Recently I’ve been hiding away in my sewing room to escape the world. I’ve been productive during my escape, and I’ve now completed 88 of the 100 blocks for Tula Pink’s City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks quilt I’ve been working on.

This is not the final layout for the quilt, I’ll decide that after I finish the 12 remaining blocks. It seems a little overwhelming to decide the perfect layout for 100 blocks, but I am going to just try to make them look as random as possible (and try not to let the same color touch…we’ll see…).

If you are just joining us and are interested in the progression of this quilt, check out the previous post about it which also has links to the other blog posts on it – And then there were 70….

For the remaining 12 blocks, I decided to stop trying to find pieces long enough to make each block (a lot of the remaining blocks need fabrics of at least 6.5 inches) from this pile:

Instead I cleaned up my cutting table, putting fabric scraps away by color in my fabric scrap storage system:

And I am going to be very deliberate about color choices (based on what I have too much or too little of in my quilt so far) and shop for fabric scraps from my collection of fabric scraps organized by color in my wine crate storage unit:

I am going to try and use these remaining fabrics, from the initial pile, that I did not put away with the rest:

I want to try and repeat those fabrics.

I’ve decided on how to finish the quilt – I am going to sew the blocks all together in a 10 by 10 row with no lattice, and no borders. Just plain and simple, allowing the blocks to just shine through without any clutter.

I realize this will make it only a lap size quilt instead of a Queen or King size which you could get by using some of the layouts in the back of the book Tula Pink’s City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. Lap size works for me as I might actually just hang it on a wall and display it. I’ll decide after I get it back from the long-arm quilter.

Well back to hiding out in my sewing room and finishing up the 12 remaining blocks to get to 100 blocks, which at one point seemed so far away!

Postscript

I developed a sort of production system to sew so many blocks.

I would pre-cut a large amount (15 or more) of blocks; and then sit down and sew them, trying to use chain piecing as much as possible, even working on two or more blocks at the same time.

Well my partner John took an old folding table and put a wooden table top on it for me to add to my existing work table to act as a “return” and give me space for ironing while piecing and any trimming needed.

This really added to my efficiency in block making!

And here is Mike the Miniature Schnauzer hanging out under my sewing table while I am at work:

Sampler Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

And then there were 70…

May 24, 2022June 16, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Here is an update on the Tula Pink’s City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks I’ve been working on since February.

I now have 70 blocks done, 15 more blocks since my previous post What’s On The Design Wall: Over 50% Done! . So I am 70% done (well if you do not count sewing all the blocks together, making the backing, and putting on the binding after I have it professionally long-arm quilted, ha!).

I am getting some use out of the Ring Light I bought last year and figured out (sort of) how to use it photograph these blocks on my design wall late at night when I didn’t have any natural light available.

I continue to enjoy “shopping” for fabrics in my pile-o-fabric-scraps, now sorted by color, to make each block:

If you are just joining us (and you are really bored and need posts to read, ha!) here are the previous posts on the evolution of this quilt:

Preparing for Quilt Retreat

MSQC Quilt Retreat Part I: What I Worked On

What’s On the Design Wall: Not Losing Momentum

“Sewing-Block” Resolved by Sewing a Block!

What’s On The Design Wall: Over 50% Done!

I’ve been thinking about the layout of the final quilt top. There are many ideas in the back of the book – Tula Pink’s City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, but I am thinking perhaps of a Dear Jane Quilt setting and looking at ideas such as those I found on this link – Dear Jane Quilt Inspiration. Another thought is just sewing all the blocks together without any type of sashing/setting. But I’ll revisit these ideas once I’ve finished all 100 blocks!

I am now cutting the next batch of 15 blocks and looking forward to getting to 85!

Fabric Scraps Obsession, What's on the Design Wall

Scraphenge is Done and Hung

May 16, 2022May 16, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Here is a follow up on two posts about a freeform log cabin quilt I’ve been working on using Northcott’s Stonehenge fabric line scraps, that I named “Scraphenge”:

What’s On The Design Wall: Stonehenge Scrappy Freeform Log Cabin

What’s On the Design Wall: “Scraphenge”

Well Scraphenge is “done and hung“! I received it back from the longarm quilter last week (I used Missouri Star Quilting Company longarm quilting services).

I decided instead of a binding to put a “facing” on the quilt since I was going to hang it on the wall:

Instead of the cumbersome method I’ve used to put a facing on in the past, which I learned from an art quilting book, I searched YouTube to see if there was an easier method and voilà I found one:

And it worked perfectly! It was much easier than the previous method I was using!

So here is the quilt hung in the hallway next to the entryway to our home. I took a couple different photos as due to the stairways to upstairs and the basement it was challenging to photograph the quilt straight on:

Here is a close up of the quilting:

I love seeing the quilt as I descend the stairs from upstairs to the main floor:

The cool thing about this quilt is most of the quilt top is made from Stonehenge fabric scraps that friends have given me and some Stonehenge fabric scraps I had from a quilt I made. So the quilt top was primarily made from stuff that would have ended up in a landfill. I LOVE SCRAP QUILTS!

They are very happy recycling!

Sampler Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

What’s On The Design Wall: Over 50% Done!

May 13, 2022June 16, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Here’s an update on the Tula Pink’s City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks I’ve been working on since February.

In case you want to see my journey on this quilt to date, here are the other related posts:

Preparing for Quilt Retreat

MSQC Quilt Retreat Part I: What I Worked On

What’s On the Design Wall: Not Losing Momentum

“Sewing-Block” Resolved by Sewing a Block!

So my update is that I’ve finished 52 blocks!

In my previous post at the end of April, “Sewing-Block” Resolved by Sewing a Block!, I had completed 40 blocks. Recently I completed 12 more blocks:

I discovered while working on these 12 blocks that my current system of organization for the fabric scrap collection selected for this quilt did not work. My system was a haphazard pile:

So I spent the time organizing all the scraps selected for this project into piles of color. Now that I have a bigger studio now (see my post A “New” Studio ), I can leave these piles out on the table in my studio until I complete the quilt:

It might still look like a hot mess to you, but for me I can now “shop” by color and pattern easier.

Plus by organizing these piles I got to refresh my memory of what I have to work with; and got some ideas on how to use some of the multicolored fabrics at the top of the photo in future blocks I’ll be making for this sampler quilt.

48 more to go!

Postscript

I actually cut fabric for 15 blocks but I was only up to completing 12 blocks by last night (the deadline I gave myself so I could write this post):

But then this morning I had some renewed energy and completed the 3 additional blocks to bring my total to 15 completed since my previous post on this quilt:

So here are 55 blocks now completed! (Only 45 to go now…)

Fabric Scraps Obsession, Sampler Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

“Sewing-Block” Resolved by Sewing a Block!

April 29, 2022June 16, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

My sewing “mojo” was hiding somewhere for a while and I had little desire to sew. I had a “sewing-block“. Turns out the best way to resolve it was to sew a block!

I’ve been distracted from time in my sewing studio by some recent travel, visits from out of town friends, and a couple challenging recent life events. A couple days ago I knew I needed to get my back to sewing (as there is just so much fun stuff to be made) and decided returning to working on my Tula Pink City Sampler (100 Modern Quilt Blocks) would be a good place to start.

So I made block number 31 (I’ve already made blocks 1 – 30, see post What’s On the Design Wall: Not Losing Momentum):

Once you get started up sewing again, things get rolling, and I was able to make also blocks 32 – 40 over the next several days (my sewing was “un-blocked”!):

Today while taking photos for this post, I discovered I did not like the gray “frame” in one of the blocks (too overpowering):

So I redid it this morning with a red “frame”:

Now I have 40 blocks out of 100 now complete!

Not sure why my photos came out so dark from my design wall, I guess it was the lighting in my sewing studio this morning.

I am enjoying working from my piles of scraps selected for the 100 block sampler, and I’ve decided to just keep the piles out until I finish all 100 blocks.

I’ve been making a bunch of small scraps while cutting the fabrics for the 6.5 inch by 6.5 inch blocks and I plan to stuff pincushions like I did in this post – Stuffing it the Eco-conscious Way!

I plan to continue working on the blocks for the sampler and maybe whipping out a pincushion or two between sets of blocks if my tiny pile of scraps gets larger than my little basket for tiny scraps.

Sampler Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

What’s On the Design Wall: Not Losing Momentum

March 17, 2022June 16, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

A quick follow up to the post MSQC Quilt Retreat Part I: What I Worked On.

At the quilt retreat I attended a couple weeks ago, I completed the first 20 blocks for the Tula Pink’s City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks quilt:

Well last weekend, I did not want to lose the momentum on working towards completing the 100 blocks for the sampler quilt, so I made 10 more blocks:

This time I didn’t make the pieces for each block into little packets like I did for the retreat:

But I did pre-cut several blocks at a time before taking the pieces for 3 – 4 blocks to my sewing machine to piece together.

I had so much fun listening to music and sewing the next 10 blocks in the series.

I mainly worked from a pile of coordinated scraps I bought years ago from the Stitchin’ Post quilt shop in Sisters, Oregon:

It is fun to just riffle through the pile, coordinating fabrics for each block.

I thought about getting 10 more done, but it seems 10 at a time is enough in one sitting!

Here are the 30 blocks I’ve pieced to date up on my design wall – only 70 more to go!

To close this post here is a sweet card I came across that I sent recently to a friend. Hope it gives you are smile like it gave me:

What's on the Design Wall

What’s On the Design Wall: “Scraphenge”

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

This post is a follow up to my previous post What’s On The Design Wall: Stonehenge Scrappy Freeform Log Cabin, where I was using the freeform/improvisational log cabin block piecing technique – “log jamming” – to create a scrap quilt from my Northcott Fabrics Stonehenge line scraps.

I completed all the blocks and was deciding on a layout.

The layout I came up with was one in which the blocks set in other colors besides the cream Stonehenge fabric, were set in the center of the quilt (except for 4 I saved to use as cornerstones).

I decided to name the piece “Scraphenge” since it was made from Stonehenge fabric line scraps!

It is not a very large quilt, it measures 55 inches tall by 48 inches wide (139 cm by 122 cm).

Right now I am trying to decide whether to quilt it myself or send it to a long arm quilter. However for now I am just going to leave it up on the design wall as I have other projects in queue I want to work on (smile).

What's on the Design Wall

What’s On The Design Wall: Stonehenge Scrappy Freeform Log Cabin

January 11, 2022January 11, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I mentioned in my post Things to Do When You Have a Bad “Cold”, that I’ve been working on a scrappy improvisational “log cabin” block style quilt. I thought I would show you my progress on the piece so far.

All I’ve done is lay the blocks out for now on my design wall, this is not the final design. I have a name in mind for the piece but I am keeping that under wraps until I see if the final design will work.

Each block is 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches and was made using scraps of Northcott Fabrics’ Stonehenge line which I love, as well as some small yardage pieces of Stonehenge I had in my stash.

The scraps primarily came from this quilt I made a couple years ago:

This was my pile of scraps that I started with for the piece currently up on my studio design wall which include scraps from the quilt above and scraps given to me by quilting friends:

Eventually I decided not to use the Stonehenge animal print scraps that someone gave me (and recently I donated a pile of them to a local charity thrift store so they can be enjoyed by another crafter).

Here are photos of me chain piecing the improvisational log cabin blocks via a technique I learned from Jackie Erickson at the Stitchin Post when I lived in Central Oregon.

Jackie told us in a class I took at the Stitchin’ Post that “log jamming” that is technique originated in Africa – the using of scraps to randomly put together fabric and create a larger piece of fabric, etc.

While writing this post I googled “log jamming quilting” to see if I could find any official history on this technique and found a VIDEO by the Stitchin’ Post about log jamming!!!

If you want to see a demonstration of the technique, here is the video – enjoy!

Jackie has a pattern she sells on making a log jam quilt and here is the link to it: Modern Log Jam.

I have used the technique I learned from Jackie on so many quilts over the years (as well as taught the late Terry the Quilting Husband to make quilts this way also – see post What’s On The Design Wall: Flannel “Log Jam” Blocks) that she holds a special place in my heart (and she is an awesome teacher!).

In her class she would use a shopping bag of random scraps and you just pull from that bag and “jam on” while chain piecing.

Okay I went off on a tangent on log jamming, and let’s get back to the story on this current log jam quilt in progress…

Originally I wanted to frame all the blocks in a cream colored Stonehenge fabric I had in my stash, but it turned out I did not have enough. So I used a smaller brown yardage as well as a couple fat quarters from my stash that I thought would coordinate.

Here are the resulting four (4) types of blocks:

Yes, I have not cleaned up all the loose threads from all that chain piecing I did. But I’ll do that as I sew the blocks together in whatever their final configuration.

For now they all sit on my design wall awaiting my further musings on layout…

tierneycreates, What's on the Design Wall

A “Legendary” Christmas Gift and “Quilt Photo-bombing”

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I realized I had not shared a follow up to the August 2021 post Creating a back for a “Legendary” quilt. I received the quilt back from the long arm quilter just before Christmas and shared the finished quilt on my @tierneycreates Instagram, but not on my blog where I had talked about it in several posts over the years.

I was able to get the binding on right before Christmas and I gave it to my partner John for Christmas. Below are photos of the quilted quilt including where John keeps it on the sofa in the basement where his “man cave” is:

I was trying to take pictures of the back of the quilt and a miniature schnauzer slowly snuck into the photo (photo-bombing)!

Mike: Don’t mind if I sneak right on to the quilt while you try and photograph it!

Mike: Hi, I am cuter than this thing you are photographing!

This was taken before he got his haircut at the beginning of January. He got a bit furry through the holidays!

Oh the the extra tree block you see on the back of the quilt is by my friend Kathy, who gave me the scraps to make the quilt (plus scraps she got from our friend Dana). It was an extra she had when she made her quilt. That block reminds me/connects me to the love and generosity I constantly get from my long time quilting sisters!

Postscript

Thanks for all your well wishes on my January 5th post Things to Do When You Have a Bad “Cold”.

I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER! Unfortunately now John has my “cold” but it seems to be milder for him.

I’ve been making quite a bit of progress on the quilt I showed you I started while self-isolating due to me “cold”. I should be able to share on my next post what it is looking like on the “design wall”.

Studio, tierneycreates, What's on the Design Wall

Another Bag Making Class and Another Project

December 3, 2021December 5, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Last evening I took another bag making class like I did a month ago (see posts Did something awesome – took an in person crafting class! and Adventures in Bag Making: Range Backpack DONE!) at a Denver quilt shop.

This time we worked on the Firefly Tote by Noodlehead. A month ago I shared photos of the quilt shop’s class sample of the tote:

The pattern has instructions for two sizes – a smaller “project” size; and a larger “tote” size. I figured I would make the tote size.

I decided to make it in the same fabrics as the Range backpack also by Noodlehead that I made in the previous class and here are photos in progress during the class last night:

That was as far as I got (photo above) during class and I still need to make the lining and the drawstring topper. I found the “blingy” gold handles at the quilt shop and they go with the shiny gold zipper I used also in my coordinating backpack, also found at the quilt shop.

One class attendee got way farther than I did, and she was making the “project” size tote bag. Here is her nearly finished adorable project size bag being held up by our wonderful instructor:

Another student’s nearly finished project size Firefly Tote

Another student in the class brought her finished Range backpack to class and it was so cool I had to photograph it – she has it lined with a custom Yellowstone map fabric she found on Spoonflower:

If you are just joining us, here is the Range backpack I finished a couple weeks ago from the class I took a month ago. As you can see my Firefly Tote will coordinate with it:

And speaking of backpacks, I am currently working on a commission project of a scrappy Tula Pink Range backpack for a gift for someone who is a Tula Pink aficionado. The family member who commissioned it as a surprise gift asked me to include lots of Tula Pink fabrics. I am trying my best but I have a limited range of her fabric lines (but lots of scraps!)

Lots of Tula Pink All Stars line fabric scraps in my stash

Here is my design wall in progress as I work on piecing together/creating my own “fabric” to start cutting the sections for the backpack:

This is just a little bit of the fabrics I am using, it will be super scrappy. I am going to first make “fabric” from the scraps and do some simple quilting on it to reinforce it before I start cutting sections for the backpack pieces. I will share a photo when it is done!

I have to set finishing my Firefly Tote from last night’s class aside for now as I need to get the backpack done and shipped so they can surprise their sister for Christmas!

Are you working on any last minute December projects?

Shows and Exhibits, tierneycreates, WCQN, What's on the Design Wall

Secret Quilt and Design Wall Struggle

September 27, 2021September 27, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Lately my blog has primarily focused on my recent travels and I’ve joked I should change the name from “tierneycreates” to “tierneytravels”. Well over the past 6 months I’ve been tierney-creating a lot (when not traveling!) working on a “secret quilt” for a Women of Color Quilting Network (WCQN) show that opens next year.

The name of the show is Black Pioneers: Legacy of the America West and it opens next spring at the The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg, Florida. After a stint at The James Museum it will tour nationally (museums across the U.S. have already contacted the curator and head of the WCQN, Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi to request that the exhibit show at their museum).

Recently I put the final touches on my quilt for the show and sent it off to the curator to be professionally photographed for the book, etc.

We were provided with a list of Black Pioneers that contributed to the growth of the American West and my quilt is about one of those pioneers.

You’ll have to wait until Spring 2022 to find out more as the museum asked for no social media images of our quilts prior to the opening.

I am pretty excited about participating in this show; and this will be my third WCQN exhibit (see posts Visioning Human Rights in the New Millennium, Part I and “Giant Among the Sequoias” Returns Home). I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several other WCQN exhibits since Yours for Race and Country: Reflections on the Life of Colonel Charles Young (“Giant Among the Sequoias”) but I’ve had artist block when it comes to art quilts for a show over the past several years since my husband Terry died in December 2018.

I finally figured out what it was (beyond part of grieving) – I used to, in my previous home I shared with Terry for 14 years, work on art quilts in the giant design wall that spanned our small hallway of our home:

Working on “Giant Among the Sequoias” in Spring 2018

I loved creating textile art in that hallway and I would always have Terry down the hall watching TV, playing a computer game, or reading a book while I worked. Occasionally he would walk by on his way to the bathroom and give me an approving nod.

In my current home in the Denver metro area, I have a large design wall inside my lovely studio that my partner John put together but for me creating art quilts was about being in that hallway.

So I had to overcome that, and it was more difficult than I thought, to be able to work on the quilt for this show. I knew I did not want to pass up on any more WCQN exhibit opportunities (nor did I want to give up making art quilts) so I had to overcome this hurdle to my creativity.

All I can say is widowhood is a long road filled with potholes (some you think will kill you or at least break both your legs) and pits of muck getting you stuck.

But then ever so often the road smooths out and you can travel peacefully for a while. You can also learn to avoid some of the potholes and pull yourself quickly out of the muck when you slip in.

You keep learning that you are stronger than you think you are.

Glad I got unstuck from the muck to create this quilt. I will update you in the future on the creation of the quilt, the finished quilt, and more information about the show.

Feature image credit: Photo by Eric Murray on Unsplash

What's on the Design Wall

Creating a back for a “Legendary” quilt

August 1, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I’ve been doing a lot of “tierneycreate-ing” since returning from a visit with my brother and his family on the East Coast. As you saw in my previous post Help Me Pick the Binding for Seattle Scrappy!, I recently finished hand quilting a quilt (see Postscript section for an update on the poll/vote on which binding I should select); and yesterday I finished making a backing for my Sasquatch/Yeti quilt (the pattern by Elizabeth Hartman is called Legendary) that I most recently discussed in the post What’s On the Design Wall: Sasquatch Quilt Top Completed .

For the backing I wanted to use some scraps of the fabrics used to make the trees, but not go crazy on making a scrappy back. I also wanted to use a pieced tree that my friend Kathy gave to me when she gave me most of the fabric/scraps to make this quilt (which she had also inherited from our friend Dana when she made hers).

So I pieced around the tree block I had from Kathy and used larger scraps to frame it:

I am pretty pleased with the pieced quilting backing – it provides some visual interest to the back of the quilt and it honors the gift that Kathy gave me.

Recently I was talking to Dana and discovered she wants to. make another one (you can see her first one in this post Sasquatch Sightings), and so I am going to give her all the remaining scraps (which I am sure include scraps/fabric she originally gave to Kathy) from making this quilt.

Talk about “circle of life”, well I should say “circle of quilt“!

Oh and here is Dana’s completed quilt which started it all (I’ve seen it in person and wanted to take a nap under it when visiting her home…my understanding is her husband takes naps under it all the time during the colder seasons):

“Legendary” pieced by Dana and quilted by Krista

Now I am deciding whether to machine quilt it myself on my sewing machine or send it to a long-arm quilter. Krista Moser, longarm quilter extraordinaire, in the Seattle area did the quilting on Dana’s quilt. I am thinking about sending it to her as I’ve used her before on several quilts and she does an amazing job. The only challenge is she is super backlogged because she is so good!

Postscript

Thanks so much to so many of you that weighed in with your suggestion of which binding I should use for my Seattle Scrappy quilt that I discussed most recently on my previous post Help Me Pick the Binding for Seattle Scrappy!.

I tried inserting a poll into my post for the first time in the new WordPress Editor (that many of us have groaned about) and it seemed to be working. I had to navigate within My Sites > Feedback to locate the link Crowdsignal, which appears to power the polls, in order to look at the results, but here are the results so far if you are curious:

So far it looks like Fabric D is the winner but Fabric B is close behind. I am going to wait until Monday evening to see which fabric wins and gets to be making into the binding. Again – thanks for everyone’s input – its been fun to “crowdsource” my binding decision (smile)!

There still is time to vote and it appears you can only vote on my actual webpage, not the WP Reader.

What's on the Design Wall

What’s On the Design Wall: Sasquatch Quilt Top Completed

May 16, 2021May 16, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

A quick update on my previous post What’s On the Design Wall: My Own Sasquatch Sighting, I’ve finished the quilt top:

And now I am going to piece the back of the quilt. Nothing too fancy but I do want to include the tree I made from the leftover piecings from my friend Kathy’s quilt to honor where I got all the material from to make the quilt:

Then I need to find a local long-arm quilter to quilt it. Now that the pandemic is sort of subsiding I need to start connecting with my local quilting community.

I am going to pause working on this quilt for a bit as I have two things I really need to work on: 1) a sort of emotional piece that I need to make for two important people (more on a future post); and 2) an art quilt for a WCQN show I’ve been invited to participate in. The second one is time sensitive so I really need to get it started. Unfortunately I will not be able to share the quilt images until the show opens next year.

Oh but speaking of art quilts, one of my remaining recycled silk art quilts has been accepted into an upcoming show at a local gallery. I’ll post more about that in the future.

Tomorrow another out of town guest arrives, this time for a week’s visit. It is funny we went nearly a year during the pandemic with few visitors (just a set of out of town guests in October 2020) to what seems like a constant stream of (and vaccinated) visitors! (My sister comes to visit in June next).

I will close this post with an inspirational sign I recently picked up while thrifting at a local charity shop. I’ve put it on my bedroom wall so I can see it each morning when I wake up and be inspired!

What's on the Design Wall

What’s On the Design Wall: My Own Sasquatch Sighting

May 10, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Finally my own “Sasquatch sighting” at my house!

Back in 2018 several of my quilting friends were working on Elizabeth Hartman’s Legendary pattern, which featured a Sasquatch (“Bigfoot”) wandering through the woods.

I did a blog post about those quilts in progress (and completed quilt) in the post Sasquatch Sightings.

Back in 2018 my friend Kathy gave me the leftover flannel scraps and yardage from her Legendary quilt, some of which came from our friend Dana who also made the quilt.

Nearly three years later I am finally making my own Sasquatch quilt and discovered that Kathy gave me enough flannel fabric to make the entire quilt! And I might even have enough to piece a back for the quilt!

First I made the flannel trees:

The tree on the far left is made from leftover piecings from the quilt Kathy made. I am going to put it on the pieced back of the quilt to honor her generosity!

Once I made 14 flannel trees it was time for the challenging part of the quilt – making the pieced Sasquatch which involves over 36+ pieced sections.

I worked on the hands first, which involved the smallest pieces, to get through that first:

It took a couple sessions to get Sasquatch done but finally he was complete!

And now he is on the design wall with the rest of the blocks awaiting for me to cut the sashing that goes between the blocks:

I am going to send this quilt out to be professionally quilted once I finish piecing the front and the back.

It will be awesome to have my own “Sasquatch Sighting”!

tierneycreates, What's on the Design Wall

Another Baby Quilt to a Baby!

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

There is something so satisfying as a quilter in seeing a quilt you made being used by a baby (a new person on earth!). Like in the post Baby Quilt for An Adventure Baby, I was fortunate enough to be provided with photos of a new person in a quilt I made.

This post is a follow up to my March 30th post What’s on the Design Wall (Another Baby Quilt), where I shared a baby quilt in progress.

Well the baby quilt got completed and given to my friend Marla during her visit a couple of weeks ago and she delivered the quilt to the new parents in Portland, Oregon. Marla was kind enough to take photos for me of the new baby, Azzy, in his new quilt!

First here is the completed quilt in my studioafter I did basic straight line quilting and pre-washed it for the new parents:

And now here is little Azzy in his new quilt (thanks Marla for the photo!):

I think I just want to make baby quilts as my new career and have a wall of photos of babies snuggled in the quilts I made (smile).

Postscript

At the end of April I was honored to be featured on Maker Monday on the Instagram page of @blkmakersmatter.

You can read more of my responses to the interview questions posted on the Instagram post at https://www.instagram.com/p/COIprqNlCDI/ or you can find all the screenshots on my Textile Adventures page.

What's on the Design Wall

What’s on the Design Wall (Another Baby Quilt)

March 30, 2021March 31, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I have not made baby quilts in many years and now I am making baby quilts back to back (see post Baby Quilt for An Adventure Baby!)

On my studio’s design wall is a colorful baby quilt in progress for a special baby who lives in Portland, Oregon, who has recently joined us on earth (new Earthling!)

As Spring is sort of here (at least it is teasing us in the Denver metro area with periodic snow vs. 60+ degrees F days) I decided not to make a flannel quilt with flannel backing quilt like I did with the previous baby quilt. Instead I searched through my ridiculous collection of jelly rolls and found this colorful jelly roll from Maywood Studios:

In case you are not a quilter, “jelly rolls” are collections of 40 precut 2.5 inch strips that run about 42 – 44 inches long, are color coordinated (usually from the same fabric line) and can be used to make a small to larger quilt (if you add additional fabrics).

For a while, in my earlier quilting days, I was obsessed with jelly rolls and amassed quite the collection. I also had a collection of quilting books with quilt patterns using jelly rolls.

I only have one of those books left from those days – Jelly Roll Quilts: The Perfect Guide to Making the Most of the Latest Strip Rolls by Pam and Nicky Lintott, and used this book for the pattern for the baby quilt.

Besides using a jelly roll to make a quilt which I have not done in years, I made “strata” (sewing strips together to then cut into sections) to create the pattern for the quilt – something I have not done since the early 2000s when I first began quilting.

I felt like I was in my early days of quilting as I pressed each section of strata and it felt kind of nostalgic and sweet!

I have the center of the quilt assembled now and I am going to put a lightweight denim colored fabric as the border and use the extra blocks as cornerstones.

I’ll have some better photos to share after I get it all assembled and quilted.

tierneycreates, What's on the Design Wall

Recycled Denim Quilt Done and Hung!

March 27, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Not sure what came over me but I somehow quickly finished the recycled denim quilt I shared in the post What’s On The Design Wall, and got it hung on the wall.

Here is the backing I selected for the quilt, I picked it up a couple of week ago at a thrift store:

Like the pattern designer/author of Wise Craft Quilts, Blair Stocker did, I wanted to hand tie the quilt (see cover of book in image below):

It’s been many years (maybe 16 or more?) since I hand tied a quilt – I forgot how meditative and pleasing it was to hand tie the three layers together with a large needle and yarn:

Once the hand tying was complete, I used the same fabric as the backing for the quilt’s binding.

And then it was ready to be hung above my bed!

On to the next project!

What's on the Design Wall

What’s On The Design Wall

March 24, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Over the past couple weeks I’ve been working to turn this pile of recycled denim jeans,

into this:

I borrowed from the public library the book by Blair Stocker: Wise Craft Quilts over and over again, until I finally broke down and bought the book, all because of the quilt on the front cover:

That was several years ago and finally I decided to actually just make the quilt I’ve been love struck over.

The quilt is comprised of 30 blocks (5 x 6) and when fully assembled will tentatively measure 50 inches x 54 inches (1.27 meters x 1.37 meters or 127 cm x 137 cm).

I am going to hand tie the quilt like the author did in her sample, I like the rustic look it gives to this recycled denim quilt.

Here is the first layout on my design wall when I got all the blocks completed:

But I had my partner John take a look at the layout and do some tweaking (since tentatively I am going to hang the completed quilt above our bed) and this is the final layout:

I’ll share an image of the completed quilt in a future post. I am so excited to finally be making this quilt!

Adventures in Hand Quilting, What's on the Design Wall

An Update on “Seattle Scrappy” – Haphazard Stitching…

October 15, 2020April 22, 2024 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I thought I would give you all an update on the improvisationally free-form log cabin block style pieced quilt I’ve been working on since January 2020 – Seattle Scrappy. I last updated you on this piece in my March post – Update on Seattle Scrappy (though I think here and there in the Postscript section of later posts I provided a brief update…maybe).

A Little Background

To save you time from reading the previous posts about this quilt Update on Seattle Scrappy, Seattle Scrappy (What’s on the Design Wall) , and What’s on the…Design Carpet (and also have you wondering: “she’s posted about this quilt three times over 9+ month, why is it not done yet?!?!?) here is a little summary.

The quilt began as a pile of scraps that my friend Dana let me play with when I attended a quilt retreat in Poulsbo, Washington in January 2020 (see posts Mini Quilt Retreat, January 2020 and A Jaunt About Poulsbo, WA). I pieced these scraps into free form log cabin blocks (no measuring, just “eye-balling” and trimming to make fit):

I made a lot of blocks and when I returned home I arranged them into this quilt top:

I decided to name the piece: Seattle Scrappy.

For the past 7 or so months, I’ve been hand stitching the quilt.

Update on “Seattle Scrappy”

In my mind I am doing something like Kantha hand stitching but actually what I am doing should be called “Drunken Kantha” (no I am not drinking while stitching – that could be disastrous since I am a “light-weight” when it comes to alcohol consumption, I would impale my finger…constantly…with the needle) as, well…it sort of looks…sloppy…

Let’s get this over with – let me show you the photos – I am nearly 1/3rd done on stitching this quilt which measures approximately 60 inches by 60 inches:

If you are gasping or just shaking your head at this point as you look at the nonuniform stitching, I have an artistic design “excuse” for the stitching. It is a weak excuse but here goes: As it frequently rains in Seattle, Washington, I wanted the stitching to capture the feeling of a rainstorm (with the wind blowing the rain sideways…).

There. That sounds quite reasonable – it was just my artistic design, not that I am a terrible Kantha-stitcherist! (smile).

But seriously, I am hopeful it will look acceptable once I get the whole thing stitched, and then trim off the excess batting and backing, do a whole lot of ironing, and bind the edges in some manner (either a traditional quilt binding or the art quilt technique of putting a “facing” on the back edges of the quilt).

I cannot believe how long it takes to hand quilt a lap sized quilt. I’ve hand quilted smaller pieces before (see post What’s on My Lap) and I found it very meditative. I think in the future I will reserve hand quilting only for smaller pieces, it was a bit too ambitious an undertaking (for a slopping hand quilter) to hand quilt Seattle Scrappy!

Till the next update, Seattle Scrappy will continue to sit on the edge of my chair in the living room, waiting for the next set of haphazard stitches!

Postscript

Hopefully I did not visually traumatize you with images of my hand stitching.

If I have, I would like to undo the damage by referring you to look at the website of one of my extremely talented blogging buddies – Mariss the Quilter: Fabrications – who is a masterful Kantha stitcher. Check out her post On Hand Stitching to see some amazing Kantha stitching!

Someday…maybe…I can get my stitching to a “less scary point”. I am not aiming for her level of talent, just not to scare myself or others – ha! I did recently actually invest in a book on Kantha stitching. So perhaps there is hope…

What's on the Design Wall

What’s On the Design Wall: “Pride”

October 7, 2020 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

The colorful quarter circle quilt “Pride” (which I first shared in the July 2020 post What’s on the Design Wall: Pride) is back up on the design wall (I took it down a couple months ago to work on other pieces):

“Pride” in it’s tentative layout on the design wall

Each block is 7.5 inches x 7.5 inches and there are 64 blocks. Using some rough math the finished piece is estimated to be a little under 5 ft. x 5 ft.

Right now I am still playing with the color combinations to make sure I have the most pleasing layout. I still have more blocks to make with additional color combinations.

So once I get those done I can finalize the layout and begin sewing the blocks together.

More to come…

Postscript

I am still working on my granny square madness (see post Granny Square Madness) and plan to share an update once I finish up the remaining blocks of the 100 I am making.

I continue to take my “to go” kit of granny squares in progress everywhere I go!

Outside Adventures!, What's on the Design Wall

The Mountains on the Wall

September 29, 2020November 15, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I spend a lot of time in my home office. I work four 10 hour days Monday to Thursday each week. I try to keep the walls of my home office visually appealing since occasionally during boring conference calls I might need to stare at them (smile).

Have you ever played “Conference Call Bingo”? My friend Cody turned me on to it.

I love mountains, that is one of the reasons I chose the part of Colorado (the Front Range Urban Corridor of the Rocky Mountains) I moved to in 2019 (see series of posts Colorado Bound) – it has lots of visible mountains!

I’ve enjoyed some amazing hikes in Colorado (see series of posts Outside Adventures! – the posts on my mountain hikes) and being near any sort of geologic rock formation is one of my favorite things in the world.

I love Mountains. One of my favorite memories while living in the Seattle area was a visit on my birthday to Mount Rainer/Mount Rainer National Park (which I beloved nicknamed “baby mountain” because it was my most dearly beloved mountain of the Cascade Mountain range).

So last year while visiting my Washington state based quilting friends, I picked up a mountain scene themed panel to make a future wall hanging.

Finally, over a year later, I finished this wall hanging. See photos below.

The panel is by one of my favorite fabric lines – Stonehenge by Northcott Fabrics. In a perfect (and frivolous) world I would own the entire fabric line!

I made a simple quilted wallhanging by adding in a thin and then larger border with some coordinating fabrics from the Stonehenge line, and used the outside border fabric to bind it.

Then I hung it on my home office wall (which is also the upstairs guest room):

Someday I need to make a queen-sized bed quilt for the upstairs guest room bed!

In case you’ve been following my blog for a while and you have a very detailed memory (filled with lots of random things you remember), you will notice my home office wall color has changed. It used to be green, as shown in this post from April 2020 – Home Office Tips and Tour.

We decided to paint it the same color as the rest of the house instead of the random green color it had on its walls. It was one of those projects we did during my guest blogger’s (Mike the Miniature Schnauzer) discussion of endless pandemic home remodeling projects in his post Guest Blog Post: A Whole Lot of Remodeling Going On.

In addition to the mountain quilt wallhanging, I also have B&W photos from hikes around Colorado as well as some other B&W photos I love.

The B&W photograph on the right in the second image is by Kirk Fry Photography , a local Colorado artist.

And here is the desk where I endure conference calls from all day – ha!

It helped to have quilts to look at when the conference calls get mind numbing…

I also now have a built in shelved closet in my home office but I will talk more about that in a future post about another remodel of my studio (if you are on Instagram, there are some images on my IG page @tierneycreates).

Studio, What's on the Design Wall

The Patriotic Quilt

September 1, 2020November 15, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Recently I made a patriotic themed quilt for my partner John to go next to his framed U.S. flag from a mission in Iraq his adopted son K, who serves in the U.S. Air Force, dedicated in his honor.

When I purchased the panel a month or so ago from Missouri Star Quilt Company I was feeling strangely patriotic. Now I have mixed feelings but I like the way the quilt came out and how it looks next to the mission flag, which I will show you later in this post.

Here is the panel with the piecing in progress:

I made a lot of “flying geese” using the quick method for flying geese and had a lot of little trimmings to throw out but it was better then the slower way to may flying geese!

Here is the finished quilt next to the framed mission flag:

As you can tell, I machine quilted it myself (smile).

I mentioned earlier in this post, when I purchased this panel I was feeling strangely patriotic.

I think I am still feeling patriotic but I am also feeling fairly discouraged and a little sad about the state of my country. However, I am trying to focus on all the good people here and not the “less good” (and I am not talking politics as I am fairly disillusioned by both sides of the U.S. political parties).

My parents raised us to be patriotic, my father was even born on the 4th of July (Independence Day) and served his country is the U.S. Army.

Even though as people of African decent our ancestors were brought to the country against their will, I came from a family who tried to make the best they could of a not so good situation (Stories My Father Told Me). We focused on education (I come from a long line of teachers) and did not let racial discrimination hold us down. I was taught to keep moving forward and to focus on raising others up (for example my father worked as a social worker with gangs in New York City after finishing his Masters Degree in the early 1960s and then was the head of the Urban League in several major cities; and my mother worked as a Director of a Head Start Program).

The 4th of July used to be an important holiday for me, always celebrated (plus it was my father’s birthday!). I loved wearing red, white and blue in honor of the U.S. flag. As a kid I loved standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance each morning at school; and I loved to sing the National Anthem at the top of my lungs.

But I’ve been struggling over the past 4 years and I’ve been embarrassed by this country’s leadership (both sides of the political spectrum) who seem to be overall very “self-serving”, intentionally polarizing this country, and spending most of their time “pointing fingers”. I feel like my heart is broken…at times actually shattered.

However, this is the only country I have, and to hate it just makes me even sadder and more heart broken. So I’ve decided despite all the strife and unhappy stuff going on in the U.S. to remain patriotic and still believe in my country.

I am just sharing my feelings and I am not making any particular political point. I respect that others may feel quite different and thanks for reading my musings.

What's on the Design Wall

What’s on the Design Wall: Pride

July 14, 2020July 14, 2020 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

In my June 11th post Tweaks to the Tierneycreates Studio, I shared that one of my quilting friends (Dana) had gifted me fabric, the pattern, the templates and pieces she already cut of a quilt she decided not to make:

As you can see above, Dana had already made 20 or so of the 7″ template quarter circle blocks.

One of the template sets had this quilt on it’s cover:

I decided not to make any of the 3.5″ quarter circle blocks but instead to start assembling the 7″ circle blocks Dana already cut and to arrange them like the pattern that came with the 3.5″ template.

Here is where I am with the piece to date:
I’ve decided to name the piece “Pride” because it is bold and colorful and not afraid to be what it wants to be!

I still have a lot more 7″ quarter circle blocks to put together in additional color combinations which will provide more variety to the block options than I have above.

You might not see an update on this quilt for a while because I had to take it off the design wall to work on another piece for a show I’ve been invited to (the curator will still have to make the final decision whether I get into the show after they see my piece) participate. I won’t be sharing images of that piece for the show until it is complete and I find out if I got into the show!

Postscript

My partner John recently stripped/sanded an old chair he had for years from his maternal grandmother. The chair is approximately 80 years old. I forgot to take a “before” photo (but trust me the chair looked terrible – it was covered in paint and grime), but here are photos after it was sanded and refinished:

We made the chair into a bedside table in our upstairs guest room (which is also my home office) by clipping on a lamp. I got this idea from one of the many home decorating books I’ve borrowed recently from the library (see post Beastie goes to the library (and gets a Library Stack)).

And an update to the recent “library stacks” I’ve borrowed: I am enjoying reading the books sitting on the front porch during our warm weather in the Denver metro area. Here is Mike the Miniature Schnauzer attempting to distract me from my reading:

Fabric Scraps Obsession, Quarantine Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

“All the Trimmings” is all done

June 19, 2020May 16, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Good Morning, here is a quick update on the quilt I shared in the post Update on “All the Trimmings”.

I finished machine quilting my quilt created from a zillion half square triangles (HSTs), most of which were from scrap triangles collected over 15 years, most of which were triangles from the trimming of blocks by other quilters. Hence the name: All the Trimmings.

The quilt measures 57.5 inches by 72.5 inches (146 cm x 184 cm).

Here’s another photo with my partner John holding up All the Trimmings:

As I created it during the Quarantine times, I went ahead and entered it into the call for entry I linked in this post – Quarantine Quilts (call for entry).

I was limited to 50 words, but here is the Artist Statement for the quilt I submitted:

Missing my Quilting Community during Quarantine and inspired by Amanda Jean Nyberg’s pattern “All Sizes”, I created a quilt from 15 years of scrap triangles collected from my quilting friends at quilt retreats and “sew dates”. Most of the scraps in this quilt are from the trimmings of blocks by many quilters as they made their quilts. Instead of going into the trash, scrap triangles compose this cozy quilt.

I am fairly sure some pretty spectacular quilts (and art quilts) have been submitted for this international call for entry and some of the quilts will go to the Houston International Quilt Show, one of the biggest quilt shows in the world.

I have doubts my little HST quilt will be selected but as they say: “You got to be in it to win it” – ha! (and it was free to enter).

The rules say the makers of the quilts selected will be notified no later than July 10th. I will let you know the outcome.

For now, the quilt is keeping me company on my favorite chair in the living room.

You might notice that the quilt Seattle Scrappy (see post Update on Seattle Scrappy) is sitting in the chair also – I am still working on hand quilting it (and wow hand quilting a lap size quilt takes MUCH LONGER than machine quilting it!).

Postscript

Speaking of “Quarantine Quilts”, a friend of mine has been working on an incredible quilting collaboration project with some children in her neighborhood and I hope she will share with us this project in a future guest post. Every time I look at images of this quilt in progress I get a huge smile!

Fabric Scraps Obsession, Quarantine Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

Update on “All the Trimmings”

June 5, 2020May 16, 2022 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Hello everyone, I wanted to share an update on the quilt I last discussed in this post What’s on the Design Wall: “All the Trimmings”.

I completed all five sections of the quilt top made from fabric scrap triangles and scrap squares to create nearly 600 half square triangles (HSTs) in the following sizes:

2 inch x 2 inch
2.5 inch x 2.5 inch
3.5 inch x 3.5 inch
4.5 inch x 4.5 inch
5.5 inch x 5.5 inch

It was inspired by the pattern All Sizes by Amanda Jean Nyberg from her book, No Scrap Left Behind.

Here it is on the ironing board after I pinned it for quilting:

And here is it currently being machine quilted on my sewing machine:

I decided to machine quilt it myself rather than send it out to be professional long-arm machine quilted. Slowly I am making progress, I try to work on a section each day.

(You might notice some curious brightly colored half-circle blocks on my design wall behind my sewing area. I’ll talk about those in a future post. They are blocks a quilting friend gave me when she decided not to finish a piece. More to come.)

And of course when I finish machine quilting All the Trimmings I will share another update.

I am going to do an Artist Statement for this piece since there is a story behind it. Here is a very rough draft of that statement:

It’s more than just a half square triangle quilt. I miss going to Quilting Retreats and hanging out with Quilting friends so I made this quilt, based on Amanda Jean Nyberg’s pattern “All Sizes”, from scraps collected from my quilting friends during 15 years of quilting retreats and “Sew Dates”. Most of the scraps are triangle trimmings from their block piecing. Hundreds of scrap triangles went into this quilt top!

Postscript

A friend of mine recently said that she was looking forward to hearing my thoughts on the tragic events and strife currently going on in the United States in a blog post.

For me it is just too deeply personal and sad issue to discuss in this forum, so I am going to just focus my blog posts on my creative projects and other lighter topics.

I will however share with you that I am currently taking a break from watching or reading the news as this was wearing down my soul.

Recently came across this quote by Fred (Mister) Rogers that made me feel some peace and I will close out this post with this quote:

Category: What’s on the Design Wall

And then there were 88

Postscript

And then there were 70…

Scraphenge is Done and Hung

What’s On The Design Wall: Over 50% Done!

Postscript

“Sewing-Block” Resolved by Sewing a Block!

What’s On the Design Wall: Not Losing Momentum

What’s On the Design Wall: “Scraphenge”

What’s On The Design Wall: Stonehenge Scrappy Freeform Log Cabin

A “Legendary” Christmas Gift and “Quilt Photo-bombing”

Postscript

Another Bag Making Class and Another Project

Secret Quilt and Design Wall Struggle

Creating a back for a “Legendary” quilt

Postscript

What’s On the Design Wall: Sasquatch Quilt Top Completed

What’s On the Design Wall: My Own Sasquatch Sighting

Another Baby Quilt to a Baby!

Postscript

What’s on the Design Wall (Another Baby Quilt)

Recycled Denim Quilt Done and Hung!

What’s On The Design Wall

An Update on “Seattle Scrappy” – Haphazard Stitching…

A Little Background

Update on “Seattle Scrappy”

Postscript

What’s On the Design Wall: “Pride”

Postscript

The Mountains on the Wall

The Patriotic Quilt

What’s on the Design Wall: Pride

Postscript

“All the Trimmings” is all done

Postscript

Update on “All the Trimmings”

Postscript

Postscript

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Postscript

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Postscript

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Postscript

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Postscript

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

A Little Background

Update on “Seattle Scrappy”

Postscript

Share this:

Postscript

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Postscript

Share this:

Postscript

Share this:

Postscript

Share this: