I really have been working

Though its been quite a while since my last post, I have been working on a nickel brick quilt, just haven't shown the progress.  Here are some of the strips, 2-patches and 4 patches laid out trying to see if it needed some tweaking before I started sewing it together.   Right now - this is as far as it's getting for a while anyway - it's back to work the long week and days off are committed to other things.

Finally getting something done!!

I have been in such a drought getting anything done.  I can spend time down in the sewing room, but don't seem to accomplish anything!  While I know that isn't true - I am making some progress, it just seems like I've been working soooo long on a project that was supposed to go together so quick!   More about that later......

In the mean time - I seem to have a lot more impulse to start things than I do finishing them.  I was doing some searching for a friendship braid quilt with the little squares that run down the center.  I think it's really called a french braid pattern, but I'm no expert - that's for sure. 

 I got some beautiful batik jelly roll strips that I want to make into a french braid quilt, but I neede to do so practice first.

I did find a link that was just what I was looking for at http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/2010/01/french-braid-tutorial.html and I had several homespun fabrics to try it out with....so that's what I did and here is the results.

I also had in mind something I saw a Missouri Star Quilt Co. tutorial about using a binding tool to make the strips so you didn't have to cut so much off the sides of the sewed piece here's a link to that  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpHAp_pyVXQ&feature=channel

.... so off to the shop to get a piece of plexiglass to make a new template.

I had a June Tailor Binding Buddy, but I didn't want to cut it, and I wanted a template just the size of the pieces I was going to cut, so I duplicated it in the plexiglass.  I figured I could get 5 pieces out of the width of fabric if I cut the template at 9 1/2"

I had a piece of batting I wanted to use that was 12 X 60".  I cut a piece of  backing to match, and followed the assembly like the above link showed, only I assemble the pieces right to the batting and backing - Quilt as You Go style.  Once I got to the other end of the piece, all I had to do was square it up and bind it!    Here is the finished piece. 

Tips:  Draw a line down the center of your batting and a few 45 degree lines for reference because it's real easy to get off center with the French braids.

Another thing that I did actually get done were these cute little mug rugs.   The picture doesn't show them completely done (though a couple of them are done now) because they're going in my take along box to stitch down the binding.     This was also an experiment of an idea I had.... these are sandwhiched with: 

• Top layer - these are small scraps sewn to the batting with the stich n' flip method.
• Batting -
• Moisture barrier - a piece of clear vinyl cut to fit
• Backing

 I put all the layers together and added binding.  These ended up about 4X6" which is small for a mug rug, but I love em just the same.  The backs are scraps from a Coffee fabric!  Perfect place for them, and I also found some fabric that looked like cups to add to the shorter pieces.