Top O’ the Mornin’ and a Scrappy Shamrock Tutorial

UPDATE:  Here's a couple projects I made with the shamrock block tutorial.  Follow this Link if you want a little more information on these projects.

I wish each holiday could last at least a couple of months as I love to decorate in the holiday colors but it's a little annoying they change so quickly.  Still, I love to get out the bin and start putting out the new decorations (and on the plus side, things get dusted, lol).  

I finished up the quilting and binding on these small quilts.  The hand quilted one is best but of course a lot more time consuming so don't see a lot of hand quilting in my future.

Purples always pretty with greens

Glad I got the shamrock wreath completed from last year.

Old Pillows.  I don't like the dullish greens on that one on the left.  Definitely need some brights and darks for proper St. Patrick's day colors!

My friend Faith asked me to make a tutorial for a shamrock block so am going to start a scrappy one

So, gather some scrappy whites and greens.  You can cut 2-inch strips of white and green fabrics or with small scraps can cut two-inch squares.  If you have strips, you can sew them together with a plan.  In the picture below you will see I have laid out the pieces (some of which I had sewn in strips and then cut into 2 " sections) See below for making the half square triangles (HSTs)

Made with two-inch squares and two-inch half square triangles (HSTs) Lay them all out and start sewing into 4 patches.  Be sure to square up each 4 patches to be 3 1/2 inches.  As you sew them together, always continue to square up.  (A 9 patch will be 5" square; A 16 patch will be 6 1/2" square, etc.)

Make 2" HSTs with your favorite method or here is my method below

  

Cut 3 3/8' squares of background and green fabrics but if your scraps are smaller, you can also cut 2 3/8" squares

Place the background and green squares together.  For the larger square, sew around the perimeter and then slice diagonally twice to make 4 HSTs.  For the smaller square you can just slice diagonally once and then sew those edges together as shown, and you will get two HSTs.  Press open and square up to 2 inches.

To make the stem, you can use your favorite applique method or here's what I did.  I used my bias tape maker.  If you don't have one just cut a strip (on the bias preferably but doesn't have to be).  I think mine is 7" long x 1".  Fold in each long edge about 1/4" and also fold in the bottom and press.  You can press a bit of a curve to it and then place it on your 16 patch of background and stitch down.  I put the top edge so it will be within the seam line.

This makes a 12" finished block.  If you wanted to make it without the perimeter of white squares, it would be a 9 1/2" block (unfinished).  If you made this block using 2 1/2" squares, it would be 12 1/2 unfinished without the extra white squares around the perimeter or 15 1/2 with the extra rows of white blocks.

I'll update later with my completed runner that I'm hoping to get completed soon.  Also planning to make a mini like the one my friend Trish made last year and I'll have some instructions to share also.

Here's a preview

Heart Projects for February

Finally getting back to some blogging and wanted to feature some Valentines.

I finished this one last year and love it still

I started a new mini but will need to finish next year.

I finished this one and sent it off to my friend in Nevada (guess I didn't get a picture with the binding)

I completed the quilting and binding on this one this year.  I got the program so my quilting machine will quilt automatically.  I'm planning to offer my service for pantographs $25- $75 depending on the size.

I also used the quilting software to quilt the heart design pantograph onto this long runner and got the binding on

Here's a couple very short videos of the machine working.

One of my Quilting Group friends had a birthday.  I made two toppers, one bright and one in calicos, so she could choose.

  

I designed this large block that would be a cute quilt too.  I didn't actually make the quilts but just used cut and paste on the single blocks to see how it would look

My plan was to offer a tutorial but since it's the last day of February I'm going to go ahead and post without the instructions but will come back to it when I find where I wrote down the details.

For the heart cut:

  

Here's a precious little Valentine

Hope you enjoy the last day of February!