#rainbow triangles quilt take two

[tj-crochets]

So it turns out a 4” tall stack of triangles is enough for a quilt top that will end up being about 50” by about 70”

[leo-fie]

Progress Pride Flag Quilt Block Pattern & Tutorial

Don't you just love the flag of our people? Do you have an inner grandma that years to make stuff? Do you want to combine these two things and make a queer quilt?

Well, I've got you.

Behold the pattern! And my lack of graphic skills, so I drew it on paper!

Basically it's a bunch of rectangles, one half square triangle and a fuzzy cut circle. I don't know shit about quilting and I was able to come up with it. Why centimeter, you ask? Because I'm German and that's what I'm familiar with. Why weird measurements and not jelly rolls and layer cakes and stuff? Because I'm German and quilting is not really a thing here.

Onto the tutorial!

You'll need:

A scrap of fabric of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, light blue, pink, white each

additional fabric for the border

Cutting mat, quilting ruler, roll cutter

sewing machine

thread

pins

double sided interfacing

iron and ironing board

fabric sheers

compasses

Step 1: Cut everything. Duh. We'll take care of the circle later, don't worry about that now. The half square triangle is exactly what it sounds like. A square and then you cut it diagonally. That's why I didn't give the length of the hypotenuse.

(Note: I'm making two blocks at the same time, that's why there's so much fabric. Also this is a middle of the night project, hence the lighting.)

I'm using all kinds of different fabrics, different weights and drapes, some stretchy, some transparent, so I needed to interface some of them.

Step 2: Sew the rainbow together. 0,5cm seam allowance on everything, that's exactly the edge of the foot on your machine. Double and triple check that everything is facing the right direction before sewing. The seam of yellow and green does not get sewn fully, only 21,5 cm! That's important later! Also backtack there. Don't forget to iron.

Step 3: Sew the strips to the half square triangle. For this you have to switch between the sewing machine and the ironing board constantly. Attach the shorter strip diretly to one side of the HST, iron it open. The second strip of the same colour gets attatched to the other side of the HST and the first strip. Look at the pictures closely if you're unsure how that works. Also the strips are longer than the triangle. We'll square that up later.

All strips attatched will look like this. See how the two strips meet at the tip!

Step 4: Cut the rainbow part to size. The length between yellow and green is 22cm long. The shorter seam from before plus some seam allowance. The outsides of red and purple are 44,5cm long. These two points are the beginning and end of your cutting line. You will cut a little triangle from every single colour. Do this slowly and carefully. Maybe your fabrics have stretched a bit (mine did). Don't worry, it will be ok.

Step 5: The Y seam, part one. Y seams are tricky, but there's only one for this block. So put your strips part on your rainbow part and line them up so that the tip of the strip part overhangs the seam between yellow and green by about half a centimeter. Remember that it's not about the edges of the fabric, but where the seam will be. But don't sew all the way! Leave 0,5cm at the tip!

You can also mark on your strip piece two lines 0,5cm from the edges of the black. They should form a little square at the tip. There they meet is where the actual tip on the finished block will be. So place this spot directly on the seem between yellow and green and only sew right up to it. Not beyond.

Step 6: The Y seam, part two. Now, fold both the rainbow part and the strips part in half and if you've done the last step correctly, the remaining two edges will allign. Pin and sew.

I can't explain it better than I've done here, I'm sure there are tutorias out there. Good luck!

Step 7: Square up. Iron your block to that everything is nice and straight and flat. Then use the fabric edges of the red and purple to cut the remaining ends of the strips. Use the HST to cut the white. Be careful, the long side of the triangle is on the bias and likely stretched a bit.

I already added borders here. I'm making a pillow case.

Step 8: Fuzzy cut and raw edge applique. Double sided iron on interfacing is essentially double sided tape. It has two types of glue, one gets activated by 2 seconds of heat, the other by 5 or so (depends on the product). The second side is also covered with a paper that needs to be removed before the second gluing. Read the instructions of the product you are using!

Use your compasses to draw a circle on the protective paper side of the interfacing. It's actually two circles from the same middle point, see pattern. Cut it out roughly. Then place it with the rougher side on the backside of your purple fabric and iron for 2 seconds on middle heat. If you've just ironed your fabric before and the ironing board is still hot, wait for it to cool down. Also let the fabric cool down after applying. Then cut out your circle. The interfacing will have stiffened the fabric, so that shouldn't be a problem. Then remove the protective paper, place the circle on the yellow triangle where you want it and iron for 5 seconds. Let cool.

And you're done! The applique at this point is only secured with the interfacing, but it should hold fairly well. The quilting will secure it further.

And that's it. BTW, did you know that this design was made by Valentino Vecchietti for Intersex Equality Rights UK in 2021? Now you do. Happy quilting!

[floweringglass]

While waiting for the frame to get made for the Okami window, figured I should take a look at the mess that is my current project list and do some consolidating/organizing

Started: - 5 color swirl, just needs to be soldered and finished - more dice boxes- woodworking is started but need to actually finish/assemble

Next on the bench: - Request (sar fk) - 3D cat(s) - make another each trans + rainbow flag hearts so once again have a full set - pumpkins? I think they could be fun and it is a good time for them, depends on what I have for orange glass - quilt squares - Clean/Dirty dishes sign

Next big project(s): - Crystal Palace wardian case- make after some small things - Zelda window, part 2 of 4 of the kitchen window set (the Okami one was part 1). Have rough idea of what pattern is going to be, but need to draw it out

Other projects on the list: - get started patterning last two kitchen windows (HMC + Sp.A) - Origami crane redo - Koi Lamp (?- started pattern for but think only half done) - Bookshelf door (keep changing my mind on design for this) - Mushrooms - World globe lamp - Squares and triangles lamp - Honeycomb box - 3D lily of the valley (slumping petals somehow??) - Praise the Beans - Want to actually make the Bone Daddy pattern since it is finished, but need to figure out colors -MTH auction projects, no idea what yet but a reminder to self that those are coming up

[smallpotatoknitwear]

WIP Blankets update 2/27/22

Here we go again! I haven’t been doing tons of work on blankets lately; I made a sweater a few weeks ago that took up a lot of time, in addition to the granny square quilt taking about FIVE MILLION times as long as I expected it to 😂 But I have made SOME progress, so I figured I’d do a little baby update here.

Not pictured: Granny Stripe and Scrap Triangle Quilt, because I haven’t been working on them, and Leftover C2C because it’s on pause until I have more leftover yarn to add into it.

Granny Square Quilt

Ahhh this blanket is finally almost finished!!! It’s kind of hard to see here, but while all of the squares are connected in columns, I’m still working on attaching them in rows. I also have to weave the ends in, but I really am getting close. It somehow took me under two years to make this blanket, in addition to making a whopping 14 others and making progress on another 5, plus making about a million amigurumi, a bralette, hats, scarves, AND a sweater. That’s not too bad, if you ask me!

Leftover Armonika Blanket

I wasn’t going to post this blanket again until I had finished the skein of Cherries Jubilee, but then I changed my mind 😅 It’s really coming out a lot prettier than I expected. I hope I still like it as much once I get into the next colorway, Rainbow Jellies!

2022 Mood Blanket

I’m currently very far behind on this blanket, between working on my sweater and the granny square quilt; I think I was about 11 rows behind when I took this photo, and I did another five or six later that night, but I’m still almost a week behind. What I have discovered is that this blanket makes a great project to work on during virtual D&D sessions, meaning that those are a good time to catch up on it 😂

[subtlereferencetomyinterests]

Complexities Unknowable- Chapter Six

Ao3,    1     2     3     4     5    7,  MasterPost

Relationships: Deintruality, background Analogince

This is crazy long. But I like this one. Also, second to last chapter! Also also, i mention spinny hugs three whole times because I miss Hugs. I miss them. 

Warnings: Cursing, food mention, brief angst/arguing, someone digs their nails into their skin but like unintentionally, crying, Remus-typical jokes and comments (he has some pretty violent thoughts directed towards roman), very very brief alcohol mention (wine, cuz Jan’s Like That), uhhh lots and lots of hugging and fluff. And Janus is still called Deceit, for continuity reasons. lmk if I missed something.

Word Count: 3,657

Patton did end up visiting them- albeit several hours later. Deceit wasn’t quite sure how he felt as he watched Morality make himself at home in The Subconscious living room, but he was leaning towards happy. 

Though ‘make himself at home’, was a tad of a stretch, given all his uncomfortable fidgeting. Deceit could taste that there was something he wasn’t saying, but he didn’t have to wait long to see what it was.

“I- um- I brought you guys something-”

Of course he had.

“-as an apology.”

Wait, what?

Remus’ head shot up from where he was sifting through dvds, flashing Deceit a smug grin. Patton didn’t seem to notice as he elaborated.

“You guys have been so nice to me lately, even after I, uh, didn't exactly respect you as much as I should have. I didn’t give you enough credit for what you two contribute, and that was my bad, so here!” He waved his hand and an enormous, neatly folded quilt dropped into his lap. He stood from the couch, struggling to unfurl it.

Deceit’s eyes were saucers. The blanket was a spiral of triangles of lime green, pale yellow, and baby blue fabric. At its edges were small patches of violet, indigo, and red, along with a gray border and a large black circle in the middle of the spiral. Within that circle was the word ‘Family’, embroidered in vibrant rainbow colors.

“It’s okay if you can’t forgive me right away, but I just wanted you to know that you guys are part of my family now, as far as I’m concerned, and I-”

Remus threw himself at Patton with full-force, picking up the much taller side and twirling him around in what looked to be a crushing hug. Deceit remained silent and caught the quilt as it was flung from the two-side tornado. It was soft, smooth, warm. 

“When did you… how did you have the time to make this?”

Morality’s face was flushed and he laughed, bright and airy, as Remus finally let him down. 

“That’s what took me so long to get here! You guys invited me over, and I didn’t want to show up empty-handed. I know I’m not the most artistic, but I think I’m pretty good at sewing.”

He’d spent hours making them a quilt- by hand, when he could just have conjured it- so he could offer them this olive branch. After everything. Deceit was choked up, but he wasn’t sure which emotions in specific were clogging his throat. His voice didn’t sound like his when he spoke.

“I am also sorry!” So it was a little stilted, cut him some slack! It was hard to focus on being well-spoken and not lying at the same time,  “You are- No, you aren’t- solely at fault for our not at all strained relationship.” 

“What?” Patton didn’t seem to comprehend. Remus, who looked disgustingly proud of Deceit, translated for him.

“He’s saying that we’re also sorry for being giant cunts, thanks for the neat blanket, and let’s call it even?” 

The snake nodded in agreement. 

Patton’s eyes grew wide and his smile faded, leaving behind soft surprise. He clearly hadn’t expected any sort of forgiveness, which was both saddening and admirable. He was just a living teddy bear, wasn’t he?

With an exaggerated groan, Deceit placed the quilt to the side and stood, opening his arms. Remus cheered and caught him around the waist with his arm, pulling all three of them together for a tangled group hug. Deceit pretended to hate it, but it was very hard to.

After the two extremely affectionate traits finally got tired of squeezing the life out of him, Deceit extricated himself and determinedly ignored how hot his face had gotten. He curled up on the couch and held the bundled quilt to his chest protectively. Patton and Remus worked together to settle on a movie before joining him. The latter leaned in very close, whispering right against Deceit’s ear. 

“You think we can convince him into a threesome?”

Deceit turned the volume up twenty notches and sat next to Patton for the rest of the movie, out of spite.

It was hardly the last time Patton visited them. Deceit probably should have expected the clinginess from him, popping in daily to tell them about the latest happenings in The Conscious or show them a “““funny””” meme he’d seen on Facebook. Once that door of camaraderie had opened just a crack, the moral trait had enthusiastically torn it off its proverbial hinges. And the oddest thing was how little Deceit minded. 

Patton was, in many ways, like Remus. Energetic, imaginative, affectionate, and containing depths of emotions that you’d never guess he had at first glance. Some days, Morality would run in with bright markers and an even brighter smile to have Remus to teach him new art techniques. Other times, he’d shuffle to Deceit’s door late at night, eyes bloodshot, asking whisper-quiet for a cup of tea and to spend some time together. Those nights in particular stuck with the lying trait, when he would watch Patton’s expression slowly lighten as they chatted together, talking about everything and nothing.

Another bonus of all that had happened Logan, who had now become a friend to the former Dark Sides (Deceit was very thankful to be able to chat with someone else who was Competent). Never had Deceit been so glad that he was wrong about someone!

But, as he’d quietly admitted to both Morality and Logic just a couple nights ago, there was something missing. He hadn’t elaborated, but apparently he hadn’t needed to. Leading them to now.

When Remus and Deceit had been invited for breakfast that morning, they’d of course agreed (you just can’t say no to Patton’s puppy eyes), but they were quickly abandoned with Roman and Virgil by the two bespectacled sides. The blue-hued traits supposedly had a surprise and would be right back, but Deceit could taste the lie. Yet, constrained as he was by the societal expectation to not freak the fuck out when things didn’t go the way he liked, he waited patiently while refusing to make eye-contact with Anxiety.

But then his good-for-nothing despicable traitor of a boyfriend stood up.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to go stand in the kitchen and wait for things to be less awkward!”

Roman, similarly the worst, jumped to his feet as well.

“And I left the stove on!” 

So now he was just. Staring at his ex-best friend. Which was fine. 

He took a sip of his drink.

“Are you drinking wine at nine in the morning?” Virgil asked suddenly. Deceit looked down at his own drink, then towards the identical wineglass sitting by the other’s plate. 

“Yes? Aren’t you?”

“This is apple juice,” he held the glass up and swirled it, earning a snicker from Deceit. 

“Why are you drinking apple juice from a wine glass?” 

“Why are you drinking wine at nine in the morning?” 

He jerked his thumb in the direction of the kitchen, brow raised in a silent explanation: I’ve got that one, remember? Virgil nodded solemnly, a smile playing at his lips. With that minuscule, vaguely pleasant interaction, they returned to silence.

“Patton sure is taking his sweet time,” Deceit thought it only fair that he be the one to break the quiet this time, just so they were even.

“Something tells me it’s gonna be a lot longer. It’s kinda obvious what he’s doing.”

“Mm. Subtlety is not one of his virtues. It’s a nice gesture, though,” the lack of hostility in the conversation was beginning to irk him. It was almost nice. God, he’d missed it, he hated how he’d missed it.

“Yeah…” Virgil glanced away and shifted in his seat, “Yeah. He’s nice.”

“I agree.”

“Look,” the anxious side set his glass down, “Pat’s my best friend, so I’m doing this for him. I think he’s been kinda lonely lately, and I feel... responsible. Like, he’s not into me or Ro and Lo, and we aren’t either, but it’s- it’s not the same now, the four of us. And it’s pretty obvious that you guys make him happy- he talks about you all the time- so I’m giving you this one chance. Don’t fuck it up, and don’t you dare hurt him.”

Deceit blinked, blindsided. Sincerity got to him, it got under his skin and tore apart his quick wit like it was paper. He had to clear his throat a couple of times before any actual words came to him.

“I won’t repeat my past mistakes. I-” he nearly shuddered, “I promise it.”

Virgil seemed appeased, his expression easing into something more familiar (painfully familiar and new all at once). His lips quirked up in a smug smirk.

“Good. Didn’t wanna have to nudge you down a staircase, anyway.” 

Deceit chuckled. From there, the conversation flowed almost naturally. It wasn’t like old times. Maybe that was a good thing. It wasn’t quite friendly, not yet, but there was an impression. If he played his cards right, if he stayed genuine, then it would be. Soon. And that was enough for now.

Remus scrambled to the top of the fridge and loomed over his brother. He was, for once, not the first to talk. 

“So we wait it out in here until Sherlock and Watson get back from whatever it is that they’re pretending to do-”

“Which is when Snakey and Virgey kiss and make up-”

“Which will be never,” Roman concluded, sitting on the counter. He idly smoothed down his already meticulously styled hair (vain bitch). Remus picked a flea from his own scalp and flicked it at him spitefully, but it went unnoticed. Just like everything he did. 

“I don’t know why they couldn’t have let me in on their little scheme, I shouldn’t have to be between that situation.”

Remus laughed wickedly, a noise with very little mirth and a whole lot of frustration. 

“Mhm, yeah- you’re just a saint, getting along with everybody! You haven’t got a single problem to work out!”

“I didn’t say that,” Roman replied indignantly, “I know that Deceit and I don’t have a great history, but we get along fine now.”

Unbelievable. No- it was completely fucking believable! Remus should just hit him, tear his arms off and beat him with them, pull out the ol’ morning star and smash his brother’s skull in. How stupid he’d been to think that this could be fixed. Roman was impossible. No matter how hard Remus tried, he’d never get anywhere, no matter how supportive Patton was.

“Whoah, you okay?”

The Duke blinked, staring down at the angry, crescent-shaped marks that he’d clawed into his arms unknowingly. He tilted his head to stare at the other Creativity. 

“Not really, no!” 

Roman seemed taken aback. He leaned up and rested his arms on top of the fridge beside Remus.

“Don’t let Patton see you do that, he’ll have a fit,” he joked, reaching up to grab Remus’ hands. The Intrusive trait scrambled away to the other edge of the appliance.

“Don’t tell me what to do, and don’t pretend to care about what I do!” 

“What? What are you-” Roman cut himself off, his face clouding with realization, “Oh.”

“What is it now?” 

“I- I’m supposed to talk to you, aren’t I?” 

Remus stared at him for a long, thoughtful moment. He then erupted into cackles, spitting laughs out like it was the only thing stopping him from breaking down (it was). 

“Oh, whatever. Don’t pretend you don’t hate me just for Patty’s sake.”

Roman hopped off the counter, standing in front of the fridge with arms crossed. He looked angry- but not angry at Remus? That was new. New and weird. 

“You think I hate you?”

“I know you hate me, Roro,” he pulled himself to the edge of his platform, swinging his legs out in front of him. 

“Do you hate me?”

Remus wasn’t quite sure how to answer that one. It was fine, because Roman didn’t wait for a response anyway.

“Get down here.”

“Why should I?” 

“So I can- so we can- Ugh, just get down!”

The Duke got down. Curiosity killed the cat, after all (or the cephalopod, as the case may be). 

Once within his reach, Roman threw his arms open and wrapped Remus up in a fierce hug.

Remus swayed, suddenly very dizzy. Was the world always this blurry? No, no, maybe he was crying? Or maybe he’d gone blind? It didn’t matter either way, all that mattered was that someone was hugging him. Willingly. 

“You’re my brother,” Roman hissed,  “You annoy the hell out of me. And we don’t get along much. And we fight, a lot, but it wasn’t ever anything more than that. I didn’t mean for it to be more than that. You’re my brother-”

“You already mentioned that part-”

“Shush!”

He shushed.

“I don’t hate you. How could I?”

Oh. Well. Hm. That changed things.

Remus’ awareness jolted back into him then. He lifted Roman off the ground with ease and spun around in wide circles, smiling with all of his teeth (which said a lot; he had quite the array of teeth). He held on like his brother would disappear if he let go, conjuring more limbs for the express purpose of holding on tighter.

“Rem!” 

“Yeah, bro?” his voice was giddy, and distinctly wobbly, but that was irrelevant. He spun again.

“I- I’m very glad that we’re having this bonding moment, but I think you broke my ribs.”

“Oh, oops,” Remus let go immediately, dropping Roman to the floor. He offered a shrug in apology.

“Oh yeah, I don’t hate you either, by the way.”

“I assumed so,” Roman wheezed, using the counter to pull himself back to his feet. He gave Remus a lopsided smile.

“It’s good we don’t hate each other. Now I don’t have to knock you out whenever I wanna hang out with Patty.”

“Yeah, that is a relief.”

“Wow, we’re good at this whole reconciliation thing! Let’s go rub it in Vee and Dee’s emotionally constipated faces!” In mere minutes Remus already forgot what being sad felt like. Life was good and he had no problems anymore! 

“We probably should make sure they haven’t killed each other,” Roman held a hand out, which Remus grabbed gleefully.

“Ugh! Why are you always sticky?!”

“Do you really want the answer to that?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely not.”

They returned to the dining room, hand-in-hand, only to find their respective boyfriends having a perfectly civil conversation. 

‘Coincidentally’, as soon as Remus and Roman resumed their places at the table, Patton and Logan rose up with an enormous stack of stunningly fluffy pancakes. They shared a secretive smile- as though they genuinely believed that nobody knew what they’d done. Deceit didn’t correct them, but only because he hardly wanted to admit that they’d been successful (maybe it was just him that was bad at making plans; everybody else seemed to have it down). 

Breakfast was short. Deceit could’ve just finished eating a five course meal and he’d still find it hard not to wolf down Patton’s cooking, especially his breakfast food.

And naturally, Deceit offered to help clean up, which had also been a quick task. He’d just dried his hands and flashed Morality a small smirk, turning to leave. He didn’t get far before Remus grabbed his arm and swung them both back into the kitchen. 

“Before we leave, aren’t we forgetting something, DeeDee?” 

Patton set down the last plate and shot them a confused look.

“I haven’t the slightest clue what you mean, dearest,” Deceit claimed, pointedly not looking at either of them. Patton was growing progressively more bemused.

“Did you lose something again, Re?” 

“I haven’t, but Dee seems to have lost his manners.”

The dishonest trait threw his arms up and groaned. If he was only a tad less in love, he’d have decked that look off of Remus’ face.

“Alright! Patton, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!”

“What are we thanking him for?” Remus needled.

“Everything,” he’d intended it to come out biting and sarcastic, and was disgusted to find his voice laced with sincerity, of all things! 

There was most certainly an adoring, proud look on Patton’s face. He was looking away, he did not see it. 

“Oh, you two,” he still heard him though, rambling on, “It was just the least I could do!” 

Remus made a noise. It was loud and completely unintelligible, but with a general air of happiness. And, for what was very much not the first time, Deceit was crushed in an over-enthusiastic threeway hug with no means of escape. He hissed, the noise dying on his lips as soon as he saw the wide and excited grins on both Patton and Remus’ faces that were very, very close. 

Morality really had done something amazing for them- something that Deceit had hoped for for ages. Now the side just looked so happy with himself, with what he’d done, and with them.

Deceit looked between Remus and Patton. 

The human half of his face was burning. 

He looked again, just to be sure. 

Those were definitely the same feelings, huh? Oh fuck. 

“You guys are just too much,” Patton laughed, clearly unaware of Deceit’s impending emotional crisis. His hold around Deceit’s waist had tightened, and with little warning, both him and Remus were no longer on the ground.

The former Dark Sides caught eyes. The red of Remus’ face contrasted dramatically with the green of his apparel. 

Double fuck. 

Patton had clearly mistaken their stunned silence as uncomfortableness, letting them down gently and stepping back.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away.”

“It’s fine!” Was Deceit’s voice always that shrill?

“Yeah, don’t worry about it! But we have to go, right now- important, mysterious things to do! You know us, pure villainy!”

“Yes, that, what he said!”

They sunk out.

It was quiet as they appeared in The Subconscious. Remus looked at his boyfriend. Deceit was staring back, but his mind was very clearly miles elsewhere.

“So. We should maybe talk about that.”

The trait opened his mouth to speak, still looking rather dazed, but Remus interrupted him.

“I swear to God, babe, if you say ‘talk about what?’, or ‘oh, Dear, I have no idea what you mean,’ I am going to rip your esophagus out with my teeth and swallow it.”

Deceit’s mouth snapped shut, then open, then shut. He shuffled over to the couch and proceeded to drop onto it like a ragdoll.

“I think I have feelings for Patton.”

Remus sighed in relief and flopped down next to him, draping his arms across the shell-shocked snake side. 

“Glad we’re on the same page.”

“You’re happy?”

He thought the question over carefully, and an absolutely terrifying possibility occurred to him.

“Yeah- I- we are on the same page, right? Like, he’s super cute and nice and fuckable, but you and I still…?” he let himself trail off. There were very few things that Remus struggled to say, but the thought that two of his favorite people would move on from him- together, no less- was both wildly horrifying and too familiar to verbalize. 

Deceit snapped out of his stupor long enough to glare angrily at Remus- more specifically, glare at the train of thought that he knew Remus was following.

“I’ll always love you, you idiot. Nobody and nothing will change that.”

Remus smiled- not a grin, but a smile- and exhaled slowly. Good, back on track.

“I love you, too. Right, now what do we do?”

“...Do?”

The Duke sat up straight enough to bonk his head against Deceit’s, eliciting a small ‘ow’. 

“Yes, ‘do’; when people have feelings for each other they do something about it- especially when that person is their friend. Unless you were planning on ignoring this, pushing it down, and going back to keeping Patton at arm’s length, which would ruin a perfectly good relationship in an effort to not ruin that relationship. Was that what you wanted to do?” 

“Well when you put it like that... No.”

“Alright, my pretty little liar, what do you want?”

Deceit hid his face in Remus’ neck. His muffled voice said something sounding a lot like ‘I have no fucking clue’.

“I can tell you what I’d like?”

More muffled noises: translation ‘If you say threesome I’m going to end you’.

“No- well, yeah- but I meant that we should woo him!”

Deceit pulled back to squint up at Remus.

“Woo him?”

“This whole conversation, you’re just a broken record- yes, do, yes, woo! We could be a throuple!”

The Duke saw Deceit very nearly say ‘throuple?’, before deciding to actually contribute to the discussion.

“I will admit, that sounds… alright, it sounds lovely. In theory. Do you really think that’s a good idea, though? Why should we risk it- we’ve only just fixed things, why go breaking them again?”

“So if Patton isn’t interested, he’s not going to be friends with us anymore, either? Does that sound like something he’d do?”

“Well- not really- but-”

“Who was right about making friends with him in the first place?”

Deceit glowered, answering begrudgingly.

“You were. But still-”

“Who was right about fixing things with Virgil?”

“... You.”

His gaze remained hesitant, so Remus continued.

“And who’s going to be right about this, when the three of us are all sucking face?”

Deceit dropped his head back against the couch and closed his eyes.

“Why do you keep being helpful? I’m supposed to be the smart one in this relationship.”

“Trust me babe, I hate it too,” Remus sympathized, “D’you want me to go microwave some silverware? You can brag to Logan about single-handedly saving my life from the explosion!”

The dishonest side smirked, leaning forwards once more to peck Remus’ cheek. 

“That’s an awful idea, my love.”

Tags:

@deceits-left-glove​ 

@princemesscharming

@shrimp-crockpot

[lostboysfound]

25. This Ain’t No Ordinary Sunday on C-Span

Roz had to adjust this Sunday’s beer bust. Not that there was that much  focus in the first place.

This week’s audience wasn’t there to dance. Just a few regulars  who came to watch the march.

The big screen showed the scene, politicians next to famous celebrities.

From D.C, demanding equality, protesters want to end gay discrimination.

Fighting a culture war no one asked for, gays are fighting for rights to make love and fight wars.

While the march in D.C. makes history< Frat Boy makes cocktails and Roz makes wisecracks on stage.

The fairy offering commentary, Roz tries to entertain, throw shade, and crack some jokes.

Roz’s play-by-play is not that clever, but once again, the beer bust’s pretty dead.

“A drag queen in the White House? Whatever. Ru Paul’s letting her fame go to her head.

“Red ribbons, pink triangles, rainbow flags, colorful quilts and other lucky charms, no one loves symbolism like us fags. Christians must be ready to take up arms.

“How come organizers are so ugly? The sexy too busy getting busy? Anyone who is remotely studly is out cruising D.C. for a quickie.

“The Indigo Girls, Melissa Ethridge. Madonna. Eartha Kitt. Balance achieved! See. Gays and lesbians can build a bridge. That’s history no one would have believed.”

Kenny in the Corner promoted this “March Watching Party” where he worked daily -- legitimately.

Managing the only video store that rented gay porn, he hung a flyer next to the popcorn.

He photocopied two-for-one coupons for loyal coke heads who spent their Sunday afternoons in bed.

Frat Boy never knew since he never got some advanced notice, and said at first the coupons were bogus.

Taking credit, Kenny in the Corner covered expenses and tipped generously to mend fences.

-K.C. Sharpe

This is the twenty-fifth of forty lyrical passages from Lost Boys Found. Inspired by true stories, this historical fiction celebrates gay clubs in Middle America right before the AIDS crisis peaked in the 1990s.

25. This Ain’t No Ordinary Sunday on C-Span recreates a local perspective of a national protest as an audience in Kansas City watches the march in Washington D.C.. 

[inquiringquilter]

Broken Road Inventory QAL March

In an earlier post, I described what an inventory quilt was and how I fell in love with them. ❤️

An inventory quilt is a scrappy quilt that contains a snapshot of the fabrics in your inventory. Starting today, I’m going to make an inventory quilt using my Broken Road pattern. I hope you’ll join me!

First, get the pattern…

If you don’t have the Broken Road pattern, you’ll need it for this quilt along. Click here to visit my shop. Use the code JWQ2020 at checkout to save 20%!

Then take a look at the rough schedule…

First, this is going to be fun, not work.

Once a month, I’ll post the goal for that month and some tips. Click here for the rough schedule.

During the month, carve out some time to work on your quilt and if you keep up, in six months you’ll have an Inventory Quilt all your own!

If you fall behind, don’t sweat it. Just do what I’m going to do and pledge to work on the quilt a little each month. If I don’t get all the blocks done I hoped to, so what? Will the Quilt Police show up and take away my stash? Nope. I’ll just work on the blocks the next month. But I won’t give up, put the project away, or stop making progress no matter how little.

March Goal: Select fabrics and cut them

For this quilt along, the goal is to choose our fabrics and cut them. You’ve got until the end of the month to get that done or not. Like I said, there’s no Quilt Police (or Guilt Police <grin>) here so you take all the time you need. Just do something to move the project along.

When you’ve chosen your fabrics, come back here to link up your photos so we can all see! More on that at the end of this post.

Tips on Choosing Fabrics for Broken Road

If you take a good look at Broken Road, it’s basically two colors plus a background. You can make an Inventory quilt using Broken Road in one of three ways.

Method One

Since Broken Road basically uses only two colors, you could analyze your stash and select the two colors you have the most of, and use them to make the quilt. For example, I might choose purple and blue because I have a lot of them in my stash.

The pattern calls for a fat quarter or 1/3 yard from five different fabrics in each of the two colors, but since this is an inventory quilt I would pull out ALL of my blues and purples (or whichever two colors I end up selecting) and use a little from each of them to create an inventory of all the fabrics I have in those two colors. For example, the pattern says to cut so many squares from the first color so I’ll just cut a square or two from each of the blues in my stash until I get the number indicated in the pattern. Then I’ll do the same thing with the purple fabrics.

Next, decide on a background color such as cream, white, grey, or black. The pattern says you’ll need 3 yards for the Background, but again since this is an inventory quilt, I might simply get out all the fabrics I have in my Background color (such as white) and use a little from each fabric to create an “inventory” of the whites that were in my stash when I made this quilt. Again, the pattern says to cut so many Background squares so I’d just cut a few squares from each white fabric (or whatever Background color I end up choosing) until I get the number required.

That’s one way to create an Inventory Quilt using Broken Road. Let’s take a look at other methods.

Method Two

If you want to make a complete Inventory Quilt, you don’t need to limit yourself to just two colors. Instead, you could cut one square from each of the fabrics in your stash until you reach the total required squares listed under Green and Purple in the pattern.

In such a case, I would caution you to select a Background first, and cut only fabrics in your stash that contrast enough with the background that you won’t lose the points of the stars and those lovely pinwheels and triangles that separate the stars.

For example, suppose I might choose white for my Background. This fabric contrasts well…

…but this one doesn’t so I probably wouldn’t use it.

You could also do a planned Inventory quilt, by doing a rainbow for example. Each row in Broken Road could be a color, such as yellow for Row 1, orange for Row 2, red for Row 3 and so on. If you want to play around with your layout, here’s a Coloring Page for you to work with. Just click the image to download a printable Coloring Page for Broken Road.

Like Method 1, you could make your Background scrappy by cutting one or two squares from each of the Background fabrics until you cut the number required.

Method Three

You could use Method One or Two to choose the fabrics for stars and triangles, then frame them with the same Background fabric instead of using a variety. This method is faster since you’d be cutting your squares from yardage instead of pressing and cutting a lot different Background fabrics.

Cutting your quilt with AccuQuilt GO

If you have an AccuQuilt GO cutter, you can cut your quilt out a whole lot faster using the dies in the 12” QUBE (especially if you have Zora to help <grin>)

Background: Cut (18) 4” x WOF strips, then use Die #2 to cut the squares. If you want to cut the HSTs using the GO! cutter, cut (15) 4” x WOF strips and use Die #5 to cut the Background triangles.

Note: You’ll need 3-7/8 yards of Background and 1/2 yard each of the Green/Purple fabrics to cut this quilt out using a GO! cutter.

Green/Purple: Cut (1) 4” x 4-3/4” rectangle from each of your fabrics and use Die #5 to cut two triangles for the HSTs. You’ll need (60) rectangles from each of your two colors to cut all the triangles needed. You can use the cutter to cut your squares too if you want but you’ll be limited to a total of 30 fabrics. You can get two of the squares needed from (1) 4” x 8” rectangle. You’ll need (15) of these rectangles of each color.

The beauty of the GO! cutter is nothing has to be all that accurate. For example, when I say you need to cut 4” x WOF strips, they can be a touch wider or smaller and you’ll still be fine. The cutter will cut your triangles or your squares accurately from your rough strips.

Show us what you got and you could win!

Well, that’s it! The goal this month is to select your fabrics for the Inventory quilt and to cut them out. After you’ve selected your fabrics, we’d love to see them! Come back here and link up a photo to share. We’d love to see your choices and to cheer you on!

The linky will remain open all month. To encourage you to share, I’m giving away this mini charm pack of lawn fabric from Windham Fabrics. The pack contains 6 of each of four fabrics from the Aria collection. Lawn is lovely fabric—so light and airy!

You’ll get one chance to win for uploading your fabric choices. If you get your fabrics cut out and upload a photo of that as well, you’ll get two chances. The link up closes at midnight EST March 31st. (If you don’t get your fabrics all cut out, that’s okay. You can upload a photo next month when you do! I’ll have a giveaway each month of the quilt along so save those photos of each goal along the way.)

Disclaimer: No purchase necessary to win. Giveaway is open to legal residents in the contiguous US only that are 18+ years of age.Giveaway starts at 7:00 AM EST March 2nd and ends at midnight EST on March 31st. One winner will receive one mini charm pack from the Windham Fabrics Aria collection with a total value of approximately $10. Odds of winning determined by number of eligible entries received. How to enter: Link up a photo of your fabric selections/cut fabrics to the linky below. Winner will be chosen by random on April 1st 2020 from all eligible entries and notified by email. If winner can not be reached via email or prize is unclaimed after three days, a new winner will be chosen by random. Winner is responsible for paying any taxes related to the prize. By entering this giveaway, you release Inquiring Quilter from any liability whatsoever. Void where prohibited by law.

When you link up, be sure you leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!

Here’s how to link up

To upload a photo from your phone or computer: Click the blue Add Link button. Click the blue Enter without link button. Type the name of your project and your name in the Caption box. Type an email address in the Email box. The Upload tab is highlighted on the left. If you’re on a computer, you can drag a photo into the area on the right. On your phone, click the Drop your image or click here link. Find your photo and select it, then click Open. Select the I agree to the InLinkz Terms of Service & Privacy Policy checkbox. Click Save.

To upload a photo from your blog, Instagram, Flickr, or Facebook: First, if you’re using Facebook, upload the photo to your news stream. Make sure it’s Public. then click the photo so it’s enlarged. Copy the URL for the photo (if you’re on Facebook) or the URL for your post (for a blog, Instagram, or Flickr) and paste it into the Link box. Type the name of your project and your name in the Caption box. Type an email address in the Email box. The Blog tab is highlighted on the left and your image(s) appear on the right. Select one if needed. Select the I agree to the InLinkz Terms of Service & Privacy Policy checkbox. Click Save.

After you link up with a photo, you’ll be asked if you want to Follow me so you’ll know whenever I have a linky party! Since that’s the way I typically arrange my giveaways you might want to click Follow to be alerted.

You’ll also be asked if you want to share your photo and my linky party. I’d love for you to do that! Be sure to include the hashtag #brokenroadqal and #inquiringquilter.

Don’t be frustrated! If you can’t get linked up even after reading the instructions above simply send me your images via email and I’ll add them manually.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I can’t wait to see your fabrics! Good luck with cutting them out. I’ll be posting my progress on social media and in my special Facebook group. You’ll find ways to follow me at the top of my sidebar. Click here to join the Facebook group.

See you April 1st! No foolin’ <grin>

Before you go, let me announce the winner of my last giveaway!

Up for grabs were these two mini-jellyrolls from the Island Batik Jewel Box collection. And the drumroll begins….

The winners of my Island Batik Log Cabin Blog Hop are Sally M and Nancy A. I’ve sent you each an email asking for your postal address. You have three days to reply or I’ll need to select another winner. Congratulations!

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Tell me…will you be using two colors or all the colors in your inventory quilt?

[olivereliott]

Beyond Z: The Kawasaki Factory Z900RS Custom Project

It looks like Kawasaki has hit a home run with its new Z900RS retro standard, and no-one in the press corps has even ridden it yet.

It’s a homage to the mighty inline fours of yore like the Z1 (below) and based on the well-regarded Z900—itself a cracking performer that Cycle World’s road testers placed ahead of the Triumph Street Triple and Yamaha FZ-09 in a group test a few weeks ago.

We haven’t seen such feverish interest in a bike since Husqvarna revealed the Svartpilen and Vitpilen exactly two years ago. But the Austrians have inexplicably been dragging their feet on releasing those bikes.

And even if when they’re revealed at the Italian EICMA show in a few days, there’s a real danger that Kawasaki will steal Husky’s thunder with the production-ready Z900RS.

Kawasaki has wisely taken a leaf out of the BMW and Yamaha playbooks, and has given pre-production samples of the Z900RS to leading custom builders to work their magic. It’s called the Beyond Z project.

So let’s take a closer look at the mods that Moto Corse, Doremi and Bito have made. A few aspects of the Z900RS are already rankling with potential buyers, and it looks like the builders have similar concerns.

BITO R&D Z900RS The specialist Kawasaki tuning shop Bito R&D is located deep in the sparsely populated mountain woodlands of the Hyōgo Prefecture, an eight-hour drive west of Tokyo. In the 70s, owner Jo Bito worked with Pops Yoshimura on Z1 race bikes, but today he takes orders for his JB-Power brand parts from all over the world—including factory teams battling in MotoGP.

Bito-san is the ‘Z Master,’ a craftsman who knows the original Z1 series inside and out, and he’s built his Z900RS custom as if he was his own client. “The Z900RS handles like a modern motorcycle: it’s light and turns well,” he says. “But if it was up to me, I’d prefer handling that was a little more relaxed. So I changed to 18-inch wheels, and specifically selected thinner tires.”

The JB-Power ‘Magtan’ wheels weigh about half as much as the stock wheels. The standard Z900RS brakes perform just fine as is, but but Bito has still opted for machined aluminum calipers with six pistons and cast iron discs for better brake touch and control.

The exhaust is a 4-into-1 layout—“suitable for a modern machine”— made of titanium. Again, it weighs half as much as the stock piece. But the masterpiece is less obvious: a quick-change mechanism equipped on the rear wheel axle shaft. The system was originally developed to allow quick tire changes in endurance races, but it greatly simplifies day-to-day maintenance chores.

There’s a geometry change too. “Fork offset can significantly affect handling,” notes Bito-san. “Increasing it from the 35 mm of the standard model to 40 mm results in an even more hands-on ride feel.” He’s also swapped out the engine hangers, fender stays and headlamp and turn signal brackets for high-quality machined aluminium pieces. Finally, to help bring out the ‘go where you think’ feeling, the rider triangle of the handlebars, seat and footpegs is tweaked for a more relaxed posture.

Modifications

JB-Power parts Handcrafted titanium 4-into-1 exhaust pipe with megaphone silencer | Aluminum rear sprocket | Adjustable-offset fork triple-clamp set | Machined aluminum radial-mount front brake calipers (6-piston) | 320mm cast iron floating front brake discs | 250mm cast iron rear brake disc | Magtan JB4 forged magnesium wheels F: 3.00-18 R: 4.50-18 | Seat leather, cushioning | Machined aluminum footpegs, headlamp, fender and turn-signal stays, engine covers, rear wheel quick-change system, chain adjuster and racing stand hooks | AP Racing/Goodridge Front brake master, steel-braided brake lines | Brembo 2-piston rear brake caliper

Builder: Bito R&D/JB-Power

Doremi Collection Z900RS There are two sides to the town of Kurashiki, home to the Doremi Collection store. There are the white-walled facades left over from the Japan of old, and the sleek high-rises of a modern city. In the storefront window, beautifully restored Z1 and Zephyr models pull your gaze. But in the workshop out back, owner Hiroshi Take has created a scene just like a backyard garage in rural America.

Take-san also looked to the US for inspiration with his Z900RS custom. “I chose the Z1 racers that were active in AMA in the late 70s,” he says. “At that time, Yoshimura was still fielding a Z1 with Wes Cooley as the rider.” To bring back this style, part of the frame had to be redesigned. The main frame’s upper rails are closer together, and the seat rail angle is flatter.

Engine guards jut out with the aim of creating an old-school appearance of volume, along with new engine covers. The Z1’s quad-style exhaust system was iconic, so Take-san has taken apart a stock muffler, removed its internals, and fitted them into a new quad-style muffler. He’s used steel to reproduce the exhaust note that Zeds had back in the day.

Meticulous too with the bodywork, Take-san has fitted a Z2-type tail cowl and the side covers from a Zephyr, plus a steel front fender. The taillight, turn signals and mirrors are also Z2 parts, but the lighting internals are now LEDs. The headlamp uses a modified Z1 case, giving it a classical style, but this too houses a LED unit.

AMA-style disc brakes combined with 18-inch Morris mag wheels perfectly match the bikes of the era, and to achieve the right silhouette, the swingarm was shortened two centimeters. “We are entering the age of cosplay,” says Take-san. “Simply adding rearsets and an aftermarket exhaust will not be enough to stand out.”

Modifications

Doremi Collection parts Z2-type quad-style exhaust system | Titanium water pipe | ‘Dummy’ frame | Machined aluminum upper triple-clamp | 18″ Morris mag wheels | Superbike handlebar and machined aluminum bar ends | Custom seat | Machined aluminum radiator guard, points cover and engine hangers | Grab bar | Z2-type chrome front fender, stays, mirrors, turn signals, side covers, tail cowl, rear fender, taillight | Modified Z1 headlamp and chain case | K-Factory Machined aluminum brake lever, clutch lever, lever guards, footpegs, front sprocket cover | Front axle sliders and engine sliders | Sunstar KR-type front brake discs and rear brake disc | Hyper Pro Rear suspension equipped with seat height adjuster

Builder: Doremi Collection

Moto Corse Z900RS Moto Corse is well known in Japan as an importer of high-end models like Bimota and Vyrus, and as a builder of Ducati, Bimota, and MV Agusta customs. But owner Shin Kondo’s first bike was a Kawasaki. “I had an export model H2, blue with rainbow striping. The rush of acceleration was intoxicating.”

Kondo-san studied dozens of CG illustrations combining various styling, graphics and exhaust options. For the tank, he chose Moto Corse’s original carbon black, divided into both matte and glossy finishes. The bodywork is now carbon fiber throughout, and the stock aluminum engine hangers and front fender supports have also been swapped out for carbon pieces.

Making just a slight change to the seat cushion shape has given the top line of the bike a different look, and shortening the tail end by roughly three centimeters gives a more unified feel. The work is a step-by-step search for the golden ratio that makes a machine look its best.

“Customers will buy this bike because they like the design,” says Kondo-san. “To drastically alter it would be presumptuous. Our job is like polishing a gemstone.” His exacting standards are evident throughout, but especially in the titanium exhaust system. From the center pipe to the end of the silencer, the pipe diameter increases in a reverse taper

The front and rear suspension is now Öhlins. An inverted fork that fits the Z900RS does not exist in Öhlins’ current line-up, so the fork on Kondo-san’s custom machine is a special version created based on an Italian-brand OEM part adjusted for length, with original bottom clamps. Brembo calipers are matched to Alth ventilated discs—which are actually two machined stainless steel discs spot-welded together, for a ‘mellow’ brake feel.

The wheels are custom, made from carbon and featuring a seven-spoke design that suits the vibe of the Z900RS. (To complement the classically wide tank design, a 200mm rear tire was selected.)

“We’ll need to ride it thoroughly now, to highlight any areas for improvement. But in the near future, I would like to look at tuning the engine too,” says Kondo-san.

It will be interesting to see how Moto Corse’s Z progresses from here…

Modifications

Moto Corse parts 4-2-1 titanium full exhaust: titanium flanges, lobster-tail design header pipes and tapered silencer with teardrop honeycomb end cap | CNC aluminum rear sprocket | Titanium gold frame powder coat | CNC machined aluminum upper triple clamp | Special specification Öhlins R&T 43mm front fork, Öhlins S46 fully adjustable rear shock with Moto Corse CNC machined aluminum linkage | Calf-leather seat (perforated, stitching, diamond-quilting) | CNC machined aluminum accessories: smartphone holder, fuel tank cap, DBT preload adjuster dial | Axle sliders | Dry carbon parts: meter housing, headlamp housing, steering neck cover, pivot plate cover, radiator shrouds, throttle body cover, engine supports (x4), preload adjuster support, heel guards, rear fender, license plate support, license plate base | Titanium radiator guard, handlebar ends, frame caps, luggage hooks, tire valve caps, banjo bolts, front fender supports, front brake master cylinder, clutch lever, radiator cover | Brembo CNC machined racing radial-pump front brake master cylinder | GP4RX CNC machined radial-mount front brake calipers | Supersport P34/2 CNC machined rear caliper + CNC machined aluminum caliper support | Alth stainless steel ventilated floating disc brakes | BST7 straight-spoke carbon wheels F: MT3.50-17 R: MT6.00-17 | Magical Racing Dry carbon handlebars

Builder: Moto Corse

[cutefluffinstitch]

A new year, a few new WIPS!

And of course, some stragglers that just…do not…want to be finished.  I’ll start with quilts that I have finished, ones that are in progress, and some that are starting up.

Finished

I’ve already finished two quilts this year!  How is that possible?!  Because they were already started, that’s how.

The first finish of the year award goes to one of the three t-shirt quilts I’m making for my mom, uncle, and aunt.  I may end up making a fourth one, but I’ll tackle that when I get there.  There are just still so many t-shirts.

The second finish of the year belongs to this tiny little colorful quilt.  I couldn’t figure out if this pattern had a name to it, so I asked my fellow quilters of Instagram and I got the response that it looked sort of like a granny square, so that’s what we’re going with!  I can totally see the granny square in it.  It’s just a little play mat sized 33″ square.

In Progress

I’ve got my rainbow quilt scheduled to be quilted.  I know that if I just have someone else do it then it’ll be finished and ready to go.  No fighting with it from me, and I’ll just bind it up and call it finished.

My triangles quilt is just hanging out.  it’s kind of taking a back burner spot right now because I have so many other things going on that are more pressing.

Poor Dax, one day I’ll finish your Star Wars quilt, I swear!  Thankfully my husband is really understanding that I have to finish what’s going to be bought first.

My big ugly brown quilt is still being snuggled by Al every day, so it’s way back in the back of my mind.

Starting Up

I know, starting things and I have all these other projects going.

One of the events that I’m participating in this year is the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival.  I am really excited to be a part of it because I love all things Asian.  I love Japanese food, I love Chinese and Japanese art, music, and their cultures.  However, I may have told the committee that I was working on a quilt that I had only thought about and not actually put any effort into, so I had to start on an origami peace crane quilt.  I mean I’m happy about it, it’s something that has been on a quilt bucket list for me!

The second quilt is a really cool story.  I received a message to my Etsy shop from someone who was at their Subaru dealership and saw me in the Drive magazine.  I obviously just died from hearing someone read about me.  He asked about a queen sized quilt and I am putting one together just as quickly as I can!

I hope you’re all having a great start to this year!  I mean, what even IS this weather?  Until next time, happy sewing!

Looking at my works in progress #wip #blog #cutefluffinstitch A new year, a few new WIPS!

[tj-crochets]

Crafting update: halfway done with the rainbow triangle quilt top!

I also got the fabric ironed for the next baby blanket I’m making and got another row sewn for the rainbow blanket, but it needs another round of ironing before I add it

[tj-crochets]

So I did not have a specific quilt in mind to work on next, but I rearranged some fabric to store the faux furs actually next to each other instead of in like three separate places, and in doing so I found my box of scraps from the rainbow triangle quilt!

20 half square triangles, one square, and a bunch of leftover fabric, so I think I’ll do some ironing, cut out some more HSTs, and see how big a quilt I can make with the scraps. It won’t be twin sized, but I’ll be able to make at least a baby quilt and probably a throw sized quilt, I think?

[tj-crochets]

Okay I need to clean the living room so I actually have enough clear floor space to take a good picture, but the rainbow triangles (aka Postcards from Sweden) quilt is done!!!

I love it so much, I can’t wait for it to get cold enough to actually use it

[tj-crochets]

I got a new stopwatch thing and I’ve been using it to time how long it takes me to make things, and if I continue at my current pace it’s going to take me longer to just cut out the fabric for this rainbow quilt than it took me to make the entire orange quilt It took about 6 hours to make the orange quilt, which only had 42 squares. This rainbow quilt has 180 squares, each made up of two half-square triangles This might take me a while lol

[tj-crochets]

Rainbow quilt update: currently I’m in the “sew triangles together into squares” step, which is before the “iron those seams and cut the squares down to size” step, which is in turn before the “sew the squares into rows” step.  Sewing one row’s worth of squares is taking me an average of fifteen minutes, and there’s fifteen rows, of which I have completed four rows, so I have about two and a half to three hours worth of making squares left to do  This is going to take a while longer than I thought lol

[inquiringquilter]

Spring Quilt Market 2019 - Day One

As you know, I’ve been in Kansas City enjoying Quilt Market. Quilt Market is an industry convention that’s held twice a year—in the Spring in various cities and again in the Fall in Houston, Texas.

I had some little adventures on my way down to Market—you can read about that here.

First things first—I arrived at Market on Day One and registered. Then I met Haley @ Timeless Treasures to pass off the quilt I’d made for their booth. The quilt pattern is called Facets and the fabric collection is Tonga Batiks Passport.

Day One for exhibitors is rather busy, as they spend the day putting the final touches on their booths. Visitors like me don’t normally see the setup process but I tagged along and got a few photos to share with you.

As you can see, there is lots to do to get the Market ready for visitors.

For non-exhibitors like me Spring Quilt Market begins with the Schoolhouse, a series of short presentations by industry leaders. Typically, each Schoolhouse is a presentation of the latest offerings by that particular company or designer. Sometimes a Schoolhouse is a learning session focusing on an industry topic. I went to a mix of both types.

You get to pick and choose which Schoolhouse sessions you attend. Since there are many sessions going on at any given time, you have to be choosy. I decided to go to these sessions.

Session One - Benartex and Eleanor Burns

I decided to go to Eleanor’s session because I felt it was a rare opportunity to meet one of the founders of our industry. And she’s so sweet and nice and of course really funny that I just couldn’t resist.

Eleanor’s session focused on her 25 years with Benartex and it was a treat to see her quilt patterns and fabric collections through the years. So many of them are familiar, especially because her sister Pat used to come to our Guild once a year. Pat is just as funny as Eleanor and does an awesome presentation if you ever get the chance to see her. Pat retired a few years ago, but Eleanor shared with us that Pat is unretiring and going back on the road. You go girl!

At the end of the session, Eleanor showed off her newest fabric line Zellie Ann, named after the founder of the rural town she grew up in.

Session Two - Robert Kaufman and Elizabeth Hartman

Elizabeth presented her latest fabric collection, Adventure. It’s a lovely mix of colors and so, so Elizabeth! I love the charm of her quilt patterns which feature large pieced animals. Isn’t her new Lana Lemur quilt adorable? Love those striped tails.

How about this quilt, inspired by the animals of Africa? It’s called Spectacular Savanna and I think it’s wonderful! Elizabeth told us that a lot of people have asked her to render African animals so I just know they will be thrilled with this!

Session Three - Andover and Alison Glass

I’m a huge Alison Glass fan and her session did not disappoint. She unveiled her Sun Print 2019 collection and Sun Print Light. I have several Sun Prints from her previous collections and I just know these latest additions are going to end up in my stash soon.

She also showed off her Holiday collection, shown here in her Ventana quilt.

Session Four - Andover and Edyta Sitar

Edyta presented two new collections, Braveheart and Evergreen. Shown here are her Illuminate and Tannenbaum quilts.

Session Five - Moda Superstars

It’s so fun to attend the Moda designers session because they get along so well it’s almost crashing a party! This time each designer presented an 18” block and a project you could make with it. Some of the designers combined their designs, creating unique quilts, table runners, and wall hangings.

After Schoolhouse we were invited to visit each designer’s booth to pick up their free pattern.

Session Six - Island Batik Foundations

In the first of several Island Batik sessions I attended, they featured their Foundations line. Unlike most fabric collections which are out for a season and then depart, the Island Batik Foundations collection is available all the time, so it’s filled with solids and tone on tones you can find and purchase again and again as needed. I always receive a pack of half-yard Foundations in every Island Batik box and I love them because they can do so much in a quilt.

Island Batik presented several quilt patterns that feature the Foundations line during this session, including the Adventure quilt (which I know a lot of you made during the quilt along) by Tamarinis and Seams Like a Dream; A Gathering by Barbara Pershing (a super adorable bird quilt) and Lollipop Garden by Eye of the Beholder Quilt Design (just love how the black background makes those colors pop!)

By the way, did you know that Island Batik offers black, white, and gray solid batiks? Try them instead of your usual solid the next time you need one. You will love how crisp they are when pressed and how saturated the colors are in a solid batik.

Session Seven - Island Batik Designer Deb Tucker

Deb Tucker of Studio 180 was in the next session, and she presented her new Steam Engine collection by Island Batik. I love the high contrast, sharp points in her designs.

Here is Cut Crystal, Doves of Hope (created for the book, “Hope on the Inside” by Marie Bostwick), and two versions of her Christmas Everlasting wall quilt (created for the book, “The Second Sister” by Marie Bostwick and the Hallmark Movie, “Christmas Everlasting.”) The version on the left uses the Icicle collection while the one on the right features Candy Cane Lane.

Both of these last two quilts are being promoted in quilt stores nationwide with special events so watch for them in your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik!

Session Eight - Auriphilosphy

Aurifil is a partner of the Island Batik Ambassador program but even before that, I loved using Aurifil thread for quilting and piecing. So attending the Aurifil Schoolhouse session was a must do.The session was on Aurifilosophy, a thread education program. Haven’t you ever puzzled over which thread type to use when, and what needle to use with which thread? Aurifilosophy takes care of all that and more. When an Aurifilosopher comes to a quilt store near you, be sure to sign up for their class—you’ll be sure to learn everything you need to know about thread types, weights, needles, and more.

Session Nine - AccuQuilt GO!

Next, I went to the AccuQuilt GO! session. They are also a partner of the Island Batik Ambassador program and I wanted to hear what they had to say. As you can see, the session featured designer Kaye England! She’s a delightful person and awesome teacher, designer, and quilt shop owner and if you ever get a chance to meet her you’ll leave smiling. Anyway, Kaye and Greg from AccuQuilt Go! acted out a little skit that showed us how AccuQuilt GO! supports quilt shops that carry their product.

It was a fun session and I left with a new catalog and a lot of information about the new dies that are coming out.

Session Ten - Island Batik Designer Tammy Silvers

At the next session I caught up with two fellow Island Batik Ambassadors, Sherry @ Powered by Quilting and Terri @ Meanderings Along Lizard Creek.

This session featured Island Batik designer Tammy Silvers, who presented her Speakeasy fabric collection by Island Batik. I love the colors in this collection—deep gold and purple, rich magenta and teal, and a touch of olive green to round out the mix.

Shown here are the Sea Lily (Cindi McCracken Designs), Tribeca (Seams Like a Dream Quilt Designs), and Tammy’s Compass Point quilt patterns.

Tammy also explained how to do her guided improv technique, which she uses to achieve perfect points without the fuss of templates or paper piecing. Basically, you lay a strip of fabric over a triangle at a measured angle, sew, press and trim, then repeat. Woot! You’ve got a perfect mariner’s compass point in minutes.

Session Eleven - Social Media

The next session featured Kim Niedswiecki, our Island Batik social media guru. In this session Kim explained how to best use social media to attract and audience. Kim also showed shop owners how to access the vast social media content available on Island Batik’s website: product scans, quilt images, lifestyle photos, flatlay images of fabric collections, catalogs, posters and informational flyers, and most of all, the Island Batik Ambassador projects and content.

Kim is full of energy and information! I so love how she has helped all of us Ambassadors better run our businesses. More than that though I love her generosity, friendship, and sense of fun. We are so lucky to have her!

Session Twelve - Free Spirit and Tula Pink

The last session I attended was the one given by Tula Pink of Free Spirit Fabrics. If you’re ever lucky enough to meet Tula, you’ll quickly discover that she’s sweet, funny, incredibly artistic, and completely down-to-earth.

In her session, Tula introduced her next collection, Monkey Wrench. Tula explained that when she was little she used to think that life’s little troubles were caused by a mischievous monkey. Sometimes the monkey hands you bananas and other times a wrench. But you can make beautiful things with either if you try.

What’s cool about Tula is that she thinks like a quilter and a shop owner. As such her new Monkey Wrench collection coordinates completely with her other collections, especially Pinkerville, which is in shops now. So if you don’t want to buy every fabric in a new collection you don’t have to, you can buy what you like, add it to your stash, and still make a wonderful rainbow quilt like the ones shown here.

Featured here are Tula Sunrise which is English paper pieced, Starburst (pattern from Quilts in America by Kaffe Fassett), a quilt I can’t identify (sorry!) and Daisy Chain Light (a free pattern from Free Spirit).

Sample Spree

After the Schoolhouse sessions, our group gathered back together to line up for Sample Spree. Sample Spree is designed for shop owners but industry professionals like me can enjoy it too. At Sample Spree you’ll find fabric bundles, shop samples, pattern bundles, tools, and new offerings for sale at wholesale prices. Purchasing a sample saves a quilt shop the time and effort in making one so that’s often what they are looking for. Me, I like to shop the Aurifil booth for new threads, and the other booths for fabric and tools that catch my eye.

After Sample Spree, I returned home to rest up for the next day—Friday—and the opening of Quilt Market! If you’d like to see the latest offerings by the leading manufacturers in the quilting industry, stay tuned for my next Market report.

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Tell me…if you could attend a Schoolhouse session by one of your favorite fabric companies, tool companies, or quilt designers, who would that be?