Gwennie Inspired Medallion: Something's Fishy

I know I'm a little early posting my final round of the Gwennie Inspired Medallion Quilt-along but I'm going out of town tomorrow after work and won't be back until possibly Oct 3 for a couple of days before I have to leave again so decided to get this post out of the way.  (I'm one of those goal oriented, plan ahead type As, don't you know).

So, without further ado...here's my flimsy. It will finish at 60 x 69. 

The theme for the center medallion was BASKETS. 

 I used some of the Block Lotto basket block winnings for my center. 

Next round the theme was CHILDHOOD. Remember those woven potholders you probably made when you were a kid with those red looms? I loved making those when I was a little girl even though they weren't very practical as potholders. I graduated to other looms, none of them big, but I have made a lot of woven things including weaving a couple of baskets.  So, I made some woven blocks for my CHILDHOOD themed border.  

The next round's theme was LOG CABIN. So I made some neutral quarter log cabins (or are they half log cabins?)  I thought to use neutrals because the baskets were on neutral background and I used the traditional red center representing the hearth which happened to have some little baskets on it.   

The next round after that was STARS.  I made friendship stars because friends from Block Lotto made me the baskets I used in the center. And then I used red/white rails between the stars  because I used red in the other borders and I like red.  The rails seemed to me to also continue a weaving kind of theme.  So far all the border blocks have been three inch finished size. 

And then came the final round with a theme of FISH. FISH?! Seriously? Well, I thought long and hard and came up with WAVES for my border.  That's why the final border is blue. Fish live in the water and sometimes there are waves in the water where the fish live.  

As you can see...there's some fish in those waves swimming up current and some fish bubbles and some other flotsam and jetsam. 

I also spy a whale, more fish, anchors and more flotsam and jetsam in those waves which consist of HSTs that will finish at 3 inches. 

So that's my Gwennie Inspired Medallion Top.  Gosh that was fun! 

I also had started a second one but that is stalled for now. 

And now I have to say that I think that the making of this medallion could be considered improv quilting -  I had no idea what it would look like in the end when I started, bought nothing, used no pattern, used a variety of scraps and bits and pieces, had to use a little creativity to interpret a given theme for each round and even though each of us that quilted along used the same theme for each round not a single one of our quilts will look the same.  Gosh that's fun!

Ad Hoc Improv Quilting with Ann and Kaja.

In the Hoop: Feather Bed

Feather Bed is an Anna Maria Horner pattern..

 I've made my feathers from string scraps. 

I'm big stitching on Feather Bed in different colors of perle #8.

I'm not sure what or how I will quilt between feathers. (These look a little wonky and wavy propped up on the back of the couch or maybe it's the dizzying effect of so many feathers). 

I'm preparing a lot of handwork for my husband's upcoming mandibulectomy and fibula free flap surgery on Thursday an hour away in Iowa City to repair a jaw fracture caused by osteoradionecrosis - lots of radiation when he had oropharyngeal cancer.  It's a 12 hour surgery and then a 7-10 day hospital stay - one day at least in ICU.  I'll stay at the hospital during the day and go back to a hotel at night for the first few days, be back at work on Monday and then go back to pick him up on the day he is discharged. So I'll need a lot of hand work to keep me busy!

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Hand Quilted: Jack's Chain

Jack's Chain

66 x 80

Hobbs Heirloom Cotton Batting

Hand quilted

Instructions and templates from Quilter's Cache

Finished in March 2016

A Wedding Quilt for the hope chest for my grandson. He's only 7 so it will be in the hope chest for awhile.  I like to plan ahead!

This was two years in the making.  A lot of the little 3 inch 9 patches were swapped. 

The background (hexagon shapes) is Kona Navy. 

For the hand quilting I used a lot of different colored threads and LOTs of size 10 quilting betweens.  In the nine patches I quilted an X and I quilted 1/4 inch inside the connecting triangles in navy thread. 

In the hexagons I used a stencil of four connecting hearts and stitched in different colors of thread. 

I'm no expert at hand quilting...in fact this is one of the few quilts that I have hand quilted and not done big stitch quilting in perle #8...but I'm pleased with how it turned out.  If I had to make one change it would have been to stitch in the ditch around the connecting triangles instead of 1/4 inch inside.   I actually have another Jack's Chain ufo in neutrals and browns so will remember that for next time. 

Another thing I didn't think I could do was the scalloped binding. But it did happen much to my surprise! 

And now we have come to the backing and the end of my blog post. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival 2016 at Amy's Creative Side

I've entered this into the Hand Quilted Category at Blogger's Quilt Festival. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Large Quilt: String Stars

String Stars

86 x 98

Hobbs Heirloom Cotton Batting

Hand Quilted with navy perle #8

Made from scraps -  leftover trimmings from quilt backings. 

I wanted to avoid the Y seams of piecing an 8 pointed star so made six pointed stars following the instructions and templates found in 

The Best of Fons & Porter: Scrap Quilts Book

I finished this earlier this month. 

You have to make a lot of quilts in order to have a lot of scraps! 

I didn't draw any lines for the hand quilting. I just did some big stitching lines across each diamond of the star. In the background stars I just stitched 5 lines across in the middle of the diamonds. 

In  Victorian times spiders were symbols of good luck! (Don't believe me?  Google it!)

And here's the back. You can see the new trimmings now in my scrap bag waiting for the next string quilt! 

Blogger's Quilt Festival 2016 at Amy's Creative Side

I've entered this in the Large Quilt Category of the Blogger's Quilt Festival . 

It's That Time Again !!!

54 x 72

This quilt top is made of 9 inch blocks that Alycia is collecting for a Quilts of Valor block drive.  She's not going to collect these. This top, after it has been finished into a quilt, will surprise a relative (my brother-in-law Tom) on Veteran's Day.  I'm going to be surprising three family veterans and Tom's quilt is the only one I have left to finish.  I had started a disappearing four patch top for him but quickly grew tired of sewing together and cutting apart blocks so I was stalled on the darned thing.  Then I saw this block, made a few for the QOV block drive, liked it, found it easy to make and before I knew it a quilt top was born.   I didn't think up this layout myself...Alycia included it with her block tutorial which she says is based on a block created by Jan O of The Colorful Fabriholic. 

I originally made twelve blocks for the block drive in the "2. A lot of color" colorway. 

There's probably a gazillion ways to lay these blocks out (oops...I forgot to clip this photo...now you can see my measly design wall - an old cutting mat with a piece of leftover batting on it.) But with a design wall like this there is no room to layout blocks and dither forever so I just sew my blocks together willy-nilly and hope for the best.   Although for this quilt top I kept a diagram next to me so I knew which way to sew the blocks together. 

Looks like sail boats ready to sail away to Alycia.  But first I need to make a few more with the leftover scraps from making my quilt blocks.  Then I will send off a dozen plus.  It's not too late for you to join the fun...dig out those red, whites and blues and get sewing for a good cause!

These blocks are a half log cabin variation (if you ask me) so I'm going to link up with some other Log Cabin Loonies at JulieKQuilts. 

And even though these blocks aren't made from scraps they are pretty scrappy so I'm linking up with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework. 

Red Potpourri

From red 2.5 inch scraps - 4 Sprouts, 2 Depression Blocks, 1- 4 inch pinwheel. 

Also from 2.5 inch pieces - 2 Interlocking Chains. Pattern can be found at Quilter's Cache. 

And I made lots and lots of red pyramids from 2.5 inch scraps. 

 I made them following the method on Molly Flanders Blog. 

They will eventually get sewn together on the diagonal - this is a pretty easy way to make a pyramid quilt - but now I have to figure out how many of these I need to sew together diagonally to make a big quilt. 

Visit ScrapHappy Saturday to see how others have used their red scraps this month.. 

When It Is Too Hot to Hand Quilt Sometimes I Crochet

My eleven year old granddaughters (soon to be 12) love hats. So for Christmas I thought I would crochet them up a bunch of different hats.   I had the girls look through the pattern book and pick out a favorite (but I didn't tell them I would actually make them their favs).   This was Kayla's favorite - bear cub beanie.   I previously posted a finish for Isabelle's choice called Pixie Hood. 

I'm going to make another one of these so each of the girls gets one. 

And I need to make another one of these so each girl gets one.  I like the granny squares around the rim but I didn't like making so many of those darned little things. 

They each get a Cabled Beanie. I'm shocked I actually made the cable turn out because I had a difficult time understanding the directions.  While the directions were fresh in my mind I decided to start right in on the second one. 

All of the patterns were found in this book. 

I supposed I had better make my grandson a couple of hats too.  I know he will be jealous of theirs!! 

Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir. Six Baskets Full

For Bacon Lovers or Piggy Lovers 

I've been making sets that consist of hot pad, crochet dishcloth, crochet scrubbie, 4 coasters and a hand embroidered dishtowel.  These sets will go into baskets for a silent auction benefit on September 24 for my son-in-law diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). 

This is the Bacon Lover (or Piggy lover)  set.   Piggy tutorial was compliments of Sally of Objects of Design and the Four Squared four inch  coaster pattern was compliments of Beth at Love Laugh Quilt.   The back of the hotpad has bacon themed fabric. 

Bacon Lover Dish Towel

For Cherry Lovers

Cherry Lover Dish Towel

For Chicken and Rooster Lovers

Rooster Lover Dish Towel

I'm not sure anyone loves dancing dishes but there are some strange people out there...I'm one of them. 

Dancing Dishes Dish Towel or maybe Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid Tastes Great. 

For the Chocolate Lovers

Chocolate Lovers Dish Towel

And for those who think Chocolate and Bacon and Chicken is unhealthy I have a healthier alternative for the 

Fruit and Veggie Lovers.

Vegan Dish Towel

That's enough for six silent auction baskets or actually six Batter Bowls full. I'll add in some other miscellaneous items, add some shrink wrap and maybe a bow and call it good. 

Since this involved quite a bit of handwork - crochet (dish cloths and scrubbies), embroidery (dish towels) and hand quilting (on coasters and some hot pads)  I'm linking up today to 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Red Scraps So Far

Triangle Star

18 3/4 inches

from free pattern at allpeoplequilt.com

When I looked at the odd sized red scraps I had to use I wasn't sure what to use for the lights and almost reached for the pink scraps. Then I noticed I had quite a few red/white scraps so used those as the light. 

I made four more 10 inch postage stamp blocks.   I now have 19 blocks.  I'm not sure what to call them but I was inspired by a quilt on ebay.   The seller called it a vintage Roman Stripe.  But I don't think it is a Roman Stripe. But I'm no expert.  

Vintage Roman Stripe quilt inspiration from ebay. 

I'm aiming for a large quilt and have some yellow/brown plaid fabric set aside for the sashing. Hope I have enough of it at assembly time. 

I made some 4 x 8 inch flying geese from my 4.5 inch scraps.   For these I've been digging into my 4.5 inch scraps in the RSC color of the month for the geese center and when the color is a primary I have used secondary colors for the goose sides. 

Also from 4.5 inch scraps I made some of these stack and whack units.  There's several ways to arrange these. This is not one of those ways but pretty much resembles the disarray of my mind these days. 

Now I think I only have my 2.5 inch red scraps to tackle. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Got Scraps? Then join the fun.