House in the Trees....
This is the newest quilting project I have been working on. I finally decided to try designing a quilt with EQ6 and I love the results.
I started out using the EQ6 software to pick out some tree and house blocks and adding in some fillers. I haven't really followed the book that came with the program and I am sure that I can learn a more efficient way to use the program. For now though I like how this looks.
Next I printed out the yardage information and dug through all of my fabric. After much deliberation these made the final cut. I liked having them in the order of the print out so that I could find them later when I followed the directions for each block.
Then I printed out all of the instructions for each block. The information tells you the measurements of each piece, but not how to construct each block. Because of this I don't consider EQ6 to be good for a beginner quilter.
The flying geese blocks were by far the most difficult. I have never had them come out the right size...Ever....
I started out with these two. The top block came out just fine, I should hope so. Half triangles are easy, but the pine trees were pretty tough. I tried cutting them according to the instructions and piecing it together. Then I tried using templates. I had to add coping strips both times to make them measure up to 9 1/2 inches. Oh well, it still looks nice.
This is the other tree block I used. Much easier to do. While I was going through the fabric, each one had a special memory for me. I have had them all for so long. The green fabric I have had since we lived in California. That means it is at least six years old. I also remember that at the time I wanted to try tea staining fabric and this is one of the fabrics that I stained. It is still bright, you can imagine how bright it must have been originally.
Out of all of the blocks, I enjoyed making these the most. Each fabric was cut into a 10 1/2 inch square and then cut in half twice. I love these colors.
After I put the first border on I laid out the quilt on the floor. Daisy came to inspect to make sure that it was up to her standards. I went away for a minute to get a piece of chocolate cake for one of the kids.
When I came back, this is what I found. I guess she really likes it! I took the quilt top back to the ironing board to pin on the next border. After I pinned it on, another child came along asking for a piece of cake. I went to the kitchen and the next thing I see is a cat running down the stairs with my quilt top around her neck. She had stuck her head in a gap between two pins and couldn't get it off. I ran after her and found her sitting quietly at the bottom of the stairs. I think she was absolutely terrified and so happy to see me. I helped her get it off and took it back to the ironing board.
After lunch I sewed on the final border. I am so happy with the way this turned out! I can't wait to layer it all together and get it quilted! What do you think? Do you like using EQ to plan out your quilts?
