Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Variety and options

  Time just gets away from me and blogging takes a hit it seems.  I did not realize it had been a week since I posted.  I was able to get thru most of the items I put on my list to accomplish last week. 

 
    I had the floral log cabin up on the design wall, and in need of squaring up the edges.  Got that taken care of and decided I needed a small border at least.  So I added that.  Now, she needs pinning and quilting.  I ordered batting and it arrived yesterday, so I am putting that onto the list for the next week or so. 













   My container of leader and ender 2 patches is filling up!  I keep a stack of them next to the machine to use when I am joining blocks, and rows, etc.  I finally got the mess of them pressed open.   

 Here's my  Leader/Ender method....a la Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville. 
   Any leftover strip of binding or other piece 2 1/2'' wide gets cut into squares.  I keep a tray of them on the cutting table.  Every so often or as needed I sit down and match them into pairs.  These are then stacked up and clipped together by my machine.  At the end of the row....use a 2 patch L/E.   That leaves something under the machine needle as I prep for the next row/block. 




  Part of the 2 patches were stitched as I put together this small lap quilt of string blocks.  The blocks were 5 1/2'' unfinished ones I had left over from something.  So this is only 40 by 40 inches. 

  I have options noted on my list.....

  •  Add a strip around this as border or frame.  
  • Add more blocks to make it larger. 
  •  Add a frame strip and then add string row at top and bottom to turn it into a rectangle design.



 My last bit of variety for the week was sewing up this watercolor for a table runner.  Lots of rows mean lots of leader and ender parts:)    It needs a good squaring up and pressing before I get it finished.





   







   I stole this off facebook this week.  May I add.....each day is a miracle too!
Happy stitching.

8 comments:

Ray and Jeanne said...

I like using leaders/enders. Every so often, it seems that you get a 'free' quilt! I love your string star quilt - very cute - and the watercolor table runner - so pretty! Your miracle sign brings to mind an old saying about not saving the good dishes for a special day because every day is special. ~Jeanne

Nicki said...

I've tried leaders/enders before & wound up never doing anything with them. I probably need to try again someday. :) I love that string star quilt. In my eyes it gives the appearance of stained glass pieces. You have such a good eye for design & color combinations. That's a really pretty quilt. Love the miracle sign you found. Yes, miracles do happen each day....we only need to have eyes to see them. Thanks!

---"Love" said...

For some reason, I've never been able to make myself use the leaders/enders idea; don't really know why. Maybe I will someday. I too love your string star. Thanks for the reminder to consider the "options" when a quilt needs something more. Too often it is easier to just bind it and call it done when just a few minutes of considering the options would really make a difference in the outcome. ---"Love"

Linda Swanekamp said...

Wow, look at all your progress! I am doing tiny wonky stars as my leader and enders now. All your work just sparkles! I am in a sort of slump- dealing with cardio rehab and now PT for a pinched nerve in the hip- kind of getting old. All I want to do is sew.

Louise said...

Lovely sentiment, Debbie! My current leaders/enders are crumb blocks. I have to stop myself from just continuing to work on them instead of my "main" project!

Quilting Babcia said...

I know what you mean about time getting away from us re blogging! I use leaders and enders as much as possible while piecing, it seems minor but there's hardly any thread wasted that way. I guess your options for that string block top are only limited by the size quilt you want to push through your machine when it comes quilting time! A piano-key outer border maybe?

Janet O. said...

I am with you on the leader/enders. I keep a different L/E project by each machine. I have made many a small bonus quilt this way, and even made a large quilt a time or two. I become immobilized if I run out of L/Es beside my machine. :)
The star quilt is pretty as is, and would make a perfect baby quilt size. But if you want a larger quilt, borders would work, too.
Great sentiment at the end!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I LOVE that string star!!!!

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