Easy Castle Wall Block

 Castle Wall is a block that is most often hand pieced with Y seams and trapeziods.  With this pattern, you can achieve a complicated looking block somewhat simply....Here's how to make a 12" finished block.

Please make a sample block before cutting a bunch of fabric to insure the instructions are correct.  This is my first attempt at writing this type of instruction and no one has proofed it for me.

If you use this pattern to make a block, or a whole quilt, please share it.  I would love to see it.

To make demonstration easier, the instructions will refer to colors as in the photo above.  Castle Wall can be done up a number of ways such as dark center, light star points, dark trapezoids, etc.  Look online and you will find a number of combinations.

CUT:

BLUE         (4)   2 1/2" squares
                   (16) 2" squares

RED            (8)  2" x 4" rectangles
       
GREEN       (2)  5" squares

NEUTRAL  (1)  5 1/2'" square
                    (2)  5" squares
                    (8)  2" squares
                    (4)  2" x 2 1/2" rectangles

IMPORTANT...Use a scant quarter inch seam.

Draw a diagonal line, corner to corner on the wrong side each of the blue and neutral 2" squares.

Draw a diagonal line, corner to corner on the wrong side of the 2 neutral 5" squares.

CENTER SNOWBALL BLOCK     1 unit     5 1/2" square unfinished

Position a blue square in each corner of the neutral 5 1/2" square and stitch a scant to the right of the line. Cut off the excess corners.  PRESS toward the blue.

CORNER BLOCKS     4 units     4" square unfinished

Position the neutral 5" square on top of a green 5" square, right sides together.  Sew a quarter inch seam on each side of the drawn line.  Cut on the marked line.  Open half square triangles and PRESS toward the neutral.  You will end up with 4 half square triangles.  Trim each of them to 4" square.  I have made two of these blocks and I forgot to square them up both times.....had to do them again.       

You could also use your easy angle to make this unit.

Position a blue 2" square in the neutral corner and sew a diagonal seam.  Cut off the corner.  PRESS toward the neutral.

CHEVRON UNITS     4 units     4"x 5 1/2" unfinished

To make chevrons, begin with the 8 red rectangles.  Position and sew 2" blue and neutral squares to make 4 uphill and 4 downhill chevrons.  PRESS toward the triangles.  (I am assuming you know how to make the chevrons and don't need to go into more detail.

Middle unit - Sew a neutral 2" x 2 1/2" rectangle to each of the 4 blue 2 1/2" squares.  PRESS toward the blue. (You could also strip piece these with 11" strips of each...2" and 2 1/2")

Sew an uphill chevron on the right and a downhill chevron on the left of the sub unit above.

Sew the nine units together

Clear as mud?????

CELTIC SOLSTICE WIP

I am a happy girl (see below)

My Celtic Solstice just needs to have its remaining borders attached...then, wait for me to put up my Handiquilter.  I am anxious to have it finished, but it can wait.

I cut pieces with the intention of making the king sized version and made a queen instead, leaving me with several black rectangles.  So, I cut a few more and used them as the border.  I haven't decided if a solid outer border is needed....may make the quilt too big but taking a photo of it has really helped in the decision making.
Even though I'm still kicking myself for removing the green (get over it, Barb!) I think it is turning out alright.  It will fit on our bed perfectly.  






MEET...ROSIE

Last Sunday, Doug and I went to an auction.  The sale bill simply said "Old Singer Sewing Machine".  My heart really started thumping when I spied a 201-2 sitting among the broken down furniture....not with the good stuff they have in another area and blocked off so they can keep people away to protect against damage.  She was pretty dirty and frozen up...just the way we like them...ha!  With a closer look, the wiring looked really good.  She had an ugly sticker on the bed with a drawing of a wasp and "Singer Stinger" scrawled across it.

We took a seat close to our conquest, taking note of how many people stopped and seemed interested.  There were two others; a lady who looked like a sewer and an antique dealer type.  The lady sat in the back and didn't bid on anything and the antiquey guy sat in the front and was doing a bunch of bidding and buying.  My hopes of getting this gem on the cheap was fading.

I asked Doug his thoughts of what our top dollar should be.  His reply was "We are going home with it."  I knew he wasn't kidding......more heart thumping. 

Finally, after about 3 hours the auctioneer announced "Next up for auction is the sewing machine, sold as is, where is."  Thump, Thump, Thump!

He started at $20...no bids.  $10...no bids.  $5...nope...$2.50 and the bids started to fly between sewing lady and antiquey guy.  Quicker THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

Sewing lady hesitated and Doug got into the bidding and then she dropped out.  Doug just kept his number up in the air and kept the bid pressure on antiquey guy.  He won the auction...$37.50 !!!!!!!!!!  YES !!!!   Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump!!!!!!!

We get her home and Doug can't wait to get going on her.  With a lot of oil and very little muscle with a pipe wrench she is free and  sewing a pretty good stitch.  The tension is pretty tight but the mechanism needed to be cleaned and adjusted..that's all it took.  She does need a rubber wheel for the bobbin winder and that is on order!

What a sweet machine!!!!  I can't even explain what a great find this is !!  Doug said when she's sewing, she sounds like a space ship, like in the Jetsons......so, Rosie is her name.  

Rosie was the Jetsons robot maid and Wikipedia describes her as "an outdated model, but the Jetsons love her and would never trade her for a newer model."  So appropriate!

My first block made with Rosie.  

Celtic Solstice Reveal

 ADDIE TIME

I had a really good reason to take a break from my sewing machine this weekend...Addie....my 4 year old granddaughter spent the weekend with us. 

That doesn't mean time wasn't spent in the sewing room.  She loves to get the little stepladder out and play on the design wall.....giving me her opinion of what should go where.

Her brother, Nate, and Papa played Wii and Bey Blades.  Everyone was happy until it came time for them to leave.  We love the time spent with them.  There will be three in April....they are expecting a little sister!

Love that smile!!

Celtic Solstice

When I saw Bonnie's reveal, I fell in love with her quilt.  To me, the B block looks like crystals or a diamond.  It is so pretty.  I was disappointed in myself that I had changed the green to black/gray....I just couldn't wrap my heart around that green.  But in Bonnie's quilt, it is the brighter greens that really makes things sparkle.  Isn't that what yellow is for???

So I whipped up some green chevrons and some green and orange 4 patches, stuck them up on the design board and called DH (Papa) in to give me his opinion.  He didn't even hesitate and chose the green blocks.

OK.....Now I hadn't finished the birds in the air blocks, but those don't have green...darn it.  And I had finished all other parts for the king size.

I don't hate the black. I will be pleased with it, but I'm going to make a smaller size and have the remaining star points, pinwheels and birds in the air blocks as a really good start for another Celtic Solstice.  And I won't remove the "Celtic" from the Solstice.

I am amazed with everyone's quilts.  They are all beautiful and one of a kind.  Even though many are the same color way, each is so very unique!  You can see for yourself here
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-6.html 

I have learned so much.  I am having a wonderful time and am excited to get this one finished!

Celtic Solstice Part 5

This has been a really fun experience.  I am hoping to get Part 5 finished...then go back and finish up on the chevrons.  Someone wrote that the chevrons were "insane".  I agree, but I shall win the battle I am having with them.  They haven't been kicking my butt....I've been kicking my own by putting them off.  They are really cute blocks and I need to spend more time with them this week!

I have learned so much lately...how to use the TriRecs ruler...using the Easy Angle ruler.....etc.  I have even learned a thing or two about blogging (still a lot to learn there)  See Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville blog at http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/celtic-solstice-mystery.html

But I also learned that little pieces aren't quite so daunting.  The queen sized scrappy bargello on our bed has over 4000 pieces and I thought that was a lot....Celtic Solstice will blow that out of the water!!!!  I've always looked for patterns that are quick and easy, mainly because I get bored so easily and end up with a UFO.  I think the process of breaking the quilt down into smaller blocks, and finishing them before moving on to another part will be my new way of looking at patterns.....so...Goose in the Puddle form Scraps & Shirttails II...here we go! 

But then again.....I would also like to make a Chunky Churndash..


But then again......

I have been trying to find a new home for a shoe box full of 3.5 inch nine patches and it think I have found it. I have a feeling the Tri Recs ruler will be busy in 2014 !!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Celtic Solstice Part 4

I have always loved playing with blocks...wooden, Lincoln Logs, Lego, Duplo and, of course, quilt blocks.

Celtic Solstice Part 3

These are so cute!

Ladies shirt remodel into a little girl's dress

Here is my 99 cent thrift shop extra large ladies shirt.  I bought this while looking for shirts to debone and make into quilts.  It is pink and purple seersucker...and pretty ugly at that!

So...what to do with this ugly thing?  Remodel it, of course.

I cut off the sleeves, close to the armhole seams.  There were buttons and tabs on the sleeves, so that the wearer could roll them up and button up the tab.  I cut off the tab, but left the button on.

Next, I cut off the collar and took the shirt apart at all the seams.  I picked out the pocket and put it aside...I had not decided at that time what to do with it.  With matching thread and the shirt buttoned, I sewed down the front placket (the strip on the front of the shirt with the buttons and buttonholes) on both sides.

I pinned and cut out all the pattern pieces from the shirt pieces, replaced the front pocket on the front of the dress, and sewed the dress according to the pattern instructions.

And now, my granddaughter has a new (old) dress.  I hope she likes it.