HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Hope everyone has a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend, with some time to celebrate the real purpose -- remembering that we are the home of the free because of the brave -- and also some fun kicking off summer. Small town parades, barbeques with family and friends, it's all good.

YES WE CAN -- SKILLZ!

Leila, at Sewn blog, is hostessing a skill builder course. There's always more to learn, right?

Here's a list of what she will be covering, as quoted from her site:

"Here is the outline for Skill Builder Sampler:


June:
Skills: Cutting, ¼ inch seam allowance and value.
Blocks: Log Cabin and Around the World


July: Half Square Triangles and Quarter Square Triangles
August: Flying Geese
September: Wonky Blocks
October: Foundation Piecing
November: Paper Piecing
December: Raw Edge and Needle Turn Applique
January: Curves
February: Improvisational Blocks
March: Working with odd shapes (tumblers, hexagons, apple cores)
April: Inset Seams
May: “There's no way I can sew that block!!!” - but you totally can because we now have the Skillz.
(we will also learn how to draft and use templates - those skill will be used in multiple months)


The first three weeks of each month we will make blocks based on that set of skills and the forth week will be a catch up week. Everyone who is caught up at the end of the month will be entered in a drawing for a special prize. (Probably fabric, because everyone Loves fabric, right?)


By the end of the year you will have 36 twelve inch blocks you can make into a queen sized quilt or you can divide them up and make several smaller quilts. But more importantly, you will have the skills and the confidence to tackle any quilting project you can dream up. Priceless. "

I think I'm pretty good at most of the skills, but curves??? Improv??? I will be following along. There's always new things to learn, LOL! I've put a link on my sidebar.

FRIENDSHIP BLOCKS FINISHED

I finished up my blocks for my small group annual Friendship Block Swap. Every year we choose a different signed block for the swap. This year we are making Prairie Flowers from quilterscache.com. I used intensely colored fabrics from Jinny Beyer for my flowers and leaves.

Here you can get an idea of how they look when they are all spread out. Of course the varied colors of all the different blocks will really add. It will make a spectacular 'prairie of flowers'.

WHAT QUILT BLOCK ARE YOU?

One of my on-line groups posed the question, "What quilt block represents you?" That was easy for me. I chose the Wandering Star block. I have used it in several swaps where we are to pick a block that represents something about us. My husband and I are always on the move. I've surely lived in more different homes than most people, and no, we aren't military. We just keep wandering, LOL!

I'm not so sure about the star part, but the wandering part sure is me! The star shown is one I made for a Christmas block swap a couple years ago.

So, what quilt block are you?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there, as well as to all the nurturers who aren't moms.

FOLDING BACKING TO FRONT FOR BINDING TUTORIAL

This is a neat way to do the corners of your 'binding' when turning the backing to the front to use as binding. I had turned the back to the front before, but this way you really get a nice neat corner miter. I saw this method at a demo at a LQS. I didn't invent it. It has probably been around a while, but it's new to me.

Being careful not to cut your backing or front, trim the batting to desired width. Mine is 1/4" out from the edge of the quilt top. Trim the backing fabric twice the size needed to reach from the edge of the batting to where you want the 'binding' to end.

Fold the raw edge of the backing fabric up to the batting and press.

Fold again, this time folding over the edge of the batting and press. Do this on all four sides.

Open the backing back out.

Fold at a 45 degree angle at the corner, backing sides together.

With your ruler lined up at the bottom fold (notice I have turned the fold to the bottom in this pic), and the edge of the ruler on the batting corner point, draw a line from the fold up to the crease mark.

Opened out it should look like this. Your line doesn't have to be so dark! Refold and stitch on the line.

Trim 1/4" out from the stitching, continuing past the stitching, all the way to the edge of the fabric.

This is how it should look now.

Flip the binding to the front, over the corner.


Tuck under on the fold. Then stitch it down, using invisible hand stitches, or using a decorative stitch, if desired.

I made myself a little sample with backing and batting about 6" square to keep to remind me how to do this. I finished each corner to a different step, so I could look and remind myself how it's done.