some color for my desk with help of a fun new ruler

 

I have several rulers, as I’m sure you do.  I’m certain quilters cut straight edges long before plastic was invented, but I really can’t imagine sewing without my 24” ruler.  It’s in good condition and not in need of replacing, so I don’t really NEED a new ruler and I have a couple of triangle rulers that probably won’t get used.  But I’ve been a fan of Jenny’s quilts at Sew Kind of Wonderful for awhile now and was waiting for her ruler to be available for purchase.  Her piecing and her quilting are phenomenal.  I can’t quilt the way she does – but now, thanks to her Quick Curve Ruler – I should be able to master some of her fabulous quilt blocks. 

To give you an idea…  I started and finished this project today.  I work in an office that is painfully beige.  walls, carpet, desks, files.  a very dull beige.  If you’ve read more than one post of mine and seen any of my quilts, you can imagine how difficult that is for me.  :-)  so, I buy decorative folders, have plants, and make myself little desk mats.  They protect the furniture from any overwatering of plants or coffee spills and add some color to my 9-5 space.  I decided this weekend that it’s time to replace my mat with a new one, and that making one would be a good way to test out this ruler.  This is 4 blocks (with an extra piece added to each end) and took me just a couple hours to piece this morning – including some fabric changes and seam-ripping.  I only had to rip my first seam – it was that easy to get the hang of.  I watched the YouTube tutorials on Jenny’s website and was up and running almost right away.  It was still stop and go sewing for me – but I’m a readjuster with most of my piecing and I was almost full speed by the last block.   

Kaffe Fassett Red Serape Stripes; Pat Bravo Oval Elements in Crocus; Tina Given’s Pernilla’s Journey Parrot Jungle (Watermelon?); Amy Butler Soul Blossoms Passion Lily in Fern

I love the bead shapes this ruler makes – they remind me of those little plastic Pop It beads for making necklaces.  I’m very happy with the purchase of this ruler and I’ve already got ideas bouncing around for more projects.  something along the lines of a snowball quilt I think…