Simply Sweet Table topper and Marti Michell inset triangle ruler review

Last week I made a quilt top using Moda's L'Amour Charm pack.  If you missed it you can read about it here.  Believe it or not I made a lap quilt and had enough scrap 2.5" charms leftover for a small project.  This was a great opportunity for me to try out my new Marti Michell Diagonal Set Triangle Ruler and write a free small quick pattern to share with you.  Don't worry, if you don't have this ruler, the instruction for my Simply Sweet Table topper has directions with or without the ruler.  The link to the pattern will be at the end of this post.

Before starting the ruler review I'd also like to let you know that my background fabric is also quilt border scraps from the Amour de Cerise quilt.  

As most of you know when making a quilt set on point those set in side and corner triangles can be quite tricky.  In the past we needed to cut a huge square  and then cut on the diagonal twice.  Most of the time our standard 6 x 24 ruler was to short and the measurements were odd.

Not anymore!  This ruler is great.  No more counting those 8th's and 16th's marks for that huge awkward square.  Just line up the bottom of your fabric on any line on your cutting mat.  Then on the ruler find the FINISHED size(in quilt) of your block and line it up with the bottom of your fabric.  For this project my finished block will be 6 inches. Carefully line up a straight ruler at the top of the inset ruler using the markings on the cutting mat.

Slide the set in ruler out of the way and cut.  So simple!

To cut your side set in triangles  place the ruler back on the strip and cut.

Making the corner triangles is just as easy.  From the same strip of fabric line up your ruler on the block size you need at the bottom and then line up the edge with the vertical line that is off center.

Trim away the corners on all pieces, it makes piecing them so much easier.

Look how lovely they line up!  No wings to clip and its perfectly centered.  I love this ruler!  It's not one that I'll use everyday but it's one that when I need it I'm glad I have it.  Well worth the money spent.  The best thing is I can use smaller pieces of scraps instead of needing yardage.

The free pattern for my Simply Sweet table topper can be found here.  The instruction are with and without this ruler.  Enjoy!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Design OH NO!

Hi-didly-O Quity friends!  It's so nice of you to stop by today for a peak at my design mistake.  Oh it's not too terribly awful, just poor planning that will mean extra sewing.  It'll give me extra practice on that perfect quarter inch seam.

 Can you see the design flaw in the picture below?

 I know its hard to see.  If your like me your to busy looking at the Miss Kate prints and could really care less about my design blunder.  Can't say that I blame you.  So lets wipe the Miss Kate drool from our chins and really look at this top.  It's a simple plan of petals and squares that make a chain pattern.  Okay... because I want the points of the petals to line up perfectly with the 4 patches I'm adding them after the blocks are sewn together and will machine stitch them to the background.  See that red X? (Pretend the next row is attached).  That's where I would draw a line to line up the petal applique. So tell me why did I even cut the blocks and sashing?  I could have cut one long piece of fabric(the red box).  Slap in the forehead moment.  Of course this only occurred to me after cutting all the blocks and sashing. 

Maybe I can work those sashing seams into the quilting design.

Oh well, I still love the overall look of the quilt.  

Playing with the Miss Kate fabrics are the best part!

I'm linking up with Judy@Patchworktimes for design wall Monday and
Hugabit for Monday Makers.
Hop on over for inspirations!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Slow Stitching

I'm linking up today with Kathy's@Katthy'squilts for Slow Stitching Sunday.  I've shown these quilt blocks many times over the last 4 years because I'm 

Slooooooooow

when it come to handwork.  You can find links to the pattern over at Erins Blog.

I work on it here and there and not always on Sunday.  This week there's been  about 4 hours or so in the evenings while watching TV. 

 This is one of my favorite blocks, its those daisies.  Miss Birdie looks as if she really like them also.

 One of the reasons(excuses) it's taking so long is I need new glasses.  So I've been using this for all my handwork.

Since this last block is almost complete I've been thinking about how to tackle  

 the center block and borders.  I'm still looking for the right fabric for the vase/urn in the center block.  I may end up altering the pattern and adding applique to a vase made from a solid fabric.  The applique borders may be left off also, at the rate I'm going that could take another 2 yrs.

 I found this picture(below) somewhere awhile back and forgot to add the info on who, what, when, and where.  Anyway...I love the sashing idea and thought it might be an option for my version of the My Tweets quilt.  It too would be a lot of applique....only time will tell how this will end.

Thanks for stopping by my little spot in Podunk!

~ Lea Anne ~

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A WORD, a GOAL, a LIST

Late yesterday evening I was working on the UFO above.  My phone is just an arms reach away so I'm reading and responding to new emails and blog post as they come in.  The house is silent, it gives my mind time to wander, think, contemplate life, well... my stitchy life.  Anything deeper than that is just a migraine, so why bother with the big stuff.  The forces that be are plenty capable of sorting out the big stuff.  So my deep thoughts took me to here

 BLOGGYLAND.  

It seems that at the beginning of the year everyone that has a blog has a WORD, a PLAN, a GOAL, they are keeping track of stash in and stash out, LISTS of this and LISTS of that.  And me I'm just here stitching along, flying by the seat of my pants with not a care in the world.  Doing whatever my A.D.H.D quilting style tells me to do.  

Example: the picture below.  

Yesterdays morning trip to the grocery store for milk and coffee.   I came home with my grocery LIST items(see I can make a LIST) and a few beauty's(not on the list) from the LQS(which is about 10 miles out of my way). 

I suppose if I had a business or insurance policy on my fabric I'd make a LIST  inventorying them.  Is there a prize for the most in or out, or for the most used in a year?  Maybe I'm just not serious about my hobby.  Oh don't get me wrong I'm not saying quilters shouldn't make these LISTS I'm just making excuses for why I don't.   To be so organized is great, it's just not for me.  Finding a WORD to define my year is hard enough but to start making LISTS is really pushing it.  And then throw in the daunting task of knocking out UFO's.  BRAIN CRAMP!  There's plenty of UFO's for a list 

here....

...and here.  

To be honest I'm quite proud of the fact that I took the time last year to organize them in the storage bin and tote.  Now I need to make an actual list of them?!

I drag them out from time to time just to see if something catches my eye and make a mental list, does that count in the LIST world?   Seriously who doesn't want them done but they are hidden away for very valid reasons, right?  The chances of me getting a few of them done this year are pretty good.  The chances of me adding a few more is also pretty good.  So I have a PLAN and a GOAL!  Sorta...right?

  Now what about that WORD that will define all I do in the next quilty year.

Honestly I can't think of a thing other than 

HAPPY

~ Lea Anne ~

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