Stars and Swirls

The Madrid Heritage Quilters 27th Raffle Quilt, Stars and Swirls, is now on display at Medicap through July 30. See the quilt at City State Bank July 30 through August 20 and then at Uni Clip August 20 through September 3, 2010. The quilt will also be on display during The Annual Quilt Show, Saturday, September 4 at St. John’s Lutheran Church and at the Madrid Heritage Quilters Booth in Veteran’s Square, Sunday, September 5. Drawing the lucky raffle quilt winner happens Monday, September 6 in Edgewood Park after the Lions Club Chicken Dinner.

The Stars and Swirls quilt contains 18 different star blocks with stars also in the boarder. The antique blue, red, and off-white tons highlight the many fabrics each member chose to complete their quilt block. Each member made at least one large star block, sashings, border cornerstones, and sashing cornerstones.

A different twist for this year’s quilt is that it was machine quilted, with stars and swirls. The club decided to forego the traditional hand-quilting to enable members to make quilts to donate to Central Iowa organizations, as the club had done in the past. Also, two pillow cases* were made from the background fabrics to go with the quilt.

Purchase your raffle tickets at Medicap, City State Bank, The Uni Clip, Bank of the West, Hairworks in the Parlor, at the Quilt Show and Quilters Booth, and from any Quilt Club member. The profits from the raffle fund the next raffle quilt and enable the Quilt Club to make donations. Annually, the Quilt Club makes a donation to the Madrid Labor Day Celebration since the club’s beginning. Most recently, the club has also donated to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for the High Trestle Trail.

*The pillow case pattern is available on this blog.

Quilt Contest Winners - Boone (Iowa) County Fair

Two Madrid Heritage Quilters were excited to find out that they won an award for the quilt blocks that we had entered in the Boone County Fair Quilt Block contest. Suzanne won 3rd place in the adult choice category, and Melody won in the youth choice category. A third Madrid (IA, USA) resident won 1st place in the adult choice category. All the winners and their blocks are shown with the contest organizer.

Four Hearts

Cutting:
1 - 13 ½” sq. of background fabric
1 - 6” sq. of 4 fabrics or 4 - 6” sq. of same fabric

Fold the background square in half and press. Fold in half again (should be a square) and press. Unfold - these press lines are what we will use for placement of our hearts.



Machine Applique
For this method, you will need Wonder Under, Steam a Seam, Heat n' Bond, or another adhesive type of material for machine applique.

Place the Wonder Under on the heart pattern provided. Trace the heart shape (the bold solid line) onto the paper side of the Wonder Under. Do this twice (about 1” apart) for the two hearts we will be machine appliquéing. Cut around the two designs leaving about ½” around design.

Using a dry iron, press the Wonder Under shapes to the wrong side of 2 of the 6” squares, paper side up.

Cut out the heart designs on the lines drawn on the paper side of the Wonder Under.

Peel the paper from the designs. Use 1 of the press lines, on the background piece, (there are 4 lines) to place the heart. The line should be lined up with the point of the heart tip and the point of the dip at the top of the heart. Press heart in place on to the background piece. Repeat with 2nd heart.

Use the buttonhole stitch to do machine appliqué, but the zigzag or any other decorative stitch could be used. Whichever stitch you decide to do, you want to start at the dip at the top of the heart. Line up the edge of the heart with the needle. Stitch all the way around the heart. You should do a back stitch at the beginning and end of your sewing.

Hand Applique - Freezer Paper Method
Cut: Freezer Paper in widths wide enough for the hearts.

Shiny side down, trace the dark line of the heart pattern. Cut out the hearts.

Place the freezer paper hearts, shiny side down, on the right side of 2 of the 6” squares of fabric. Cut about 3/16 to ¼ inch around the design. Where there is an outside curve, you will want to cut small notches, almost up to the freezer paper. Where there is an inside curve, you will want to cut small slits almost up to the freezer paper.

Peel the freezer paper from the fabric. Turn the fabric so the wrong side is up and reposition the heart in place with shiny side up. Very carefully, using a dry iron, press the edges around the paper heart. They will stick to the freezer paper and stay in place for you while are stitching.

Use 1 of the press lines, on the background piece, (there are 4 lines) to place the heart. The line should be lined up with the point of the heart tip and the point of the dip at the top of the heart. Press heart in place on to the background piece. Repeat with 2nd heart. The freezer paper will stick to the background fabric so that it will stay in place while stitching. I pin around the edge of the design, to be sure it stays where I want it appliquéd.

The most commonly used stitch, for hand appliqué, is called the Blind Stitch. To do this stitch, knot the end of a single thread and bring up your needle from underneath the background fabric, barely piercing the fold edge of the piece you are appliquéing on. Insert the needle back into the background fabric, directly opposite where you came out and JUST over the edge of the piece being sewn on. Bring the needle back up through the fabrics, about 1/16th of an inch away from the previous stitch. Continue taking time stitches all the way around the piece you are sewing on. Bring thread to the back and knot when all the way around the piece or the thread gets short.

When you are finished with the appliqué. Cut a slit in the background fabric behind the design and remove the freezer paper.

These are the two methods of appliqué that I personally use, however there are several other methods that can be explored.

On the website quilterscache.com there are instructions for many different techniques to quilt making. Also on the website connectingthreads.com, they have videos that show many different techniques to quilt making.

Variable Star - February's Block

Variable Star
(Flying Geese technique)

Cutting
Traditional Piecing
Background
1 3 ½ x 14 (4-3 ½” squares)
1 7 ¼ square (cut diagonally twice)

Fabric 4
1 3 7/8 x 15 ½ ( 4-3 7/8 squares cut diagonally once)
4 3 7/8 squares
(I would cut 4 x 16 & 4” squares)

Fabric 5
1 6 ½” square

Speed Piecing
Background
1 3 ½ x 14 (4- 3 ½” squares)
1 3 ½ x 26 (4- 3 ½ x 6 ½)

Fabric 4
1 7 x 14 square
8 3 ½” squares

Fabric 5
1 6 ½” square


Making Flying Geese
Traditional Method
1. Line up the long side of a Fabric 4 triangle with a short side of a background triangle.
2. Sew ¼” seam.
3. Press toward Fabric 4.
4. Repeat process for the other short side of the background triangle.
5. One Flying Geese unit completed.
6. Repeat to make three more Flying Geese units.

Speed Piecing Method
1. Draw a line diagonally across the back of each of Fabric 4’s 3 ½” squares.
2. To make one flying geese unit, place a Fabric 4 square right sides together atop a Background rectangle, with outer edges aligned.
3. Sew on the drawn line.
4. Trim ¼” from sewn line.
5. Press towards Fabric 4.
6. Repeat this with another Fabric 4 square on the other end of the rectangle.
7. Repeat to make three more Flying Geese units.

Whichever method you choose to make, you need to make four of these units...

Block Assembly
1. Lay your block out according to the picture provided.
2. Sew 1 3 ½” square to each end of 2 of the flying geese.
3. Press toward background square.
4. Sew a Flying geese unit to each side of the Fabric 5 - 6 ½” square.
5. Press toward Fabric 5 square.
6. Sew top row to middle row. (Nuzzle seams so it lines up nice).
7. Press toward middle row.
8. Sew bottom row to other side of middle row. (Nuzzle seams so it lines up nice)
9. Press toward middle row.

Done!

Which Way Paper Piecing Block - April's Block

Paper Piecing Pattern

Need 4 patterns - Double-click the pictures and Print at 110% to get the right sized pattern. Mark one pattern with A and another with B to make the four patterns.

Pattern C
Pattern D

Cutting - Pos = Position on the pattern

Background - 8 - 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" (Pos 2 & 3) AND 4 - 4 3/4" squares cut diagonally once (Pos 5 & 6)

Fabrid 9 (Light) - 2 - 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" (Pos 1) and 1 - 8" square cut diagonally twice (Pos 4) Only use two of these triangles

Fabric 10 (Dark) - 2 - 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" (Pos 1) and 1 - 8 " square cut diagonally twice (Pos 4) Only use two of these triangles

Contruction

1. Set your sewing machine stitch length to a small stitch...about 12-18 per inch. This will aid in perforation (and later removal) of the paper foundation. The side with the
   numbers and squares will be the BACK side of your block.
2. Pick up the piece of fabric cut for position 1 (Pos 1). Center this fabric, right side up, on the RIGHT (unprinted) side on the foundation paper.
3. Flip the paper over and hold it up to a light to see if you have it covering the "1" space, plus at least 1/4" beyond each side.
4. Pin in place.
5. Pick up the position 2 (Pos 2) fabric. Place this right sides together with the position 1 fabric.
6. Flip the paper over and hold it up to a light to see if you have it covering the "2" space, plus at least1/4" beyond each side.
7. Hold this in place.
8. Flip the paper and fabric over.
9. Stitch on the line between Position 1 and Position 2 with a short backstitch at the beginning and end.
10. Fold the paper back at the line just sewn.
11. Trim the seam allowances back to just 1/4", being careful not to cut the paper off.
12. Flip it all back over.
13. Press out the Position 2 fabric, using a dry iron and gentle pressure.
14. Fold the paper back at the line between Positions 1 and 3.
15. Trim to a 1/4" seam allowance.
16. Pick up the Position 3 fabric.
17. Lay the fabric, right side over the Position 1 fabric.
18. Flip the paper over and hold it up to a light to position Position 3 fabric over Position 3 and ensure there is 1/4" fabric all the way around.
19. Hold the fabric in place and flip over again.
20. Stitch on the line between Positions 1 and 3, making sure to backstitch at the beginning and end.
21. Fold back the paper, trim to a 1/4" without cutting the paper.
22. Flip the square over again.
23. Press out the Position 3 fabric, using a dry iron and gentle pressure.
24. Fold the paper back at the line between Positions 1, 2, 3, and 4. Trim the seam allowance.
25. Pick up the Position 4 fabric.
26. Lay this over Position 4 with right side of frabric over the edge just trimmed.
    Make sure the fabric covers Position 4 with 1/4" extra to cover the edges.
27. If needed, check the position of the fabric by flipping the paper over and holding it in front of a light.
28. Stitch on the line between Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 backstitching at the beginning and ending.
29. Fold the paper at the line just sewn.
30. Trim the seam allowances, being careful to not cut the paper.
31. Flip the paper over again.
32. Press out the Position 4 fabric with a dry iron and gentle pressure.
33. Fold the paper back at the line between Positions 4 and 5.
34. Trim to a 1/4" seam allowance.
35. Pick up the Position 5 fabric.
36. Lay the Position 5 fabric right sides toghether over the Position 4 fabric. The Position 5 fabric should cover the Position with 1/4 " left all the way around. Check the fabrics using a light before sewing if necessary.
37. Stitch on the line between Positions 4 and 5, backstitching at the beginning and ending.
38. Fold the paper back.
39. Trim the seam allowance.
40. Flip the paper over.
41. Press out the Position 5 fabric with a dry iron using gentle pressure.
42. Pick up the Position 6 fabric.
43. Lay the Position 6 fabric right sides together wover Position 4 fabric. The Position 6 fabric should cover the Position with 1/4" left all the way around. Check the position in the light before sewing if necessary.
44. Stitch on the line between Positions 4 and 6, backstitching at the beginning and ending.
45. Fold the paper back at the line just sewn.
46. Trim the seam allowance.
47. Press out the Position 6 fabric with a dry iron using gentle pressure.
48. Make three more following steps 1-47.
49. Once all four squares are made, trim each square along the 1/4" seam along the outer edges of the paper piecing pattern.
50. Remove the paper.
51. Layout the 4 squares according to the picture.
52. Sew the 2 top squares together with a 1/4" seam.
53. Sew the 2 bottom squares together with a 1/4" seam.
54. Press to one side, opposite of each other, to nestle the seams.
55. Sew the two rows together.

Block Complete!
If you would like the full size pattern, email Heritage Quilters

Rail Fence - March Block

Strip Piecing Technique

Cut:
Background 1 - 1 ½” x Width Of Fabric (WOF)
Fabric 6 (light) 1 - 1 ½” x WOF
Fabric 7 (medium) 1 - 1 ½” x WOF
Fabric 8 (dark) 1 - 1 ½” x WOF

Piece

1. Use ¼” seam.
2. Sew the Background fabric strip along the right side of the Fabric 6 (light) fabric strip.
3. Sew the Fabric 7 (medium) fabric strip along the right side of the Fabric 8 (dark) fabric strip.
4. Sew the Background/Fabric 6 strips along the right side of the Fabric 7/ Fabric 8 strips.
5. Press all seam toward the dark strip.
   
   This creates our Strip Set. This should measure 4 ½” across.
   
6. Cross cut the strip set into NINE 4 ½” squares.
   
7. Now layout the squares in 9-patch fashion according to the picture. Turn your squares until your layout looks like the picture.
   
8. Now we are going to sew the block together:
   The top center square to the top right square,
   The middle center square to the middle right square
   The bottom center square to the bottom right square
   
9. Press making sure that the middle row is pressed the opposite direction as the top and bottom rows.
   Top left to the top unit
   Middle left to the middle unit
   Bottom left to the bottom unit
   
10. Press making sure the middle row is pressed the opposite direction as the top and bottom rows
11. Sew the top row to the middle row
12. Press to one side
13. Sew the bottom row to the unit just sewn.
14. Press to one side
    
    Block is complete!!
    

Traditional Manner

Background 9 - 1 ½” x 4 ½”
Fabric 6 (light) 9 - 1 ½” x 4 ½”
Fabric 7 (medium) 9 - 1 ½” x 4 ½”
Fabric 8 (dark) 9 - 1 ½” x 4 ½”

Sew together as stated in the strip piecing method, you just have to do it 9 times to create the 9 squares for the block.