X and + QUILT

I love all things Zen Chic.

I have had the inkling to make the x and + quilt forever! 

I have also had a bundle of Zen Chic ‘White Christmas’ fabric forever!

 It’s got a bit of metallic in it

Sew this is gonna be gorgeous!

My original intent was to make ‘Those Trees’ quilt by Zen Chic.

My friend made it and it is lovely.

But for whatever reason…I just couldn’t cut into the bundle.

And so it sat until this pattern caught my eye!

I love the green in the mix.  Still a Christmas color.

So I got out the bundle and separated the FQs by color.

I added in the greens from my stash.

I took away the blue-grays and the cream fabric 

And cut, cut, cut!

It’s now ready to sew.

I think adding in the  non-Christmas green prints

will make the quilt all year use!  

And hey, Those Trees pattern may become a table runner!

JUST GEOFABULOUS

 Maybe you don’t know Maude Asbury?

Maybe you should?

She hides deep in my stash.

But sometimes her beautiful colors and designs

jump out and screams

“CUT ME! SEW ME! MAKE ME MORE BEAUTIFUL!

I am just a stack of fabrics

sitting here on the shelf, trying to be seen!

I deserve better!”

Well, who can argue with that?

This bundle was purchased from 

Rainbows End LQS, Dunedin FL 

many years ago.

These geometric prints are indeed…

GEOFABULOUS!

I think they will be perfect for 

the Picnic Quilt

ByRuby Star Society.

The free pattern was part of a

2022 Summer SewAlong! 

Yes sometimes it takes years for me 

to pull it ALL together.  

But when I make this quilt…it will be 

JUST GEOFABULOUS! 

It’s all cut and perhaps a project for an 

August Quilt Retreat!

A MAUDE ASBURY CHRISTMAS!

Apparently, I love Christmas quilts.

These cute Maude Asbury holiday prints are sew dang cute.  

They have been in my stash for a few years.

I was waiting for the perfect pattern to appear! 

Just sew happens, the pattern book had that pattern in it!

And was also in my stash! 

Simply Modern Christmas 

By Cindy Lammon 

I love the SNOWBALL cover pattern

And it’s all cut and ready to sew.

I made this quilt once before, and gifted it 

to a very special friend, Shannon Coil.

This one is made with Cotton and Steel

holiday fabric lines, Noel  and Garland.

I think this will be my Christmas in July project!

Now where are those Christmas cookies?

GROWING BIRCH TREES

How does one grow a scrappy grove of birch trees?

It’s fairly easy and a wonderful way to use scraps!

Yes SCRAPS!

I decided to use my tiny Charley Harper scraps.

I added in other scraps that read as solids and

Played will with the CH fabric colors. 

After making 3 larger quilts with his fabric…

I had plenty!

Maybe I didn’t need the pattern and could have emulated the design but

Supporting our designers is sew important. 

I love Amy Smart’s patterns and a fun fav is

“Birch Trees”

You can find her pattern here 

Sew at quilt retreat last year I made one test block.

The hard part is deciding where to randomly make the vertical cuts

As the scrap steps are inserted kind wonky.  Couple tips…

TIP #1 don’t get too close to left and relight edges for making cuts

TIP #2 make the background color squares larger than pattern says

and trim to size once all blocks are made. 

The left and right side cuts should have been closer to middle strip.

I don’t have much seam allowances as shown in this picture. 

Keep that in mind when cutting your vertical angles.

I decided to use various solid FQs for backgrounds.

Plenty to choose from in my stash. 

The key to scrappy is STOP being a control freak.

I tried to use various size pieces in the strips (trunks).

Try NOT to use the same scrap more than once in each strip (trunk).

Mx it up..and remember strips (trunks) can go be flipped vertically

when designing the layouts for each block. 

You will make your strips (trunks) using all kinda size scraps

THEN trim into straight strips (trunks)!  

Once I had enough strips (and I made extras…

I grouped strips (trunks) together.

Be sure to mix these up by prints and width sizes. 

As I built my blocks..I did switch a few strips (trunks) around.

That’s the fun of designing with scraps. 

Once all blocks were complete 

I trimmed all to same size and 

Placed on design wall to determine 

background color placement.

Then sew, sew, sew.

I decided 12 blocks was plenty, 

but the pattern offers several sizes!

This can be a small lapsize, a nice baby/toddler size

OR a wall hanging. 

And the top is complete. 

I made a backing using GRUNGE

I will quilt this in my Bernina 740. 

That will happen this summer.

I love my Charley Harper scrap birch trees.

Now go find some scraps…I know you have them,

 and grow your own birch trees! 

PLAIDISH 2

Being a Scottish Highlander of Clan Gordon

my heart belongs to all things Plaidish.

My heart also belongs to THE Ohio State Buckeyes.

Sew I am combining the two to make

Erica Jackman's Plaidish II

@kitchentablequilting had me crushing so hard

on her first Plaidish, I made two!

A true scrappy version!

A 3 color version using all Christmas prints.

But back to Plaidish II

I pulled all the OSU fabrics I had in my stash,

Most were scraps, which lend themselves to her Plaidish patterns.

There are only 3 blocks and they chain piece quickly.

The cutting is the part that takes a minute or two.

Erica has you sort your scrap selections by Dark, Medium and Light values.

I wanted to use only 3 color values, Black, Red, Gray.

Blacks - Dark Values

Reds - Medium Value

Grey - Low Value

I am working on this in between other projects.

AND its a great "retreat" project as

one doesn't have to pay a lot of attention,

when one likes to sewcialize!

Will I have it finished before BUCKEYE Football season?

I doubt it.

If you want a couple very easy SCRAP patterns to

get you over your fear of scraps...

try these

Head over to Kitchen Table Quilting website

take a look around 

and down load these two for free!.

SOMETHING WAS CHURNING!

Sometime churning isn't all that good.

OK I love a churn dash.

I had a really cool Churn Dash pattern named Churning 14

I love winning free fabric!

Shine On by Sharon Holland Designs by Art Gallery Fabrics.

One would think all is right with the quilting world?

I began sewing the blocks and I missed the entire BIG

mistake here.  I have made a ga-zillion Churn Dash Blocks

but this time I had the wrong fabric in the center.

My head was not in my sewing room!

Of course, I had to unsew all the mistakes.

and begin again.

Notice these teeny tiny 4" blocks!

In my 72 years of life experience

NOTHING 4" in size has ever been fun!

Medium and Large block

were easy enuf to finish quickly.

All  the blocks and on the design wall

 became a nightmare of sorts.

I couldn't get my head around the

STEER HEAD fabric!

Especially the mustard gold background.

I took those fabrics OUT

and moved things around

into manageable sections.

And sewed them all together.

OK now I like the look.

But I don't like the quilt top!

The fabrics were never my colors

or designs.

What does one do now!

DONATE THE TOP TO CHARITY!

The Perry County Sewcial Club

has a lot of charity efforts

and this top went to Megan McCord

to use as she sees fit.

I know it will go to someone who

will love and cherish it!

And NOW all is right with the quilting world!

2023 QUILTING DREAMS

OK its February...but that doesn't stop

a gal from dreaming of making lots of pretty quilts.

My dreams in 2023 began with this Infinite Hearts Quilt. 

I can tell you that this is finished and will post about it later.

Fall Breeze is hopeful for an autumn finish!

I don't have it cut yet, sew we will see.

Lots of HST in this beauty.

This PICNIC top will be a  February finish.

I am hosting, with Kim Hensley, a Sew Along

over on Instagram.

Cluck, Cluck Sew has an easy sew here.

All blocks are the same...it the fabric placements

that make this quilt beautiful.

I am using up my leftover pieces and scraps

of Hustle and Bustle by Basic Grey.

Might be a few other Christmas prints in there too!

I have a ga-zillion small scraps of Charley Harper fabrics.

Birch Trees pattern by Amanda Jean / Crazy Mom Quilts

seemed like a perfect choice.  I have one test block finished.

And the Plaid-ish 2 FREE download from Erica Jackman

of Kitchen Table Quilting has been on my list for awhile.

I am using Ohio State colors and fabrics for this one!

I do have a few blocks made.

I have picked the fabrics for this one.

I have had Zen Chic's White Christmas FQ Bundle

since it came out several years ago.

I just couldn't come up with a pattern I truly loved.

No way was I gonna cut without a pattern.

Lo and behold its a Zen Chic pattern.

I am using White, Gray, Back and Greens

Then there's Avalon.

Its gonna be beautiful in some long time hoarded

Jane Sassaman fabrics.

I found this FREE pattern and just sew happens

this Corey Yoder Layer Cake was a gift for Christmas.

This could be a quilt retreat project in August.

I love me a churn dash pattern but, this on has been haunting me!

I cut it out at a quilt retreat in August, 2022.

Just need to sew it all together!

I don't know WHY I am draggin my feet!

I have a BIG list of dreams buy I always dream BIG!

I am not one to finish a project before I begin another.  

How about you?