Christmas Quilts

These are the quilt projects that I made for Christmas Presents this year:

I made this one for Mama.  I had called it a Rhombi-Tri-Hex quilt, but since learned that the pattern has a name; it's called a Ferris Wheel quilt.  I hand pieced it using English Paper piecing.

I made this one for my nephew.  Both of these quilts were the full-sized quilt version of the the pillows I made them two years ago.

I made this bag for my sister-in-law.  It's a log cabin block made with batiks, and I inserted thin black strips to create the stained glass effect.

Just like the Lakers and the Jazz

I started this blog 5 years ago when we bought this house (ours is the one at 6 o'clock):

This photo was taken from the air when our friend Will took us up in a plane last month.

I named this blog after the creek which ran next to it, but then they redirected the creek away from the house.

Now we are moving 2600 miles away, but like the L.A. Lakers and Utah Jazz,  I've decided to keep the blog going from Pittsburgh and to keep its now-no-longer-relevant name.

Henri liked to snuggle with Chris every morning after coffee.  This photo was taken the last morning we had coffee in Dunawi Creek.

I'm going to miss this little home and the years we spent in Corvallis.  But this blog will always be a reminder.

Poppyseed's Kaleidoscope Quilt

This is a quilt I made for a friend who hasn't been born yet. She was supposed to arrive yesterday, but she's running late (so typical of a Virgo).

Crib Quilt Design Ideas

I'm working on new crib quilt for Little Miss B-D (due in August).

I'm ignoring colors for now - this is just pattern playing.

I've wanted to make a quilt on the 54-40 or Fight Block (or variants of that) for it's Oregon Territory history:

 I'm also considering doing a sampler:

Another Foundation Pieced quilt

I considered a Friendship Star for my last crib quilt.  I'm still intrigued by it.

Foundation Pieced Quilt - Piecing Phase

One of the benefits of Foundation Piecing is that you don't have to be very precise about cutting the patches.  I find it helpful if the seam allowance is at least 1/4 inch.  The more you have, the more forgiving the process is.  It's also easier to accurately align your patches if the angles are approximately correct.

First I print out the pattern and make 80+ copies.  Measure to make sure your printer and copier are calibrated enough to print these out as perfect 8 inch by 8 inch squares.

You need 80 blocks for the quilt, but print extras.  I found that when I make errors, it's sometimes impossible to undo the mistake without ripping the paper beyond usability.

I've tried this with the special foundation paper available at fabric stores, as well as standard copy paper.  It didn't notice a significant difference, so I wouldn't endorse the special paper.

Step by step:

1. Crease the paper along the next seam you'll be sewing.

2. Trim to 1/4 inch.

3. Place next patch onto the block right sides together, lining up the just trimmed edge.

4. Carefully move block to machine and sew along seam.  Reduce the stitch length for this; it will make it easier to remove the paper later.

5. Press open.  The moment of truth - hold this up to a light to make sure that the new patch adequately covers the area it needs to.  This is the most common (and frustrating) error.  It's difficult to remove and redo this without tearing the paper beyond usability.  With repetition, you develop a knack for this and this error doesn't occur as often.

Some Tips:

First thing you'll notice is that these steps don't work for the first two patches since there's no base to add the new patch to.  This can be tricky at first, but if you can afford to use generously cut patches, you can minimize the fussiness of attaching these patches.  Everything gets a little easier after these first patches are secured to the paper.

I take one of the spare printed paper foundations and cut out the patches 1, 2, and 6 and use them as templates for cutting patches 1, 2, 3, 6, and 9 (patches 3 and 9 are mirrors of 1 and 6 respectively).

I make sure to give at least 1/2 in seam allowance.

For the corner patch (13), I make half triangles from squares that are at least 4 inches.

For the rest of the patches, I just cut strips that are as wide as the patch's longest side.  Then I sew the strip on the block and cut to spec after it's sewed on.  The leftover strip can be used on the next block.

I like to piece the four blocks of each compass star at a time.

When all the patches are added, trim the block.

Finally, sew the four blocks together to complete the compass star.  Use the 4 corner trick to minimize the bulging in the middle.

I found it helpful to not remove the paper until the entire top is complete.

< Previous Post - Design Phase

Corvallis to Newport by Bike

On Tuesday, 23 April 2013, at 6:00 am, I set out to bike to the coast.  This was my first long bike trip; I had biked to Albany and back a few times (22 mile round trip), but this trip is 65 miles over mountains.

In preparation, I found the following resources helpful for a beginner:

• The guy who runs the local Corvallis Bike N Hike was very helpful.  When I got my bike tuned up, I asked him for the best route to Newport, and he directed me on the path I would eventually take.
• These maps from RideWithGPS.com and MapMyRide.com that provided elevation and mile marker info.
• This blog post by Pete, an Australian who is as much a duffer as I am who made the trip pulling a trailer, which convinced me that the trip was feasible for a newbie like me.
• The Coast to Valley Bus that takes you and your bike from Newport to Corvallis for only $10.  It departs Newport City Hall (169 SW Coast Hwy) at 6:30, 8:45, 3:00, and 5:20 seven days a week (full schedule).  Although I was planning on biking back, it was nice to know this was an option.  An option that I ultimately took.

I decided to blog a leg-by-leg account of my trip, focusing on the details I wish I had known before going in so this might be helpful for other first-timers.

First Leg - Corvallis to Blodgett

The elevation charts on these maps go left to right, while the route goes right to left.

It took me about 90 minutes to make it to Blodgett from The Benton County Fairgrounds.

Things to look for:

• mile 4.6 - At the point where Highway 34 forks off to the left, the bike lane disappears, and the shoulder is very small.  The shoulder reappears after a mile or two, but for the next 10 miles your sharing Highway 20 with logging trucks and RVs.  The traffic can be fast and heavy.  I think I benefited from the early hour and the weekday.
• From mile 6.5 to 7.8 and from mile 10.3 to 11.8 - There are two steep climbs; fortunately there are passing lanes on these climbs, so traffic can give you some room.



Logging Country

• There is a market in Blodgett where the Summit Highway meets Highway 20.  This is a good spot to rest.

In retrospect, this was possibly the most challenging leg, both in regards to the climbing and the stressful traffic.  If you found this stretch difficult, don't worry, it gets better from here (except for the 2 miles of gravel road at mile 24).

Second Leg - Blodgett to Hamar Lake

At first I was uncertain about the fact that the Summit Highway has no shoulder, but after a few miles I realized that there was so little traffic, that it was no problem.  I was passed maybe 3 times in 7 miles.

Things to look for:

• mile 20.2 to 20.9 - This is a steep 400 ft drop.  You can take this as fast as your bike can go - it's curvy enough to be thrilling, but not so much that it's scary.  This half mile just might be the highlight of the whole trip!
• mile 24.6 - At Nashville, there is a fork in the road:

Go right.

I went left.

Gah!  10 miles later, I was in Eddyville on Highway 20.  The sign said it was 25 miles to Newport, and I seriously considered just taking Highway 20 to Newport (that would have been a bad idea).  I decided to backtrack the 10+ miles back to Nashville.

Wouldn't you know it, on my way back I got a flat tire.  Fortunately I had a portable pump, so I could fill the tire long enough to get back to Nashville where I could change the tire (and fortunately, I had a brought a spare tube).

I took a lunch break in Nashville to recover from my 20+ mile detour, and by the time I got going again it was 11:30, and I had taken off some layers because it was finally getting warm.

Things to look for:

• mile 24.0 - Hamar Lake

• mile 24.0 - Pavement ends, an the road becomes gravel for 2 miles.

This 2 mile stretch of gravel is definitely the least pleasant stretch of the trip.  There are logging trucks on it that kick up a lot of dust.  The ride up was steep and I had to walk a section of it (I blame my 20 mile detour, I bet I could make it if I was only 25 miles in instead of 45), but I found the ride down even more stressful, I had to ride my brakes down because it was difficult to navigate the sharp turns at high speed without skidding.

• mile 26.0 - The gravel ends and the pavement resumes.  Congratulations, the worst part is over!

It was 12:00 pm when I got to the end of the gravel road.  If it hadn't been for the detour, I think this would have been a good spot to stop for lunch.  I think it's reasonable to get here from Blodgett in less than 2 hours under ordinary conditions.

Third Leg - Hamar Lake to Siletz

It took me about 2 hours to ride this stretch.  It was 2:00 pm when I arrived in Siletz.

This 20 mile stretch is quite pleasant, and can be done in one go because the road is well-paved, and relatively flat.

Although the Elevation chart shows more down than up.  It didn't feel like it because of the strong headwind that hit at around the mile 36 mark.

Fourth Leg - Siletz to Toledo

It took me only 40 minutes to ride this stretch.

This is a very short leg (8 miles), but there's a Dairy Queen in Toledo that is a really nice stopping point, and the last twelve mile stretch is long enough without tacking this bit on to it.

Things to watch for:

• mile 44.4 - there is a short climb that starts here, but it drops further than it climbs
• The highway has shoulders, but they are cluttered with branches and a worrisome amount of broken glass.
• The traffic picks up here and was mildly stressful after growing accustomed to the relative calm of the previous legs.

Last Leg - Toledo to Newport

This took me a full 2 hours to complete, even though it's only 13 miles.  There was some stiff wind that I assume is probably pretty reliable, and also I was exhausted.

There is a 12 mile tour of Yaquina Bay that begins and ends with hills, but is more-or-less at sea level the rest of the way around.  It's a very pleasant and scenic detour that adds about 9 miles to the route, but bypasses a particularly unpleasant 3 mile stretch of Highway 20.

Sunset on the Pacific

I arrived in Newport at about 5:00 pm.

Some Questions I had before I started:

Q. Is my bike adequate for this trip?

A. Yup. It turns out that my bike is more than adequate.  It's not a specialized touring or racing bike, but a hybrid bike that I got because I intended to use it for commuting.  I'm sure this trip is basic enough for any standard road, touring, or mountain bike.

Q. Do I need special gear for the trip?

A. Not much.  I brought rain gear because this is the Northwest, but I didn't need it.  I brought lights in case I had to bike in the dark, but I didn't have to.  I was never more than 20 miles from civilization so I didn't need camping gear.  I splurged on nifty saddlebags as a birthday present to myself, but my old milk crate strapped on with zip-ties would have worked just fine.  I am extremely grateful that I bought a really nice portable pump.

Q. Am I in-shape enough for this trip?

A. Just barely.  I'm a middle-aged guy with a small gut (6'0", 185#) who doesn't work out, but I eat healthy and bike everywhere I go, so there are lots of guys in better shape than me and lots of guys in worse shape.  I managed the first 65 miles of the trip before burning out.  If I hadn't gotten lost, 65 miles would have been enough to get me there.

Final Tips:

• I am really glad that I brought a spare tube and a portable pump.
• I really wish I had brought sunscreen.
• Go right at Nashville.

Foundation Pieced Quilt - Design Phase

Foundation Piecing is commonly called Paper Piecing because you sew the patches directly onto a pattern printed on a piece of paper.  I prefer to use the term Foundation Piecing as not to confuse it with English Paper Piecing which is an entirely different piecing technique.

I designed this block in Electric Quilt:

Some benefits of Foundation Piecing:

•  You can easily piece patches of awkward shapes with really acute angles (like A7 and A10 above).
•  You don't have to consider fabric bias; the paper stabilizes the fabric regardless of bias orientation.
•  You can precisely match the corners of patches at vertices that have several patches coming together (there will be eight patches coming together at some of the corners of the blocks).

Four of these blocks are rotated to create this compass star:

• Patches 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 are all the same color and should blend, so you have to pick the fabric carefully to make sure they blend (no grid, plaid, etc).
• The fabrics used for patches 18, 19, and 20 need to alternate between blocks to create the spiral effect
• I made the design decision to eliminate patch 14 (combine with patch 13).

The final design looks something like this:

There were some fabrics I really wanted to use, but I didn't have enough of them to use them exclusively, so I decided to make it scrappy with each star having different fabrics.

Not all blocks can be foundation pieced.  When designing a block, you're limited straight lines where the following rules are observed:

The endpoints of each line is the edge of the block, or another line whose endpoints are:

 The lines don't intersect:

 Lines can only have other lines end on one side:

I think of it sort of like a game of pick-up sticks. If you can remove a single patch from the block by cutting along a straight seam edge to edge, and if you can continue to remove single patches in this manner until all the patches are removed, then you can foundation piece the block.

One trick is you can break a block that can't be foundation pieced into sub-blocks that can be.  For example, I designed this block:

Which can be foundation pieced in three sections like so:

When repeated and rotated (and alternated with a variant block), this quilt looks like this:

Notice that this pattern has 12-patch corner (Oy!), but foundation piecing makes this feasible (but not easy).

Another alternate foundation pieced block I designed avoids this many patched corner by including a 'buffer' block in the corner:

Notice that without the buffer block these corners would have 16 patches!

Piecing Phase - Next Post >