Updates . . . . .

My Twister project is home from the quilter.  I contemplated quilting this myself, doing some straight lines or maybe some big stitch hand quilting,  I'm so glad I got over those ideas because I would not have done near the job that my quilter, Connie Lancaster at Quilts Plus in Indianapolis, IN did.

I didn't notice how plain that white space was until Connie filled it with pinwheels.

Pinwheels in the pinwheels and pinwheels in-between the pinwheels.

Here's the corner.  Thank  you Cosmo Cricket for designing the perfect fabric for the binding!

And thank you Connie for quilting such a clever pattern on my project!

For more information on my SaltAir Twister go to my Lifetime Quilt List tab, this is Lifetime Quilt Number 88.

When I was working on my Twister, I linked to Dawn's blog where she showed some pictures of some Twister projects she had pieced.   Due to popular demand Dawn has created a very detailed tutorial on how to make her heart twister, stop on by if you would like to give that project a try. (Click Here)

Yo Yo update, last week I had 8 yo-yos . . . . 

This week I have  . . . 9!  LOL!!

Not as many as you or I expected, but I did buy a vase!

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Done Twister'n . . . . . .

So my little Twister experiment is over.

I decided to go with a simple layout.  

(FYI - This measured 55" x 55")


I kept the tip about looking at the four corners of the blocks in my mind as I positioned my fabric squares, to make sure the twister blocks wouldn't blend together.

So once you've cut your blocks and sew them together, you cut your blocks and sew them together again!

Carrie left a comment on my last Twister post about using a small rotary cutter for cutting the blocks, and she's right!

You don't have much room for error, or a wild rotary cutter as you cut.  I recommend a sharp small rotary cutter.

Here it is, all done!

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 87.

It finished at 35" x 35"and has approximately 363 pieces.

The fabric is Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket for Moda.

Here's my review of the Twister template.  It works, it easily makes neat, precise looking projects, but they all sort of have that same look.  The look that I think folks who sew look at a project and say, "that was made with a Twister".  Not that that's a bad thing, but I would prefer folks said something else about my projects. But it was fun and easy, a nice change of pace after finishing Evening Bloom and Settlers Trail.  If you don't own a Twister template and are getting an itch to try it, ask a friend if she has one you can borrow, I bet she does.  There seems to be a lot of folks who own them and it's not the type tool someone uses all the time, or keeps on their sewing table.  Most folks are probably thinking, I have one, but I'm not sure where I put it.  I'm thinking this may be my first and last Twister.

Dawn, at First Light Designs, has a post today about her Twister experiences and is working on a tutorial for her heart Twister that I blogged about last week.  Stop by for more Twister info!

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Twister Update . . . .

I found it funny that several folks are exactly like me, bought those twister templates but never did anything with them!  

I received this red and cream "Lil Twister" project for Christmas last year, so some folks are using their twister rulers.

It matches my guest room decor and looks perfect on top of this dresser.

I included this shot to give you a better perspective of the size.

Besides the comments saying "I bought one of those and have never used it" I got a very helpful email from Dawn at First Light Designs.  Dawn teaches Twister classes and was nice enough to send her class handout with Twister secrets and a couple of pictures of one of her Twister projects.

Dawn and I both agree on the following , the Twister template, very clever and easy to use, the Twister books, not so helpful.

Here are a few helpful tips Dawn passed along to me:

 - solids and small prints work best

 - the corners of each square of fabric are what you will see in the finished project, so pay attention to the them and the fabrics next to them.

- the amount of contrast that you see before you use the twister template is greatly reduced after the pieces are cut and sewn back together.

- experiment with scraps before cutting first project.

Here's a picture of Dawn's pieced project before using the Twister.

And here is what that made!

Isn't that amazing!

Dawn named this project "I love Paris"  I really love the row of tiny twister blocks at the base of the heart, a great touch.

I'm planning on using Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket for Moda for my project.

The print is a little big on some of the fabrics in this line, but I'm going with the Twister, not the Lil Twister, so hopefully it will all work out!  Stay tuned, or better yet, get your Twister out and see what you can make!

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