Transformation of the Garlic Knot

The next step in assembling the quilt was joining the quilted garlic knot blocks together. By using sashing strips that were pieced together to form an additional pattern, the quilt design changed from just the garlic knot pattern to the present design.

Black strips of fabric were used for the back of the quilt's sashing. Since the focus was on the placement of blocks for the front of the quilt, the back of the quilt's pattern just turned out this way. 

Next assembly will be the borders. 

42 Blocks

Assembling a garlic knot block doesn't take very long.  

Setting up a sheet as a reference for the order of the squares that make up the block was very helpful.

After some thought, I decided to add a border around the garlic knot design of the quilt. I really like the look of Bonnie Hunter's quilt. So instead of 56 blocks that I had planned on making, I now have 42 blocks that form seven rows with six blocks to a row. 

With all the blocks done and positioned in rows, the design looks like chain link fence.  Now I need to work on the sashing strips that are used to join blocks together and will change the look of what I presently have done.

Garlic Knot

After seeing Bonnie Hunter's Garlic Knot quilt, I realized that quilt could be assembled using the quilt-as-you-go method. I just needed to come up with a block size and figure out the measurements for the individual pieces that would make up a garlic knot block.

The sashing strips that hold the blocks together will be the strips that Bonnie used to separate each garlic knot block in her quilt design. Since sashing strips in a quilt-as-you-go covers a portion of the blocks to hold blocks together, I needed to make sure that the perimeter squares of a block would be equal in measurement to the inner squares of the block once the blocks are joined together by sashing. This means that the perimeter pieces of the block will initially have different measurements from the inner blocks. I picked a finished 8 inch block with strips between blocks to be 1 inch in width once finished. If I were just making a block, I could have made the block with 2.5 x 2.5 squares and sewn the blocks to the strips between blocks. Since this is a quilt-as-you-go, I had to make changes to keep squares in proportion for a finished 8 inch block. The inner squares are cut at 2.5 x 2.5, the corner squares 2.75 x 2.75, and the inner perimeter squares 2.75 x 2.5. Since two pieces that make up this block are rectangles, those pieces measure 2.75 x 4.75. After piecing, the block size is a 9 inch block, which will become an 8 inch garlic knot block after joining blocks together.

Next step was coming up with a design for the backside of the quilt. I could have just used large pieces of fabric for a block, but this year I want to use up a lot of my scrap fabrics. I decided on a string quilt backing. Since I have lots of scraps of batting that needs to be used up too, I sewed strips of fabric onto the batting.

I wanted the quilting to be simple, quick, and easy to do. So after layering the garlic knot block onto the string pieced block, I quilted straight lines to bring attention to the garlic knot pattern.

I'm planning on making the quilt 63 x 72. One block completed and 55 more blocks to assemble!

First Finish 2017

Yeah! First quilt of the new year completed!! This scrappy quilt has only taken me six months to get it finished. It's been over a year since I did any quilting with my Davis. Sitting down to quilt with this vintage beauty was like having tea with an old friend that I hadn't seen for awhile. She had waited patiently for me. She treadled so smoothly--it was like we had worked together just yesterday.

Then came stitching down the binding with a decorative stitch from Singer. She also performed effortlessly.

I had put a yellow flange on the backside of the quilt to dress the back up and bring out the yellows in the Chickadees.

My father loved watching and feeding wild birds, and his favorites were the Cardinals and Chickadees. My mom loves Bittersweet, and the berries in the design looks like American Bittersweet. So when I saw this fabric, I knew I must have it to use in one of my quilts.

The bird fabric could have been used as large blocks to give the back of the quilt a more pieced, pattern look, but I just wanted to get the quilt done.

Many of the scrapes came from my mom, but there are many that came from me. I plan to make this year the year of scrappy quilts since I have a large stash of fabrics.

Focus of 2017

2016 was a busy year with my focus mainly on advancing my education as a preschool teacher, moving my mother to her new home, and exploring new places to hike while RVing. The blogs on the RVing adventures are at my other Blogger site, Tootling Around.

Hopefully 2017 will be a peaceful year. The quilt that I started this July will become my first project for the year. It will be a scrappy quilt for the RV.

I have other projects that I had once started and ideas for quilts that I planned that I would like to complete this coming year. My vintage ladies have been waiting patiently for my return to quilting. The peacefulness of treadling is calling me back. It's now time to start quilting again.

Just in Time for Christmas

My last quilt project of the year is finally finished! Front side is Bella Wave...

and back side is Tee Shirt pattern. 

I really enjoyed piecing the Bella Wave pattern that I plan to make another quilt with this pattern next year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Prepping

I'm moving slowly on this quilt. I just finished the basting! Now onto the quilting.

 A peek of the other side of my son's quilt.

Slow Progress

I have finished most of the back my son's quilt.

The back is made up of his old tee-shirts. I will have to add more black fabric to make it slightly larger than the front side.

These are the fabrics for the front of the quilt. The pattern is Belle Wave. I need to get busy on this quilt since it is to be a Christmas gift for my son.

Finding Peace

Back in 2010, I started a tee-shirt quilt for my daughter, who was then in college far from home. I was missing her. The joy of making that quilt inspired me to make more quilts. Somehow in my researching of quilts, I discovered vintage sewing machine and treadling. I so wanted to share my new hobby with my parents, and one way for my parents to see these projects was through blogging. Yes, I started this blog for my parents. I thank my sister for the suggestion of starting this blog since it has brought me so much joy. Over the past year, my focus has changed to hiking and enjoying the outdoors, which I now post on Tootling Around. This focus on the outdoors started with the passing of my husband's mother. I wanted to help my husband heal is pain, his loss. I just wanted to get outdoors, hike, and enjoy nature with him more than sitting at home quilting. With the passing of my father, I know that my mom will not be looking at this blog unless I show her. So, my future posting of quilt projects will be few and infrequent.

I have started another quilt; one that I have promised my son, a tee-shirt quilt. He has just entered college. Earlier this summer, he asked if I would make him his college quilt. He surprised me with this question since I didn't think he would have wanted one. Luckily, I have saved some of his tee shirts.  And so, I start my next quilt project. The treadling will be good for me since it is peaceful.

So when I'm not quilting, I'll be hiking with my husband... and we will be healing each other's hearts.

End of the Road

My 90 year old dad passed away last week. He was a strong and witty trouper up until the last weeks of his life. I will miss him dearly.

May his new journey take him to beautiful and peaceful places- for he is truly an angel.