Housetops Quilted

This is a lovely, soft quilt that I hope will be used daily by the baby. So I wanted a quilting design that enhances the softness as well as the durability. Baptist Fans work well with the spacing and direction changes. {And somehow, these colors are a bit off. Overexposed? The quilt really looks like the photos from the last post.}

Housetops quilt with Baptist fan quilting

I bought these darling bunnies on blue for the back and bound it with a tiny blue and white stripe. Stripes are our favorite binding, aren't they.

Bunnies on the back
of the Housetop baby quilt

Including conversation prints is always a fun game for me. Here are some sophisticated sparrows in orange rain (?), bicycles, and fish.

Bird, bicycle, and fish print
fabrics on the Housetop baby quilt

And I had to include these charming owls, my college mascot.

Owl print fabric
on the Housetop baby quilt

Each block is ten inches with four or five strips sashing two sides of a center square. I cut the strips 1.25-3” wide and combined them to reach the ten inch mark.

Previous post here.

Quilt Details

Size: 38" x 38"

Design: Housetop or Handkerchief Corners

Batting: Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon100% cotton

Thread: green Aurifil cotton 50/2 thread

Quilting: Free-motion Baptist fans

I believe the intended use of the quilt informs the type of care it requires. One of my goals is that people love, use, and even wear out the quilts I make. Of course, I'd like them to use them gently and take care of them - rather like polishing our shoes and putting shoe trees in at night. But most of my gifts are utility quilts, meant for daily use. I always include this information sheet... then I keep my mouth shut whatever they choose to do.

Caring for a Quilt is permanently linked on my Tutorial page. Other people have their own instructions. Quilt Care by Michigan State University is a good guide for utility quilts. On the other hand, The National Quilt Museum prohibits machine washing. They have excellent information for heritage quilts - or quilts we hope will become heritage.

What's your opinion?

Enjoy the day, Ann

Housetops

Inspired by Gees Bend and Linda's Handkerchief Corners quilt I started one myself.

Here are the first two blocks made from true scraps. Love the color riot that was starting. Unexpectedly someone special called for a baby quilt with mint. So I cut some strips thinking they would blend with the previous ones.

Housetop  quilt blocks

The next day the color scheme was clarified: mint and coral. The further I progressed, the less the original pull worked with it. I could have continued in my own loud style but want everyone to be happy.

Fabric strips for housetop baby quilt

And here's what I finished with.

Housetops quilt top

Quite a change. The red and dark purples are gone. Several fabrics include birds and fish. I think both parents will like it. I like it myself. The lesson to me is that colorful scrappy can also be restrained.

That large bird is a remnant from the toile border on my spiderweb quilt. It adds extra meaning to me and hopefully to the recipient. I do love connecting quilts and generations.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Woo. Pig. Sooie! Another Finished Quilt

When my son attended the University of Arkansas I made a quilt in his college colors. In fact I made enough blocks for two quilts thinking the second set would work for a Razorback friend. Of course, he graduated several years ago but... (insert various excuses here.)

I finally pulled the blocks out again. Exactly 63. Most log cabin layouts have centered designs which use an even number of blocks. Where was the 64th? However, sixty-three makes a seven-by-nine quilt: off-center but appealing. It just needed a border.

Another year passed until I was ready to piece it. Gwen Marston's liberated variable stars looked like just the ticket to perk up this quilt. They were fun and relaxing to make since you don't worry about the star points. I like this one better than the first one. (Don't tell my son!)

Razorback 2 quilt finished

The open spaces in the border gave me room to write the recipients' names, college, graduation year. My favorite is the college yell!

Razorback yell

Here are the fabrics I considered for the binding: dark brown, white, tan with dots, dark red, black with white lines, and white on white.

Binding choices for Razorback 2

In the mail today. Off to the East Coast. Woo, Pig. Sooie!

Related posts:
Liberated Variable Stars
Block Piecing Tutorial
Ready to Quilt
Razorback 2 Quilt

Enjoy the day. Ann

Razorback 2 Quilt: Log Cabin with Variable Star Border

I'm almost through with quilting! It's named for the University of Arkansas mascot since it's for a pair of alumni. While printed fabric doesn't show quilting as well as solid fabrics, straight lines on the red diamonds look great.

The feather is a new method for me. It's a gentle C-curve that just touches the previous feather and then it echoes back to the spine. It was very easy. While planning the stem I realized that any narrow design will work in that area. Since I FMQ spirals best I added those.

Feather and Stem quilting detail

I chose Leah Day's FMQ Project Tangle of Lights for the border. It's more open than many free motion designs and the starlights complement the variable stars. The quilting is about the same density as the rest of the quilt too.

The border is quilted with Tangle of Lights.
Notice the fine line of quilting that holds the
edge of the border in place.

Do you see the line of black thread at the edge of this quilt? It's helpful to stitch a straight line 1/16" from the edge of the quilt before quilting to hold the top in place so the edges don't catch on the presser foot. It keeps the border from developing tucks. I usually sew this in a matching thread but wanted everyone to see it in this photo.

Hopefully the binding will be done this weekend.

Enjoy the day!
Ann