Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 31

Tinted Chains



We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's

Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice.

http://grandmotherschoice.blogspot.com

This is how I made my block, it may differ a

bit from the original.

It is Easter Sunday here in the USA.  Finally, it

looks like Spring has arrived though I have heard 

rumors of snow flurries in a few days.  Noooooo!

I am so happy to see Spring-like weather that it 

inspired my fabric choices this week.  Something

bright and happy and floral.

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Large Floral

4 - 3 5/16'' squares

Fabric B: Pink Medium Floral

1 - 3 5/16'' square

Fabric C: Pink & White Print

1 - 5 3/16'' square - cut twice

on the diagonal.

Fabric D: Turquoise Floral

2 - 2 7/8'' squares - cut once

on the diagonal.

Make Triangle Units - Step 1:

Layout 2 Fabric C triangles and 1 Fabric A

square as shown and sew together.  Press 

seams to the inside.  Trim dog ears.

Step 2:

Sew a Fabric D triangle to the top as shown.

Press seam to the triangle.  Trim dog ears.

Make 2.

Make Center Unit:

Layout units as shown and sew together.

Press seams to the outside.

Sew a triangle unit to the top and bottom

of the center unit being sure to lock seams.

Square to 8 1/2''.

Checkout everyone's work on Dustin's Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/grandmotherschoice/

American Homestead is now on

 Facebook.  Please "like" my page!

http://www.facebook.com/americanhomesteaddesign/

For those who celebrate, I hope you have

a Joyous Easter.

See you next Sunday!  ~ Ellen

A Happy Mistake

 

This week our cable company is having a

Watchathon.  Since we don't have any premium

channels, we have been spending many hours in

front of the tv, watching all of the "new to us" shows.

 

I have been keeping busy as we watch, I have been

doing a lot of hand embroidery for a future project.

 

Doing all of this embroidery reminded me of this

box of cards I bought for a dime, a few decades ago

at a rummage sale.  I loved that each card contained

a packet of seeds.

 

 

It wasn't until I got home and opened it and realized

it didn't have any cards but was filled with this

collection of vintage embroidery transfers.  I love

to think of a time when it was common for people

to embroider on their aprons, dishtowels, etc.

 

Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 30

Broad Arrow

 

 

We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's

Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice.

http://grandmotherschoice.blogspot.com

 

 

This is how I made my block, it may differ

a bit from the original.

Note:  We are dividing an 8'' block into 3

units and that is never going to be simple,

so get ready for 3/16'' measures...

 

 

Fabric Requirements:

 

Fabric A: Blue

3 - 3 3/16'' squares

1 - 4'' square

1 - 5 13/16'' square

 

Fabric B: White

1 - 4'' square - Mark a

diagonal line on back.

 

 

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair Fabric A and Fabric B 4'' squares

with right sides together.  Sew 1/4'' away

from each side of drawn line, cut on drawn line.

  Press seams to the darker fabric and square

to 3 3/16''.

 

 

Layout square units and sew together

into 2 rectangles, press seams to the

solid squares.

 

 

Place small rectangle unit on the left side

of the large square and sew together.  Press

seam to the large square.

 

 

Place large rectangle on top of above unit

and sew together.  Press final seam open

to reduce bulk.  Square to 8 1/2''.

 

Checkout everyone's work on Dustin's Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/grandmotherschoice/

 

 

Please "like" the American

Homestead Facebook page!

http://www.facebook.com/americanhomesteaddesign/

 

See you next Sunday!

~ Ellen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



On Broadway!

 

It is not only quilts and craft designing

going on in the American Homestead

studio.  Sometimes special projects

come in too.

This is a doll I recently made as a prop

for the Broadway production of

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

 

 

I heard this morning that the stars

love it ~ always good to hear.

 

Happy Spring!

 

Today is the first day of Spring!

Sadly, it doesn't feel like it around here.

This photo is from last year...

 

 

Our poor daffs are trying to grow,

but it is so cold... When I woke up

this morning it was gray and we were

having snow flurries.  That's not a good

way to start Spring off.

 

 

Later in the day the sun came out and

I headed to the park.  There were hundreds

of Robins ~ did they know it was the first day

of Spring??  Of course, I didn't have my camera

so here is a photo of one of our Robin's stealing

the threads from our old outdoor cushions to

feather his nest.

 

 

We look forward to seeing the Robin

families that will grow up in our garden

later in the year.

 

The funniest thing is I saw a groundhog.

He looked perplexed ~ I think he was saying,

"Hey, wait a minute, I said Spring was coming

early!"

 

 

 

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

St. Patrick's Day has always been a big

day in our Irish household.  After all, if

you suffer the slings and arrows of the

effects of Murphy's Law all year, you

need one day to let loose!

 

 

We started our celebration last evening

since it is the last time we will all be

together for dinner for awhile.  Of course,

we had corned beef and cabbage with potatoes.

 

Did you know Murphy means potato?

 

 

Some delicious Colcannon.

 

More potatoes and cabbage...

 

 

And Irish Soda Bread.

 

We finished off the evening watching

Circle of Friends.  Today Brennan heads

back to Bloomington.  Katie Rose is here

for one more night ~ perhaps we'll watch

the Quiet Man...

 

Best wishes from the Irish-American Homestead

 

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

the rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hallow of his hand.

 

All the best,

 

~ Ellen

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Worldwide Quilting Day!

 

Many of my friends are spending the day with

other quilters at a local quilting event...  but I

am home putting the finishing touches on the

nine quilts for my book.

 

 

I have hand sewn the bindings, sleeves, labels and

even some yoyo's on 8 of the 9 quilts in the past

month ~ 4 of them since Tuesday.  It has been a long

 but wonderful process and now my fingers are tired.

 

 

Since I have done nothing but work for the past

year, my studio is looking a "bit" disheveled...

I guess I will have to add " Organize the chaos

that is your studio" to the to-do list.

 

So the quilts will be traveling across the country

next week to spend many months at the publishers.

There are photo shoots to be done and the technical

editing begins.  I will miss them, they have become

such a part of my life.

 

Best wishes for a Happy Worldwide Quilting Day

for those of you that are interested in this form of

artistic expression.  And if you are not a quilter,

maybe you are lucky enough to snuggle up with one.

I love thinking of all the quilters I have come to know

all over the world, I wish I could see where you work,

where you shop for fabrics and your finished projects.

 

All the best ~ Ellen

 

 

Happy National Pi Day!

 

I realize it may seem a bit odd to have a day

that celebrates a numerical ratio... but it sounds

like "pie" so that's good enough for me!

 

 

Book deadlines are approaching so sadly

there will be no pie making at the

American Homestead today.

 

 

But we can revisit some of American

Homestead's favorite pies o' the past!

 

 

I love pie birds!

 

 

I love vintage baking tools!

 

 

I love fresh picked strawberries!

 

 

I love shells!

 

 

I love Paris!

 

 

I love chocolate!

 

 

I love hobnail milk glass!

 

 

 

Maybe we should have another

Summer of Pie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 28

Ocean Wave

 

 

We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's

Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice.

http://grandmotherschoice.blogspot.com

 

 

This is how I made my block, the instructions

are a bit different from the original.

 

 

Fabric Requirements:

 

Fabric A: White Print

5 - 3 1/4'' squares - Mark a

diagonal line on back.

 

Fabric B: Blue

5 - 3 1/4'' squares

 

Fabric C: Floral

1 - 2 7/8'' square - cut on diagonal

1 - 4 7/8'' square - cut on diagonal

(you will only need 1 half)

 

Fabric D: Coral

1 - 2 7/8'' square - cut on diagonal

1 - 4 7/8'' square - cut on diagonal

(you will only need 1 half)

 

 

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair Fabric A and B 3 1/4'' squares

with right sides together.  Sew 1/4''

away from each side of drawn line.

Cut on drawn line, press seams to the

Fabric B.  Square to 2 1/2''.

 

 

Quarter Unit #1 - 4 Patches

 

Layout half square triangles as shown and

sew together in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1

to the left and seam in row 2 to the right.

 

Sew rows together.  Square to 4 1/2''.

Make 2.

 

 

Quarter Unit #2 - Step 1

 

Layout units as shown and sew the half

square triangle to one of the triangles as

shown.  Press to the triangle, trim off the

little dogear.

 

 

Quarter Unit # 2 - Step 2

 

Pin the other triangle and sew to above unit.

(I stress pinning this because it is easy to sew

this to the wrong edge...)  Press to the triangle.

Trim dogears.

 

 

Quarter Unit #2 - Step 3

 

Sew the large triangles to the units and

press seam to the large triangle.

Square to 4 1/2''.

 

 

Layout units as shown and sew together

in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1 to the left

and seam in row 2 to the right.

 

 

Sew rows together and square to 8 1/2''.

 

Check out everyone's work on Dustin's Flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/grandmotherschoice/

 

 

I've always been interested in the WAVES,

maybe that is due to my own time spent on

the high seas when I was a Sea Scout as a

teenager.  That's me above, on our boat, The

Seahorse ~ I'm the one with her hand clutched

to her throat...

 

American Homestead can

now be found on Facebook.

Please "like" my page!

http://www.facebook.com/americanhomesteaddesign/

 

See you next Sunday!

~Ellen