Basket quilt

I'm happy to say I finished another quilt top today!

This one has been in my

"Work on it once in a while" pile.

;)

This quilt began innocently enough.

It was a little basket block made with scraps.

"CUTE!" I thought.....

"I'll make some more".

When I'd made a few more I KNEW it needed to be a quilt.

Now it IS.

It's also QUEEN sized.

Hooray!

This is one I'll USE!

The applique in the border is very FREE form...

Needle turned...

and NOT

FUSSY in the LEAST.

JUST the way I like it.

Thought this black and white photo looked great.

Aren't smart phones FUN??

Wish I knew HALF of what they're capable of!!!

Happy QUILTING!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Practical Patchwork

I poured some scraps on my sewing table today

and had some fun!

Patchwork fun.

Kitchens need quilts.

So do our coffee CUPS!

Do you take it black?

I like to add Coconut cream to mine!!!

Monday Making

I'm getting into a habit.

;)

Posting a Monday Making linky party the DAY BEFORE!

I don't know....

Guess I like being On TIME.

Early is even BETTER!

So friends...what are you making this week???

I'll be knitting.

I fell in love yesterday.

This yarn has EVERYTHING a quilter like me enjoys.

A lot of color....

and even some pattern!!!!

I bought only two skeins

and am DREAMING of owning every color available!!!

I told you.

I'm in LOVE.

Please don't judge.

Link up and let us know what YOU'RE BUSY  WITH this week!

;)

Friday

I'm happy to have a finish today!

A quilt is QUILTED...and BOUND!

That's always a GOOD thing.

;)

I'm sending this off to my older daughter.

She works at a small school and they're having a BIG fundraiser next week.

It'll get there just in the NICK of time!!!

This quilt began with that big middle block...

given to me by a fellow quilter.

I added a few borders and called it DONE.

This lovely vintage cotton sheet makes the perfect backing.

This quilt contains

NEW, 

OLD, 

and....

some HAND me DOWNS. 

Isn't THAT the perfect kind of quilt???

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Making

It's almost Monday where I am.

This little linky party is a fun way to share about 

what we're all in the MIDDLE of!

;)

I KNOW we have lots of MIDDLEs going on....

don't we?

Wonder if "being in the MIDDLE of" something

has a better ring to it than

calling our little ongoing projects UFOs?????

Thoughts???

I pulled out an "OLD friend" this week.

Another UN-UFO term.

:)

Ms. JUKI (quilting machine)

has been HIGHjacked to the sewing repair man

and I'm a teeny bit frustrated at the back and forth nature of this particular problem.

Every time she returns to me....

there's tension issues after only 5 minutes of sewing!!

UGH.

I've been told it's the thread cutter that's causing the problem.

Can I LIVE without the thread cutter if it doesn't work anymore??

Will I be able to TRAIN myself to NOT push that thread cutter button

if that's the case???

(I love that thread cutter)

Did I wear Ms. Juki OUT???

She is my little WORK horse!!!

Maybe I just worked her too hard???

Hopefully I"ll find some answers to these questions this week!

So...

I'm sewing patchwork with miss Featherweight.

(She's good friend in time of need)

I'm taking lovely scraps

and turning them into blocks.

Not getting ahead on any deadlines.

Ah well.

Glad I had this OLD friendly project

READY and WAITNG!

What are you up to this week???

Thank you photo

Definitely...

My favorite part of giving a quilt away is...

 

The THANK YOU photo!!!

 

It doesn't happen every time.

But..

When it does....

There's rejoicing.

;)

Friday

Do you ever sew using fabric you didn't buy...

Or...

You don't LOVE?

That's what I did this week.

Batiks never call my name from the aisle as I walk by.

They don't "jump into my cart".  

 ;)

BUT...

When fabric is GIFTED to me...

It gets USED!!!

I'm so HAPPY I used this Jelly roll!!!

It's a beautiful quilt that I KNOW someone will LOVE.

I made the blocks using TWO strips of fabric

that I thought would be complimentary.

Often times this block is used with LIGHTS and DARKS.

Here's a little HOW TO.

I have a FREE coaster pattern here

that has the SAME block (different size)

but I constructed it differently this time.

Use TWO strips of fabric cut 2 1/2" (Width of fabric)

(2 strips will be enough for TWO blocks)

\

Green fabric - EIGHT 2 1/2" squares (photo has fabric doubled)

FOUR 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

Yellow fabric - EIGHT 2 1/2" squares                                      

FOUR 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

This is what you need for ONE block.

\
Make TWO four patches.

Join the four patches

and

put the YELLOW and GREEN rectangles together as shown.

Put it all together......

just WATCH that color placement.

It can be tricky if your brain is not IN GEAR.

;)

That's IT!

Block should measure 8"x 8"

My jelly roll had 40 strips.

I made 40 blocks...

and needed TWO more to make it lap size (48"x56")

(6 blocks x 7 blocks)

What did I do?

I used the scraps to make two more blocks.

You MIGHT be able to spy one if you look really CLOSE

at the first pictures.

Happy Sewing!!

It's the little things

There were quite a few Things in the last few days

that I put in the

"Happy things"

category.

I often call them simple pleasures.

Life is FULL of them.

It's not the BIG things for me.

IT's the little things that give me GREAT pleasure.

For example....

Cutting tumblers and then...

finishing UP the last row of the quilt!!

Yeah!

Playing with NEW YARN at my daughter's dance class.

;)

Finding this PAPER QUILT at her school in the hallway.

LOVE it!

Teaching a class on HAND piecing

and having all the students complete a little coaster

using 2" squares.

;)

It was a great way to introduce sewing on a small scale.

Getting to spend TIME with my daughter who lives far away.

O.K.

Spending time with far away family is NOT a little thing...

It's BIG.

AND...

IT put a BIG smile on my FACE!!

Monday Making

It's Monday friends.

Time for a little linky fun!

I've had a GREAT weekend retreating with the church ladies.

My big girl came along which made it EXTRA special!

After I get some rest and get things in order here at home...

I'm going to begin cutting more tumblers.

I received some lovely pink fabric from a quilty friend, Fern.

Thank you Fern!

The pinks are going to feel RIGHT at home in my tumbler quilt.

Thought I was DONE with this quilt top...

but decided it will be more useful if it GROWS to be twin size!

A few more rows and it'll be the right length in NO TIME!!!

What are you working on this week???

Friday

It's so nice to finish a quilt top!

Little projects are fun...

but the BIG ones really make me HAPPY!

This quilt has been my camping project.

Every trip I did a few blocks....

or maybe only ONE.

;)

After spring break last week

I knew I was CLOSE enough to finish!!!

I brought it home and got to work!

Scraps for this one include some oldies but goodies....

AND....

some strange creatures.

Hah!

2" squares are so FUN!

I will say though....they ARE a challenge to put together.

They need to be CUT exactly

and that 1/4" seam better be 1/4"  or ELSE!!!

Can you tell I had some struggles?

;/

I had planned on setting the blocks like this.

Plans change.

After doing some re-arranging........

(which is the FUN part, by the way)

I decided on THIS arrangement.

Yeah for a finished quilt top!!!

Thursday Thought

You can never have .....

too many little zipper bags!

;)

Little Quilts

Twice a month 

(first and third Tuesdays)

I serve a lunch to about 20 some senior citizens.

Yesterday it was Barbque chicken sandwiches

and salads on the plates...
PLUS...

little QUILTS on the TABLES!

I LOVE adding quilts to everyday LIFE!!

Tables, walls, BEDS....

There is a quilt for EVERY surface!!!

Monday Making

Good morning!

What are you making this week???

I've been MAKING a MESS....

which means...

My sewing room is a MESS.

I'll be CLEANING!

:/

ALSO...

I'm working away at quilting a quilt!!!

There are a few quilt tops that are

patiently waiting to be quilted.

AND....

there are deadlines for quilts to be given!

THIS is the week I'm going to BEGIN

to make a DENT in that pile!

What are YOU working on??