My Sweet Klosjes

Let the celebrations begin ..... my klosjes spool quilt is done ... done .... done! This quilt is now gracing our dining room wall and DH and I are admiring it greatly. There was a lot of work in the making of this quilt. Hand piecing, hand applique, hand quilting .... oh yes, lots of work ... but so worth every single stitch! :o) A number of you were scared that the markings that I put on my quilt using Crayola Washable markers would not come out. Well, they did and on the first washing. We have a front load washer and it worked just fine.

I thank Valentina and all the other ladies for inspiring and challenging me to join in making a spool quilt. Just look what happens when we inspire and challenge each other!

The spool block comes from Block Base for EQ programs and is #3571 (The Spool of 1966). The flower border was made by me after being inspired by a pattern that was purchased from The Rabbit Factory. The pattern is #RF151 Blooms All Around.

Quilt size: 88" x 95-1/2" (top size before quilting was 92" x 98-1/2"). After washing and drying there was a loss of 4" on the height and 3-1/2" on the width. I always, always make my quilt at least 4" bigger so that after drying, the quilt will fit perfectly on our bed. All my fabric is pre-washed and 4" works for me.

Block size: 6" x 6"

Border block size: 6" x 7"

Design Source: EQ6 and Block Base software programs.

Time frame: Quilt was started on Mar. 21, 2010. The top was done Aug. 9, 2010 and finished being quilted on May 30, 2011. Just over one year for a hand pieced, hand applique and hand quilting. Now, that is not bad, eh!

I'm having a great day ... how about you?

School houses and Klosjes

I'm back to working on this project .... just love how this is shaping up. Just 8 more small blocks to go and the houses can get made up. The small blocks are 6" x 6" finished and the house block is 12" x 12" finished. This quilt will hang on our dining room wall .... but that won't be for a while yet. Mind you, some of my tops get hung up throughout the year. Hand quilting takes a while and I do like to enjoy my tops instead of them being stored away in a battered old trunk. There are only 10 more border blocks to go on my Klosjes quilt. I am so eager to get this done. My label is being worked on and can be added to the back when the quilt is done. Also, fabric has been pulled for a sleeve (my quilts get hung on the wall as well as being used on beds) for sewing onto the back. Soon, my friends, soon you will see this quilt finished. Yesterday, 6 blocks got quilted and today my hands are sore .... so, today I will take a break and work on something else. Probably some more blocks for my school house.

Have a great day!

Rounding the corner ....

Once this corner is quilted, my klosjes quilt will be close to being 3/4 done. So, for now, I'm just chugging along .... While hand quilting, my thimbles dull my needles and my handy emery board (the kind with foam layer in the middle) is perfect for sticking my needles into to sharpen up and I'm ready to go again.

At the end of every week, I can see progress and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter!

Have a great day!

A little bit of this and that

So far, on my klosjes quilt .... there are 58 blocks quilted up (182 still to be done). I was on target by completing 5 blocks a day. Then, my arms and hands felt like they were on fire. I was doing too much hand quilting and had to stop for a few days. Nowadays, only 2 or 3 blocks are getting done per day. That means the quilt will not be ready for the deadline entry for next year Quilts Canada in London, Ontario. Boo hoo!! I'm sad, it was going so well for me. Oh well ..... So, what to do instead? Well, I found this embroidery pillowcase to complete and have been working on that. These pillowcases will go nicely with my klosjes quilt.

As well, side triangles have been added to my Just Blessings top and a few rows sewn together. A few more of the little stars need to be made and then appliqued onto the top. Then it will be time to play with the borders.

Once my Just Blessings top is put together, there are other projects waiting in the wings for their turn on my design wall.

Have a great day!

Klosjes Quilting time

Here is a sneak peek of what my quilting looks like for my klosjes quilt. My goal is to enter this into Quilts Canada 2011 show that will be held in London, Ontario. Deadline for entry is Feb. 11, 2011. I have figured out that 5 blocks a day need to be done in order for me to finish by the end of January 2011 .... thus giving me a bit of a breather if one day that quantity is not met. So far, I'm on schedule. So, only time will tell how this turns out. Wish me luck!

Have a great day!

Klosjes basting

Winter is here and the time has come to do some hand quilting. My queen size klosjes quilt is all marked up and ready to go. Usually, my quilts get basted on the floor; but it is just too hard these days to get down on hands and knees to do that chore. So, I'm trying this new method and so far it is much easier than I thought.

My two trusty assistants are on hand to help me out. Ashes is busy making sure that the basting thread doesn't get tangled up .... .... and Hank is making sure the backing and batting doesn't shift too much.

They were such big help .... that is until they both took off on a tear around the house. The working bit is over .... it is play time!

Have a great day!

Topped up Klosjes

Here it is ..... my klosjes are now a top!!! Oh, happy days, for sure!

Looking at this photo taken from far way, I could have placed some of the darker blocks a bit better. I guess that I'm just standing too close to my design wall and didn't see the placement until now. Too late, this is the final layout. I'm very happy with it. :o)

This morning, the top got laid out on our bed and it sure looks good .... sorry, forgot to take a photo of it!

Have a great day, eh!

Quilt or tablecloth?

At the end of May this year, my SIL and I went to St. Jacobs area for their quilt festival. We attended a quilt preview at a Mennonite auction and while browsing the tents for new/used items, this piece was purchased for $10.00. I was looking through old used magazines and a lady customer talked me into buying this. At first, I thought it was for a twin size bed; my SIL thought it was a table cloth and runner. Now that I have it hanging up to take a photo, I realize that the open space between the embroidered areas is too wide for a pillow tuck. Once I put it on my table, it is definitely a table cloth and runner. Perfect!!! The person that did the embroidery is a master and I wonder why she never cut up the pieces and hemmed them to use. For $10.00, I sure got a treasure and I will finish them to use. 'Thank you' to whoever embroidered these ..... they are wonderful!

On the klosjes front .... there are only 4 more border blocks to do up. Perhaps next week, you might see the finished top. I know that I am anxious to see this all done.

Enjoy your weekend!

Klosjes gets bordered

A number of you were wondering if the border on my klosjes top was my own design. This pattern (which can be purchased from The Rabbit Factory) inspired me. My blocks are simplified and less crowded. This version (below) ... I like it a lot and am wondering if a fabric strip is needed to separate the body from the border. In the pattern above, the designer worked out that problem and I am thinking of following her/his lead.

There are only 15 blocks to do ..... and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I keep at them and not get tempted by something new.

So .... to answer your question if the border was my own design? Well, sort of.

Have a great day, eh!

Klosjes oopsie

I have been busy sewing my klosjes blocks into strips and thought everything was going quite well. That is .... until I double checked and noticed there are two blocks turned the wrong way (see the bright orange stickies). Darn, but a good thing they got caught in time.

There are only 21 border blocks to make. Wow? When did that happen? I just kept making border blocks and started pinning them on my design wall. Now that was a nice surprise for me! :o)

So, this top is coming along very nicely. I have been toying with the borders. Should they have a strip of fabric between the center portion and the outside borders? Oh, decisions, decisions. I'll do a mock-up sometime soon and show you different versions and ask for your opinion.

Now, I'm off to fix those blocks and continue working on this top. Oh, it will be so nice to finally have this top finished.

Have a great day!

What I've been doing?

During my blog break, I have been busy assessing all my projects and doing some purging and sorting in my studio. Good golly, what a job this has been!

At the far end of my studio, there was a design wall that hung in front of these doors and has since been removed (it can quickly be put back up when needed). It was difficult to get into that storage area which has now been sorted through and reorganized. As you can see by the stuff on my cutting table, I still have a ways to go .... yikes .....

New shelves were purchased and my projects labelled. This is looking at the left hand side of the storage area.

The middle section holds bins and more bins of wool for knitting. I still have to go through them and do a big purge. I will still keep some wool, but not this much.

On the right hand side, new shelves holding .... more projects ..... that need to be labelled. Why am I labelling them? It will be easier to find a project quickly at a glance.

All of my projects used to be stored on these shelves (as well as underneath my cutting table) that are now covered with fabric curtains to keep out the dust. One of these days, proper curtains will be made (must remember to look at the thrift store) so that my storage areas will look better.

When I fold back the fabric curtains, all of my repro fabric (civil and 1930's) are on the shelves and sorted by colour. Now, I can easily see what is there. On top of the shelves, in the white boxes are fabrics sorted by colours. My roll of batting is sitting beside the shelves. The bright orange thing that you can see is a piece of wood that acts as a walkway from the shelves to a window so that my girls can check what is going on outside. :o)

Here is another set of shelves. The white bins hold fabrics sorted by colour.

Behind the white fabric curtain are my neutrals and backings.

So, while I've been busy doing my best to clean up ...... Ashes is doing her best to undo a piece of plastic that I taped to my printer to keep out cat hair. Way to go, girl! :o)

It has not been all work .... I've been doing applique, too. With my klosjes project, there are only 7 more to make but a lot more blocks for the outsideborders still to do.

Doing this major sort has been quite the eye opener for me. There are way to many projects started and not completed. I have been pondering about keeping my blog. My blog break has shown me that:

a) I enjoy sharing my projects and my knowledge with you

b) too much time was spent on the computer

c) quilting is my passion but blogging has taken me away from what I love to do.

In order for me to continue blogging, I've decided that less time will be spent on the computer. Therefore, replying to your lovely comments will not happen all the time. I hope that you will understand my decision and not be offended if I don't keep up with proper blog etiquette. I won't be posting on any regular basis either.

So on that note, have a good week!

Blog hiatis

I'm taking a break and will be back sometime in September .... but before I go, this is the border for my klosjes quilt. I will continue working on this quilt as well as my many other projects that are on the go. Hopefully, there will be some finishes to show you later.

Why the break? I think I'm suffering from blog fatigue, that is all.

So, until September, keep on sewing and have fun.

Klosjes Saturday

Here are a few more klosjes that were made this week. They still have to be sewn onto background fabrics. My klosjes are coming along quite nicely . Borders will be the next thing to think about ....oh, decisions, decisions. Will my borders have applique or should they be pieced or just plain?

I've been asked the meaning and how to prounouce 'klosjes'.

Valentina covers this nicely. Directly from her blog, she says:

From Holland with Love... KLOSJES!

(pronounce 'Kloss' ( like Boss) that is a big Spool, and then add Shu (like 'sure' without the 'r') and add an 's'

So what are 'Klosjes'? It is the Dutch word for Little Spools. According to An Moonen, a Dutch Textile Historian who has written a lovely book about Traditional Dutch Quilts, Klosjes or Spool quilts are one of the oldest Dutch designs.

Do visit Valentina's blog, she does such lovely work and she has inspired many to make klosjes as well as Wednesday hexagon flowers (a new challenge that is going around right now).

Since I started making these klosjes and gave tutorials on how to make this version, a few other bloggers have tried making them too.

Teresa and Raewyn have tried them and Jen made a quilt top which I just love.

If anyone else has made this version, please let me know .... I would love to see what you've done.

So, if you want to have a go at making my klosjes version, visit here to see my tutorials on how to draft the templates and also to see the way I sew them together using English Paper Piecing (be sure to scroll down to catch both tutorials).

Have a great day, eh!

Klosjes Saturday

This is where I'm at with my klosjes. A section of batting was added to my design wall so that I could fit all the blocks width wise. My quilt will be 14 blocks wide x 14 blocks long (6" x 6" square) and will finish queen size with borders, so there is a ways to go still. Slowly, but surely, they are getting done and are so addictive. Those of you who are contemplating joining in the fun, beware ...
Have a great day, eh!

Finished Klosjes

Here are my finished klosjes. This wall hanging measures approx. 24" x 24" and my spool blocks are 4" square. A close-up of the hand quilting in the borders.

I just had to take these photos with tulips from my garden. After all, klosjes does mean spools in Dutch.

So there, my third finish for 2010. Am I on a roll???

Pattern Source: Block #3571 from EQ Block Base.

If you want to see how I did these using English Paper Piecing method and how to draft your klosjes (spool) block, just go to the side bar on the left side of my blog and scroll down to LABELS and scroll down again to tutorials and all will be explained.

Have a great day, eh!

Klosjes quilting

My klosjes wall hanging is being hand quilted, but I first did a bit of machine stipple quilting in the white circle. The hand quilting is going a lot faster than I thought and this hanging should be done soon.

Have a great day!

It's a good day ....

..... harmony is back in our home ..... Robyn has been found! The hanging that was shown in my last post will soon be winging its' way to Australia. A big 'thank you' to Kathryn (in Australia) for taking time to search for me. Kathryn even called another person living on the same street (last known address) with the same last name hoping that they were related and could tell us where Robyn is. The man didn't know her but Kathryn said he was a nice chap to talk to. Quilters are just so kind and willing to help at any time. Ashes just doesn't care what is going on in the household ... she just needs her daily pinch of cat nip and all is well in her little world.

Debra (on the right) from Patchwork Sanity came over Tuesday afternoon and said that I was just too hard on myself and reminded me that when something is promised from a quilter, there is at least a 2 yr. waiting period. Enough said. We had a lovely visit and ended up at a quilt store that is on the other side of the city and rush hour starting in just a few hours. We tore out of our house leaving DH sputtering 'when will you be back'.

Before leaving for the quilt store, we had a show and tell. Debra showed a gorgeous Lone Star king size top and I was so amazed at the beauty of the pattern and the fabrics she used that a photo was not taken. Debra will just have to show it off on her blog.

I showed her my klosjes (spools). Five more rows on the bottom have to be cut out. Between my stash and the new FQ fabric that was purchased, I should have enough. Debra has invited me over this coming Sunday to go through her stash to find anything that is missing. My plan for this quilt is not to use the same background fabric twice.

I don't know about you, but I sure am having a good day!

Klosjes templates

As promised, today I'm going to show you how to make the templates for my style of klosjes (Dutch word for little spools) for those of you who don't have EQ and Block Base software computer programs. It really is very simple.

A - Since my klosjes finish at 6" square, draw a 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" square on a sheet of paper. Draw your 1/4" seam allowance all the way around just so that you can see what your finished size will look like. Draw diagonal lines from corner to corner as shown. B - Make a mark 2" from the top and bottom. Using your ruler, (line up the diagonal line on your ruler to the diagonal line on the paper) continue making your line going from one diagonal line to the other diagonal line. Do the same for the bottom.

C - Again, using the diagonal line on your ruler, line up your ruler and make a 3/4" mark as shown by the arrows.

D - Repeat the same process for the other half of the square block.

E - Make a mark 1" in from any side, take your compass and put the point in the very middle (see arrow) and extend the other arm of the compass with the lead pencil part to the mark and draw a circle all around. At this time, you can make any changes to the shape that you want.

F - Your template is made. I traced the template roughly by hand so that you can see what your klosjes will look like.

G - Cut out your paper templates.

H - Staple your templates onto scrap pieces of paper. Usually, I cut out 4 pieces of scrap paper at a time (any more paper and your templates will get wonky). The edges of the original templates got a coating of orange marker so that I can see where to cut.

i - Cut your templates out and remove staples. I keep the original templates and cut out additional templates whenever more are needed using these originals. My templates get used often but at some point, they just get too many holes from basting and eventually they get tossed out.

You are now ready to start basting away. Just be sure to keep your fabric and templates on the straight of the grain. Have fun!

This is what my klosjes are looking like today. I'm just raiding my stash and auditioning fabrics to make sure that I get a nice colour wash look. I'm making a queen size quilt and need 196 blocks. So, there are lots more to go. At some point, these blocks will have to be transferred to my larger design wall as I need 2 more rows on one side and 5 more rows on the bottom and I just simply ran out of room with this design wall. I can do 3 to 5 klosjes a day, but my fingers are getting a bit sore from the needle, so it is time to slow and work on something different for a few days.

For those of your who celebrate Easter ..... Happy Easter! Stay safe.

Klosjes

I have put together my 4" klosjes ..... and gosh darn it, but it sure looks good (do you agree?). In the end, a few rows got knocked off and I went with this number of blocks instead. Now, I have gone ahead and am making 6" klosjes. Do you think I'm crazy ..... no, don't tell me that, please! :o) In the photo below, you can see the difference between the sizes. They are a lot easier to make and quicker to do.

In my last post, there were two comments about how my klosjes were made and what is English Paper Piecing. The following gazillion photos are all about these subjects. So, if you are not interested, bye, bye and see you later, aligator.

English Paper Piecing and how my klosjes are made.

A - I have EQ6 and Block Base software program and printed out the templates (for those of you who do not have EQ, my next post will show you how you can make a template for these klosjes). There is no seam allowance for these templates and I have cut around my templates leaving excess material for turning back. When I pin my templates to the material, I try to make sure the straight of grain is up/down.

B - the excess fabric has been folded over to the back of the paper template and basted. This is what they look like at the front.

C - This is what the back looks like. Looking towards the bottom of the photo, can you see blue arrows showing the direction of sewing? The pieces are whip stitched together in the direction you see. The blue broken lines just indicate where the thread is just passing through the back layer to get to the next seam to be sewn down, and so on. This way, I'm not stopping to secure, cutting and re-knotting the thread to start sewing the next seam. A little bit of a time saver. :o)

D - shows the direction to sew on the next piece.

E - you will have to do a bit of folding and pinning for the next section.

F - The last seam and the direction to sew. Secure your thread at the end of this seam.

G - sew in the last piece.

H - this is what your klosjes should look like now.

I - and this is the back. Do not remove your paper templates or basting stitches.

J - My klosjes will finish at 6", so I cut out a 6-1/2" square piece of background fabric and mark placement lines from corner to corner. I used Crayola Washable Markers and these blocks will be hand washed (and dried on a towel) to remove the lines before the blocks are sewn together and ironed.

Using the diagonal lines on my klosjes, move your klosjes around until all lines match up on the diagonal. Another thing, make sure your fabric is on the straight of grain when you pin your klosjes to the fabric, regardless if your klosjes are placed vertical (as shown below) or horizontal.

K - This is what my klosjes looks like after the circle has been appliqued onto the background fabric. My light backgrounds will have the klosjes sitting vertical and my dark backgrounds will have the klosjes placed horizontal.

L - This is the back, with the excess background material removed and all the paper templates and basting threads.

So, now you know how I do my klosjes.

Have a great day!