Monday Making

It's been a good week.

One of my quilts is featured in an article in

Art Quilting Studio  magazine.

It is a fun quilt celebrating my husband's garden.

I used an old linen napkin

and did a lot of fusible applique in a collage style method.

I also began a new project.

I'm trying to make alternate squares for an old embroidery quilt project.

I'll keep you posted.

Little scrappy squares are SO fun to use!

What are YOU making?

Spring Blooms and Blossoms

I'm happy to introduce

Spring Blooms and Blossoms.

She's a springy quilt.

A scrappy quilt.

A throw size quilt.

AND....

She's also....

a TWIN size quilt.

This pattern is now in my etsy shop.

I'm REALLY curious to know how she'll make up in

CHRISTMAS colors!!!

I THINK I know how to find out!!!

:)  

++++++

Thanks to ELIAS EDITORS

for joining me

in my Pattern making adventure!!!

Friday

Sometimes it's fun to give yourself a challenge.

Today I gave myself the finish it up on Friday challenge. ;)
aka...crazy mom quilt link up and Sarah's whoop whoop link up on fridays.

I had lots of other things to do......

But challenges are FUN!

In my orphan drawer I had the borders shown here....thinking I'd use them column style in a baby quilt.

There they sat.

Instead.....

I made a nice big square and surrounded it with the long strips of pre-sewn scraps!

Happy scraps!

Yeah for a finish!

I also have a knitting project going and have learned something about myself.

I'm a quilter at heart.

Choosing just ONE yarn to make a sweater does NoT come easy. 

Throwing LOTS of scraps together does!

Anyone else have that problem?

I told my friend after yarn shopping recently that I really need PRACTICE buying yarn! 

Think hubby will go along with that one?

hAh hah!

I have a great knitting book I've been enjoying. She loves knitting like I love quilting. ;)

What a treasure of a book!

Have a great weekend friends! 

Maybe it will include sewing, knitting, reading......OR.....all three!

Friday

Yeah!

Quilt for Granddaughter is finally complete!

 Vacations, wedding stuff, family stuff

ALL got in the way as this one sat folded up

WAITING to be quilted.....

and BOUND.

I used some gingham for the binding.

LOVE that piece of fabric!

I'll be sad when the LAST of it is used up!

Now my granddaughter can be

COVERED UP

in her new BIG girl bed!!!

 

 

 

I've also been knitting rows

on this baby afghan.

This is the kind of thing that TRAVELS!!

Gotta LOVE handwork!

 

One of these days....cough cough sputter sputter....

it'll be done too!

 

*****************

thoughts on how to GET things done!

*****************

I was asked about how I get so much done

and WHEN do I find the time??

 

I FIT it in.

I give myself DEADLINES.

I give myself GOALS.

I don't watch Television.

I DO knit in the evenings (recently)

and solve crime with netflix.  ;)

I can usually solve the mystery in about 45 minutes.

LOL!

I have 2 children with special needs.

I take handwork to every Doctor appt.

I'm home more than most, I think.

I don't do as much housecleaning as I should.

Making stuff is IN ME!

I have to MAKE.

BLOGGING about what I MAKE

adds to the PLEASURE!

It adds a FRIENDLY aspect!

Thanks for being my friend here.

 

 

 

 

More

When it comes to SCRAPS and QUILTS.....

The MORE the MERRIER!!!

The more scraps the BETTER.

 

And I DO BELIEVE

I'm the merriest...

Because I have MORE!!

 

Maybe not more than YOU....

but DEFINITELY more than I NEED!

Hah!

 

How many scraps does it take to make a quilt??

Simple answer.

it's

MORE.

 

Oh....I'm so happy I had all these scraps!

I am IN LOVE with this quilt.

 

When it's given away...

I'll have to make some visits.

 Some welfare visits.

some....

How is my quilt doing? visits.

I'll call them

"want to get coffee?" visits.

:)

 

 

If you comment and I don't reply...

it means your comment didn't come to my email like it normally does.

Anyone else having this issue with BLOGGER???

I'm curious to know WHAT's going on.

 

 

 

Plaids and Plans

I am NOT a planner.

Especially when it comes to QUILTS!

 

I frequently move ahead without knowing the end result!

I LOVE the adventure of it ALL!

I even GUESStiMATE when it comes to cutting the binding.

 

Do you calculate?

Most people do!

LOL!

Guess I like to live DANGEROUSLY!

 

 

I find a LIKELY suspect fabric

and begin cutting.

Sometimes I GUESS correctly, like I did THIS TIME!....

and sometimes I DON'T!

"Eyeballing" is NOT an exact science.

 

I had that TINY leftover piece on the right

when I was done cutting the binding!

Amazing.

It was the perfect choice for this quilt.

I'm glad I had JUST the right amount!

 

 

I quilted this one with diagonal lines.

If you're new to quilting/sewing

It's good to note that the diagonals

are also the BIAS of the fabric.

Bias is forgiving.

It bends where you need it to bend

and lets you quilt across without too much trouble!

I've found that if I quilt STRAIGHT lines

along the straight of the grain...

the fabric sometimes wants to pucker!

I haven't tried it in a while...

MAYBE I've improved?????

 

When I follow the BIAS....

it PLAYS nice

and gives a little.

;)

I need ALL the help I can GET!

 

using UP

Crocheting like a quilter would.

Using UP bits and pieces of someone else's leftovers.

;)

 

This afghan is growing and growing.

I'm surprised at how LONG it takes to make one!!

AND...

How much YARN it requires!

Think I'm only halfway after MANY long drives

and QUITE a few chilly soccer practices.

Patching squares together

after dissecting some plaid and striped shirts.

 

Wondering if there's anything USEFUL here???

Wednesday

One more quilt top to add

to my  EVER growing pile

of UNquilted quilts.

:/

One of these days...

I'll sit down

and JUST quilt the quilt tops.

 

But,

NOT today.

;)

 

There are quite a few with deadlines

Baby shower,

Bridal shower,

Graduation.....

I'm getting close to getting

all the tops ready!

But.....

I'm putting OFF the quilting.

Do you do that too??

 

I love this one!

It was so fun piecing this FREE style.

When I got to the outside

I DID take some care

and made ALL the  half square triangles the same size.

 

I think they give a little order

to the chaos in the middle.

;)

Thursday

I've been struggling to make a decision!

 

I have a number of people coming SATURDAY

to help make quilt blocks for the high school seniors

at my church.

 

I needed to plan an EASY quilt block

for the girls quilts.

 

That OLD quilt in yesterday's post was the ANSWER!

 

I simplified the quilt block and setting.

MAde the blocks REALLY big....

and...

VIOLA!!!

 

I got going and ALMOST made a WHOLE quilt!!!!

;/

 

Ooops!

Better stop and let others have some fun too....right?

 

Can anyone remind me what this quilt block is called??

I bet it has 9 patch in the name! ;)

 

 

 

 

 

minty green

This quilt is a quilt

only

because I bought 2 little fat quarters.

They were those little bits of fabric

that you CAN'T pass up when you

ACCIDENTALLY walk into

the local

quilt shop!!!

;)

And then

ONCE you have the fat quarters...

they tug at your mind

until you HAVE TO

sit down and SEW!!!!

 

Can you find the flowery fabric triangles??

I loved the retro feel of this fabric.

I added strips of color...

and some vintage solid minty green.

It's a FINISH!!!

I even added some black calico binding.

I think it's feeling RIGHT at home in this quilt!

I made this one

Because it HAD to be made.

LOL!!!

 

I bet you've made some quilts like that too!!!

 

 

Friday Finish

It's always a happy day

when the quilt lines are ALL in...

the binding is ON...

and you can call it

A QUILT!!!

 

I love the way this creamy floral softens the quilt up!

The striped binding makes me happy too!!!

Here's the back.

;)

 

 

Between quilting lines...

I took a BREAK!!!

 

Lines can be tedious.

:/

There were a few triangle shaped scraps on my sewing table!

 

I HAD to do some

CReative sewing!

A little zipper bag!

 

Hmmm...

Add a couple of beauty supplies

and

I'll have a little something ready for

a CHRISTMAS gift!!!

Camping Quilt

This old friend...

One of my very first quilts....

Fit perfectly.....

In my new Home away from Home!

The surroundings are peaceful

and the weather was perfect this past weekend!!!!

 

There were even some berries to pick

a hop skip and a jump

away from my front door!!!!

 

I'm heading back today

to set up a mini sewing corner!!!

 

There will be peace and quiet

and a little HUM as I sew along!

;)