Monthly Archives: November 2015

Jane Blocks and Color Contrast

So far this month I have one triangle and three more blocks done for my Jane Stickle quilt.  See my Last Post for a look at the triangle and to see how I am managing those pesky little melons.

I started cutting fabric for one block and realized I had grabbed the red fabric meant for another.  I have a color scheme set up for my blocks and I am staying with the block arrangement that Jane used so I needed to switch to yellow for the block.  I went ahead and made both the red and yellow thinking I could add it to my extra blocks for a Baby Jane quilt.  The result is that I really like the red block better.  Much better color contrast.

Yellow and Red Contrast

Here are the other two blocks, H-11 and J-7 … Click for a full size look at them.

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Reverse Applique on Seam Lines

I have discovered that reverse appliquéing Jane melons in the middle of a seam is much easier than regular reverse appliqué and certainly much easier than appliqué, especially for those annoying teeny tiny melons! It’s much easier because you don’t have to manage the raw edges at the points; you are stitching up to the folded seam. I came across this method in the That Quilt Blog Tutorial for Block F-5.  Once I realized how neat the melons came out I decided to use this method whenever possible, even modifying blocks to add seams if necessary.

Here is how I modified the TR-6 triangle to use this for a very small melon and a diamond:

I replaced the top triangle piece with two rectangles sewn together which will be trimmed at the end.

If you find an opportunity to use this method try it. I bet you will like it.

Barbados Bag

I am so glad I found time to take a class at Quilters Common yesterday.  Thank you Pat for doing such a great job of guiding us through the process of making the Pink Sand Beach Designs Barbados Bag.  We all had great success getting our bags put together during the class.  The pattern has lots of pictures and step by step instructions, but it always helps to get confirmation that you are doing the right thing when there are so many details.  And, I discovered how to put tabs on the ends of the zippers, which makes for a much more finished look. Can’t believe how easy it is to do!

If you get this pattern the only suggestion I have is to prepare the tabs for attaching the D rings to the bag separately rather than cutting them from the strap, and don’t use the fusible fleece for these tabs.  Use the durabond on both sides.  This makes it easier to fold the ends over.  Also, I used hardware to make my bag adjustable for wearing over the shoulder or cross body.

It’s a well written pattern and makes a versatile little bag with just the right amount of structure to it.  I am already thinking of other fabric choices for a second one.