Hopkins back in the 80s. Her technique was a bit cumbersome.
I found several sources on the internet but none I had found gave me the results I wanted. This semi finished top is the closest I have come. I finally discovered a blog last night that answered my question. It was what I had decided but was a little nervous about wasting more fabric trying it out. This blog confirmed my suspicion as to why I got green and red mixed in the squares instead of a green square next to a red square. This blog is Hidden Wells Tutorial.
This is the strip set that makes all of the above. It is 8 1/2 inches wide and results in a 10 1/2 inch square.
I thought I had it right until I took a picture! I had done all but the equivalent of one block (see above) and finished the last block this morning and then sewed everything together. Then I noticed that the four blocks in the lower right side were wrong. I only had enough to use scraps to do the blocks over.
Here it is fixed but not before I actually did the blocks wrong yet again!! I had to undo the blocks and then sew them replace the four smaller blocks on the quilt. I now know how to get the blocks so that they alternate the green and red and hopefully by the next post will have an example of that. Now to just add some borders onto this one as it is only 31 1/2 x 42 currently. I think it will only grow to 36 x 48 eventually though. I will also have a more detailed breakdown of the process if you don't want to go to the blog I have quoted above!
I also played a bit with taking a strip of 3 2 1/2 inch strips, sewing them together and then cutting 60 degree triangles. I would chose more interesting fabrics. You can twist these triangles around and make a variety of blocks. I would sew that last seem if these were to be in a quilt unless I was going to insert triangles between them. These were both cut from the same strip set.
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