Friday Favorite One Day Early!

Life is colliding with my quilting for the next few days, so I'm posting the Friday Favorite today. I promise lots of pictures of happy people and polished chrome in Monday's post!


My Friday favorite for this week is a very talented quilter and bag maker over at http://www.etsy.com/. Her shop is http://www.uniquelynancy.etsy.com/. I'm a real fan of Mariner's Compass Quilts, and she has a lovely blue/green one for sale, along with an interesting collection of quilts and bags. She also has a vintage shop at http://www.thevintagewarren.etsy.com/, and if you're in need of a vintage pattern, you may find it there.




I had to throw in a quilt picture to add some color. This one is currently for sale on Ebay. My ID is Whitewillow.



For my 10 Things List today, here are 10 things NOT TO DO if you're making a New York Beauty quilt top:

1. Iron that block flat; squish out all the seams; shove the edges out! (This will totally distort your blocks, and consequently, your quilt top.)

2. Trim those blocks; if they're too big, cut them down! (This can leave you with no seam allowances, and points coming out to the edges.

3. Start off on the most detailed block pattern you can find! (New York Beauties are tricky to sew; start simple and grow.)

4. Avoid contrast in colors; pick lots of similar shades! (Your quilt will just look flat - go with lots of variety instead.)

5. Stretch those fabrics to sew the curves! (You could, but they may not stretch back; notch instead.)

6. Ignore grain lines when cutting the center and the outside ring! (If you do, your block may never lie flat.)

7. Quarter Inch seam allowances don't matter! (The block may not finish at the size you were hoping for.)

8. Use cheap fabrics. (But good quality ones will behave much better!)

9. Sew really fast. (Okay, but you have a lot more control if you sew slowly.)

10. Obsess, obsess, obsess. (If you must, but why? In the end, it WILL all work out.)


Enjoy your weekend!
Happy Quilting
Maggie