Leader Ender Spool Blocks

Here is a quick tutorial on how I'm piecing my spool blocks. Bonnie Hunter wrote the book, literally, on leader/enders. I am constantly amazed that some piecers have no idea what these are. I've made most of my quilts in the past year using this method. While I'm purposely making something else, I piece large portions of my units for my next quilt. While I'm finishing that one up, I start my next leader/ender. Lather, rinse, repeat, LOL!

Here is the way I do it. Your mileage may vary.

The most important part is having block pieces near the sewing machine. Every time you finish an assembly line of piecing, you put two more pieces together.

Each of my spool blocks (see one finished in the back of the pic) has a print 2" x 5" rectangle, four 2" squares of the same print, and 2 cream 2" x 5" strips.


I have been doing the first step as a set of two so I make sure I have the same background print. You could do it one at a time. I have lots of small pieces around my machine. No sense confusing myself!

I drew a line on my machine base and sewing table with a Sharpie. I need to reapply it often. It is used like an Angler so I don't have to mark my fabric for the HST seams.


After sewing the diagonal seam, trim and press open. (see the last spool block in the background). My ironing board is to the left of my machine. I use a swiveling office chair as my sewing chair. It gives great support and makes it easy to spin towards the ironing board. Yes--I do that one seam and put it back next to my sewing machine.

When I need another leader/ender, I pick up that same piece and add the other corner. If the squares were bigger, I'd double sew them and have a stack of small HSTs to iron open for a future quilt. But these are very small, so I'm just tossing the trimmings.

Trim and press open. Then the next step is adding the center print fabric.

Repeat that last step with the other side of the spool block, and voila'!! Another spool block finished. Another thing that surprises a lot of quilters is that I use pins as little as possible. Saves a ton of time.

~Joan

The End of The End

This will probably be the last time you see a new blog entry about this quilt (for a while, snicker, snicker). I've been asked to see the back. I picked this fabric because I like the pattern on it. I tend to be pickier about my backings if they are on a throw or bed quilt because they will be seen a lot. On a wall hanging, however, anything goes. I know if any of you visit, I can expect to see you pulling the wall hanging out from the wall to see what is on the back. Don't expect it to match!!

The slightly busy design hides the quilt starts and stops and any tiny mistakes (I know--you don't make any, but I do).

I've also had questions about how I get things done so fast. I always think I could be doing things more efficiently or faster. But here's some things I do when making a scrap quilt like Plan B, which is my current leader/ender project.

I have a shallow plastic basket that I always keep beside my sewing machine. Right now it has nothing but 2" squares in it, creams and colors.

I have a separate box for finished units. It's a shoe-box sized plastic box with a lid. Beside my sewing machine I keep small pieces in the basket (not units, which are at least 2 pieces sewn together). When I'm sewing something else, I end with a leader/ender from that instead of the scrap of trash fabric I used to sew on until it was thread-filled and then throw it away. This way I'm "sewing" all these units without actually spending time on them. Occasionally, I'll sew lots and lots of the units together if I'm not working on another project.

The units go into the box loose. After I iron and trim them to size, I safety pin them together in groups of ten so I can count them easily. I usually iron and trim a lot of them at once. They go into the box unironed and untrimmed. I count how many of each unit I need ahead of time so I can slow down on that one once I get close to my goal. Sometimes, the actual numbers can be ovewhelming. For example, for Plan B, I will need 204 four-patches made from 4 dark/colored 2" squares. That's a lot (816 squares!), but I'm over halfway there. I am cutting all my scraps into 2" squares and putting them in a shallow basket for leader/enders. Same with creams, but that's another unit.

~Joan

{Post 1,250} Leader/Ender Center on the Wall

I was looking back to see when I started this leader/ender.  It was July 16th.  Of this year, LOL!  The units are all pieced, and I have laid out the center on the design walls.  The inner and outer borders are cut, and the 4-patches for the outer border are also pieced.

When this is sewn together, it will measure 48-1/2" x 60-1/2".  The blue is one I got 2 bolts of by accident, so I'm lookin' to use some up.  I love the denim-y color.  Since the name of the quilt is 501, it's a perfect match.

{Post 1,104} Sewing Room Cleanup Benefits

Cleaned up my sewing room last night.  It has its rewards.  A clean slate with which to start my 2013 sewing.  I should have taken before and after pictures to encourage such clean-up in the future, but it was so scary.  Now my cutting and sewing tables are both clean, and in-work projects are corralled and organized.

First thing I did was zigzag the raw edges of my Winter Welcome quilt down.  Every year when I hang it, something pops off.  I didn't make it, but I love it.  The Wonder Under product is very stiff on mine.  I don't have a pic of mine, but this is one I made for my daughter, Emily, after procuring the pattern myself:

The zigzagging was the thing I wanted to do least, so I started with that.  It didn't take long. 

Then I cut out the "thread" for this quilt top, quilted it, and sewed the binding to the front (it's bias binding):

It is 17" across.  I worked on it on the way to the dentist office today.  Ben drove.  Hazardous to my health (his driving).  I got from "11 o'clock to 7 o'clock" sewn down.  This will go on my foyer table after the Christmas village is put away.  The threads are 2" square shirt fabrics cut on the bias.  Used up 9 more of those!  

Then I added the last log of this set of blocks, pressed them, and trimmed them to 7-1/2" square each:

This has been my leader/ender for a little while (not too long).  After a busy day, I wanted to just sit 'n sew for a while, so I finished these up and laid them out on the design wall.  Soon I'll be sewing them to each other and be ready to move on to the next step (for which all the flying geese are sewn) for a Bear Mountain Cabin quilt.  Here is the pattern:

It's fuzzy because I enlarged it.  You get the idea!  The flying geese were also a leader/ender as I sewed Christmas gifts.

After the dentist I went to Mary Jo's to get fabric for the background for the blocks for my grandson-to-be-born's baby quilt.  I also got backing and binding for my daughter's SIL's baby quilt (just a panel of Peter Rabbit that I'm quilting).  Much to work on in the upcoming days.

Due North Flannel Top Finished!

This is a UFO I started a couple months ago and then stalled. It was from a kit that I bought on eBay. This is identical to the first top we pieced for a customer, so it has some sentimental value. It is all Thimbleberries flannel. It's like sewing colored clouds. I used a walking foot for all the piecing. It finishes at 58" x 82". I have the backing in the washer now. It matches the strips between the geese and the outer border. I only prewash flannels.

Lest you think I just sew all day (well, you're almost right)...all I had to do to finish this top was put on the navy inner border and large print outer border. When the backing is dry, I'll piece it and get it basted right away. That's my next sewing machine project.

I am trying to finish up some UFOs while only piecing on a leader/ender project. Here are two blocks from my next leader/ender...

The name of the quilt is "Plan B". I'll be posting later on the book from which the pattern comes. The squares are all 2". That's the size I cut most of my scraps down to. If they are not 2" wide, I cut them into 1-1/2" strips for my log cabin boxes. If they're smaller than that, I pitch them.

I'm feeling horrible (sore throat, body aches, etc.), so I'm heading upstairs for some hot soup and a nap. Yuck!

~Joan

{Post 1,417} Sideline Project

This is my official leader/ender for the time being.  I put some blocks up on my 2 design walls to get an idea of what colors I am low in or overloaded with.  These are some easy HST blocks (in 2 sizes) and a bunch of squares.  I will cut some more to use as leader/enders when I (hopefully) go to the sew-in on Saturday from 9:30-12:30.  Can hardly wait.

This is a pattern from Red Crinoline Quilts (formerly Bonnie Blue) called "Glory Bound"  I am adding more blocks to make it 64" x 84".

Two blocks are missing from the layout in the second vertical row from the left.  Will soon be remedied.

{Post #867} Feels Like Fall

That is the name of the new block I'm working on as a leader/ender with the goslings.  Here is the first block...

I am going to start on one of the alternate blocks.  The blocks are 10-1/2" square.  The alternate blocks are one big pumpkin.  I'll probably have a picture up by tomorrow some time.

In other progress, I finished another complete row of an I Spy quilt I'm starting for way down the road, so I got that off the design wall.  I also took down my Red Zinger selvage blocks and stacked them in a drawer.  The design wall is practically empty.

~Joan

{Post 1,583} Wedding Quilt Started

My daughter, Rachel, is getting married in August. Years ago she asked me to help her make a quilt. This is not a slam on her in any way, but sewing is just not her thing. She has a terrible time sewing a straight line on a machine. So we tried hand piecing. Long story, short, we ended up putting this mostly cut-out quilt top in a box, in many pieces, with a few blocks hand pieced by her.

I found it in a sewing room clean-up and ripped out the few blocks that had been hand-pieced. I used it as a leader/ender recently and just finished piecing all the blocks. They are all on my design wall now. If I have done the math correctly, it will measure about 96" x 64" if sewn as is without borders. She wanted it twin-bed size, and we are fairly close with this. 

It is night time (close to midnight), so the picture is not as bright as it may have been. I see one blocks that I am moving (that was the purpose of the picture), and I’ll start sewing the rows together soon.

I have been sewing a lot more than usual, and just promised a couple more quilts in the near future. Stay tuned!

{Post 1,425} Center of Tiny Twister Finished

I decided to work from first to last on my UFOs.  So I am using the Chevron Quilt as a leader/ender while I finished the center of my Tiny Twister.  Now I'm going to cut and attach borders.  Nearly finished!  Whew!!

This measures only 11" square right now!!!

{Post 1,033} Northern Comfort Finished, Bricks Started in Earnest

This AM I got up bright and early.  Hubby and I had a "project" that was going to take most of the day.  He got up not feeling 100% and went back to bed.  Whilst I waited for him to get up, I put the inner and outer borders on this quilt, Northern Comfort.  It is in Scrap Bag Sensations by Kim Brackett.  I added another row on the top and bottom in addition to what is shown in the book.  I have measurements, but I left them downstairs!

I am selling a kit of this pattern to my friend A, in Australia.  Here is a close-up of the inner and outer border prints for her.  A brightish green tone-on-tone for the inner and a tiny flowers on a black background for the outer:

I also put some time into a Bricks in the Barnyard for a friend from church.  He picked out the pattern.  As I look at the small stack of squares and rectangles, it is hard to imagine that they comprise a whole large quilt top.  But indeed they do.  I have some more rectangles to cut out for the braid border, but that comes last anyway.  I'll piece the center blocks and use the border for a leader/ender in the meantime.  

I used the same pattern to make a baby quilt for my daughter's sister-in-law.  Just used fewer blocks.  Here is the baby quilt, then the piles and box of pieces.

Two Inch Squares

I have used up SO many two-inch squares.  Seemingly meaningless scraps.  Until you make something you like.  The top two pictures are still in the "quilt top" phase of their lives.  But, Lord willing, my Handi-Quilter will be here soon and I can remedy that!

As I was piecing another Scrappy Stars block last night, I saw that my 4-patch basket was NEARLY empty!!  How could that be?  I went through my pictures and gleaned out a few pictures from the last two years.  Glad I didn't throw away those little scraps of fabric now!!  These were all made with the leader/ender method as a starter and then focused on completely after many of the units were finished.

Now I'm wondering how many projects I've made from my 1-1/2" strips boxes?  Hmmm...another question for another time.

~Joan

New Leader/Ender Quilt in the Works

I have a little dilemma...I started piecing these blocks, and now I can't find my magazine with the instructions. In between the blocks is supposed to be strips of 1" finished fabric (two rows, I think). I am going to plug away on the blocks in the meantime. The only unit I need to piece for the blocks is the star points. I am using up my box of 4-patches for the 4-patches (as if that wasn't obvious). Since the 4-patches are elderly, I am cutting strips of fabric from my newer stuff so I don't repeat fabrics too closely together.

I've been gleaning through my collection of many quilt magazines. My tastes have changed, and I'm getting rid of many magazines. I am keeping individual paterns here and there. Those that I want to keep are going in sheet protectors and into a magazine file box. I see that I'm still drawn to the traditional patterns, nothing artsy or wonky here. Precision and small pieces!

My engaged daughter was asking about my making her *ahem* some quilts for her house. She is getting married in June. Just some wall hangings and table runners. Well, maybe a bed quilt and a couch throw, too. A whole new world of quilting opportunity!!

~Joan

{Post 1,429} More Piecing

This AM I sewed the last few rows of the Chevron Quilt together and also pieced 12 more I Spy leader/ender blocks to finish a small quilt top.

My daughter, Susie, is coming to spend a day or so with us, so I want to be free to enjoy her visit.

At some point soon, I'll trim and add borders to the Chevron Quilt.  

The top and bottom row of blocks are not sewn on...I just wanted to spread out the reds in these blocks before I sew them together.

Spring is in the Quilting?

Here is a quilting project I started today. The top thread has already broken on my machine at least ten times. That really takes the joy out of machine quilting for me, but to avoid basting has its price.

I am using a variegated cream/tan/taupe Signature thread. I have not had problems with the S thread in the past, but perhaps the variegating makes the thread weaker? Hmmm..

This was pieced a million quilting years ago. It was one of my first leader/ender projects. I saw and fell in love with the strip between the pieced units. Unfortunately, it was no longer in print when I first saw it. eBay to the rescue! I got a 2 yard piece. Then I picked 2" squares from my scraps that matched the colors in the strip. The strip has blue flowers, raspberries, and little tan birds. It is so beautiful. Thimbleberries, of course.

Off to my children's year-end youth group award banquet. Here are pics from last year. My sweet husband bought our three girls corsages and our two guys boutonnieres. You can be sure I'll post lots of pictures.

~Joan

{Post 1,397} A Finish and A Start

Finished the center of the Charming Addition I Spy this AM.  I will be adding a border or two, but the center is finished.  It is 36" square.

Next up is a leader/ender project I started from strips of the above quilt that were left over.  This is how it starts, isn't it?  I saw the quilt below at a guild meeting I attended with a friend recently and loved it.  The one I saw was not in novelty prints.  I love the shadowing and brightness and darkness and everything in between.  As with all quilt beginnings, there is not a lot of variety in the fabrics...yet.  Wait until I get going!!

Spools Going Up, Too!

What quilter could resist a spool quilt? I've been piecing these as fast as I can cut them out. This is my current leader/ender project. The top picture is ones that are all sewn together. You might remember this picture. I decided to take that unit and set it on point.


The second picture is all the ones I have pieced just laid out on the design wall with the others. I want to add rows diagonally, so I'll probably add a row once I have a good assortment of colors. I am making several of the same color at once. Naturally, I want them spaced out over the surface of the quilt, so I will do this the old-fashioned way. Diagonal rows are more tedious as far as sewing the blocks to each other. Can't web the top with these. But patience is a virtue, and one I need to work on for sure.

Off to put my Tulip Chains top together.

~Joan

{Post 1,403} Another Leader/Ender I Spy New Project

When will it end?  I always want to try new blocks, use up a little more fabric, etc.  So the end is not really in sight.  I saw Bonnie Hunter working on some Carolina Chain blocks a few days ago, and I just had to try a few.  Not sure I love, Love, LOVE the pattern, but it does use up some more I Spy fabrics.

Here's what I've got so far:

The blocks measure 5" square (4-1/2" square finished).  This will make a cute I Spy for a baby.  I am going to start some machine quilting soon.  First a surprise project, then some baby-sized I Spys.

Wish me luck!

{Post 1,497} Two New Projects to Share, and a Kid

Here are two projects I am beginning.  I have two Christmas quilts to machine quilt, then I'm home free for my own projects.

This first one is Bonnie Hunter's leader/ender for this year.  These are tumbler/thimble pieces.  Mine will finish 2" tall.  I spent a couple hours one day trimming down scraps for this.  There is not a lot of variety right now because I only trimmed down blues, browns, reds, and blacks.  I plan to remedy that soon...after I machine quilt the above two mentioned items.

This is a larger item.  I hope to make it into a queen-size quilt...my summer quilt for our guest room downstairs.  The blocks are disappearing 9-patch.  By using the blue fabric for the center square, it will repeat in that position in each block.  The blocks finish at 13" square.

During one of my insomniatic nights, I came across the top for this runner.  It has been languishing marinating since 2011.  It is fairly large.  16" x 46"...for my Christmas table.

I stayed overnight at my daughter's Sunday.  Got to spend some quality time with this little nipper on Monday.  He has my chin (s) !!

{Post 1,505} Quilty Update

Here is the back of a customer quilt I have been working on.  It's a white-on-white fabric for the back.  I machine quilted free-motion wonky feathers on it.  

Now that I finally have finished it I can start on a quilt I promised I'd finish by Christmas as a gift.  I will be spending most of today on that.

Here is my current leader/ender a la Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.com.  It is the tumbler.  Mine finish at 2" tall.  I am cutting up every scrap I can find, willy nilly.  Funny thing about scrap quilts...the more you add, the more looks right.  A close-up, then a view from the end of my quilt frame.  It is 98" wide.

Four rows strong, and lots of bits and pieces ready to add on:

{Post #957} One Quilt At A Time...or Three!

I noticed something unusual...I get more done on a quilt when I only work on that quilt.  What a concept!  But I find myself working a bit here and there on other quilts while the main quilt is in process.  That's usually because as I am cutting for the "main quilt", I cut pieces for other quilts I plan to make in the future.  Plus, there's the whole leader/ender thing.  Ironically, the future is now (I think that's a quote from some famous historian, but I don't know who)...I can barely wait to see how one block of "future quilt" looks, and next thing I know, I'm zipping up a couple blocks, then another...


It's a vicious cycle.  But I was looking back at my recently finished quilts.  Florabunda.  Bow Ties.  Two I Spy baby quilts.  Scrappy Trips Floral/Plaid/Thimbleberries scraps.  Hmmm...there's a pattern here.


All that to say that I finished MOST of the piecing for my Fair & Square quilt last night.  I need to add the black 1-1/2" wide sashing to about 20 blocks, then I'm ready to lay this quilt out on the design wall.  Finished piecing, starching (it pains me to even type the word), and removing paper foundations from the last 29 string blocks.  So if I can find some piecing time today, this might be ready to lay out next week.


Here are the last 11 1-1/2" strip 4-patch blocks.  In spite of having few shirts, there is a lot of variety in each block.  Once again, my goal was to separate the attention-getting fabrics (you know who you are!).

Here is my design wall as of last night.

In the back are a few of the finished sashed and pieced string blocks.  On the right are the two outer border pieces I have done so far.  They are folded in half and are much longer than they appear.  They are pieced from 2" strips.  


What is that on the left side?  Oh...that's what I was referring to earlier in this post.  As I am handling all these plaids, I have been cutting strips for a scrappy bargello plaids and stripes only quilt.  Nearly all are shirt strips.  I just HAD to see what one panel would end up looking like.  I had a picture in my MIND, but I wanted to see one on the WALL :)  This is the result of 40 2-1/2" strips.  The panel is 80-1/2" long and 12-1/2" wide.


There are only 6 panels in the quilt I plan to make, so I am 1/6 of the way there!  If it weren't for the cutting of all the strips, I could have one of those made in a day, I think.  Quilted and all!  Sooooo fast.  Truly, as with any good scrap quilt, ANYTHING goes!!  No matchy-matchy fabrics.  Just toss it in there.  I might use a jelly roll that's been languishing in my fabric storage for one of these.  They are just that fast and easy.  


I thought it would be difficult to cut the tubes of squares from the original panel.  It wasn't.  In fact, I was fairly frightened about the process because instead of cutting my strips 18" as suggested (I couldn't stand to throw away such a large chunk of fabric), I cut mine 16", giving me only 1" total of waste.  So after I straightened up one side, I had just a smidge to trim from the other.  All was well.  Perfect, in fact.  It didn't pain me at all to throw away <1" of fabric total from each strip.  If I had the 3" piece, I would have been racking my brain to come up with a way to USE it!  Really!  Just ask my daughters :)


Off for a busy day.  Graduate brunch, airsoft war, and opening season for the baseball team my son is on.  Glory!


~Joan