Showing posts with label Cathedral Windows. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

SAHRR Round 4 and I Quilted This!

Allô and welcome 😊 It's a lovely day out - not too cold, cloudy some new snow, but not as much as yesterday! The snow made for a lousy driving day but we did what needed done, including a visit to our Poppy 🐕That means that today I'm hibernating in my studio. Yay!

Easy curves for SAHRR Round 4

Today it's Wendy, from Pieceful Wendy who is hosting and deciding on our theme. Yes, it was curves. Not my idea of fun, so I read a few posts and found Brenda's choice of block excellent. It's a faux Cathedral Window. I made 4 of them based on the tutorial Brenda mentioned. I now have another 8" block.

Faux Cathedral Windows

Here is the SAHRR so far.

Four round of blocks and the centre block

Another look at some of the blocks

What I learned

I'm not used to watching videos to learn to make a new block. Now I know why I prefer a written tutorial with images. The video was fine but there were important details that if you didn't pick up while watching, made life a little harder. For instance:

The folded fabric needed to be folded right sides out (or wrong sides together). Since the author was using batiks, that didn't come up.
Then, when the block was put together, it was sewn on the side, not the bottom.

I'm just including these notes so that I'll have a guide if I ever want to make more of these blocks.
I have no idea where I'm going with these blocks so far. I think that I'd like to make more of the round 3 Chicago geese blocks, although possibly smaller.
I'm just going to let it percolate - maybe inspiration will hit!
I made this block and linked up quickly, to avoid my error of last week of forgetting to link up! If you didn't see it, here's the link.
I'm in the process of sewing on the binding to the Cowboy panel quilt. I didn't post about is since I want to have only one final post, including the washed version. That's next6 week's post!

I Quilted This!

Welcome to the I Quilted This! linking party that celebrates quilting on a domestic machine or custom quilting on a long-arm. Feel free to link up and share any recent project, even if you're not quilting it! Here are the posts that included FMQ, ruler work and walking foot quilting last week. Thanks for linking up 😊 and feel free to grab the button.

Gwyned Trefethen made a wonderful art piece for last week's Project Quilting. Channeling Andy Warhol is machine embroidered and the background is FMQ using the McTavish design. You'll want to check out Gwyned's post for more details!

Channeling Andy Warhol by Gwyned

A close-up of Channeling Andy Warhol by Gwyned

Gail of Quilting Gail finished and quilted a quilt for a very special friend. You'll want to read the story of this special quilt on Gail's post.

The friend's finished quilt by Gail

Details of the ruler quilting by Gail

Sally of Crafts, Cavies and Cooking made a cute seahorse postcard for the latest Project Quilting challenge.

Sally's Seahorse Postcard

Preeti of Sew Preeti Quilts made an amazing Rock & Roll t-shirt quilt. You'll want to read her post to find out how she did it. I love the checkerboard coping strips that are also made of t-shirt fabric.

An amazing Rock & Roll t-shirt quilt by Preeti

Details from Preeti's t-shirt quilt

If you missed it, I made a small quilt for Project Quilting last week. It's based on my quilting goals for 2026 - scrappy, small, playful and experimental.

Goals for 2026 by Andrée

It's now your turn 😍

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

#2024 Quilting Q2 and Q3 Check-In

Hi and welcome. I missed the second quarter (Q2) check-in but since I found writing up a first quarter (Q1) check-in post so useful, I'm going to put both Q2 and Q3 here. I hope that you'll indulge me - it is a long post.

Second Quarter Check-in

April, May and June

Although I worked on a few larger projects, most of my finishes in the second quarter were smaller pieces.

Spring Tulips was an ambitious 3D art piece. The background was quilted while the vase and tulips in the vase were created with Solvy water soluble stabilizer. You can find all of the details in this post.

Spring Tulips, a 3D art piece

I also made a number of Cathedral windows hot pads using a layer cake package and a wonderful tutorial. These made great gifts.

Cathedral windows hot pads

As usual, I participated in the Table Scraps Challenge. This is a cute yellow cuddle quilt. I was able to practice my FMQ and quilting with rulers. I finally figured out how to properly use my universal darning foot. More practice is required but it was a lot of fun.

Yellow cuddle quilt

In May, I participated in a workshop taught by Alice Vander Vennen. I really like the mini that I made during the Nature Narrative workshop. I'm still working through the design of my larger piece.

Mini made during the Nature Narrative workshop

In June, I learned Kawandi style quilting from Jen Strauser during Making Zen. I finished it during our Alaskan cruise. It was a great stitching project for the trip.

Kawandi style quilting

From March to April I started the 2 Colour Mystery Quilt hosted by Joanne of Canuck Quilter design. It consisted of only two colours and worked my accuracy challenged brain. I sewed six of the twelve blocks, which is in week 7 but didn't post on it. This is now a WIP, unless it becomes a UFO. 😁

Half of the blocks sewn together -
at least all of the fabrics and blocks are in one place!

See the Parade of Quilts on
Canuck Quilter's site

Third Quarter Check-in

July, August and September

The end of June was an incredibly busy time as I tried to finish up my pieces for the Impermanence - Éphémère Outdoor Fibre Art Exhibit at the Arbor Gallery in Vankleek Hill. We set up the exhibition in early July with a vernissage on July 5th.

For the first time ever, I used my blog as a way of keeping track of what I still needed to do to get the 5 pieces ready. In fact, there were 5 pieces, but two of these consisted of 5 and 4 art pieces. I'm not going to repeat everything in this post. If you're interested, I created a page "My pieces in the Impermanence - Éphémère Outdoor Fibre Art Exhibit". It has lots of details and links to the original posts.

The outdoor exhibit was very well received and there is a possibility of participating again next summer.

Three seasonal garden fence art pieces

In the Sky, an Outdoor Hanging Sculpture

A series of Prayer Flags

I am very happy to say that all of these outdoor pieces are now in my yard.

In the Sky is now hanging in my poplar

The series of Prayer Flags

Raining Pink Petals and Essence of Leaves

Squirrel! is the only one that was changed by being
outdoors. Someone (probably a squirrel) stole the nut
that the squirrel was getting ready to eat😂

At the end of September I learned to make twine with fabric strips. This is my latest yard art piece.

Yard Art piece made with twined fabric

In mid-July I mosquito proofed my swing. I am so happy with it and spent many hours, mostly in the evening, enjoying the back yard without being eaten alive!

Mosquito proofed swing

After the intense productivity of June, it was wonderful just playing around and making small projects. This is my second finished Kawandi style quilt. It was bigger than the first piece and I would love to make an even larger one eventually.

Second Kawandi style quilt

After quilting the yellow cuddle quilt using rulers, I decided to make a scrappy blue butterfly table topper. I quilted it using FMQ and rulers. Practice does make it easier!

Scrappy blue butterfly table topper

During our Alaska cruise, I started on a mini landscape quilt based on one of the pictures that I took. Enjoying Alaska was finished after re-doing the gray mountains using FMQ instead of embroidery. Textile art can be so forgiving. Don't like a section? Just cover it up!

Enjoying Alaska mini landscape quilt

Another project that is a WIP is my Tibetan appliqué piece. I absolutely love it but have been distracted by pretty much everything! I only wrote one post on this project but got quite a bit further on it. I need to add another border, stitch on some cording and then decide how to finish it. I will probably quilt it but I'm quite nervous about it. I'll have to feel very Zen before tackling it!

Tibetan appliqué piece in progress (WIP)

I had a few playdates with my friend Connie to create journals. With her encouragement I did some eco printing on paper. This was the first one that I stitched on.

Embroidering on eco printed paper

I continued to make scrappy pieces for the 2024 Table Scraps Challenge. This is my orange scraps piece. I started using orphan blocks and adding to them. I also used the pillowcase method to finish these off. It's so much easier than binding small pieces.

Orange scraps piece made around an orphan block

This is a second scrappy mat that I made using an orphan block. I used it to practice my FMQ.

Second scrappy mat

For International dog day I made this lovely scrappy mat for Poppy's water dish. It has doggy prints as well as fabric picturing her friends (birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc.) 😀

International dog day scrappy mat for Poppy's water dish

Finally these are the last scrappy mug rugs that I finished for my son's niece to play with. I only used scraps, most of which I had just gotten at our quilt guild meeting.

Scrappy Play mug rugs

As part of the pre courses for the 2024 Sketchbook Revival, I made a journal for hubby to use at work as well as one for me. This was a new technique by a new-to-me teacher.


Lay-flat Notebook with French Link Stitches

5 hole pamphlet stitch journal

I treated myself to a course, Joyful Embroidery with Fleur Woods through Fibre Arts Take Two. To get ready, I made a Joyful Journal for my notes.

My Joyful Journal

As if these projects weren't enough to keep me busy, I started the Floral Fusion Sew Along presented by fellow blogger Denise of The Quiltery. I am presently a couple of weeks behind but should be able to get caught up on the weekend (my famous last words!)

Floral Fusion blocks so far

I have a couple of ongoing embroidery projects but the one that I've stitched on the most in the last quarter is the Almost Daily Stitching project of 2024. I love trying out new embroidery stitches, thread and designs. It's coming along nicely and is still a stress-free project done whenever I feel like it.

Almost Daily Stitching project

Well, it looks like I've had a very productive second and third quarter this year. Thanks so much to Quilting Jetgirl for hosting this great event. Again, I'm so glad that I've taken the time to do this.

Linking parties

I'll be linking this post to many fun linking parties, particularly the #2024QuiltingQ3CheckIn. Sew & Tell, Midweek Makers, Put your foot down, Needle & Thread Thursday, Off The Wall Friday, Beauties Pageant, TGIFF, Patchwork & Quilts,

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 501 of Free Motion Mavericks! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Kat of Scrapbox Quilts used an all over design to quilt up her Sulky Village quilt, started in 2004! She quilted wavy lines using Superior Bottom Line thread, perfect for such a busy top.

Sulky Village quilt by Kat

Details of the Sulky Village quilt

Vivian, the Bronx Quilter custom quilted her lovely "Apple Crisp" quilt. She wasn't sure how to quilt it but then went literal - using an apple core template as a ruler to quilt the inside of her blocks and borders. She used her clam shell ruler to stitch the sides of her triple four patch blocks.

Vivian's "Apple Crisp" quilt stitched with rulers

Apple Core template used as a ruler in the
centre of the blocks and the borders

It's now your turn 😉

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Cathedral Window Hot Pads at Free Motion Mavericks

Hi and welcome to week 479 of Free Motion Mavericks! Last week I made a crowd of hot pads 😁. I always thought that Cathedral Windows were very difficult. I watched the video, and it looked easy. Then I made a crowd of them and it turns out that they're not so easy! 😉

Cathedral Window Hot Pads & a Layer Cake

Many years ago, I got a great deal on a Layer Cake (10" squares from a collection of fabrics), in this case, Figures by Brigitte Heitland for Zen Chic and Moda. When I needed 10" squares to make Cathedral Window Hot Pads, I found my package of Layer Cake and started the production.

My first crowd of Cathedral Window hot pads

I made the first one for myself, since I was sure that it would turn out wonky...and it did, but not terrible. I got an air fryer for Christmas and I wanted to have a hot pad that would stay nearby. Don't they look good together 😀

My first hot pad - made to hang out with the air fryer

I'm afraid that I didn't take any process pictures but if you want to learn how to male these, I highly recommend a tutorial by Shabby Fabrics (see link below). The thing about Cathedral Windows is that it's all about how those windows look in the centre and in the corners. Here's an image from the video on how they should look. You can see that the centre and the corners of the Cathedral Windows are well defined and relatively pointy.

Look at those corners -
that's what they should look like!

Unfortunately, mine didn't all look like this. Some came out really good while others sort of continued into space 😁. I'm sure that my non-quilting friends won't mind but if I'm going to make these, I may as well figure out how to make them well.

Here are close-ups of the three that I made for a friend. Aren't these fabric amazing?

A white background with blue accents and yellow Cathedral Windows

I love this blue and yellow combination

There are so many lovely blues in this one

This is what they look like from the back

You may have noticed that the top blue hot pad on the right is double stitched around the Cathedral Windows. I was trying different variations of making these, and for this one, I managed to forget to stitch down the Cathedral Windows before adding the backing and turning it over (like a pillow case). It didn't make that much of a difference, except for the double stitched line.

Cathedral Window Hot Pads gift

What I learned

In theory, making Cathedral Windows is not difficult.
When I first watched the Shabby Fabric tutorial, the instructor said to be very careful with the centre of your Cathedral Windows. So I put all of my attention on the centre but sort of forgot the corners. Generally my centres do look good.
I'm still trying to figure out how to get some lovely bottom corners in my Cathedral Windows. When I figure it out, I'll let you know! 😊
Many people would like some of these hot pads, so when I make my next crowd, I'll be extra careful with my corners and take lots of pictures and notes so that I can get them consistently right.
I used my walking for making the hot pads. Now that I've gone back to piecing the Mystery Quilt with my ¼" foot, I've noticed that my accuracy is much better. I'll have to take that into consideration the next time I make these hot pads.

Free Motion Mavericks

Thanks to everyone who linked up their projects! Here are those projects that involved FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Kat from Scrapbox Quilts finished a lovely 3 yard quilt named Charlie as part of the 2024 3YD Quilt Series with Material Girlfriends. She quilted it with flowers in the centre of the blocks, using "Every Leaf " templates by Amanda Murphy. I'm sure that the child who will receive it will love it!