Finding Fabric and yarn

Walking into a BRAND NEW-to me quilt shop

always feels like HOME.

Somehow my son managed to find a college,

in a VERY SMALL town,

that has a QUILT SHOP!!!

 

10 points!!!

 

I visited him this past weekend.

Enjoyed my VERY FIRST lacrosse game

(son on far right)

and enjoyed TIME with him in Iowa.

 

Even though it's WIDE open country....

 

There was FABRIC!

:)

And yarn.

Had to pick up some yarn since....

I only took ONE sleeve from this project to work on.....

and finished it before my trip was over!

 

I need a little help getting all these pieces together!!!

I'm pretty PROUD of the fact that I have

the FIVE pieces ready to be put together!

This is a size 2 sweater.

I wanted to begin with something SMALL.

After working on this little sweater

I wonder how long it takes to make something

ADULT size?????

 

Cotton yarn crocheted into dishcloths

SAVED my sanity on the plane trip home!!!

 

Busy hands = Sanity

 

Is that a math problem you identify with???

;)

 

 

Springtime

 

 

It's SPRING at my house!!!

 

A little chilly this morning...

but the flowers are blooming!

I'm so glad my husband likes to garden.

I enjoy the PRODUCE

and....

Quilting and gardening go so WELL together!!!

 

I pulled out my Springy table toppers...

and added some pretty flowers.

;)

 

The tables are all covered.

 

 

Even the napkin basket in the kitchen gets a little pretty neighbor!

 

It's hard to sew INSIDE

when the outside is calling my NAME!

 

 

Thrifty Pillow

One REALLY nice thing about knowing how to sew...

is that when you need a little SOMETHING new for your home....

It's only a FEW STITCHES away!!!!

Scraps and thread are ALL YOU NEED.

 

I used 9 foundation papers (telephone book pages)

and lots of dark scraps to surround those BRIGHT golden

POPS of color!!!

 

I also added some gold thread around the squares.

 

You know me....

A little hand stitching makes EVERYTHING better.

The stuffing in this pillow is an experiment.

 

I stuffed this with all the little TEENY tiny

pieces of trimmings that were in the trash next to my sewing machine!!!

You'd be AMAZED at how fast that little bucket of scraps GROWS!

 

I think it will WORK!

 

Proves:

There's something you can DO with

even the SMALLEST of scraps!!!

 

 

 

A quilt for EVERYthing

I haven't made a quilt for myself for a while now.

I think I have MOST of the activities of my life COVERED

as far as quilts are concerned.

 

There's the SLEEPING quilt, of course.

The T.V. watching quilt.

The READING quilt.

 

AND....

the backyard blowing bubbles,

Resting in the SUN,

and

picnic kind of quilt!!!!

 

There's also a BIG stack of quilts

that switch around

doing these different kinds of activities.

 

A quilt for EVERY activity.

That's MY motto.

;)

 

 

Easy Peasy

I love a good block drive, don't you??

This one is hosted by Kevin.

He's already recieved LOTS of blocks

and looks to me like he's having fun getting mail these days!

;)

 

I'm sending these along to help him out.

I have LOTS of that solid BLUE.

I was able to get four blocks with just ONE Width of fabric cut.

(It was extra wide)

Strips came from my 2 1/2" strip drawer

(leftovers from bindings)

 

These blocks are easy.

12 1/2" square.

 

Send five blocks and he puts your name in a drawing.

 

Heres' his post with ALL the DETAILS!!!

 

Quilts of Valor Block DRIVE.

 

Have fun sewing today!

 

 

Tables need quilts too

Remember last year when I used orphan blocks to make quilts?

This year I'm taking the few that remain...

and turning them into table toppers.

(This one includes someone's paper pieced blocks in the middle...

and some 3" squares from my 3" scrap drawer.

I LOVE my little square drawers!!)

 

It's a project for an upcoming retreat.

The table toppers will be auctioned off.

 

I happen to LOVE this one.

Maybe it will be "forgotten" at home.

;)

This one's a little bit bigger.

I made these blocks a long time ago

as I BEGAN making a QUILT!!

 

I did start a quilt.

Sometimes that's ALL that happens.

LOL!

 

Now these fun blocks will find a home on someone's TABLE!

A happy ending

for some quilt blocks that THOUGHT they'd been LONG forgotten.

 

My goal is to make 10-12 of these....by April 10!

When I'm ALL DONE...

I'll have a little show and tell.

:)

Little bits and pieces

I'm starting the week out RIGHT.

It's 9 am and the project is complete!!!

 

It has....

BRIGHT colors!!!

Scraps!!!!

and...

 

It's a gift for a friend!

 

A little HAPPY gift.

:)

 

Weaving Happiness

There are SOME fabrics that are just

TOO UGLY to use in a quilt.

But...

they are the PERFECT addition to woven pieces!

I used a REAL HODGEPODGE of fabric strips in this runner.

My scrap basket of strips leftover from trimming quilts

and some UGLIES

made this WONDERFUL runner I am going to call MINE.

;)

 

I actually took my loom

and a bag of scraps along with me

on our ANNIVERSARY trip.

30 years ago I said, I do!

 

I've gotta say....

Isn't it wonderful

when Hubby says "BRING YOUR LOOM!

BRING YOUR SEWING MACHINE!

BRING IT ALL!!!"

 

I did.

 

He knows me by now, I guess.....

 

:)

Knitting for the noggins

I've been knitting.

After making 6 hats (one not shown)

:)

I'm ready for the next FIVE baby showers!!

 

I've started a small SIMPLE baby sweater.

It was TIME for a new pattern!!!

 

I'm learning.

Sweaters....even BABY sweaters

take a WEE BIT longer than a hat!!!

 

LOL!!!!

Playing with blocks

What's your FAVORITE step in the quilt making process???

 

Choosing the fabric?

cutting the fabric?  (ugh)

piecing?

Quilting???

Mine is this step:

Laying it ALL OUT!!!

ADMIRING it!!!

oohing and aaahing.....

Taking that nice BIG STACK of blocks.....

and playing!!!!

 

One of these days I'll sew them together.

Today...

I'm just going to PLAY with the BLOCKS.

;)

 

 

sad sighting

This poor old quilt!!!

 

Protecting a car engine from the elements.

Not QUITE what the quilter had in mind

when she made it and gave it.

 

It was early morning when I spotted this quilt.

The house looked sleepy...

so I didn't knock on the door

to ask if I can

RESCUE that quilt!!!

 

I bet YOU know of quilts

that ended up doing something

FAR different

than the maker intended!!!!

 

Mellow Yellow

Before leaving to help my relative last week,

I prepared this quilt for a little hand work!

 

I machine quilted diagonal lines through each of the bigger squares.

 

Then I packed it up.

It was the perfect project to have along.

 

I chose a few different embroidery floss colors...

and just did a simple little stitch around each of the small squares.

I used three strands.

 

A little HAND STITCHING

goes a LONG way!!!

 

I THINK it adds SO MUCH!!!

LOVE the backing on this one!

It's all rolled up.

Ready to be given away!

Do you know as many

MOMMIES-to-be

as I DO?????

Second Christmas tree

I'm still plugging along with my Christmas quilt.

Bit by bit...we'll get there.

If you want to join in you can see the first couple of blocks on

the Christmas quilt along page.

You have to click on links under each photo to make it to the

post you want.

 

The tree I'm making today involves LITTLE strips.

At the end of this post I will give you another option.

 

Begin with two 4" squares.

Put them together face to face

and make three diagonal cuts.

Don't make that larger cut corner to corner like I did.

:(

 

Try and do it like this:

 

A little BELOW the top corner.

That way you won't lose the top of your tree when piecing.

 

 

Open the squares up facing each other.

Insert 3/4" strips .

Use a SLIGHT 1/4" seam.

Leave tails on strips.

 

Press AWAY from white.

TRIM squares.

Add two 4"x5" white rectangles

and ONE long 3/4" strip.

viola!

Lay your pieces on the design wall

and ADMIRE!

Make some more trees if you want!

 

I'm hoping to make one more TYPE of tree...

figure out how to add snowflakes....

maybe some simple squares along the bottom of the quilt....

?????????

 

 

Here's another way to construct tree:

Use 1" strips.

Fold in THIRDS and BASTE on machine with very large stitch.

Lay strips on 4" squares.

Use matching thread and machine stitch the strips on.

REMOVE large basting stitch.

 

The above photo shows the right side complete

and the left side strips READY to be appliqued on.

 

 

I'd love to hear from you if you are  playing along with me.

;)

Maybe you'll just make ONE tree and turn it into a pillow!