fun times with the scrap bin

It's been too long.

TOO long since I just sat down and

played with scraps!!!

It all started with an improvisational log cabin

that needed a little PEP!

Triangles do the trick....

don't you think?

Blogger's quilt festival

It's that time again....

Time for a QUILT show hosted by Amy

It's GREAT to travel around the world

virtually...

and ENJOY everyone's quilts!

I'm sharing a quilt I made this year.

One month at a time. 

;)

This little car is my favorite part!

I had some friends join me on this quilt along.

I made one element each month

and shared about how I did it.

Once the red and green quilt top was complete....

I looked around for a backing.

I LOVE....love...love

this happy colorful backing I found!

 I even used it for the binding!

The doors needed to be WELCOMING....

so I quilted

Merry Christmas!

Lots and Lots of swirly snow

makes this quilt extra "special".

Special = LOTS of TIME and THREAD. 

;/

It's wonderful to be READY for 

Christmas this year!

This quilt show gave me 

the kick in the pants I needed

to GET 'er DONE!

:)

Enjoy the quilt show.

I'm entering this one in the

original design category.

Casserole Carrier

A NEW casserole carrier

for a friend.

:)

I had a lot of fun mixing some fabrics

as I put this one together.

 

Using an old casserole carrier as a pattern

that I found at a thrift store

long ago.....

 

I made THIS!

It fits a 9X9, a pie pan......

even an oval 2 quart dish!

 

Oooh!

I just love practical and pretty things

out of fabric!!!

 

 

The Lone Pine

Welcome to finish it up Friday.

 

I sure appreciate the linky parties available.

It's nice to have that FRIDAY goal.

 The "GET it DONE" goal!!!

;)

Thank you AmandaJean and Sarah.

 

My lone pine tree is now all finished.

 

The background is done.

The little pieces of fabric are ON!

The quilting lines are all IN!

Hey!

The binding is even ALL the way ON.

Handstitched and all!

(anyone else ever take photos BEFORE that's done?)

LOL!

This pine tree can now stand proudly

in it's mountain cabin home!!

 

 

 

Fun with Flannel

It took me a FEW tries.....

but I finally succeeded in filming a youtube video.

"How to make a flannel bib"

 

It only took me FOUR times......  ;/

 

It's still not perfect....

but perfect is NOT in my vocabulary.

 

I love simple.

I love homemade.

and

I love to share about it!

 

Isn't that truck fabric on the left cute???

I had JUST a little piece.

Perfect for a little project like this!

 

I'm all set up for a baby shower now!

I'll fold these up and wait for the next one.

I even have some choices!!!

LOL!

My heart was happy this morning

when I found this photo on instagram.

with the quote:

"Thinking of my mom while assembling my first quilt as a wife".

 

Isn't that sweet?

My daughter has been making/sewing things...

but this is her first quilt.

 

Guess who it's for???

:)

Her husband is a BIG football fan.

 

I told him it was meant to be.

 

My daughter was born on SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

I listened to PRE-game interviews on the hospital television

during labor with her.

 

Ah...... memories......

 

 

 

Pine tree

I've been working on a pine tree. A special request from a relative. She has a mountain cabin and wants a little wall art!

I'm happy and pleased to be asked.

This piece began with a painted piece of cotton. I enjoy painting fabric. This time I wet the fabric with a spray bottle first (after laying it on plastic)

I use cheap acrylic paint and mix little bits of paint with water and go to town with brushes and sponges. It's fun to experiment and play!

It makes a nice background for my tree.

After the background dried I painted a tree.

When those two painting sessions were complete I prepared fabric and fusible pieces. These were cut up in little bits and ironed on here and there. ( I may add more. We'll see!)

The flying geese pieces are pinned up waiting to be a border!

Next up.....

Free motion thread doodling......as I like to call it.  ;). Doodling is a word that makes it sound fun, simple, free form.....

It all comes together little by little. 

I've enjoyed having this tree hang in my sewing room! Just might have to make one for me!

Friday

I'm a little late to the finish it up Friday party.

I JUST made it outside to take a photo before I lost the sunlight!

:)

It was GREAT to get this ALL done today.

When you have a GOAL...

It sure is nice to get to the finish line......

Even when there are unforseen curves in the road!

;)

I've quilted it simply with lines

and will go back now

SLOWLY

and add some BIG red stitches BY HAND!

 

So....

technically

NOT done.

Close enough, don't ya think?

I scoured my 2 1/2" strip drawer

and found the LAST few REDS to bind this with.

Red and white.

That classic combo we ALL love!!!

 

This cuddly quilt measures 53"x57"

and will be auctioned off soon

to support a friend's daughter

heading to Canada on a year long

missions trip.

 

One fun fact about this quilt:

A few years ago I inherited

a bag of OLD cloth bandage strips

rolled up and sewn tight to be sent to

missionaries.

They were probably made in the 50's or 60's.

I was able to add some to this quilt!

I love the way old things made with love and care

can be added to some of the things we make TODAY!!!!

It's almost like they were WAITING patiently

for their turn to be made into something special!!!

 

 

 

 

Easy Applique

I've been working a little bit on my

Auction quilt.

Trying to fit it in between

KID stuff, HOUSE stuff,

and EXTENDED family stuff.

You know...

ALL the things that keep us from doing

the FUN stuff....like quilting!

 ;)

There are only THREE of those Canadian leaves on this quilt.

I decided to applique the EASY way this time.

Hand applique is NOT hard....

and to be honest....

Getting my old sewing machine out

(the one with a zigzag stitch)

probably took the same amount of time

as it would have if I had just...

DONE it by HAND!!!

LOL!

 

I began with a pattern.

Hand drawn on paper with a sharpie.

I copied it onto my fusible web.

There are a few brands of this out there...

I'm using steam a seam lite.

The packaging for this is always changing.

I doubt it looks like my bag here anymore.

Everytime I look for it in the store...

IT's a NEW packaging system!

 

You can also get a fusible web at  joanns

ON the bolt and buy it by the yard.

 

I'm not recommending ANY certain brand.

They all work about the same IF you buy something light weight.

You don't want it too heavy/thick.

 

I WILL say that if it's OLD...

the glue doesn't work as well.

I always keep my fusible web wrapped up in an air-tight bag

to hopefully EXTEND it's life a little bit.

After drawing the pattern on the paper of the web....

I cut it out.

For this pattern....

It doesn't matter WHICH side you draw on.

IF you're cutting out LETTERS

or something that needs to go a certain direction...

It DOES matter!!!

 

The pattern needs to be copied BACKWARDS

on the glue side of the fusible paper.

After cutting out the leaf...

I HOLLOWED the leaf out!!!

 

This makes my applique piece LESS stiff.

Pull OFF the paper on back of fusible...

LEAVING the glue side.

DISCARD this paper.

PRESS the leaf onto the BACK of the fabric you're using.

CUT around the leaf RIGHT on the EDGE.

In fact, I trim a teeny tiny piece OFF as I go

so that I KNOW the fusible will be ALL THE WAY

out to the edge of my leaf.

Pull paper OFF the fusible.

IT should be ON YOUR fabric now!

 

;)

Press the leaf ONTO your quilt.

(Sorry this leaf is not the same).

Decided to make this tutorial AFTER the leaves were all on!!!

 

Last thing to do is stitch around the leaf

with a VERY SMALL zigzag stitch.

OR...

IF your machine has a buttonhole stitch (mine doesn't)

that looks nice too.

I'm really looking forward to getting this quilt DONE.

That'll be a happy day!

 

 

Details

A simple knit bib....

with some detail.

Little details add a LOT!

 

I have a ball of ORANGE cotton yarn

that might show those little boxes off even MORE!

 

At MY house.....

There's always ANOTHER "what IF" project

to be made!!!

;)

 

 

Gone camping

Be back soon. ;)

Quilts and cookies

 

This is what I've been working on.

A quilt to be auctioned off!

The proceeds will go to help a young lady

heading to Canada to minister there.

 

The design is simple....

but I like it!

 

I used lots of WHITE strips.....

different widths and lengths...

along with...

lots of REDS from my stash.

;)

 

Hoping to get it sandwiched soon.

I imagine some machine quilted lines

and THEN......

some NICE BIG RED hand quilted stitches!

 

Oh, you know me!

I'm always imagining BIG hand quilted stitches.

I just don't always ADD THEM in the end!!!

LOL!

I'm also making cookies.

 

Son's away at college.

It HAS to be done once in a WHILE!!

 

Nothing says I LOVE YOU

like a BIG box of homemade cookies!

;)

Toast on Tuesday

I don't just finish things people give me.

Sometimes I pay $$$$ to do it!

Crazy.

The line item in our budget is labeled

Entertainment.!

I enjoyed finishing up the flowers and black stitches on this OLD UFO.

The thread was even included in this little thrift store find.

I'm going to list it in my shop in case anyone wants a finished vintage goodie!

See? I want to finish things even when it's not for me!!

Yep. Crazy.

Time and voices

I'll never have enough TIME to do everything I want to do!

 

I'll never have the time to "DEAL with"

all the fabric that CALLS my NAME

from the shelf.

;)

 

The scraps in this table runner

WON'T be calling my name anymore!

Thank goodness!

Neither will all the multicolor strips in here!!!

But......

There are still strips in the BIG bag

wanting to be WOVEN into SOMETHING!!!

 

There are also LOTS of little squares

that CRY from their drawer....

"Take me out and PLAY!"

The orphan quilt blocks chime in...

"We want to come too!"

 

They call and CRY out to me.

 

GOOD thing they know how to

HARMONIZE!!!!