SOUTHERN HUSHPUPPY QUILTS A blog about life and quilting in a small Southern town.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
I wanted to post a link to the Eclectic Quilter's blog. She featured the quilt that she quilted for me:
http://eclecticquilter.blogspot.com/
http://eclecticquilter.blogspot.com/
Saturday, September 15, 2012
One of my favorite websites, Moda Bake Shop has a Love It, Pin It, Win It contest going on. You pick your favorite pattern and pin it on Pinterest. How on earth do you choose just One!! So hard! I'll give a go, one of my most favorite Moda Bake Shop Pattern is called Sunkissed Summer Squares by Maria Wallin. I adore the Sunkissed line by Sweetwater. Isn't the quilt just darling with the appliqued flower!! I love quilts with square blocks. I am especially excited to try some applique with this pattern. Applique and I have quite the complicated relationship - I love it, but it hates me! I am not so good at it, I think I'm too impatient. Anyway, I have all the fabric bought, ready and waiting for me to cut into and sew this great pattern. If only life would slow down and I could take advantage to steal away a few hours. :)
Summer Squares Quilt Pattern
I feel like I have to name some of my other favorite patterns:
Sweet Menagerie Nine Patch, Sunkissed Jewel Box, Ruby Pearl and Opal, Positively Perfect Nap Quilt, Happy Weekender.... the list just goes on!
Summer Squares Quilt Pattern
I feel like I have to name some of my other favorite patterns:
Sweet Menagerie Nine Patch, Sunkissed Jewel Box, Ruby Pearl and Opal, Positively Perfect Nap Quilt, Happy Weekender.... the list just goes on!
Monday, September 10, 2012
So my life got super crazy. Two weeks ago, my middle girl broke her arm late at night, while my husband was deployed to the desert. It was scary, but we got through it. No need to explain the whole story, but my daughter ended up breaking her arm so badly that she needed surgery. The doctors told me this at 11:00 p.m. in the emergency room. I was so shocked. They made us take an ambulance ride at 2:00 a.m. an hour away to a Children's Hospital. My husband was half away around the world and he freaked out when he finally got my messages around 3:00 a.m. and while she was being wheeled into a hospital room. A really great orthopedic surgeon performed surgery the next day. She has 5 pins in her arm holding it all together. She later got a cast and that improved things so much, most of the pain went away. So we are now facing 2 months of recovery for her and no soccer or gymnastics. :( The Lord is so faithful and He was with us every step of the way. I am very blessed. But my quilting has a slowed down a bit.
Hubby got home the day Devaney got her first cast. So glad that he is home!
Hubby got home the day Devaney got her first cast. So glad that he is home!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Zig Zag Quilt Tutorial
So, thought I would write a tutorial on how to a make a Zig Zag Quilt with 2 layer cakes; using the Half Square Triangle Method. I used a Moda Bella Solids Brown Layer Cake (contains 40 squares) and Moda Salt Air Layer cake (contains 42 squares). If you choose to use 40 squares of both layer cakes your quilt will have 320 half square triangles. I chose to use only 34 squares of the brown and 34 squares of the Salt Air Layer cake, so I had over 270 blocks.
First take your beautiful layer cake squares and pair up one solid square and one print square. Lay the print square and the solid square rights sides together and pin. Then draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the solid square. Draw two lines forming an "X". Using the lines as a guide, sew a quarter inch seam on both sides of the lines forming an "X".
Now we are going to slice the sewn square up to make 8 half square triangles blocks. Using your ruler and rotary cutter, cut the square in half horizontally. Don't move the squares, now cut the square in half vertically. Without moving the square, use your ruler and cut the square on the drawn diagonally lines. Now you have 8 half square triangles blocks, open up the squares and press with your iron.
Now this part gets tedious, but it is super important to square up and trim all your blocks. The Moda layer cake squares can vary in size, so don't skip this step. Each block should measure 4 1/2". Be sure to line up the diagonal line on your ruler with the diagonal on the half square triangle block, that way all the blocks will have nice points. Trim off the excess, turn the block and trim up the other side. I had around 270 blocks. I decided I wanted a large lap quilt, so I went with a 15 blocks by 18 rows lay out.
I divided my blocks into color ways. My layer cake of Salt Air had five color ways. I decided that I wanted my zig zig rows to be in rows of the different colors ways: Red, Yellow, Green, Aqua and Blue.
Now arrange your blocks into rows according to color. To get the zig zag pattern I needed 2 rows of each color. For the first two rows, I chose red for the color, so I needed 30 red blocks. For the zig zag design, start with 2 blocks and place them on your design wall (or floor) and place them with the red color part of the squares touching making a little "mountain red color triangle". Then lay out the next two blocks and make sure that the red colors touch, go down and complete the row. For the next row, grab two more blocks of the red color family and place them with the solid chocolate part of the square touching, making a little "chocolate mountain". Repeat for the rest of the row. The red zig zag design should be clearly seen. For the next color I chose blue, so I needed 30 blue blocks and arranged them in the zig zag design for rows 3 and 4.
Once I laid out all my blocks and was happy with the color and design I decided to sew my blocks in sections rather than in rows. I divided my quilt into 4 sections and sewed each section, then sewed the sections together. I find it easier to deal with a sewing a section of the quilt at one time rather than sewing all the blocks into rows and adding row by row. But sew it however you like.
My top finished at 60x72".
So, thought I would write a tutorial on how to a make a Zig Zag Quilt with 2 layer cakes; using the Half Square Triangle Method. I used a Moda Bella Solids Brown Layer Cake (contains 40 squares) and Moda Salt Air Layer cake (contains 42 squares). If you choose to use 40 squares of both layer cakes your quilt will have 320 half square triangles. I chose to use only 34 squares of the brown and 34 squares of the Salt Air Layer cake, so I had over 270 blocks.
First take your beautiful layer cake squares and pair up one solid square and one print square. Lay the print square and the solid square rights sides together and pin. Then draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the solid square. Draw two lines forming an "X". Using the lines as a guide, sew a quarter inch seam on both sides of the lines forming an "X".
Now we are going to slice the sewn square up to make 8 half square triangles blocks. Using your ruler and rotary cutter, cut the square in half horizontally. Don't move the squares, now cut the square in half vertically. Without moving the square, use your ruler and cut the square on the drawn diagonally lines. Now you have 8 half square triangles blocks, open up the squares and press with your iron.
Now this part gets tedious, but it is super important to square up and trim all your blocks. The Moda layer cake squares can vary in size, so don't skip this step. Each block should measure 4 1/2". Be sure to line up the diagonal line on your ruler with the diagonal on the half square triangle block, that way all the blocks will have nice points. Trim off the excess, turn the block and trim up the other side. I had around 270 blocks. I decided I wanted a large lap quilt, so I went with a 15 blocks by 18 rows lay out.
I divided my blocks into color ways. My layer cake of Salt Air had five color ways. I decided that I wanted my zig zig rows to be in rows of the different colors ways: Red, Yellow, Green, Aqua and Blue.
Now arrange your blocks into rows according to color. To get the zig zag pattern I needed 2 rows of each color. For the first two rows, I chose red for the color, so I needed 30 red blocks. For the zig zag design, start with 2 blocks and place them on your design wall (or floor) and place them with the red color part of the squares touching making a little "mountain red color triangle". Then lay out the next two blocks and make sure that the red colors touch, go down and complete the row. For the next row, grab two more blocks of the red color family and place them with the solid chocolate part of the square touching, making a little "chocolate mountain". Repeat for the rest of the row. The red zig zag design should be clearly seen. For the next color I chose blue, so I needed 30 blue blocks and arranged them in the zig zag design for rows 3 and 4.
Once I laid out all my blocks and was happy with the color and design I decided to sew my blocks in sections rather than in rows. I divided my quilt into 4 sections and sewed each section, then sewed the sections together. I find it easier to deal with a sewing a section of the quilt at one time rather than sewing all the blocks into rows and adding row by row. But sew it however you like.
My top finished at 60x72".
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Zig Zag Quilt Tutorial
I'm been thinking about posting a tutorial on a Zig Zag quilt that I pieced using 2 layer cakes. But, the question is, do we really need another tutorial on Zig Zag quilts? There are many of them out there, and here is a really good one
from Crazy Mom quilts:
http://beesquarefabrics.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-make-zig-zag-quilt-without.html
I made this quilt last year, and it was pretty easy. The pattern uses a railroad block on the diagonal instead of half square triangles.
But I have wanted to make a Half Square Triangle Zig Zag quilt for a while. I had 2 layer cakes, one solid Chocolate and one of Moda Salt Air. Here is the pieced filmsy. I'm happy with the results.
I'm been thinking about posting a tutorial on a Zig Zag quilt that I pieced using 2 layer cakes. But, the question is, do we really need another tutorial on Zig Zag quilts? There are many of them out there, and here is a really good one
from Crazy Mom quilts:
http://beesquarefabrics.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-make-zig-zag-quilt-without.html
I made this quilt last year, and it was pretty easy. The pattern uses a railroad block on the diagonal instead of half square triangles.
But I have wanted to make a Half Square Triangle Zig Zag quilt for a while. I had 2 layer cakes, one solid Chocolate and one of Moda Salt Air. Here is the pieced filmsy. I'm happy with the results.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Some pictures of one of the quilts I've finally finished. This fabric is from Amanda Murphy's "Swiss Chocolate" line. It is also her pattern called "Cafe Mocha". This is the blue/cream/chocolate way of the line of fabric. All those sashing pieces drove me crazy! I am not so good at lining up the sashing perfectly. I am currently working on another quilt with the pink/red/chocolate color way. I have really enjoy this fabric line.
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