{Post 1,478} Red Zinger Finished and Labeled

This is my Red Zinger quilt, made from selvages and a favorite red Thimbleberries print.  It is 74" square.

A pic of the front and back, then a close-up of the back so you can appreciate my amateur machine quilting skills (this is a joke!).  I used cream thread on the selvages in a tight stipple, a feather in the border, and a specially-designed-by-me freehand design in the X's.

{Post #927} Red Zinger

Here is the progress on my Red Zinger as of this moment.  I also have the bottom selvage border pieced, measured, cut, and ready to sew on.  I would have sewn it on already, but duty calls.

Here is my favorite fabric in the top selvage border...the monkey in the middle.  So cute. 

I'll tell ya...making a selvage quilt is like making a library of your fabrics.  A tiny piece of them all!  Well, at least the ones you've taken the time to cut the selvages off of :)


TTFN, Joan

{Post #926} Red Zinger

Below are the 36 blocks of my beloved Red Zinger quilt.  I admit it...I love selvage projects.  Having Sam and Pam here pushed me to finish the center of this.  I finished all the blocks this AM and have one 30" section of selvage piano key border finished for the outermost border.  


Yesterday I took out my stack of I spy fabrics to cut some squares and shave off all THOSE selvages.  So now my collection is big again, and bright as well.

{Post #903} Red Zinger Update

I went and did it.  I pulled out all my watercolor fabrics and trimmed the selvages off so I could finish the two blocks.  I like to end a project with a "finished" number of blocks.  I am thinking over some ideas for a border for this.  Below is one of the last two new blocks before trimming, the 24 blocks laid out, and a possible border idea.

Off to make lunch and tidy up the kitchen a bit.


~Joan

{Post #902} Red Zinger

Here is the Red Zinger as of this AM.  The reason I picked 10-1/2" foundation blocks is so I could cut the selvage off the red and end up with no waste.  I put the selvage in my selvage box then cut 4 ten and a half inch squares and pitch the tiny sliver left.  


Right now I don't have many varieties of selvages.  I am going to cut some off my I Spy stack and make the last two blocks to finish this set out.  Trying to decide how many blocks I want total as well as what I'll do for a border.  Have a couple ideas floating around up there. 


This measures 60" x 40"  I will make the center at least 60" square, then add borders.

I have these left over from my Texas Braid and just might find a way to use them for a border.  They are not the same red, but variety is the spice of life, eh?

Something to mull over.


In very exciting news...someone emailed me about buying my Little Gracie frame.  My new HQ one should be here by Monday, so no time like the present to get this one out!!


~Joan

{Post #901} Red Zinger and Youngest Son

Last night I wondered what I could sew when I got my next opportunity.  I stitched this earbud holder for myself:

This AM I was hampered by a gnarly cut right at the corner of my thumb nail of my right hand.  It is deep...looks like the skin just cracked because it's so dry outside.  Anyway...I didn't exercise this AM because touching it makes me want to scream.  So I cut out some background blocks for the Red Zinger and sewed 4 more.  


I used some newer non-Thimbleberries fabrics, so I will need to spread the bright colors out a bit.  Some were from I Spy prints and others from Christmas ornaments I put together or my kids for this year.  One strip was from the owl fabric in the above picture.  


This is so fun to sew...very little brain power needed and it's like using up strings, but no need to turn the raw edge under.  Each block finishes at 10". 


Here are pics including my new blocks and a close-up showing the owl print selvage:

That sky/light blue really stands out, doesn't it?  Will definitely need to keep an eye on the placement of those blocks.


My youngest...just time to update a picture of the little nipper:

Ta ta for now...


~Joan

{Post #850} More Selvage Loveliness

I really AM clearing off my cutting table.  But I'm sewing up the scraps and goodies as I go!  I found these cute potholders online, so I made up 6, 4 on the diagonal...

From the online source:

Mine (not quilted or bound yet, obviously):

I cut a "base fabric" (this is read yucky stuff I had a chunk of on my cutting table) into 6" squares and just made sure they were covered, then trimmed them down after sewing the selvages on.  This time I did not take the time to switch thread out every time...I just kept a dark wheat color in and let the stitches fall where they may.

Here is my next cutting-table-clearing project.  I used 10-1/2" square base fabric (the red).  Then I marked a dot 1-1/2" from the same corner and 5" from each side of the opposite corner.  I used a gray pencil to connect the dots from each 1-1/2" mark to a 5" mark on an adjacent side.  Then I drew a line 1/2" in from where the 5" mark side was to create sort of a triangle.  Then I just took a piece big enough to go from one side to the other and started adding selvages. 

I'm sure this is like any other sewing project...everyone has their own way of doing it.  I line up the selvage side of the fabric with a pencil line and sew as close to the edge as I can.  I do two blocks at a time so I can have a leader/ender thing going.  The next fabric is placed facing the same way so that the selvage is on the same side as the first one.  I overlap the previous raw edge only as much as I have to and then stitch closely to the selvage edge again. 

Here is one block that is 10-1/2" square.  Same sewing as the potholders...make sure some is hanging over and then trim to original size when finished.

Even though what I make is nearly always scrappy, I usually have some unwritten rules.  They are written in this case!  I didn't use a red strip for my first one since the center of the block is a red print.  I broke my own rule by using some very small pieces for the last print that don't have words on the selvages.  I repeated a fabric in a block a couple times, but once they are sewn to each other, it will be so busy that it won't matter.

After I got to where I didn't have enough selvages to start another 2 blocks, I moved something on my table and found 3 very long selvages.  After I do some baking for Rachel this evening (and clean up), I am going to do a couple more if I have the energy.  Wish me luck!

Here are all 8 I did this afternoon...each block finishes at 10" square.

Here is where I sort of got my inspiration (from an online picture):

I used a Thimbleberries red, so of course I am not in danger of burning my retinas out.  Isn't that cool?  Instructions for the Red Zinger are here along with lots of other patterns.

~Joan