50 Shades of Envy (and then some)

The color is still green for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I made 10 more Dandy Quilt blocks. 

Each block takes a 4.5 scrap strip of green and  4.5 inch and 2.5 neutral scraps. 

I've been trying to use up my green chunks. 

With the scraps left from the scraps from making the Dandy blocks this month  I made some 4.5 inch HSTs and turned them into a couple of 12 inch blocks...

... and a 16 inch chevron block.  And I saved 16 HSTs to add to my pile of HSTs for 16 inch Depression blocks. I also cut some 4.5 inch squares from the neutral to use in my Arkansas Crossroads blocks and have some green 4.5 inch squares cut for centers for Happy Blocks or Stars or some such for donation quilts.

Got Scraps?

Use them up and show us what you do with them each ScrapHappy Saturday

Jack's Chain and Pickle Dish Progress

 I finally gathered enough 3 inch 9 patches to work again on my Jack's Chain quilt. 

(Some of the 39Ps are from a swap). 

This is what got added and it sure includes a lot of Y seams. I'm starting to get the hang of them. 

One thing I found out...if you swap 3 inch 9 patches you need to make sure they are all exactly the correct size. I think one swapper's blocks were about 1/8 inch too big and that sure throws off Y seams! It took me awhile to figure it out. 

I think I will add this much again x 2 and the quilt will be ready for hand quilting. 

This will be a wedding quilt that will go into my grandson's hope chest. 

And I've made more arches for a Pickle Dish wedding quilt for a granddaughter's hope chest. 

I think I have 52 arches and need 72. 

For some other WIPs and WOWs visit: 

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

WOW Wednesday at Esther's Blog

Does Black+Pink=Blink?

51 x 63

Another UFO is finished.

Pink and Black Sampler

Blocks swapped in 2010

My August goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes  (#21 at the goal setting party) was to at least get a top made from those swapped blocks. 

Surprise! Surprise! I finished the entire quilt. 

(I was on a staycation last week - gardening, canning, sewing, cleaning- and got a list of things completed! )

I free motion quilted some flowers of light pink thread  in each square on my Plain Jane Janome.  

And I practiced some circles in the center  of the flowers (because I want to do some circles/snowballs on an upcoming quilt) and I like how they puffed up after a trip through the washer and dryer. 

 For the backing I had an old piece of  pink and black roses fabric in my stash but it was not enough so I added some ballerina fabric I had on hand. 

Wild Thing

Wild Thing...

...You make my heart sing...

...You make everything groovy....

...Wild Thing.

 Some of my Mod Mod Sampler QAL modules. 

Designed by Sophie of Block Lotto. 

I've been making my blocks from stash and scraps in complementary colors and always look forward to a new block each month to add to my Full/Queen sized quilt. 

That's it for my Design Line today. 

For a peek at other Design Lines, Walls and Floors visit 

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times

What to Do...What to Do

I've finished the embroidery on 3 napkins.

I don't think I'll be able to finish the fourth one today (and I'm so close) because I'm about out of thread and don't want to drive into town after a skein of floss.  Gas is just too expensive. I'll just pick some up on my way home from work tomorrow.  

I picked up a package of these napkins stamped and ready for embroidery at the thrift store for $1.95. The original sticker price was $9.50.  They were stamped for embroidery and have serged edges. According to the directions - after embroidery they are ready for use. 

I tried to keep my embroidery on the back neat. Well, that's REALLY neat for me.  But, I don't think I like the napkins with all that embroidery showing on the back and I really don't like the serged edges either.  So I was thinking about adding a solid white backing.  I think the napkins will look more elegant that way - no serged edges; no embroidery back showing.    These will be a Christmas gift for my daughter. 

What do you think? 

And since I don't have enough embroidery thread to finish my napkins I stamped some pillowcase cuffs with HIS and HERS.  When finished I will store them in the hope chest for my granddaughter along with the Double Wedding Ring quilt I made her. 

Strange thing...notice how there is a vine under the HIS that goes along the edge of the pillowcase?  It's not there for HERS. I looked at the package again and see it's not in the example on the envelope either.  I tried to fit the vine in the same space as HERS but it didn't fit so the letters must be a little bigger on HERS. Very strange.  Wish I had noticed before I had HIS all stamped.   Well,  it will give my granddaughter something to wonder about  in the future when she receives the gifts. 

Are you slow stitching on something today? 

Join the virtual Slow Sunday Stitching bee at Kathy's Quilts. 

Forever Postage Stamps

Light and bright green is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Since I didn't make any green postage stamp blocks when darker green was the color I used up a mix of greens in some 49 patch postage stamp blocks plus a postage stamp heart...

...plus a Postage Stamp Sue (pattern at Q is for Quilter) . 

In other postage stamp news- I tried out a new "Roman Stripes" postage stamp block...

...because I saw this unusual vintage quilt in a google search (found on ebay)  that I kind of like. 

I tried to alternate dark and light. I think maybe each month I will make at least two of the single 5 inch blocks in each color and then when I think I have enough sew them together into the 10 inch blocks like my sample. 

And, this is a mishmash of postage stamps I put together like another vintage quilt I saw.  But next time I think I will cut strips for those muslin centers rather than postage stamps. 

These postage stamps will never go up in price....they are priceless. 

Got Scraps?

Use them up and show us what you've done with them each ScrapHappy Saturday.

Now I'm off to can tomatoes. 

Zombies and Comics and Lots of Love, Oh My!

Zombie pillowcases for my granddaughters.  

For the July A Lovely Year of Finishes my name was drawn for a $10 gift certificate at Stitches N' Giggles.  I saw these zombie and contrasting zombie eyes fabrics and figured my granddaughters would like some zombie pillowcases for Christmas.  They seem to love those hideous Monster High dolls so I'm sure they will love these. Not sure how sweet their dreams will be though. 

For Christmas my grandson will get comic book character pillowcases.  One piece was a remnant.  The other fabric I purchased with a 40% off coupon.  My grandson is only five but since he turned about 3 years old we've had these big discussions on which comic book character would save the day in theoretical situations.  I think I know more than I ever wanted to know about characters and their super powers. 

And finally, a couple of pillowcases for my daughter and son-in-law for Christmas made from more sale fabric - 50% off. 

 A few years ago I made sets of holiday pillowcases and gave them to my son and his fiance for Christmas and now my daughter has requested the same.  So, for a start I've got Valentine's Day covered. 

Linking up to:

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Can I Get A Whoop, Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict 

Tales from the 9 Patch Time Warp

Earlier in the year I swapped 6 inch 9 patches in civil war reproduction fabrics and in this color configuration. 

Just the other day after I finished up my churn dash quilt made of civil war reproductions I was trying to remember what I was going to do with these swapped nine patches. I knew I had something in mind. So, before I forget again I made 6  Sister's Choice blocks out of a few of the 9 patches. 

I think they look more interesting on point. 

Last year I swapped some 6 inch 9 patches in 30s reproduction fabrics. Half of the blocks had white corners so I pulled out the ones with dark corners and made a few more to add to the pile. I don't think I have enough yet...

I'm going to alternate them with some 6 inch Apple Blocks in 30s reproduction fabrics. I'm waiting for that swap of Apples to appear in my mailbox. 

And finally I made 60 - 6 inch 9 patches out of snowflake fabrics I've accumulated.  

I made 60 - 6 inch Snowball blocks out of snowmen fabrics last year intending to make a Snowball 9 Patch quilt for my daughter for Christmas last year.  I guess there's always this year.  I'm ready to assemble this top for a quilt 60 x 72. 

Linking up to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.  Warp speed ahead! 

Basket Flimsy

I need something new to hand quilt.  This time I will do some big stitch quilting. 

But first I have to piece together some fabrics for the back. 

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

When I Grow Up I Want to Be Like Grandma

Ta Da! 

I've finished the butterfly quilt inspired by the one I inherited from Grandma. 

Can you tell which one I just finished? 

81 x 90

Hand appliqued and hand quilted

Grandma's was made of old clothes

Mine is made of 30s reproduction fabrics

Grandma's hand quilting....

...my hand quilting...

...grandma's butterflies (she has an extra antennae and some have some french knot eyes)...

...my butterflies. 

I honestly didn't know if I would ever complete this. 

I want to thank the folks I've met every Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts. They have some inspirational quilting applique skills, have been very encouraging and I've picked up some hand quilting tips. 

And now I have to decide if I should keep Grandma's quilt as is or try to repair it.   

Somewhere along the way someone machine stitched around some of the butterflies where the fabric had some loose.  Also, the muslin fabrics are showing signs of foxing. I'm thinking the quilt will just continue to deteriorate. 

So, as I mentioned, I'm torn between storing it away as is or repairing it. By "repair it" I'm thinking I would just save the butterflies and applique them to new Kona Snow backgrounds and add new Kona Spring sashings and then hand quilt it. 

What would you do? 

Kaleidoscopes

Every month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge I make 3 - 12 inch Kaleidoscope blocks from scraps- one in the color of the month, one in color of the month plus color complement, one in color of month plus color of previous month.   This month I didn't want to make two red and green blocks so I made a blue and green one instead. 

Got Scraps?

Use them up and join us each ScrapHappy Saturday to show us what you've done with them. 

Churn Dash and Churn

Ok. So my blog post title today sounds like the name of a still life painting or something but I just couldn't resist taking a photo of my Churn Dash Quilt with a photo of my dusty old churn. 

Side note: I haven't ever used the butter churn but I have made butter several times with the grandkids.  We shake up cream in a jar with marbles - no churn dash - and love to eat it on homemade muffins or homemade biscuits. 

60 x 72

120- 6 inch churn dash blocks in Civil War reproduction fabrics. 

I swapped some of the blocks last year with members of Block_Swappers. And also last year I swapped CW Repro 2.5 inch fabric strips with members of Quiltville Swap.

I did some straight line vertical and horizontal quilting on my plain Jane Janome. 

I quilted each side of the center squares and then also quilted in the ditch between blocks. 

I don't really like to quilt in the ditch. It's kind of hard to neatly stay in the ditch when you can't really see the ditch all too well. 

But, it's a UFO and it's done. It's washed. It's crinkly soft. It's mine. 

And it will keep me warm this winter while I'm sitting on the couch in this old farm house (heated by wood) eating those homemade biscuits with homemade butter.     (Side note: I don't sit on the couch covered in a quilt to eat those same homemade biscuits if they are covered with homemade jam instead of butter. I end up covered in quilt and jam.)