Block exchange

Are not these colors great?  I love the pure color of the cut pieces.  For the last couple of weeks I have been searching my stash, and cutting, fabrics that are bright colored fabrics. I cut all of these pieces today.  A bee in which I participate exchanged these blocks in October.  When I receive blocks from an exchange I enjoy looking at all the different fabrics in those blocks, of which many of those fabrics I do not own (believe it or not). 

The number of blocks we exchanged would make a lap quilt.  I want to make a twin bed size quilt, and I want to place these blocks on point. There is another block that goes with this four patch block.  The instructions we received were for the two blocks only.  I am now trying to figure out how many blocks I will need of each design to make a twin size quilt with the blocks on point.  When the blocks are placed on point, there is a strong design line moving up and down the quilt.  I love that vertical design element.  When I look at the bright colored fabrics I smile.  It makes me happy, happy, happy.

Hope you are all happy, happy, happy, too.

Happy Quilting

Gypsy Quilter's tuto

This little quilt is the result of a tutorial on Gypsy Quilter's blog.  She provided directions in two parts for this quilt.  My layout is different than her layout.  I was being creative and working outside my box!  Actually, a couple of friends helped me with the layout. 

I had trouble with the bias edges as I did not spray starch the pieces enough.  I have learned my lesson with that.  Bias edges often give me grief.  I know there are many quilt patterns popular currently using the tube method.  You sew two fabric strips together on both long sides.  Then you use a ruler and cut the strips on the diagonal.  When you open up your pieces, they make half square triangle squares.  The problem I find with that process is that all your outside edges of the HST units are on the bias.  Not for me I fear.

The floral fabric in this quilts is busy.  I was thinking outside my box and decided I would use it for this project.  I think the floral has too many white flowers in the design.  Maybe a dark inner border would have calmed down the floral business?  I learn something from almost every project I sew.  I am not sure exactly what I learned from this exercise except that I chose fabrics that did not do what I had envisioned.

There are many beautiful quilts that I have seen using these big, splashy florals.  If I am going to use my big, splashy florals successfully, it will require more design knowledge than I possess at this time.  But I will keep trying.  Who knows, maybe I will eventually hit the jack pot!

Happy Quilting

Layer Cake Quilt

Isn't this a darling quilt?  The pattern is from the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I saw this on a video and decided it would be perfect for a layer cake package I had purchased.  I am addicted to their videos.  This pattern was called The Tea Bag Quilt on the video, but the sewist referred to it as the Tea Cup Quilt.  I also found this pattern in the Fall issue of Quilting Quickly, a new magazine from the Missouri Star Quilt Company where this quilt was labeled One Lump or Two.
 
This quilt was made to be a sample for a class I taught at our guild's Camp Stitches event in September of this year. I think it is absolutely darling, so colorful and bright.  I purchased this layer cake package a couple of years ago I think.  I also bought a charm square package too.  I cut the charm squares in half and used them for the border.  These bright colors make me smile and feel so happy.  Before the class, I sewed together this pattern in Halloween fabrics which is very cute, too.

Since this is Veteran's Day, I would like to honor all veterans, past and present, who have served, and are presently serving, in the military.  If not for them, we would not have the freedom we have now in our United States.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Carolina Crossroads bound

Another UFO is bound.  Whoopee!  I started this quilt with Bonnie K. Hunter on her website, Quiltville,com, in December 2007  If I remember correctly, it was Bonnie's first mystery quilt.  It has been quilted for a couple of years.  Since I have been on this binding binge I have completed five bindings in the last few weeks.  Three of these quilts have been UFOs.  I have five more large UFO quilts to be bound.  Now if I could have all the tops that need quilted (then bound) completed, I would be almost caught up!  HA-HA!

When Bonnie started this mystery quilt, I was working.  I remember that I managed to keep up with her instructions as they were printed in her website.  This was my turquoise/purple period.  I am not completely out of that period, but I remember two or three quilts around 2007/2009 that have this same color scheme.  It remains one of my favorite color schemes.  I have a kaleidoscope UFO in this turquoise/purple color scheme.  When I finish all these quilted quilts that need bindings, I want to start on my UFOs that are in bins/boxes again.  The kaleidoscope quilt is one I want completed.  Every time I look at the bin with those blocks and strips yet to be sewn, it makes me want to pull it out and sew, sew, sew!

With this said, I hope that each of you is working on finishing those UFOs.  If you are one of the fortunate folks who do not have any UFOs, then start one!

Happy Quilting

A Quilt For Him

Recently DH and I made a trip to his mother and step-father house to help clean it out and get it ready for sale.  When we came back we had three finished bed size quilts, one of them made by me.  This brown quilt is one of the larger quilts we were given.  We also came home with a purple log cabin quilt and the tulip quilt that I had made for my mother-in-law.  I will get pictures of those quilts and post them soon.

The pattern design of this brown quilt is very interesting.  I like it a lot.  It is a simple design, but I enjoy the way the colors flow around the quilt.  Our oldest son called recently and asked me when I was going to make him a quilt.  I restrained myself from reminding him that when he moved out of the house he did not take the quilt that I had made for him.  Then a light bulb idea came to me that possibly I had the perfect quilt for him - the brown one.  I told him to come home for a visit (he lives up the hill from us in the same town) and we would talk quilts.

Older son came by today to borrow a saw (and some other things I imagine).  He looked at the brown quilt and said he liked the colors and the design (whoopee) so he took the brown quilt home with him today.  I have some coffee flavored fabrics that I have planned to use in a quilt for his significant other.  She drinks a LOT of coffee so I decided she might appreciate a coffee themed quilt.  The coffee quilt (as I have come to call it) is still in the design stage, but with the desire I have burning to finish quilts and reduce my stash it may become reality very soon.

BTW, in the photo father is on the left side of the quilt and son is on the right.   Can you see any similarities between them?

Happy Quilting

Binding is done

The binding is finished on this darling floral quilt.  I started this quilt in a class in 2009.  It has been quilted for a while.  It was one of the quilts in my pile of quilts that need binding.  I pulled it out a couple of months ago.  I finally trimmed it and cut binding for it.  I applied the binding and started hand sewing down the binding onto the back last week.  It is now going into the "done" pile.  This coming spring I will hang this quilt up on the wall.  I have wanted a floral quilt to display during springtime for years.  Isn't it great that this one is purple?  This purple springtime quilt will be a perfect fit for my seasonal wall quilt collection.  I still need a "winter" quilt to round out my wall quilt collection.  I usually keep up my Christmas quilt until it is time to hang up a red/white/blue quilt.

This "done" feeling is so wonderful.  I love it!  I feel that I have made progress this summer with my quilt making/finishing.  Now if I could just not purchase more fabric than I use up I will be really happy!

Happy Quilting

Halloween Jelly Roll

Last year I purchased this Halloween Jelly Roll.  At least I think it was last year, but maybe it was the year before!  This is my favorite of all Halloween design lines that I have purchased.  I bought several yards of this design line, as many of the pieces as I could find locally.  I have made two or three Halloween quilts with this design line.  They are all fun, fun, fun.

Can you tell that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays?  I make at least one Halloween quilt every year.  I usually give them away.  Christmas is another of my favorite holidays.  Between Halloween and Christmas, I am not sure which one is #1 for me.  Halloween may be a thread ahead of Christmas.

When our children were young and dressed up for Halloween, it was so fun to walk with them around the neighborhood while they were trick or treating.  I cannot wait until the grandbabies are old enough to take trick or treating.  Mom and Dad always dress them up in darling costumes and bring them by our house.  Even though they really do not know what it is all about yet, they know that candy is involved with this activity! 

Are you making any holiday quilts this season?

Happy Haunting

Dresden Plate class

Wow, here is another post - two in less than a week!  Well, I attended a quilt class on Saturday.  It was great.  The teacher was Anelie Belden, the author of Thoroughly Modern Dresden.  I finished this top today.  I had most of it done yesterday.  It was a good class and Anelie is a super teacher.  She has a different method of sewing together the dresden block which I found fun and easy to do.

I made this project from some left over fabrics that I had on the shelf.  I always have such stress when it is necessary to pick out fabrics for a project.  Once in a while I know right away what fabric I want to use.  This time I stared at my wall of fabric and spotted this bundle.  I had rolled all the left over fabrics together.  When I pulled them down, I realized there was just enough for this wall hanging.  I feel so good that I used scraps for this project.  I still have some fabrics left, maybe enough to do another small project.

Hope you all are having a good weekend.

Happy Quilting


 

Another Baby Quilt

Well, here it is.  Another baby quilt top finished.  I have been busy sewing, but not a lot to post.  I have been working with exchange blocks, and UFOs, donation quilts, and baby quilts.

I donated a darling quilt last week to my quilt guild Community Quilts group, but I forgot to get a picture before it was gone.  Silly me!  I do that all too often.

This baby quilt top was finished this morning.  I saw this fat quarter packet in a catalog.  I thought it was so cute so I ordered it.  When I received the packet, I then realized the fabrics were very light.  Not my favorite style of fabrics, but it fit well into the need for a baby quilt.

This quilt is for a baby boy who is due next month.  I used an easy FQ pattern that I have used before.  It went together quickly.  I like to use this pattern because I know it is a sure thing!  No stress other than deciding which fabrics to use where. 

DH said because the fabrics are so light, the picture would not be good.  I agree with him about the fabrics being light colored, but I think the picture is clear enough so you can see the pattern.

Summer is almost over.  I have three quilt projects due in September.  I have two done, and I am working on the third project which is the largest project of the three.  I also have been squeezing in other things along the way like making some crumb blocks, some Lego blocks, and my never ending project of cutting pieces from my scrap fabrics into usable shapes.  I do not know if I will ever get through all my scraps, but it sure is fun trying!

Happy Scrap Quilting 

Batik quilt top finished

My monthly BOM batik quilt top is finally finished!  I apologize for the picture.  Since this quilt top is so big it cannot be held up by only one person, I put it on the bed and tried to get the best pix I could at that time of day.  I wanted to show the bargello border that took all of my patience to complete.

I only needed to unsew each border once before the light bulb actually lit up for me.  I had read the designer's directions, but failed to cut the center portion of the quilt down as instructed.  Because all my parts measured the correct size (according to the pattern) as we constructed each part I did not think that I would need to cut the center down at all so I did not do the measuring.  I should have done that.  It would have saved me lots of time and frustration.

When starting the trimming I discovered there was one section that I sewed in backwards in the center section that I needed to unsew and resew .  At the time I sewed it into the center section I did not think it mattered that I put the left side on the inside. Once I corrected this problem I was able to do the required trimming on the sides.  Then when I thought I had the top all done, I put the top on the bed and discovered that one little strip in the border was upside down!   When I unsewed that piece and resewed it I declared the top done.  If there are any other mistakes, they will remain with the quilt.  I am DONE with it.

Maybe I will like this quilt more once it is quilted.  Right now I am totally finished with it.  I will put it aside and wait for the ambition to have it quilted.  Have you ever worked on a quilt/project that when you finished it you were not happy with it and wanted nothing else to do with it?

Yesterday I started a new project.  It is a sample for a class that I will be teaching at our guild's Camp Stitches in September.  It is really giving me joy to work on these bright, cheerful fabrics.  The block is easy and fast to construct.  It is bringing back my quilter's smile.  Thank goodness!

Happy Quilting
  

Border for Batik BOM

As you can see I am working on the border for my batik UFO (that should have finished last year).  I took this project to my last retreat to work on and found that the fabrics in the BOM kit for the border was short fabric.  I measured all the batik pieces included in the packet for the border but could not determine what piece was for which part of the border since none of the fabrics measured the accurate amount that was written in the pattern.

It was with much regret that I put aside this project at retreat for it was clear I could not finish it without the proper amount of fabric.  I finally picked up this project (well it fell at my feet if you really need to know the truth) and I decided that I could pull fabrics from my own stash and make the borders the colors that I like.  So I did just that.  (Such a novel idea,  I know, using my own fabrics!)  LOL!  I remember that is why I did not sew the borders together when I finished the center unit - there was not enough fabric in the kit, which I realized a couple of months after the BOM program was over.  Also, the fabrics were not the same colors as the pattern picture and there was no legend for me to know which of the fabrics in the kit were for which part of the border.  I am sure the teacher told the class about the substitutions, but I was either late, or was too overwhelmed with the info to remember it. 

The monthly blocks had a legend included in each packet so we knew which fabric was intended for the correct pieces in the block.  There was no legend in the packet with the border fabrics (or else I lost it and did not know that I lost it).

In some of the blocks I had already substituted my own fabrics, or changed the colors with other leftover fabrics from another block.  It amazes me that it took me so long to come to the conclusion that I could change the fabrics in the border as well!  What a revelation!  When I finally had this epiphany I immediately pulled out some of my batik fabrics, checked the measurements of the batik pieces I liked, then started cutting out the border pieces.

Each day since my epiphany I have been squeezing out (at least) "15 minutes a day" to work on this border.  I have been surprised at how much sewing I have accomplished in such a short time span.  There are 32 blocks in the border plus lattice units (which I have yet to sew together).  When all those parts are sewn, then I can assemble the top, bottom, and side borders and sew them to the center unit.  Hopefully they will all fit!  BIG LOL! 

Until then.....

Happy Quilting

Mystery Block

While searching through my bins looking for a set of blocks, I encountered this painted block.  I do not remember where it came from.  It might have been my mother's, or I might have taken a class years ago and have forgotten about it (probably the answer).  The bottom line is I do not know where or when I created/obtained this block.  Do you have any projects like this - a mystery project? 

It appears that it has been painted with fabric paint.  I heat set it today to make sure it did not bleed or fade away.  Is it possible it was made for a pillow top?  If there were more painted flowers, it could be a medallion block, maybe?  My mother and I took a fabric painting class years and years ago.  This could have been one of our projects from that class. 

Since I moved into my current sewing room, I have dived into my UFO projects with a passion.  Last month I finished a lap quilt which is being quilted at this moment.  Also I finally made a back for another Halloween quilt and took it to the quilter along with the lap size community quilt (which I also sewed together the backing).  Making backings for my quilt tops is a struggle for me.  Often all it entails is piecing two pieces of fabric together - just one seam.  That is so difficult for me to accomplish.  For me making backings for quilts is the least desirable part of making a quilt. There are several quilt tops in a pile on my sewing table (in the other room) that are needing backs.  I should invite some others quilters over and we could have a back making day.  It is possible that all my lonesome quilt tops could be made ready for quilting in one day (if I could get my act together and get them done).  Well, until then.....

Happy Quilting

Retreat April 2013

The last weekend in April was our group's spring retreat.  There was a good group in attendance.  One of our past members came down from Washington to attend retreat which made for lots of fun.

I finished a couple of quilt tops.  I took a third top to finish the borders but realized that I did not have enough fabric.  It was a BOM and the fabric in the kit was not enough to do the bargello style border.  I was so disappointed that I could not finish it at retreat.  

One of the quilt tops I did finish was Em's 4 patch quilt.  I made another row of blocks so that the design would complete the last diamond (square on point) design.  When my husband saw the finished top today, he said he really liked it.  I do to!

On Sunday our exchange group exchanged a set of blocks.  The theme for the blocks was fall/Thanksgiving.  It was again lots of fun to see what everyone else had done.

A couple of the ladies were making food/animal tops.  I could not believe some of the fabrics that was in their food quilts.  One of the ladies made a cat/dog quilt for her vet.  It was really cute.  Another quilter made a Dorothy in Oz quilt top.  Lots of sewing was done and lots of laughter happened.  Fun!  Fun!  Fun!

Charity top finished

Our charity quilt top is finished.  I love the checkerboard border.  It was fun sewing together the checkerboard section of the border.  I was lost more than once while sewing my squares!  But I persevered and it is completed.  Now it is on its journey to the quilter.  The quilt top is very cheerful.  I hope it will make the recipient smile and feel good when they look at it.  It sure makes me smile and feel good when I look at it.

After I finished the charity quilt I started working on some exchange blocks.  I have them almost finished.  In this exchange, each participant is making two different blocks.  My first set of blocks are done and my second set of blocks need the last strip added around the block, and a buckle.  The blocks will be exchanged next weekend.  It was stressful trying to decide on block designs.  When I finally decided on my designs and I began cutting and sewing the designs, it became much more enjoyable.

Since I have determined this is a finishing year, my next project will be completing a UFO.  I have a set of BOMs that only needs the border sewn.  The border has almost as much sewing as all of the blocks put together!  I think that is why I have not taken the time to finish it. 

Spring is pushing its way toward us.  Our front yard has beautiful pink blossoms on the plum tree and the flowers are showing signs of beautiful blossoms, too.  I hope the weather where you live is starting to look more like spring.

Happy Blossoms

Charity Quilt in Progress

This weekend I have been sewing on the charity quilt in the photo.  I really like it.  The bright colors pull at me and say "Look at me"!

I am not sure if I mentioned that this quilt is a free pattern from Cindy Carter.  It is her Scrappy Heart Quilt pattern.  She has several free patterns on her website, http://carterquilter.wordpress.com/.  Check out her website.

I sewed on the first border this afternoon.  I wanted to take a picture of this top to post in my blog before it was too dark to got outside for a photo.  You know that it had to be breezy outside, right? Since I have not posted for a while, I wanted to get this top to a stage where there was at least one border applied.  I took three photos outside.  In each one the bottom row of the quilt top was crooked because of the sudden breeze.  We finally came inside and DH held it up near the front window.  There was enough light left that I was able to get a photo.  It is not the best photo, but at least you can see all the rows and the first border.

I have not been finishing much lately.  I have been sewing, but just not getting finished projects done.  Maybe next week I can sew on the other borders.

There are two more rows to sew on my Em's 4 patch quilt and then I will take a picture of it to post.  I had planned on finishing the 4 patch top last weekend, but alas - not so.  I was so close I did not want to stop sewing and go to bed.  Since I get up early on days when I babysit the grands, I knew I needed to go to bed or else I would not get enough sleep to keep me energized to deal with those two darling little never-stop-running toddlers.

Have a Happy Easter.

Hugs - Pam

Playing with Scraps

When I saw Victoria Findlay Wolfe's book 15 Minutes of Play I was awed at what she has done with "made fabric".  I have several crumb blocks made (over a hundred) and I have been thinking about what I want to make with them.  So I pulled out a couple of scrap bins and have been cutting and sewing bits and pieces to make some more made fabric.  In one of the bins I found these four flying geese blocks that were left over from another project.  I decided a while back that I would make some star blocks using my crumb blocks as the center of the block.  When I found the flying geese blocks I decided to make a variable star block.  These flying geese units were made from some of my favorite fabrics.

Since this crumb block contained some of the same fabric colors as in the flying geese fabrics, I sewed the geese together with the crumb block.  I found just enough light fabric that matched the light fabric in the geese blocks for the four corner squares.  I really like how this block turned out.  I wish I had more of the geese fabric to make more of these blocks. 

Originally the purpose of going through my scrap bins was to find and cut more squares for my Em's four patch blocks. I have sewed a few more blocks. While sewing these blocks I soon became caught up in the fun of "playing" with my scraps. When I take time to play with my fabrics I feel so rejuvinated.  I discovered long ago that I am a very tactile person.  When I have my fingers in my fabrics I am happy.  It makes me feel so good when I see all those colors all together. 

While on this discovery journey I also realized I was not getting blocks sewn.  Bits and pieces were being sewn together, but not complete blocks.  I did finally get this star block completed.  It is now pinned up on my wall and I can enjoy it.  My design wall is still up in my other room.  I miss seeing my mother's Raggedy Ann dolls and Julie's star block and my other things that I always had pinned up on my design wall.  I need to find space for a design wall in my new sewing room. 

I have had so much fun playing with my fabrics.  Now I need to get focused on completing my blocks for Em's four patch.  I also have some exchange blocks that I need to work on.  I hope you have fun playing with your fabrics and scraps.

Happy Scrap Quilting

Em's 4 patch quilt

Since I have had baby duty so much in January, I have not had much time to sew.  Last weekend I had three days to myself.  I was so excited to have time to sew.  I had started sewing the TINY (to me 1.5 inch pieces are TINY) four patches from Em's Free Four All quilt.  She did hers as leaders and enders.  I tried that, but since I have not been doing much sewing on a regular basis, I decided to do my sewing in small bunches.  I had cut out all the TINY white 1.5 inch squares, and the colored squares, a while back.  I then sewed the TINY white and colored squares together to make the first TINY 4 patch blocks.  Then I checked my 2.5 inch bin of squares, and my 4.5 inch bin of squares and determined I had enough for this project.

Once the first TINY 4 patches were done, I became so excited to see some blocks done that I sewed the 2.5 squares onto my TINY 4 patches to make the second set of 4 patches.  They were so great that I could not wait to sew some of the 4.5 inch patches onto the units to make them into the final size with the three graduated sizes of 4 patches into the blocks.  I worked last weekend into the wee hours getting those blocks done.  I was really thrilled to have these blocks completed.  That meant that I could then sew my top together.  Whooppee!

When I had all the blocks done (according to all the TINY white and colored 1.5 inch squares that I had cut previously) I counted the blocks and put them into piles of ten blocks each.  When I only had three piles in front of me, I thought.....wait!  There are not enough blocks to make the top the size that Em had done in her blog.

Previously I had written down all the numbers for all the different sizes of squares that I would need.  Evidently my math was really off.  I think I cut half as many TINY white and colored 1.5 inch square than I needed.  Somehow I ended up with only 31 blocks instead of the 56 that Em had used in her quilt. 

What a bust!  Barely half enough squares.  I thought that I could make a quilt with rows 5x6 instead of 7x8 rows.  I went to bed and thought about it and decided I want the full 56 blocks, so I am back to square one.  I need to make 25 more blocks.  I will sew them in batches again since I do not have enough patience for the leader/ender thing. 

I really want to make a quilt with the leaders/enders method, but it appears that I will need to do this without a pattern in mind as I cannot seem to wait long enough to accomplish the blocks without fast forwarding the process because I cannot wait to see my top done!

Happy TINY quilting

Browse button is back

Wow, the Browse button is back, at least today, so I am attaching and posting this picture of the charity blocks as quickly as I can. 

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions on getting pictures into my posts.   My computer skills are minimal so some of your suggestions were unphantomable to me.  I checked Blogger for several days and no Browse button appeared.  I checked again today, just on a fluke, and there it was.  I hope it stays usable otherwise I am back to square one again.

Happy Browsing

Charity Blocks

Yes, I know it has been over two months since I last posted.  I apologize for this lapse of time.  My son is now gamefully employed and I am babysitting on a regular basis.  I was babysitting only three days a week and the other grandma was babysitting the other two.  Other grandma has gone on a trip and will not be back until the end of the month.  So, that leaves me with five days a week.  I am not sure I have the energy for that, but we shall see.  LOL!

Last week I made three blocks for a charity quilt with a group of quilters.  I cannot seem to be able to load a picture from my photo library.  When I click on the insert image button, in the past Blogger had a button for "Browse" and at this time the Browse button would appear.  I would click that button and it would take me to my libraries.  Then I could click on a button for my photo library.  I do not know what has happened.  I have not posted this year, yet.  This is my first post for 2013 and I cannot get access to my photo library to pull up the picture I downloaded this morning.  Does anyone know what happened, or how I can fix it?

Frustrated Purple Quilter