The Twisted Trail Quilt

The Twisted Trail Quilt was my last flimsy finished in 2021 and I waited until this month to finally finish it so I could write a tutorial (yes, I’m joining Kathleen McMusing’s Tips & Tutorial on the 22nd #25 Linky Party) on how simple and quick this quilt is to make and even more nicer, a great stash buster. If you’re like me who has been quilting for over twenty-five years and started out as a traditional quilter, you may still have a stash of Thimbleberries, Kansas Troubles or Civil War or primitive/country prints which you still love even though the colors and prints are not as fun as the new modern prints-this would be a great pattern to use for these fabrics.

Last November, I posted my Hocus Quilt which was inspired by Gudrun Erla’s Locus Quilt which is a layer cake pattern for 10” squares of fabric. The Hocus Quilt used a different size square because I had at one time cut up a bunch of smaller squares with my Kansas Trouble stash. I named this quilt Hocus as in Pocus since I thought it was so magical that these rail blocks were made from squares and not from strips. I also mentioned in this post that I wanted to make another quilt like this but would use strips instead of squares and also use my stash of Thimbleberries fabrics. I love making quilts with strips, usually 2.5” that I die-cut and rail fence blocks are one of my favorite because of the fast and simple construction and it goes really well with lots of different types of fabrics. Rail Fence Quilts are my go-to pattern for baby quilts, quilts gift/donation quilts  and also the best for quilts you know are going to be used/abused a lot which in house means that they’re going to be thrown on the floor or one of our dogs can be found snuggling with it. These are the quilts I like to lay on a couch or chair.

I decided to name my follow up to the Hocus Quilt, the Twisted Trail Quilt since it is made with strips,  the blocks are larger and the layout is different, plus I wanted to allude to it being a rail fence pattern. I originally pulled fifty-six prints from my Thimbleberries stash which was easy to do since there was a time, especially when I worked at the quilt shop, I used to buy prints from every collection when it was released and only stopped buying them almost twenty years ago when I left the shop and by that time acquired a nice stash.

I had planned to make the Twisted Trail quilt 84” long but had to reduce it to 78” (which I will explain later in the post) so I ended only using forty-four prints which was still more than needed. This is where the start of my tutorial on how to make the blocks begin once you decide on your fabrics. Like with most rail fence patterns, there should be good contrast between the fabrics, like light and dark, etc.

• Block Size: 6”x 18” wide
• Two different fabrics are used for each block and there are two block layouts, Type A & Type B
• Three strips measuring 2.5” x21” in each color is needed and will make (2) blocks. If your strip are less than 21” then you will need additional strips

My color palette for the Twisted Trailer quilt used blues and greens paired with beige/tan lights for my Type A Blocks and reds and browns paired with gold lights for my Type B Blocks.

For the Type A blocks, sew two strip sets, one with the color fabric on the top and bottom with the light in the middle and the other strip set with the light on the top and bottom and the color print in the middle. Press the seams according to the yellow arrows.

• The strip set with the color fabric (blue) on the top and bottom should be cut in (2) 9.5” segments
• The strip set with the color fabric (blue) in the middle should be cut in (4) 5” segments

Per the top pic, sew one 5” segment on each side of the 9.5” segment and press the seams towards the center segment.  These blocks should measure 6.5” x 18.5”.

For the Type B blocks, sew two strip sets, one with the light fabrics on the top and bottom and the color print in the middle and the other strip set with the color fabric on the top and bottom and the light fabric in the middle. Press seams according to the yellow arrows.

• The strip set with the color fabric (red) in the middle should be cut into (2) 9.5” segments
• The strip set with the color fabric (red)  on the top and bottom should be cut into (4) 5” segments

Per the top pic, sew one 5” segment on each side of the 9.5” segment and press the seams away from the center segment. These blocks should measure 6.5” x 18.5”.

In the top pic of the two block types, you can see how they alternate with each other once they are sewn together and in the bottom photo, the seams of the blocks will nest with each other when sewn together whether horizontally or vertically.

The Twisted Trail quilt measures 54” x 78” with three blocks across and thirteen blocks down; a total of thirty-nine blocks, (20) Type A and (19) Type B. To determine how many strips to cut, you will first have to decide on what size you want to make the quilt. As mentioned earlier, three strips of two different fabrics measuring 2.5” x 21” will make two blocks. For this quilt, just 10 strip set of each color combination needed to be sewn; there was one extra Type B block left. This quilt sews quickly as long as you remember to sew and press your Type A and B correctly . And this, ends the block tutorial and I hope it is not confusing.

I had wanted to make the Twisted Trail Quilt longer, especially since I had enough fabric but the reason why I had to reduce it was because of the above fabric which is an almost twenty year Marcus Bros. Print called Story Dogs which I purchased a whole bolt of it when I worked at the quilt shop. I love these hound dogs since one of them reminded me of our dearly departed blue tick coonhound and I had previously used some for a backing for a quilt made with Thimbleberries fabric. I still had enough left over and was planning on using it for the Hocus Quilt but when I saw the colors, I knew it would go better with the Thimbleberries fabric which is another good reason why the Twisted Trail Quilt needed to be made—the backing was cut and already sewn for a 78” long quilt and which is why this quilt couldn’t be any longer.

Machine quilting was a combination straight and wavey lines with a golden tan Star Machine Thread. Doesn’t the backing look wonderful with all of the Thimbleberries prints? This quilt will be going to the Grandparent House. It turns out that Grandpa’s recliner, the most popular chair in the living room and coveted by the darling granddaughter and the four-legged creatures is the only chair that does not have a quilt covering it; yes, I expect this quilt will be thrown on the floor by you know who.

Even though I said that my stash of traditional fabrics would be great for the Twisted Trail pattern, I’m now thinking it would work well with my stash of patriotic fabric, I’m already envisioning making one with a slightly different layout, and also seasonal/holiday fabrics. You can also make this quilt just using like all blues and lights, just designate which blues are to be used for which block type. Also, a suggestion, do not use the same fabric for both block types because as Quilt Karma layout would have it, the blocks with the same fabrics will be next to each other and you won’t notice it until after the quilt is finished. I do think some of my modern stash which I usually reserve for my Ernie Quilts might work as well. It’s really a great pattern to use up the stash and makes a very happy, scrapppy quilt.

I’m having a pretty productive January so far as this is my third Finally Finish for the month. Cold, snowy weather makes great sewing conditions. I would have a fourth finally finish, Petal Pop, my January quilt for the Country Threads Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge, but it’s only a flimsy right now. I had hoped to have quilted it by now but I ordered some white batting in which the first shipment was lost and the replacement won’t be here until the end of the month. Bummer, for a no pressure Challenge, I still hate missing a deadline.

Meanwhile, I started a new project—a new pattern (not an affiliate link) with mostly new fabrics. We’re experiencing some sub-zero temperatures for the next few days so I will be sewing me some fun. Good news, all the die-cutting and rotary cutting— I did not hurt my knee.

Linking up with: Kathleen McMusing Tips and Tutorial on the 22nd and My Quilt Infatuation/NTT

A Finally Finish and a Big Flimsy Finish for November

 

It’s been almost six weeks since my last Post which also means it’s been that long since I’ve finished a quilt. It’s not that I haven’t been quilting when we weren’t traveling to the Grandparent House but was rather involved with a new quilt project which is the Big Flimsy Finish and will be seen later in the post. While working on this quilt, I somehow re-injured my left knee which I fractured three years ago and resulted being laid up for around a week and interrupted my sewjo. Once I was able to move around a bit, I needed to work on my #11 of  Country Threads Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge which is a quilt inspired by GE Design’s Locus Pattern.  Over five years ago, I had cut over fifty 8” squares from my Kansas Trouble stash for a pattern I decided I didn’t want to make so I’ve been looking for another pattern to make with these squares.

Last year while looking through Gudrun Erla’s Stripology Squared Quilt Book for 10” squares, I saw her Locus pattern and thought if I changed up the size of the cuts, I would be able to use the 8” squares. To make a lapsize quilt, I needed to cut an additional 50 squares and while I was at it and had the stash, I decided to cut an additional 100 squares. I started this quilt last year and wanted to finish it sooner than later so I added this quilt to my UFO Challenge and was happy that this was pulled for November since I thought this was a perfect Fall quilt. I’ve named this quilt Hocus as in Pocus since it’s almost a Locus quilt and there was something magical about making this rail-style quilt which starts out as squares. 

This block pattern reminds me of the Ernie Express Quilt except it’s made in a way I would never have imagined and that is what is neat about Gudrun Erla’s designs. It’s a great pattern for both traditional and modern fabrics and already have one planned for the Thimbleberries stash but will use strips instead of squares and will also use the same measurements as the Hocus quilt. It’s a flexible pattern if you want larger or smaller strips.

Even though I only had a few blocks made, this was a quick make since the squares were already sewn and just need to be cut.

Quilting was a combination of straight wavey lines with a Cornsilk thread from Connecting Threads which went well with both the top and the backing. The binding was the bright blue Splatter print from one of the Kansas Trouble fabric lines. My Hocus Quilt measures 58” x 78”. I love that I finally have another quilt made with the Kansas Trouble fabrics and thinking since I have a lot of it remaining in my stash and the extra squares I already cut that I would make a king size version of this quilt.

After the Hocus Quilt was a Finally Finish this past weekend, I was able to resume working on my Tinkering Quilt which is the latest My Quilt Infatuation pattern (not an affiliate link) and my Big Flimsy Finish. This quilt measures 84” square and is made with just Cotton+Steel and Ruby Star Society fabrics. Once this is a Finally Finish which I hope it will be once we return from spending Thanksgiving at the Grandparent House I will write more about this quilt and what could have caused my knee mishap.  Any ideas?

I hope you are blessed with a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Linking up with My Quilt Infatuation/NTT, OhScrap, Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

In the Mood for Red, White and Blue

‘‘Tis the month for sewing red, white and blue quilts which means I have three Finally Finished, two of them longtime UFOs and one quilt a start and finish within nine days which would have been done sooner if not for a five day visit to the Grandparent House. I already have a nice collection red, white and blue (RBW) quilts and it’s been awhile since I’ve made one, with the exception of some small wallhangings, but these three just “happened” to get made. 

This is the first RBW quilt finally finished and if it weren’t for Mary Etherington, Country Threads posting the one she was currently working on, there was a strong possibility this would have remained a top. It’s been over five years since this was made and was a QAL which Mary hosted. I changed the dimensions of the blocks to 6” finished so I could die cut them and used fabrics from my Minnick & Simpson stash. Seeing Mary’s current quilt gave me the impetus to finally quilt it. It’s the first time I’ve ever sprayed basted and really liked it and thought it would be a game changer but as I later discovered it works best right now for small quilts. This quilt measures 28” square and already hanging on the hallway door.

This is the second RBW quilt which I finally finished as a result of the first quilt because I made the two at the same time and it just wouldn’t be right for it to remain an UFO. The pattern is Dandy designed by Pat Sloan and she also hosted a QAL. I thought this was a great pattern for the Zippity Doo Dah fabrics designed by Sandy Gervais which I had a layer cake and yardage. This has to be one if the few quilts I've made which only used four fabrics. After I made this top, I wasn’t sure how to quilt it so that’s why it was an UFO for so long.  I decided to quilt it with curvy horizontal lines and again I spray basted it and this time I don’t think I liked it as much with the numerous pinches and puckers. This quilt measures 34” x 46” and will be a seasonal table topper for the dining room table.  (I’ve been thinking a lot of Pat lately because right after I finished my Dandy quilt, I learned that while going for a walk, she tripped over uneven pavement and broke both of her wrists and had surgery today. I’m a big fan of Pat’s patterns and fabrics and wish her a speedy recovery and hope she heals well.)

While hunting for the binding for the Dandy quilt and coming upon the Zippity Doo Dah layer cake, I knew I wanted to use it for an Algorithm Quilt, a pattern designed by Gundrun Erla, GE design, which is a fun pattern to make and a nice change of pace from the strip and square quilts I’m fond of making. Would you believe, we're at the end of June and this is the first quilt the Master Quilt Holder has held up outside? 

The pattern did not include borders and measures approximately 49"x64". Normally I do not add borders but thought since I still had yardage of the floral print I would add borders so the quilt measures 57"x70 which is a nice size to cover more than a lap.

Since I added borders, I was tempted to quilt straight through the borders but decided that I would start the straight and curvy line quilting inside the top and bottom and spent the time burying the knots.  I was going to use a natural color thread and glad I decided at the last minute to use instead Red. For the borders, I also did a combination of straight and curvy lines also.

For both the Algorithm and Dandy quilt, I was able to back it with a 2001 print designed by Jill Kemp/Bear Paw Design.  It's a patriotic print with text saying "Remember Me' which I'm glad I did because it's definitely been waiting to be used.  Since I didn't like the red print I had left from the Zippity Do Dah stash, I decided to use a ticking stripe of red and natural which went well with the other prints.

If you read my last post about my Centred Quilt, which I mentioned that I was unhappy with the new Blogger interface and some may have interpreted that I wasn't going to post anymore since I wrote that this post would be the last post I would do in the old or Legacy Blogger interface which I dearly love. Well surprise, surprise, I'm writing this post in the new Blogger interface since I decided to put on my big Blogger pants and post with the flow.  My mentor Sue of PatchworknPlay and tormmmentor Sandra of mmm quilts have been helpful.  I discovered one of the problems I was having is that my MAC Pro Laptop is ten years old and cannot support the new Blogger interface so the toolbar was not appearing.  It worked on my iPad but there was no way I was going to type with one finger.  My hubby suggested that I try typing it on my PC and it works but I had problems with uploading photos directly from OneDrive.  Another problem is inserting links so I apologize for not including them in this post.  Hopefully, Sandra, who promised a little tutorial for the new Blogger interface can offer some insight.

Wishing everyone a Safe, Happy and Healthy Fourth!