A Year with Angie and Her Friends

Is it really already well into January, 2008? Am I really late already getting this new quilt to you? Yes to both questions. Guess I better get busy.

I have had these drawings of Angie for at least a couple of years, determined that “someday” they would become a new pattern. Imagine my surprise when I realized they were supposed to be my gift to you this year. Yes, they are very different from last year and from all my other patterns, and that is by design. (Pardon the pun.) Each angel is a bit impish and not quite perfect – but then aren’t we all?

Applique‘ each angel to an 11” background, press well, then trim the blocks to 10 ½”. These blocks will require 1 3/8 yd. of fabric. Hmmmmm. I said applique‘, but they could just as easily be embroidered (as in “redwork”), or even colored with crayons and then outlined with a triple straight stitch on the machine or a stem stitch by hand. In my mind’s eye I always saw these with a very traditional setting of 2” wide sashing with 2” posts, a 1” Border #1, and a 5” Border #2. That will give you a 50 x 62” crib quilt or wall hanging. My plan is to quilt the month in the piece of sashing to the left of each angel, and the name of each angel in the piece of sashing underneath her. My thought is to quilt the remaining sashing pieces with a pretty vine and leaf design or hearts or something similar.

Let’s see, you need yardage requirements for the sashing, etc. Here you go:

• ¾ yd. for the sashing. These pieces will be cut 2 ½” x 11 ½”.
• ¼ yd. for the posts. Cut these pieces 2 ½” x 2 ½”.
• ¼ yd. for Border #1. Yes, you will have to piece the long strips. You need 2 pieces 1 ½” x 40” (for the top and bottom) and 2 pieces 1 ½” x 50” (for the sides – sew these on first, then the top and bottom).
• 1 ½ yd. for Border #2. You will need 2 pieces 5 ½” x 52” for the sides (sew these on first), and 5 ½” x 50” for the top and bottom.
• ¾ yd. for the binding. No you don’t really need that much, but if you buy a smaller piece, you will have a zillion seams in the binding. That’s not just ugly, it’s no fun working with that many seams that close together.

A couple of other thoughts. Don’t like quilting January, etc., and Angie, etc.? What about the name and birthdate of your child or grandchild? OR insert extra plain blocks between the angels with all that birth information. OR insert a pieced block between the angels and add a third border 3” wide. That makes an 80” x 104” bed sized quilt. OR use these designs to make a bunch of wonderful tooth fairy pillows. OR put them on tee shirts, sweatshirts, or totes. Hmmm. Isn’t there some way they could be printed out and used in a scrapbooking project? Ah well, I’m straying.

I’ll be back next month with some embellishment ideas.

'Til then, happy stitching!

Nancy

Current Block

October 2008

click to download

Previous Blocks