Blog Archives

My Dandelion Quilt - Pieced Dandelions

5/25/2021

Finally, I get to piece my dandelions! The block I've made for this is a modified Blueberry Pie quilt block. The modifications are that I add stitch-and-flip corners to the inside square (to give the appearance of more "petals", and remove the half-square triangles from the corners (to make the motif rounder instead of square). I also choose to do the outer petals all with half-square triangles, instead of flying geese or more stitch-and-flip, because I think the extra seams will contribute to the multi-petaled look of a dandelion.

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My Dandelion Quilt - Sky and Wishies

5/23/2021

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Once my dandelion quilt design is done, I start sewing it from the top, since those are the simplest blocks. The sky, which is mostly blue, or blue nine-patches with wishies (dandelion seeds aloft), offers little to blog about, so I'll also use this post to describe fabric prep, the way that I document my cutting and double-check my measurements, and a few early mistakes.

PREP WORK

Tossing a color-catcher in the wash with it, I wash, dry, starch, and iron the fabric. I re-calculate the cuts I think I'll need to make, and made a spreadsheet to keep track of them, intending to take notes and fix mistakes along the way so I'll end with an accurate cutting guide.

Wishies!

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My Dandelion Quilt - Design

5/18/2021

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Anonymous illustrator, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dandelion-Seed_Tailpiece.png

In April, shortly after finishing the Organized Chaos quilt-top, I cast about for another pattern, but soon realized that I wouldn't be satisfied creatively unless I designed my own. I decided on a dandelion motif.

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"Simple Illusions" Quilt

5/9/2021

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Today, I'll be showcasing the Simple Illusions quilt, a design by Pleasant Valley Creations, which I love! I will also talk a bit about intellectual property, how inspiration relates to copying, and how public domain and tradition relate to original expression.

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Quilting up a storm!

5/4/2021

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Well, it's official: I'm a quilter! This spring I have been prolific in sewing, if not orderly in blogging about it. For the record, here are the quilts I worked on in March/April of 2021, in the order that I worked on them. I will come back and add links as I blog them:

The Meadow Quilt is a long-term project I've been working on, forgetting about, then revisiting for years. I picked it up again in March 2021, when I read the book Finish by Jon Acuff and decided to finish the blooming thing! Then I got distracted by other, fun and exciting projects, so I still haven't finished the blooming thing. I am doing the quilting for this one on my home machine Boudica.
The Organized Chaos quilt for my niece was a kit, which I made with help and instruction from my friend Rosanne. In particular, I learned about cutting with the rotary cutter, squaring off, and strip piecing. I sent it to a professional long-armer for quilting.
Flush with accomplishment, I conceived and started drawing an original quilt idea, a Dandelion quilt. But I didn't have confidence in my ability to translate picture into pattern, or to do the math and figure out yardage, so it remained an idea.
A "Simple Illusions" quilt was next, based on this pattern by Pleasant Valley Creations.
Then a rather dorky utility quilt, which I put together mostly out of boredom, and to experiment with setting blocks on point.
Then I started the Dandelion quilt, using math and pattern skills I had developed while working on the Simple Illusions pattern.
Concurrently with the Dandelion quilt, which is a thinky project, I also started the string piecing quilt I dubbed Pick-Up Sticks/Acid Trip. It is not a thinky project, so it's a nice alternative when I don't have the energy for the Dandelion quilt.

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My Dandelion Quilt - Pieced Dandelions

My Dandelion Quilt - Sky and Wishies

PREP WORK

My Dandelion Quilt - Design

"Simple Illusions" Quilt

Quilting up a storm!

Karen Roy

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