Coin Toss

Ann and Kaja (Ad Hoc Improv Quilters) invited anyone interested to make a version of a Chinese Coins quilt this quarter. 

Ok. 

I have a couple of "bits and pieces" boxes. Otherwise called "The Parts Department".

I poked  around in there and see what I could come up with. 

Rainbows! 

That's what I saw in there. 

I sorted out all of the "bits and pieces" and parts that were single colors. 

Then I had to decide on size of quilt and purpose of the quilt. 

I need to have a couple of quilts on hand, adult lap size, that I can give to someone who might need a quilty hug or a rainbow to brighten up an otherwise cloudy day.  You know...Coin Toss...Heads You're a Winner!...kind of quilt. 

60 x 80 is the overall target size.

Next step was to decide on column size. 

I think three columns 20 inches wide and 60 long each is what I'll aim for. 

Next step: sew together those "bits and pieces" into rainbow strips 20 inches wide so I can see what I have.     I'm still sewing...I have lots of "bits and pieces" and parts.  I might not even have to cut into any fabric at all for my Coin Toss.

In the meantime I thought about sashing. I'm going to use blue sashing between strips in the columns and between columns.  (Think rainbows in the sky, you know). 

I have three pieces of blue but haven't decided which to use yet or how wide. I'm thinking right now I want a very thin (maybe 1 - 1.5 inch) sashing.  But who knows? I'm not there yet. 

Hmmmm... the blue above seems "too blue".  

I think I might like this blue for the sashing. Or not. 

Or maybe this blue.  No...I don't think there's enough of this blue. 

Stay tuned. 

I may have a Coin Toss at the end of the quarter. 

Will you? 

Ad Hoc Improv Quilting with Kaja (Sew Slowly) and Ann (Fret Not Yourself)

On Edge

And now there are 34 twelve inch selvage blocks. 

Maybe there's a queen-sized quilt in the works. I have lots of selvages left. 

Or maybe I should make one more and make a nice sized lap quilt 5 x 7.

At any rate, I'm moving my selvages forward...

Move it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

In the Hoop: Tiny Spools in a BIG quilt

Tiny Spools in a BIG quilt

I was going to quilt this on my DSM. 

Then I wasn't. 

Then I was.

Then I wasn't.

Then I was. 

Then I saw some #12 perle cotton thread on clearance. 

Then I bought LOTs of #12 clearance perle. 

Then I remembered I always wanted to hand quilt a quilt with Baptist Fans.

Then I decided this was the quilt to quilt with Baptist Fans. 

Then I marked a few rows of Baptist Fans in mechanical pencil.

Then it went into the hoop and then I started hand quilting.

Then I linked up at Kathy's Quilts for some Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Then I linked up with Quilting is More Fun than Housework  - Oh Scrap!

Aqua, Teal, Turquoise, Blue-green 2.5 Scrap Edition

One 12 inch Sail Boat

It's all smooth sailing...no Storm at Sea here!

Three 10 inch Lady of the Lake blocks.

(Not only is it a 2.5 inch scrap theme this week but it looks like a water theme too). 

And that's about it for the Aqua, Teal, Turquoise, Blue-green 2.5 inch scraps. 

Got Scraps?

ScrapHappy Saturday - a division of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Three Donation Tops Ready to Go !

Quilts Beyond Borders is collecting quilt tops and quilts now for their Camp Heartland initiative. 

Camp Heartland is a summer camp in Minnesota for youths aged 7-15 who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. 

 #1 - 48 x 60

I had 12 HST blocks already made.  (I have made these blocks over the years when I had 4.5 inch scraps or HSTs leftover from a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project).   I didn't have to make any more HSTs to make 8 additional blocks since I had enough HSTs in the parts department.  

#2 - 50 x 60

I made 10 inch Happy Blocks in blue. 

I used 6.5 inch crumb blocks I already had made, a few orphan blocks, and some odd size of some odd novelty fabric squares collected from various swaps over the years for centers.  For the border fabric I used some blue bits and pieces from the blue chunk bin (pieces less than FQ). 

I used 6.5 inch crumb blocks I already had made, a few orphan blocks, and some odd size of some odd novelty fabric squares collected from various swaps over the years for centers.  For the border fabric I used some blue bits and pieces from the blue chunk bin (pieces less than FQ). 

I like Happy Blocks because they are quick, easy, use lots of scraps and end up looking pretty Happy. 

#3 - 48 x 60

 This is a UFO that has been taking up space in my sewing room for ages. Time to move it out. 

It was a mystery quilt I probably made more than 10 years ago.  

I've never been too crazy about it to begin with plus it ended up being a size I don't really find very useful.  I normally make donation quilts for kids 40 x 60 and for adults usually 60 x 80 and this top was a little wider than 40 inches.   QBB requested a few larger quilts for their Camp Heartland Initiative so this quilt top has found a need. 

At this point I guess I'll mention the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild in case you want to join us.

We make quilts for kids around the world. We donate to two programs: Wrap a Smile and Quilts Beyond Borders. Quilts go to kids, teens, and adults undergoing cleft palate surgery and to under-served children, often in orphanages, worldwide.

Please join us if you enjoy making quilts for children in need.

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Sew Some Love at Kat & Cat Quilts

Triangle Stars Finished !!

Scrappy Triangle Stars

56.5 x 75

Hand quilted

Pattern at AllPeopleQuilt

Last year I made one triangle star each month from little bits and pieces of scraps. I used a paper template and cut each triangle piece of the star individually by hand.  Each block was made in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  For the backgrounds I used chunk scraps  in solids or tone on tones. 

I used different colors of hand quilting thread.  I hand quilted 1/4 inch inside each triangle in hand quilting thread the color of the star. 

You can't see it very well but I quilted stars in different sizes in the background areas.  I used simple star templates and traced around them with a hera marker. Again I used hand quilting thread in the color of the background to quilt the stars.  

I used a low volume print I had on hand for the backing so all of the hand quilting in the various colors shows up on the back.   I like to use Hobbs Heirloom cotton batting when I hand quilt and since this was a smaller quilt I pieced my batting. I didn't have any problems hand quilting with pieced batting. 

I couldn't think of what to use for binding that would look good on the front. I finally decided to try facing a quilt.  This was my first time trying it and I'm glad I did. 

This one is for me. 

Take time for some Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

and use those scraps because

Oh Scrap! Quilting is More Fun than Housework. 

Aqua, Teal, Turquoise: Bits and Pieces Edition

Burgoyne Surrounded 

From scrappy bits and pieces of aqua (plus)

These are large blocks and after adding sashing 25 of them will make a 93 x 93 quilt. 

Pattern I'm using is from Quilted Twins. 

I made one block last month from scrappy bits and pieces of purple to see if I liked it.  I did so decided if I need 25 blocks for a quilt I would make two blocks per month.  So here's my second purple block. 

I used aqua waste triangles and 2 inch scraps to make some little wonky stars that will finish at 4.5 inches. 

Waste triangles also went into some 4 inch butterflies.   I've been using waste triangles and blue tone on tone scraps to make these.   

Got scraps?

ScrapHappy Saturday Rainbow Scrap Challenge party!

Another Top Assembled. Guess I Should Get Quilting!

Mother Goose Redwork Embroidery

Ruby Kim Illustrations

Embroidery Patterns from Q is for Quilter

I think I'll have to hand quilt this one. No hurry, really. This will go into the Hope Chest for a future great grandchild along with an old Mother Goose book I received as a baby shower gift when I was pregnant with my oldest child who is now 43 years old. 

I'll have plenty of time to quilt when I retire. My last day is Feb. 28 but who is counting?  I'm off on Fridays and the weekends but work 10 hour days so that's 60 hours of work left!!! Wooooohoooo! I've worked at the same place for 30+ years but actually have had a job since I was 15 years old and that's almost 50 years.   Time flies.  Time for another chapter of life. 

I guess I have my choice of Mother Goose backings. I didn't realize I had so many possibilities in my stash until I went looking in my children's fabric box. 

I'm tending toward using this one for the backing. 

Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop? 

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Block Lotto: Dutchman's Puzzle

Dutchman's Puzzle

8 inch blocks.

Block Lotto block of the month.

Building a Pyramid

I don't know how many "blocks" it will take to build a BIG pyramid quilt so I started sewing pieces together to get a guestimate.   The piece above is about 84 inches wide. Now I'm aiming for 96 inches long. 

I spent all last year sewing up my 2.5 inch scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month plus neutral scraps into these Pyramid units following a tutorial on Molly Flanders.  Now it's kind of fun to reach into the bag, pick a few pieces and randomly sew them together.   I'm not going to make anymore until I see how big my quilt happens to be with these.  Then I'll make more. I'm too lazy to count them up.  

Well, it does seem like I'm a little light on green pyramids so I may have to check out the green 2.5 inch scraps and make a few green pieces to throw in the bag. 

And that's my scrappy project on hand this fine Scraptastic Tuesday! 

Five ABC 123 Rainbow I Spy Happy Block Tops

Five Quilt Tops 

ABC 123 Rainbow I Spy Happy Blocks

My husband and I have thirty-one nieces and nephews. So we can usually count on someone to have a baby almost every year.   The new year started with four mothers - one pregnant with twins - expecting babies in 2017. (Unfortunately one mom miscarried and the mother expecting twins lost one twin).  

 I try to welcome all new grand nieces and nephews into the world with a quilt.  

Over the years I've participated in numerous ABC novelty swaps and have stockpiled complete sets of novelties representing each letter of the alphabet.  They are nice to have on hand to whip up a quick baby quilt.  I quit swapping several years ago but need to start once again because with these 5 tops I've depleted my stash of ABC novelty sets. 

These are 6.5 inch centers bordered by 1.5 inch polka dot fabrics in rainbow colors.  The extra four squares to make the 30 blocks needed for a 40 x 48 quilt are different number and letter fabrics.   After quilting I'll iron on the letters of the alphabet to the appropriate squares.  Little hard back books for ABCs, Numbers and Colors complete the gift. 

O always stands for Owl but P is sometimes pear...

...or pumpkin or...

...popsicle or...

...pretzel or....

...paper clip.   

Poor kid that gets Telephone for T!! They will be wondering what the heck kind of telephone is that. And does anyone still say telephone? Or are they just phones now?  Maybe P will be for Phone in the next quilt. 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.

Aqua, Teal, etc 3.5 Scrap Edition

Glitter Blocks

From Jen Kingwell's book Quilt Lovely

This are a bit fiddly to make so it's nice to just make a few each month in RSC colors.

The job is much easier if you make templates ala Gayle (Mangofeet) plus she's the one that advised me I could cut these easily from 3.5 inch scraps. 

Six inch Bow Ties

I didn't have many 3.5 aqua scraps left after I made Glitter blocks but I did find some more purple scraps hidden away in a baggie so added those in.  This time I remembered the corners are 2 inch pieces and NOT 1.5 inch pieces.  This quilt will end up with a few purple misfits I made last month.  These are scraps so I'm not ripping and remaking.  That rarely happens in this house although I have been known to be a little anal-retentive about a few blocks in my time.  But life is too short to sweat the small stuff. 

3 Inch Snowballs with white corners. These corners are 1.5 inches.  Again...just a few aquas but I did find that hidden baggie of purples.    These blocks may go with some 3 inch 9 patches into a quilt. Or not. 

Got scraps? 

Join us. 

ScrapHappy Saturday

What Was In That Bag???

My daughter likes to shop at garage sales, antique shops, thrift stores, church rummage sales, etc. She doesn't sew but picks up some thrifty items for me sometimes.  I think this quart sized bag of stuff has been sitting around here for awhile so I decided it was time to empty it out. 

It was full of 3 inch squares of floral fabrics. 

With the neutral pieces I made 3 Sixteen Patch blocks and a Four Patch to add to...

...some of the other neutral blocks that will someday make it into a quilt along with some of the laces and trims taking up space around here. 

Then I made a donation quilt. 

40 x 60

I started out making four patch blocks and was undecided what to do with them after that.  So they sat around for awhile. 

I didn't have enough four patches for a quilt but I did have some larger blue scrap pieces I decided I could use for the "sky" in my flower garden.  A few blue pieces even had birds in the sky.  At first I was going to use the blue pieces as sashing between the four patches but I really don't like to sew sashing.  I find it really, really, really boring and would rather make more blocks than add sashing to a quilt. So I just used some big pieces of blue. 

I pieced together some batting (again) and then went to quilting it on my DSM.   In the big blue pieces I quilted a five petaled flower.  The rest of the four patches had three petaled flowers. 

I thought this piece of blue was a little dark so I brightened it up a bit with variegated thread and some three petaled flowers. 

I used variegated thread in the leaves I quilted in the skinny border on the other side of the quilt too.  I forgot to take a pic of the back of the quilt but it was an old piece of floral fabric I had in my stash. And you've seen what I used as binding before...it was the backing on a quilt and binding on another. And it's almost gone now. 

This is another quilt that will be donated probably to Wrap-A-Smile or Quilts Beyond Borders.  It will probably cost more to ship the quilts than it took to make all of the quilts I'll put in the box. 

But that wasn't all that was in that $2.00 bag...

I cut the remaining 3 inch blocks into postage stamps (1.5 squares) because I'm several postage stamps shy of a couple of quilts.