Corn and Beans: A Quilting Adventure

PART THREE: The Three-piece Triangle, Continued


Past the mid-way point!

Pieces per triangle: 4
Number of four-piece triangles per finished quilt size: 288   
Number of four-piece triangles completed: 145
Individual pieces cut: Green hounds tooth: 235 of 288
                                              Jacobean triangles: 335 of 990

Corn and Beans: A Quilting Adventure

PART THREE: The Three-piece Triangle


The second component of the corn and beans quilt is the three-piece triangle. It is comprised of three two-inch Jacobean triangles and one two-inch green hounds tooth triangle.

To create this triangle, the sewing lines need to be extended.

Trim the excess.

Then pin one of the Jacobean triangles to the corner of the green triangle.

Sew the two triangles together,

then press the triangles open.

Pin and sew another Jacobean triangle to another corner of the green triangle.

Press the triangle open.

Pin and sew the third Jacobean triangle to the base of the green triangle.

Press open the Jacobean triangle.

The completed triangles...so far...

Totals:

Pieces per triangle: 4
Number of four-piece triangles per finished quilt size: 288 
Number of four-piece triangles completed: 82
Individual pieces cut: Green hounds tooth: 82 of 288
                                        Jacobean triangles: 296 of 990

Corn and Beans: A Quilting Adventure

PART TWO: The Center Block

The center block is the largest, and consists of four four-inch triangles of two fabrics sewn together to create a eight-inch square.

To create the triangles, I cut out two cardboard patterns, one that is four inches and the other larger to create the seam allowance.

After cutting out the fabric, the next step was extending the outline of the four-inch triangle to create the sewing lines,

and pinning the two triangles together

then sewing them.

Next, the two triangles are pressed open

and the sewing line extended across the top of the fabric.

Laying out the other triangles making certain that the pieces of fabric are opposite each other follows,

then sewing them together.

 

After trimming the excess,

 

both sets of triangles are sewn together,

 

and the seam pressed open.

 

The finished square:

For directions, I relied heavily on the Quilting Assistant.

Totals:

Pieces per center square: 4
Number of squares per finished quilt size: 72 
Individual pieces cut: 288 (144 of each color)

COMPLETED

Corn and Beans: A Quilting Adventure

PART ONE: The Pattern

After making quilts for the girls, I was inspired to make a quilt for ourselves. 

I began searching for traditional quilt patters and came across something called Corns and Beans which, according to Popular Patchwork, was named for "the staple diet for many settlers and pioneers in America." Quilting Assistant described the pattern as "a bright, sunny block comprised of right triangles in three sizes using three fabrics." The site also stated that the block was "traditionally worked up in white, gold and green, this block's colors are reminiscent of a summer's vegetable harvest".

For me, the number three has significance, perhaps because of its repetition in myths, legends and fairy tales. The thought of a quilt comprised of triangles, three different sizes and three different colors or patterned fabric appealed. Plus the quilt pattern is, quite simply, stunning. Here are some examples:

Once the pattern for the quilt was chosen, the next step was choosing the fabric. For two of the fabrics, I fixed on a Jacobean-patterned cotton and brown cotton paisley. As my husband likes green, he chose a houndstooth pattern of dark green and green.

The next step: putting the blocks together....



Sources:
Image One
Image Two
Image Three

A Quartet of Christmas Gifts

For this Christmas, I decided to make two Vera Bradley-inspired lunchboxes and messenger bag as well as a quilt for my youngest daughter.

The lunchboxes were made entirely by hand while the quilt was made by hand and then finish-stitched with a late 1800s Singer treadle sewing machine (something which required learning how to wind a new bobbin).

 The lined interiors of the message bags and lunchboxes:

The lunchboxes are insulated with Owens Corning SealR Sill Plate Gasket from Home Depot reinforced with duct tape.

 The lunch boxes were finished in time for Christmas while the messenger bag and quilt were finished by 28 December 2014.

A Quilt

For my daughter's birthday, I created a quilt from fabric remnants that she had selected.The dimensions are 44 inches by 36 inches with four inch squares.

The Company on My Daily Commute

For the forty-minute drive to and from work, I am not alone. Colorful characters fill the time, making it sometimes difficult to leave the car when the destination is reached. Elizabeth Bennet admits that she "could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified mine"; Mr Micawber outlines Uriah Heep's crimes; Anne arrives at Green Gables, full of hope; the Scarlet Pimpernel escapes, yet again; Mary enters the secret garden; Anne sells Mr Harrison's cow; Sara Crewe is removed from Miss Michin's grasp, and fairy tales delight--and sometimes horrify. All this is thanks to LibriVox, a free audiobook site filled with classics, poems and more.

Some of the readers are magical, like Ty Hynes and Karen Savage. Ty Hynes made David Copperfield live and breathe--mesmerizing from the preface to the very last chapter. Karen Savage gave the best reading of Pride and Prejudice I have ever heard, bringing my favorite book to life. Both readers made me eager to listen to the other works they've recorded. Thanks to them and other readers on LibriVox, travel will never be dull nor my mind idle.

The Site:
LibriVox

The Books Listened To  (not necessarily in order)

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, as read by Ty Hynes

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, as read by Glen Hallstrom

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, as read by Karen Savage

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, as read by Karen Savage

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, as read by Karen Savage

Persuasion by Jane Austen, as read by Karen Savage

Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, as read by  Bob Neufeld

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, as read by Joy Chan

The Light Princess and Other Tales by George MacDonald, as read by Clive Catterall

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, as read by Karen Savage

Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, as read by Karen Savage

The Scarlett Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy, as read by Karen Savage

The Elusive Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy, as read by Karen Savage 

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, as read by Karen Savage

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery, as read by Karen Savage (in progress)

Other works read by Ty Hynes

Other works read by Karen Savage