Flying Geese Rulers: A review of 3 options

by Judy Tucker

FlyingGeeseRulers.jpg

I've recently been working on several projects which have flying geese blocks.  Two of the projects are for a class and I intentionally used half square triangles and quarter square triangles cut from squares to make the flying geese.  So you don't need a special tool to make flying geese blocks, but sometimes it's great to have one.

You might want to use a Flying Geese Ruler if you are using scraps and don't have a large enough square of fabric to cut the pieces but you do have a strip of fabric which would work if you were using the specialty ruler. Or perhaps you are allergic to anything cutting which requires a measuring 7/8 inch, in which case, you are always going to reach for ruler to make your flying geese blocks!

Shown above are 3 flying geese rulers which I've used.  They all work well so I'm not going to recommend any particular ruler.  Each of the rulers specifies the width of fabric strip you need to cut to make a specific size finished flying geese block.  1/4 inch seam allowances are automatically included with all 3 rulers so you don't need to use any math to make the correct size block.  The 3 rulers do have minor differences and you may find there is one which you'd prefer.

Fons & Porter Omnigrid Flying Geese Ruler

Fons & Porter Omnigrid Flying Geese Ruler

I've had the Fons & Porter Omnigrid Flying Geese Ruler the longest. It's a good straightforward tool.  The quarter square triangles for the body of the goose are cut using the black lines and the wings are cut using the yellow lines.  All the lines are printed on the same surface of the lucite.  The tool is marked with to show the flat edge of the strip of fabric to you will be cutting but the tool itself isn't blunt. Using the marking does eliminate the dog ears on the finished block if you align the marking on the tool with the fabric strip. This tool is marked for flying geese from 1 x 2 inches to 4 x 8 inches. 

The Fons & Porter Flying Geese Ruler comes with a full color booklet with a tutorial in English on one side and in Spanish on the flip side.  It also includes a pattern for the Dutchman's Puzzle block.

Marti Michell's Flying Geese Ruler

Marti Michell's Flying Geese Ruler

Marti Michell's Flying Geese Ruler uses black lines to cut the quarter square triangles for the goose body and dark purple lines to cut the half square triangles for the goose wings.  I don't see a lot of difference between the purple and black lines. However, since you are turning the ruler to cut each unit, I don't find that to be a problem.   Markings are all on one side of the piece of lucite.

This ruler is marked to cut Flying Geese Units from 2 1/2 x 5 inches to 4 1/2 x 9 inches.  All if the corners of the ruler are blunted so you can line up the flat top edge of the ruler with the edge of the fabric you are cutting.  I like that feature.  There are 2 flat edges on the long side of the ruler enabling you to make a block which is totally dog-ear free.  I have to say, I didn't enjoy cutting that extra tip off with my rotary cutter. It just felt like it was an awkward angle.  But if you want to avoid dog ears, this is the tool for you!

I did like the soft rubber piece holding on the instruction booklet.  It slides easily on and off the ruler so it's a great way to keep the instructions attached to the tool. The instruction booklet had clear 2 color diagrams and instructions on chain piecing the blocks.  It also has diagrams of 3 quilt blocks which can be made using this tool:   Dutchman's Puzzle, Evening Star and Rambler. 

EZ Quilting Flying Geese Ruler by Kimberly Einmo/ Simplicity Creative Group

EZ Quilting Flying Geese Ruler by Kimberly Einmo/ Simplicity Creative Group

The EZ Quilting Flying Geese Ruler has magenta lines to cut the quarter square triangles for the goose body on "Side A".  The aqua lines to cut the half square triangles for the wings are on the flip side of the lucite, "Side B". I found these markings to be easy to see when I was using dark fabrics. 

This ruler is marked for flying geese units from 1 1/2 x 3 inches to 6 x 12 inches.  There is a flat edge on 2 sides of the ruler which align with the top of of the strip of the fabric you are cutting. You will have dog ears on the lower edges of your finished block but not along the top of the block. 

The flier with this tool has concise cutting instructions in English, French and Spanish. There are  diagrams showing how to cut and construct the block but no text/tutorial to go with the diagrams. The booklet does include a chart showing the width of strip needed for each size of flying geese unit.  This information is also printed on the ruler. 

So, which tool to pick?

  • If you are a beginner and want step by step instructions, or if you want to make really little flying geese blocks, the Fons & Porter tool is great.
  • If you don't want to trim dog ears on your finished blocks, the Marti Michell tool is for you.
  • If you know how to make flying geese blocks and want to make large flying geese blocks or if you are working with really dark fabrics, the EZ Quilting Flying Geese is your best choice. 

So these tools have some differences, but in the end, all 3 make great flying geese blocks. The choice is yours!  Buy what you can find and/or like best.  You really can't go wrong.

Here is a completed block made with each ruler.  None have been trimmed or squared up yet.

African Village Quilt with Dancers using Diamond blocks

by Judy Tucker

AfricanVillagequiltwithdancers.jpg

I've completed my African Village Quilt with all diamond blocks.  The dancers in the diamond blocks, the bodies of the houses and the borders are all African Fabrics, or African designed fabrics made in Holland.  The border fabric is mud cloth made in Gambia. It is soft and gauzy. It worked well in the borders but the wax fabrics are easier to use for piecing since they have less give. Because the African fabrics were all so different, I washed them before I used them. The wax fabrics were really waxy prior to washing but soft afterwards.  I found these fabrics at the Etsy shop, Tambo Collection.  They had a great selection of fabrics and the prices are reasonable.

Here is the back of the quilt.  The central fabric is Kente cloth made in made in Holland. The tops and bottom strips are Kona Cotton "Cheddar"!

I really like the motion in the Kente Cloth print.  It's great designing. 

In the live and learn department:

If you compare the photo of the quilt above with the pattern diagram below, you'll see that the quilt has 2 layers of "lawn" below the huts while there is only 1 in the pattern.  When I printed the PDFs paper piecing files, I didn't change the print specifications to 100% which is necessary to get an accurate pattern.  I had 1 inch markers on the patterns but didn't check them since they were my own patterns.  I would have caught my error if I had put a ruler on the inch marker.  The pattern on file is accurate but the printing wasn't.  My hut blocks came out 8 inch finished instead of the needed 9 inch.  When I was sewing the huts, they didn't seem any different than the huts on the first quilt I made. But they were slightly smaller.  When I tried to sew the blocks together, they didn't match.  I decided was easier to add to the hut blocks to make them larger rather than re-making the diamond blocks smaller.   

All the paper pieced patterns I've used from other designers have always specified printing at 100% which I've done. And I checked the 1 inch mark too.  I've always wondered if it really matters.  And the answer is:  YES, it does!  When I went back and printed one of the hut patterns with the print setting at 100% and the block measured a perfect 9 inch finished.   Lesson learned. 

African Village with Diamonds Quilt Design

African Village with Diamonds Quilt Design


Around the World Blog Hop

by Judy Tucker

It's Monday!  I'm taking today to join in the Around the World Blog Hop.  I was tagged by Amy Friend, DuringQuietTime, designer of amazing paper pieced quilt blocks and also beautiful quilts, to add a post to the "Around the World Blog Hop."  

I, in turn, am tagging Maer Soukaros to add a post next Monday.  She's a New England resident, a quilt designer, and a member of our local quilt guild, Proper Bostonian Quilters.  Her amazing "Fault in my Star" quilt won a prize in our Summer Challenge!  Congrats Maer!  It's a beautiful quilt!  (Maer was modest and didn't mention that she'd won a prize when she wrote about the quilt in her blog last week)!  She blogs at Thehard-rockquilter.blogspot.com.  Can't wait to see her post next week!

1. What I've been working on:

I'm spending September finishing up projects that I started over the summer.  I have a stack of 6 quilts waiting to be quilted.  The most challenging one is the sampler quilt from the Flickr Vintage Quilt Revival Quilt Along.  Each block will have a unique quilting pattern.  It's exciting to think about, but it's going to take of lot of time to quilt.  Making the blocks of this quilt improved my piecing skills.  The book, Vintage Quilt Revival, has blocks that start easy and gain complexity.  It was fun, and challenging, to make all the blocks.

Vintage Quilt Revival Sampler

Vintage Quilt Revival Sampler

 

I've been working all summer on learning to quilt in a circular pattern. I finally got it!  Scroll back to my last post to see my latest project, The Bulls' Eye Quilt. 

Last weekend I took a break from quilting to make a bird from Abby Glassenberg's book, The Artful Bird. Abby blogs at WhileSheNaps. 

Here are 3 photos of my bird-making adventure:  

Left to right:  

  • The unstuffed body
  • Adding a left over wool batting for stuffing
  • The final bird standing on the book.  There is another photo of my bird on Instagram @sleepingdogquilts.

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre:

I've been quilting since my college years.  Until recently, I usually made a quilt for a specific person or for a specific use, such as a baby quilt.  At the end of last year, I retired after 30 years in pediatric nursing. I decided that I wanted to spend my suddenly "free" time learning more about quilting.  I have the freedom now to make quilts just as explorations.  They don't have to always work out.  Everything is a great experience and I'm learning new things all the time.  I've spent a lot of time thinking about color since I saw the "Quilts and Color" exhibit at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts earlier this year.  Here are some of my exploration quilts.  

     Right to left:  

  • A low volume strip baby quilt depicting sky, forest and sea
  • A quilt with complementary colors that create vibration when viewed together
  • A quilt with a casade of colors but not in the organized by the color wheel.

 

 

3. What do I create these quilts?

      Because it's fun!  And because I love art you can use (or wear)!.  I sometimes wonder where I'll find my next idea….and then suddenly I have a stack of new projects that all what to be made NOW!   

4.  How does my creative process work?

     I get my ideas and inspiration from lots of sources. The quilt exhibit at the MFA noted above started an exploration of color that lasted for months…and lead to the creation of an assortment of small projects. Sometimes I see fabric which gives me an idea for a design.  Sometimes I see a quilt in a book that I want to make, or that quilt may be the jumping off point for the creation of an original design.  Less often I'll see something in my neighborhood which will inspire me to create a quilt.  

     You don't want to see my workspace(s). Or maybe you do!!  It's messy!  I call it "creative chaos".  I often buy fabric in sets--not typically all from a fabric line or designer, but things that I like together.  I let these stacks of fabric pile up.  When I walk past them, I think about how I'm going to use them.  In sight is in mind.  Put the fabrics in the bins of my stash and it's out of sight, out of mind unless it is something particularly spectacular that I am saving for a later date!

Here are 3 quilts and why they came to be:

Left to right:

  • Modern Hexagon Quilt--I wanted to try some English Paper piecing so I made a stack of hexagons. I knew I didn't want to make a traditional Grandma's garden. But some Modern quilts using hexagons in lines or cascades I'd seen on the Modern Quilt Guild site were intriguing.  So I designed this Modern Hexagon quilt.  It could be titled "Grandma's Garden Deconstructed"!
  • Jumbled Spool Quilt--I'd seen lots of spool quilts in books and on-line.  The spools were always lined up perfectly. Mine never are!  So I created my Jumbles Spools Quilt using a design roll of Bright Kona Cottons.  
  • Portholes Quilt--I designed the Portholes quilt to practice quilting circles. My quilted circles didn't come out as planned but learning to quilt perfect circles has been a process for me, and this was a step along the way. I learned to make the reverse circles used for the sun and "portholes" from a Craftsy Class "Inset Circles and Applique by Machine" taught by Cheryl Arkison.  I find Cheryl's books to be a great source of inspiration too!

 

It's fun to see what everyone has been writing in their posts on this Around the World Blog Hop!  Follow the chain backwards or look for posts on Google. Happy travels!

 

 

 

 

 

Bulls-Eye, a Carolyn Friedlander Pattern: Part 1

by Judy Tucker

Bulls Eue Quilt, a Carolyn Friedlander Pattern from Savor Each Stitch.  45 x 45 inches

Bulls Eue Quilt, a Carolyn Friedlander Pattern from Savor Each Stitch.  45 x 45 inches

Here's my second second quilt made for the Proper Bostonian Quilt Guild's Summer Challenge.  (See my last post for the Summer Challenge Criteria).  There's a lot going on with this quilt so I'm going to blog about it today and in my post next Wednesday.

This lap size quilt didn't need to have the Pantone Color Radiant Orchid in it.  It just needed to have 3-5 characteristics of Modern Quilt and be between 36 x 36 inches and 72 x 72 inches in size (not necessarily square).

I've made several quilts this summer that meet this criteria for this challenge, so I wasn't really thinking about making a lap quilt especially for the Summer Challenge.  But one day, I was walking the dog and saw this coleus plant in a neighbor's front yard. 

Quilt Bulls Eye Inspiration Coleus cropped.jpg

I was struck by the very pale sea foam green of the leaves accented by a deep green on the margin of the leaves and the Radiant Orchard accents in the leaves.  I had fabrics matching all those colors in my stash so I decided to make a quilt using them. 

I decided to use Carolyn Freidlander's Bulls-Eye pattern from her book Savor Each Stitch.  I used to do a lot of  hand appliqué when I first started quilting.  I was in my 20s and I spent a lot of time in laundromats.  The clothes spun and I appliquéd!  With a few exceptions, i stopped doing hand appliqué when I finally got a washing machine!  

Doing hand appliqué on this project totally changed the velocity of quilting for me.  It was nice to slow down, like life in the summer, doing this hand work.  Carolyn has a chapter on Techniques at the end of her book.  She suggested basting 1/4 inch in from the edge of the appliqué piece and then needle turning a 1/8 inch seam and overcasting that edge.  Since I was going to be appliquéing large quarter circles, the basting seemed like a perfect idea. I decided machine baste that 1/4 inch line on the longest stitch length was the way to go.  It worked beautifully.

It tacked down the quarter circle piece and it gave a hard edge which helped to turn under the raw edge of the appliqué piece.  I did the turning with my fingers and finger pressed them.

Detail of appliqué: White thread is the machine basting, the raw edge is turned under and the edge is being slip stitches

Detail of appliqué: White thread is the machine basting, the raw edge is turned under and the edge is being slip stitches

Carolyn said you could use the center circles in the quilt or omit them.  I chose to omit them.  But the scraps were so enticing that I sewed them together to make 3 circles which I appliquéd  to the finished top. I like the way the eye is drawn to these accent circles. 

The finished quilt meets the Modern Quilt Characteristics criteria--asymmetry in design, texture in quilting, negative space, lack of an outer border, use of bright solid colors, minimalism in design, and grid work. 

Part 2: In the post on Wednesday, I'll discuss the quilting on this quilt.

 

Little Spools Wall Hanging

by Judy Tucker

"Mending the Bishop's Buttons"  21 x 21 inch wall hanging

"Mending the Bishop's Buttons"  21 x 21 inch wall hanging

The Proper Bostonian Quilt Guild runs a Summer Challenge every year.  It's a project to keep everyone sewing in the summer months when the guild doesn't meet!  And it's a contest.

This year there were two options for the Summer Challenge quilts.  Both options must be based on a specific inspiration which can be explained in a sentence. 

  1. A small quilt, 24 x 24 inches or smaller using the Pantone Color of the Year for 2014, Radiant Orchid (Kona cotton's Cerise).  We were required to use all of a Fat 1/16  (a piece of fabric 9.5 x 11 inches) which was provided at the last meeting in June. It had to incorporate 3-5 Modern Quilting Design Characteristics. ( A list of 11 characteristics was included.  You can see the list if click on the link above and then on the link for the Summer Challenge Instructions). 
  2. A quilt 36 x 36 inches but less than not larger than 72 x 72 inches.  It must incorporate 3 to 5 Modern Quilting Design Characteristics.  

The Purple family is not a slice of the Color Wheel I would typical use as a color for a focus fabric. I'm more likely to add a magenta or purple as an accent.  So this challenge definitely pushed me right out of my comfort zone. 

I took one look at that rectangle of Kona Cerise fabric and thought, "That looks like the color a Bishop's clerical shirt."  Turns out that Bishop's shirts come in 2 colors--Red Purple similar to Radiant Orchid and Blue Purple.  Awesome.  That added another color and interest for the quilt!

This idea didn't totally come out of left field.  I have 2 great friends who are married.  Our friendship goes back to our days when we were college age. He's grown up to become an Anglican Bishop.  She loves to sew and does some quilting.

I had just finished my Jumbled Spools Quilt.  A friend in the Guild saw that quilt and told me that years ago she made a Spool Quilt with little spools.   So I took the color inspiration from the Bishop's colors and the idea of a quilt of Little Spools and designed the wall having above.

It meets the Modern Quilt criteria by having an asymmetric pattern, texture from dense linear quilting, lots of negative space and no borders. 

I thought it would be fun with some button  to add some visual accents.  Hence the title, "Mending the Bishop's Buttons."

When I quilted it, I quilted the spools so that the thread on some of the spools dangling. More than once I've run my hand across this little quilt to brush off the loose threads!   Except they aren't loose--it's the quilting!  Too funny!

Detail of Spools.  The spool upper right is Kona Cerise, the lower Right is a Blue Purple

Detail of Spools.  The spool upper right is Kona Cerise, the lower Right is a Blue Purple

This year all the PBQ Summer Challenge quilts will be in a show at the library in West Roxbury, MA, November 13-15. 2014. 

Our first meeting of the fall is tonight.  Can't wait to see what everyone as created for this Summer Challenge!

Dog Training Apron: Cotton + Steel

by Judy Tucker

Dog Training Apron Cotton + Steel "Tiger Stripes"

Dog Training Apron Cotton + Steel "Tiger Stripes"

Here's the first of my completed September projects, a new dog training apron.  

I used the Cotton + Steel canvas (home dec weight) fabric for the body of the apron.  It's lined with "Stampede" a soft cotton, also from Cotton + Steel.

I hadn't made a dog training apron for several months. so I used my tutorial.  I ended up with the soft lining material on the back of the apron instead of peeking out of the pockets per the directions. The canvas is a bit scratchy so it's better to have the soft fabric on the back of the apron. 

Cotton + Steel fabrics: "Tiger Stripes"  cotton canvas body, "Stampede" cotton lining

Cotton + Steel fabrics: "Tiger Stripes"  cotton canvas body, "Stampede" cotton lining

I got a good chuckle when I realized my roll of bags was the same color as the fabrics!  

Apple Picking Time quilt top.  A Quilters Club of America Mystery Quilt. The apple border is my design.

Apple Picking Time quilt top.  A Quilters Club of America Mystery Quilt. The apple border is my design.

Update on my other September projects:

  • I took my apple quilt up to the attic on Wednesday to quilt it on my mid-arm.  It's too wide for the rails!  A Queen is as big as I can quilt on my frame.  Guess this quilt is a generous queen.  Looks like I need to take a trip to Pelham, NH to rent a long-arm for a day at Bits 'n Pieces Quilt and Fabric Shoppe.  That's always great fun.
  • I've ADDED the first of 2 Improv Log Cabin quilts (see my last post) to my stack of UFOs waiting to be quilted.  Now there are 5 quilts in the stack!  Is this progress or not?   (Probably)!
  • I spent some time doing a home dec project on Saturday.  I picked up some cute patterned sheer curtains with a modern tree and bird pattern at IKEA.  They were 98" long.  I really liked the long look with the bunched up fabric on the floor. But with 3 dogs, that is seriously not practical.  They now 63 inches, well off the floor.  Much better!

This Wednesday is the first meeting of the fall for the Proper Bostonian Quilt Guild. Our Summer Challenge had 2 options.  One was to make a quilt 24 inches or smaller and the other was to make a quilt 36 inches or larger but no larger than 72 inches. Both need to have 3-5 characteristics of Modern Quilts. It's a contest…so I can't show you my entries yet. But I'll post my small entry on Wednesday and my larger entry on Friday.  The Pantone Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid will be included.  Stay tuned!  Can't wait to show you what I've made. 

Improv Log Cabin Quilt #1 Top

by Judy Tucker

Improv Log Cabin #1    50 x 50 inches

Improv Log Cabin #1    50 x 50 inches

Here's my Improv Log Cabin #1 quilt top.  This has been my "take along" project this summer. I've kept all the fabric and completed blocks in a bag.  If I'm going over to a friend's house to sew, I've been able to grab the bag and my sewing machine and head out the door. It's been nice not to have to think about which project to take or needing to gather up the necessary components for a project.

I originally thought I was going to make a bed size quilt. But this is a busy quilt. Very busy!  So i've decided to make 2 smaller quilts.  I think they'd be great for floor time play for a baby.  Lots of interest and visual stimulation!  

This is Improv Log Cabin #1.  The construction of the log cabin blocks in this quilt is somewhat  traditional. The yellow square (there is one in every block) is mostly near the center of these blocks and the block has been built around it.   Improv Log Cabin #2 has log cabin blocks with longer strips.  I haven't put it on the design wall yet, but I think it will have a different feel. 

 

 

Designing Notes: Contrast

by Judy Tucker

Medallion quilt with gazelle WIP  Version 3, partially quilted

Medallion quilt with gazelle WIP  Version 3, partially quilted

This Medallion quilt which I designed on the computer in EQ7 has turned out to be an interesting study in value, contrast and saturation of colors. I like the quilt above…but it's Version 3.  

Quick review:

  • Value is how dark or light a color is.  The closer the color is to looking black, the higher value while pastel is low value.
  • Contrast is the difference in value between to colors (or fabrics in our case). A very dark color with a very pastel color or white has high contrast.
  • Saturation is the purity of a color.  The pure color (the true hue)  is vibrant at full saturation, pale at low saturation. 

The focus fabric in this quilt is Cotton and Steel Gazelle from Sarah Watts' August collection.  The two fabrics I picked out to co-ordinate with that are from Art Gallery's Winged Collection. 

Art Gallery Winged, Cotton and Steel Gazelle, Art Gallery Winged.

Art Gallery Winged, Cotton and Steel Gazelle, Art Gallery Winged.

As you can see, all three fabrics share shades of brown and two have soft oranges.  The contrast among three fabrics is on the low side.  They almost blend together. 

The background fabric of the quilt is Robert Kaufman's Cotton Linen in Mist which coordinates very well with the aqua in the Winged fabric on the right above.

I added a very high saturation red orange to compliment the soft oranges in the focus fabrics and a high saturation yellow green to go with the green in the final fabric, Rowan's Free Spirit Charleston Farmhouse in the middle crosses.

I knew I needed high contrast in the Dutchman's Puzzle central block, but I thought the low contrast of the blocks around the center medallion was fine.  The fabrics looked great together in the store and the pieces looked fine while I sewing the blocks. 

And then I put the finished top on the Design Wall to get a good look a it.  Here is Version 2.

Medallion quilt with Gazelle Version 2

Medallion quilt with Gazelle Version 2

My immediate thought: the center of the quilt looks like a guy's jacket from the 1940s.  It is just dull.  What to do?  

I wanted to stay with the fabrics I had collected for this quilt.  Putting the red orange in the bar blocks was just too close to the central pinwheel and was distracting.  My other high contrast, high saturation fabric was the yellow green.  

When I auditioned the green in the place of the fabric with the small brown birds I suddenly had a very different quilt.  The block with the parallel bars that just looked dull and "same"  in Version 2 instantly revealed its asymmetry and movement with the high saturation green.  That asymmetry actually seems to give central red orange pinwheel a spin!

The one other thing I might have done differently in this quilt would be to replace the inner crosses with the small brown birds with a solid fabric in the same shade of brown.  I think the higher contrast of a solid color cross would add another pop to the quilt.

Here is the computerized pattern with another color way.  Seeing the Cotton and Steel Gazelle fabric in the store changed my original plan!

 There is moderate contrast in the bar block in this design but there is not a high enough contrast between the 2 blues to create the visual movement from the asymmetry.

Medallion Quilt Designed in EQ7  Version 1

Medallion Quilt Designed in EQ7  Version 1

 

I have to say this project really surprised me. I thought Version 2 with the fabrics was fine until I saw it all together. But this quilt pattern really needs the contrast to make it shine.  

Designing is a fascinating process!