How It Happens

 

 When I'm sewing I don't listen to music or audio books or TV. I listen to the voices in my head if they are there otherwise I like the sounds of nature outside or silence. 

The other day when I was making Bear Foot blocks with those Autumn Scraps I happened to think about being Bare Foot at the Beach. Bear Foot...Bare Foot...see how that works?  And before I forgot about the idea I rushed off to my  beach fabrics and pulled some fabric that looked like sand and sea and made a few blocks. Oh, yeah...and IT happened...a new start...Bare Foot at the Beach. 

I've mentioned it before that I sometimes browse the Ladies' Art Company Block Tool to figure out what to do with scraps.  Just as an FYI the Bear's Foot and Bear's Paw are listed as two different blocks in the Tool but I've seen both blocks referenced as Bear's Paw. 

Also the other day while I was sorting through Autumn fabric and scraps I came across an Autumn themed charm pack and jelly roll that I won at different times a long time ago as well as a small bundle of quarter yards of Thimbleberries fabric someone recently gifted me.  I set those aside to be used in some project after I finished up with my Autumn Stuff scrap bin. 

Then it just so happened that someone with the online Stashbuster group posted a link to a Fragments of Cloth pattern at Sentimental Stitches.   Oh, yeah...it happened...it was meant to be...a way to use those precuts I set aside.   I was inspired by the picture of the quilt but have to admit I did not buy the pattern because I could figure out how to make my own version without the pattern. If I couldn't figure it out then I would have made the purchase because I do love the quilt. 

 In addition to the precuts I pulled out some old swapped four patches from the Parts Department. And look!...one of them matched the fabric in the jelly roll. Someone named Linda made the four patch. It wasn't made by me. Weird, huh? But, oh yes, this quilt was meant to be. 

I also pulled some civil war reproduction scraps to use and picked out the ones that looked like Autumn. 

 In between other projects I've been cutting and sewing...sewing and cutting...

...and I have most of the parts ready for top assembly. 

 When I went into the sewing room this morning I asked that voice in my head what I should work on because I have so many choices. What to do? What to do?  It's Veteran's Day...

...why not work on those Kansas Troubles blocks in red, white and blue. 

And so it happened. 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

What WAS In The Bin?

 

 A few days ago I was wondering about what I could make from a bin full of "Autumn Stuff". 

And now I know...flimsies (or tops if you prefer) for a whole bunch of donation quilts. Or do you call them charity quilts? Or comfort quilts? I never know what to call them. 

 The forty-two Happy Blocks that finish at 6.5 inches were combined with some leafy yardage and set on point for this quilt that measures 67 x 77. 

 These blocks were from a long ago fall themed swap of Happy Blocks. I wanted to try a different layout for the blocks so set them on point alternating with squares of the same fabric. I don't have a lot of fabric that is of any length unless I purchased it on sale intended for a backing. Those leaves was one of those purchases. Since I used it on the front of a quilt instead of the back I then felt compelled to make a scrappy pieced backing for this one. 

 This is the scrappy pieced batting that will go with it. 

 I used those four large crumb maple leaf blocks that were in that "Autumn Stuff" bin and bits and pieces of other Autumn themed fabrics from the Autumn themed fabric box. 

 This quilt measures 63 x 84 and consists of 21 inch Bear Foot blocks as they are called in the Ladies Art Company Block Tool.  Bear Paw is a different block in the Tool.  

 I used 48 of those 88 - 6.5 inch squares that were in the "Autumn Stuff" and used a variety of different leafy neutrals for the backgrounds and HSTs. 

 Fifteen more 6.5  inch squares from the "Autumn Stuff" were used as Sawtooth Star Centers. 

This quilt measures 40 x 60 and stars finish at 12 inches. 

 I picked the more tone on tone or geometric squares to use in this quilt so was not confined to using just autumn themed fabrics for the backgrounds and star points. 

Other squares with pumpkins I put in a drawer with some Halloween fabrics to be made into a quilt later for my granddaughter who was born on Halloween and just celebrated her 15th birthday. 

 Next up is the top made with those Arrowhead Puzzle blocks left over from a long ago swap. swap. I had thirteen of those Arrowhead Puzzle blocks and pieces cut for 10 more. I cut pieces for one more and ended up with 24 blocks. I set them 4 x 6 which gave me a very odd sized 48 x 72 quilt. I have been trying to make more twin sized donation quilts this year so added borders to make the top 60 x 80.  I had almost enough of a  leafy light colored batik that I used because I thought it would help make the colors in the blocks and the block pattern stand out a little better than a darker border.  

One of the reasons some of those 13 swapped blocks were orphans was because some swappers just didn't follow directions. Background for the blocks was supposed to be light neutral and that wasn't always the case.  I stuck those down in the bottom corner but now I'm kind of thinking they would have been better up in the middle. But that didn't happen and so it goes...

And that about used up the "Autumn Stuff" bin but I was on a roll and had the box of Autumn themed fabrics open so dug through the Orphanage (orphan blocks, if you prefer) for blocks in autumn colors. 

 Four rows of six inch-ish blocks and three rows of eight inch-ish blocks and a few 2.5 inch strips of orange leafy fabric later... 

 ...I had a 40 x 60 quilt top. 

The "Autumn Stuff" bin is now empty except for a few odd 6.5 inch squares I'll probably cut into smaller squares. 

For now I've added them to the scraps left over from all this quilt making. Most are 3.5 inch pieces destined for the 3.5 inch scrap bin but there are ends of fabrics probably destined for the string box and other small pieces in there too.  I will deal with that stuff later in the week.

I also ended up with a pile of scrap chunks that will go into a milk crate of scrap chunks to be used in current and future Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts. 

Oh, and this is all that is left in the Autumn themed fabric stored in a big old desktop computer box. These all have trees and I will probably use them as a backing for a Tree of Life UFO or Improv Tree UFO.  I can now put them in a much smaller box. 

 Most of the other fabrics in that computer box now are on the shelves with other fabrics in the same colorway - greens, yellows, oranges, browns, reds...

...and neutrals.  No need any longer to keep them separated by theme. And I have several pieces of that seedy looking brown fabric I think I can piece together for a backing. 

Empty boxes and bins, oh my! 

And the UFO list grows. 

That was a fun Autumn Adventure! 

Now back to my regularly scheduled piecing...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts. 

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

What's in the Hoop?

 What's in the hoop?

Bitcoins. I'm doing some simple big stitch quilting with perle #12.

Quilt measures 84 x 84 and is made of 1.5 x 2.5 inch scraps. 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

What's in the Bin?

 What's in the Bin?

Autumn "stuff". 

Lets see...

 Thirteen Autumn themed twelve inch Arrowhead Puzzle blocks from a long ago swap. I've used a lot of the swapped blocks I didn't really like all that much in orphan block quilts but I still have these thirteen blocks left. I also have pieces cut for seven more blocks that I never got made up. 

 Four Crumb Maple leaves that finish at 12 inches.  Don't really like them all that much.  

 Eighty-eight 6.5 inch squares from a variety of different swaps that I thought must have had an autumn feel to them since they are in this bin. 

Forty two Autumn themed Happy Blocks that finish at 6.5 inches.  Yes, these are from another long ago swap. 

I'm going to challenge myself to try to empty the bin this month. No, I'm not throwing it all in the trash bin to empty this bin. I'm going to make some quilts 40  x 60 or larger.  Who knows how many quilts that will be.  You will find out at month end. 

This month's One Monthly Goal (OMG) 

is to get at least one flimsy (or top, if you prefer) made. 

I'll give myself bonus points, a pat on the back and a smiley face for more flimsies and for an empty bin. 

You're Just Too Good To Be True. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You.

Love at First Sight

A Flimsy

74  x 82

It was inspired by a vintage quilt. 

The vintage quilt is on the left and my version is on the right. 

Back in October of last year Sally who blogs at The Objects of Design posted a partial photo of a log cabin quilt made in 1890 that was displayed at the Pacific International Quilt Festival. My comment on that post was "I can't take my eyes off that log cabin."  It was definitely love at first sight. 

Sally posted that the quilt was part of a collection held by the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. Recently I did a search at the Museum website to see if I could track down a larger picture of the log cabin quilt and further info on size.  My search revealed the size is 71 x 82 and it contains 72 blocks. 

I studied and studied the photos of the vintage quilt and set about making my own version. I found there were two slightly different blocks used by the original maker. I wasn't sure if it would make much difference to the overall look but I made blocks like the original maker. I used my scraps and scraps from a couple of kind and generous quilty friends cut at one inch width.  The center nine patches finished at 3 inches. 

 You're just too good to be true...

 ...Can't take my eyes off of you...

You'd be like heaven to touch. 

I want to hold you so much. 

Plaid-ish, the Flimsy

 Plaid-ish

It's a flimsy!

64 x 82

Free Plaid-ish tutorial is from Kitchen Table Quilting

I like how this turned out.  It was a perfect use of some five inch red, white and blue scraps I had left over from making Foothills as I blogged a few days ago.  I rarely make the same pattern more than once (except Happy Blocks) but I may have to try this one again.

Good thing I took the photo a couple of days ago. There is snow on the ground this morning!

Starz See The Light of Day

 Starz is now a flimsy (or a top if you prefer). 

60 x 72

 These are blocks that were swapped back in 2012. We used a free online pattern called Starz. 

All I had to do was make some 6 inch HSTs for top and bottom borders and add sashing and the borders. 

I had one Starz block left over and I think I know what I'm going to do with it. 

And, yeah, in case you are wondering...I still have more swapped blocks around here that need to be made into tops.