It's never too soon

Start 'em young friends...

start 'em young.

 

;)

 

My young friend is learning to SEW!

LOVE.this.picture.

Friday Finish

I finished this quilt yesterday!

I've had a backlog of baby quilts to make

and this is the LAST one that has a due date!

Yeah!

 I quilted it simply with my walking foot...

following along with the chevron pattern.

Good thing it's a baby quilt!

There was a lot of stopping and turning involved.  

I even found a great fabric for the backing!

This quilt went together SO quickly.

Thought I'd share with you how I did it....

the SPEEDY way.

;)

I began with 9 different fabrics

cut in strips 7"wide width of fabric.

One strip of EACH fabric.

I folded them in half and made a few RANDOM cuts

using my 45 degree line on my ruler.

I began Placing my ruler at the top left corner

and finished on the bottom right corner.

Each SLICE is different.

I didn't MEASURE how wide each slice would be.

Some are wide.

Some are thin.

I was able to get 4 slices from each strip.

ACTUALLY it looks like 4...but it's double...so it's 8!

I put my slices off to the side as I cut.

I had a lot of triangles left over.

I saved these.

Then...

I opened my stack of slices and made TWO stacks.

One slice goes one way....

the other slice goes another way.

I  made SIX columns of slices.

(this photo shows only 2)

Three columns go one way.

Three go the other way.

I just picked them up RANDOMly and sewed them together.

I have a DESIGN FLOOR at my house.

As I worked I laid them out and EYEBALLED the lengths.

For you that are NEW to sewing....

this is what the seam looks like.

The point hangs over the end a bit where the seam begins.

Here they are all lined up together.

When they were all ABOUT the same length...

I added the leftover triangles to the bottom and top of each column/row.

and then cut OFF what was too long!

(my quilt measures 38"x43")

It was a FUN way to sew.

NO stress!

NO worries.

ONLY FUN!

I also made bread yesterday.

Actually...

the BREAD MAKER made the bread.

I just added the ingredients.

:)

Mmmm...It was yummy.

(instead of candied fruit, I used some dried fruit I had on hand)

Quilt Label

I wanted an embroidered quilt label pattern.

I've seen some recently

and wanted to add that SPECIAL touch to my baby quilts.

 

After looking around this WIDE, wide world of

computer generated information.....

I came up empty handed.

 

I couldn't find EXACTLY what I was looking for.

What was I looking for???

I wasn't sure.

But I knew I wasn't finding "IT"!

 

Ever have that happen?

 

Well....I decided

to make it myself.

 :)

 

I even put it all together in pattern form here.

A Little bit of slow stitching

Last night

after a VERY big day

all I wanted to do was SIT and watch something....

knitting in hand.

 

But my knitting skills are not UP THERE yet.

I totally forgot how to increase at the end of each row.

:(

I did not have the patience to figure it out....

so I pulled out something that did NOT require

BRAIN power.

;)

 

This is one of my very first dump and sew quilts.

A little tiny baby quilt.....

Put together on a ski trip (I wasn't skiing)

about 5 years ago.

 

DUMP and sew is the technical term

for sewing random pieces together

in a random format.

It's always nice when the random pieces

have a theme.

These scraps were mostly 30's looking prints.

 

It was a very small baggy of scraps...as I recall.

I added batting and an old piece of cotton to the back.

Quickly spray basted and gave myself a LONG line to quilt.

Pulled out some BRIGHT green thread.

THEN...

I was able to sit down after my LONG day

and STITCH.

;)

I have a few lines done.

Yeah!

I KNOW this little quilt will be calling my name

 from the dining room table

ALL day long as I do my chores.

 

I will try NOT to listen.

;)

 

Christmas quilt along - month 5

My Christmas quilt doesn't look a whole lot different today.

But it is.

The pieces are now all TOGETHER!

 

If you are joining me in making this quilt...

this month is just a get it together month.

 

I like having an ODD number of trees.

If you only have three trees...

use this month to make a couple more.

Remember though...

This quilt is YOURS.

I'm only giving you PROCESS instructions.

Ideas.

Suggestions.

The rest is UP TO YOU!

 

I spent some time today RE-making a couple of trees.

;)

They're still not perfect.

 

That's o.k.

I don't make perfect quilts.

And ....

I've come the conclusion.

I never will.

:)

When putting the pieces together

I think in COLUMNS.

 

First I added that white piece on the left of the house.

 

The columns need to be the SAME width...

but the height measurement can wait.

 

The center house block height/length is your AIM.

Adding white background pieces to fill in the spaces

is fairly simple IF you just cut them a BIT Bigger and trim down as you go.

Here are my columns ALL READY to be sewn together.

Oops.

The column on the right is not QUITE pieced.

Now it is.

 

 

And it's DONE!!!

 

My quilt (so far) measures 45"x29"

 

I plan to add TWO more elements.

Three snowflakes in the upper left.

and then a SIMPLE border.

 

Hoping to get the quilt pieced early enough

for all of us to get done in PLENTY of time for the holidays.

 

Thank you for playing along with ME on this one!

 

I am also dreaming about a little bit of

SLOW quilting.

Wouldn't this look great with some red and green THREAD?

BIG stitches.....

Here and there......

 

Fun to think about!

 

I will give you the opportunity to SHARE about YOUR quilt

next week.

Let's have a LINKY party next Monday!

Share just one tree...

or

Maybe you're ALL caught up????

 

 

A flower garden

This quilt top has waited a LONG time to become a quilt.

The six inch squares of vintage fabrics were ALL TOGETHER.

The batting was cut to size.

They were folded nicely together.

Then...

they waited.

a very. long. time.

I'm calling this a FRIDAY finish...

Even though the binding needs to be hand sewn on the backside.

;)

Don't you love that gingham with the flowers??

 

I love the pieced backing.

(did not love piecing it.)

 

When you begin making a big quilt

(this one is 88"x88")

you go into it with a LIGHT HEART.

You don't think about the future

You enjoy the moment!!!

 

It is NOT lighthearted when piecing the BIG backing....

sandwiching the BIG quilt

and then

quilting the BIG quilt!!!

ah well.

It's done now.

I can stop complaining.

LOL!

 

I think I'm spoiled.

I've been making too...too many baby quilts!

 

 

 

 

Doll quilt

My dear friend grew up playing with this little doll quilt.

I imagine it was made in the early 70s.

Its construction is very basic.

It's just two layers of fabric.

No batting at all.

She brought it over to have a seam re-sewn.

A SUPER simple fix.

;)

She has some WONDERFUL memories of using this quilt

in her childhood as she played with dolls.

 

Made me realize that doll quilts have a special place

in little girls hearts!!!

It Made me think I should make some!!!

Yes....

It Made me want to make ANOTHER QUILT!!