Half-Square Triangle Loveliness

I just finished stitching up this Half-Square Triangle quilt out of Cotton & Steel fat quarters for an upcoming class at The Old Country Store in Intercourse. 

 Ultimately it was inspired by my dear friend Phyllis, who has been diligently working her way through the projects in this lovely book by Shea Henderson.  I have been so inspired by her persistence in learning to sew, and it dawned on me that maybe some others would enjoy learning this simple technique in a classroom setting.  

Only recently have I realized that what I assume is common knowledge when it comes to sewing and quilting simply isn't common knowledge, and that there are lots of sewists out there who are eager to learn the tips and tricks it takes to make a simple, lovely quilt similar to this one.

 This is the final project in the book.

At 60x72", it's the perfect size - not too big to be overwhelming, but big enough to feel like an accomplishment.  

Students have the option of making a baby quilt or a throw like I did, and there are tons of layout options and fabric choices.  Such a cool concept, and such a great way to introduce beginners to my beloved world of quilting.  They get to make something they will love, unlike those uninspiring projects that were stitched in home economics classes of yesteryear.

When it came to the quilting, I simply quilted 1/4" from each seam line with my walking foot - as easy as it gets.

Sometimes simple is just better....  

These Cotton and Steel fabrics have so much personality - they don't need any fancy stitching to detract from their presence.  And, there's nothing more classic than a simple half-square triangle design.

It was fun to finally get to use this IKEA backing fabric that I had purchased a few years ago - this is exactly what I had envisioned for it!

I'm grateful for the loveliness of the simple things in our lives....

A Piece of Kathy

I just added the final stitches to the binding of this lovely little quilt and had to take it outside for a quick photo shoot!

All these tiny half square triangles were left over this quilt top that I had pieced for Kathy O. of Stitch by Stitch last spring.  Kathy was kind enough to let me keep the leftovers.  :)

This quilt was a labor of love, as it took FOREVER to trim all those HST units.  I honestly lost vision for the quilt because all that trimming was so tedious.  But it was worth it, even though it was a lot of hours for such a small quilt (35 x 43").

If  you haven't tried the Bloc Loc Half Square Triangle Square Up Rulers, I would highly recommend them!  They make trimming HST units so much more accurate.

 My favorite thing about about this sweet quilt is that I feel like I have a piece of Kathy.  :)  I love collaborating with her on projects.  And, a piece too of Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew, the fabric designer - I love her work! 

The layout was inspired by this quilt by Rita Hodge of Red Pepper Quilts.  

(Maybe it was the ladder that drew me in initially?!)

When it came time for the quilting, I simply stitched 1/4' from each side of every seam with my walking foot.  Again, a little time consuming, but certainly not difficult.

(I do love my Bernina for walking foot quilting!)

I really like the design it creates on the back!

The backing fabric is from Allison's Wallflower collection that came out a few years ago.  I lucked out and bought a whole bolt of it on sale for dirt cheap last summer; I was thrilled, as it makes a great backing fabric and was perfect for this quilt.

I love the binding!  I initially had selected another fabric from my stash, but decided it wasn't quite right.  Oh course, I didn't come to that conclusion until after I had machine stitched it on!  :{     I was able to order a yard of the red print on line from an Etsy shop, the perfect solution.  So, I ripped out all my stitching, removed the binding and replaced it with this print.

Thanks, Kathy and Rita (and Allison too!), for inspiring this sweet quilt!

Oh Clementine!

It was worth shoveling a path to the mailbox this morning to find a package of this waiting for me!

This is a collection of Oh Clementine fat 8th's by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew.

I've been stitching these "flock blocks" (as I call them!) out of left over HST units from a quilt top I'm stitching for Kathy O.

They are destined to become a quilt like this one by Red Pepper Quilts, but I needed a bit more fabric to get it to the size I want.

:)

In Progress

Ironically enough, while I was machine quilting my red and white half-square-triangle quilt, I was listening to Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew on an old podcast of American Patchwork and Quilting Radio, the very person whose "Seeing Red" HST quilt inspired mine!

:)

Making Progress

Dutch Pinwheel

 I finished stitching 12 of these "Dutch Pinwheel" blocks this evening - fun stuff!  I've been wanting to make a quilt out of these blocks ever since seeing this quilt by Messy Jesse about a year ago.  

This pile of 150 or so triangles of 1930's prints that were left over from the basket quilt I had pieced last year inspired the project.  I needed another 40 half-square triangle sets, so I used this method to quickly stitch up the remaining sets.

I used my "Bloc-Loc" ruler to square up the half-square triangle sets - love it!!  It is the slickest invention.  I had purchased it last spring at the AQS quilt show, but this was the first chance I had to use it.  I'll post more about it later.

These design boards were a great help - I was able to lay out all my triangle sets, then stack the boards and set them next to my machine so I could sew away.

I was so happy with my points, thanks to the Bloc-Loc ruler.

As much as I love my 1930's prints, they do feel a bit dreary compared to the bright, clear colors that are widely available these days.  So, since I'm having so much fun with half-square triangles, I may just have to stitch up another version out of my Pam Kitty Morning  fabric stash!

:)