At The End of the Rainbow

At The End of the Rainbow

56 x 63

Inspired by Red Centre in Making Quilts by Kathy Doughty

This was one of last year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects. I made a few of the blocks (well, not really blocks - maybe call them units?) each month from 4.5 inch scraps. 

I didn't have much of anything in my stash that looked right for border pieces so did purchase a little fabric that seemed to go with a rainbow quilt - birds against a rainbow sky and a rainbow of paw prints.   I had some rainbow looking stripe fabric that I used for the binding but didn't have enough so used what was left of the birds to add the necessary length. 

I had enough machine quilting thread in all colors of the rainbow to use to straight stitch along the straight sides of the blocks and then also used white to stitch along each straight side of the white sections.   BUT I hand quilted in perle #12 along each zig zaggy sides of the colored sections in the neutral areas.  I really didn't want to have turn the quilt on my DSM in order to stitch along the zig and zags and found big stitching to actually be quicker and easier. 

I had this rick rack fabric in my stash meaning to use it with some 30s repro quilts but decided this was the right place for it.   BUT I didn't have enough after I so carefully matched the rick rack when stitching up the fabric to be wide enough (or was it to be long enough?)...anyway I had to cut a piece off one side to add to the back but still didn't have enough so those birds came out to play again on the backing.  And that's the way it goes...

Now I'll mail this(after I find the right box) to my youngest brother, Steve,  who lives far far away in a land called Florida. I hope it's a pleasant surprise to say I love you, I'm thinking of you and take care of yourself and your heart.    He unexpectedly had quadruple bypass surgery last year around Easter after he suffered two heart attacks.   

This was my March OMG (One Monthly Goal) linked up at Elm Street Quilts

This was also goal #9    for 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 1

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

For Wrap-A-Smile

Girls in Pink

40 x 60

I have a large bag of pale strings I've been working from. Most of the strings are leftovers cut from the sides of quilt backings.  I've been throwing strings in there for several years.  I am working on a large String Star quilt from some of those strings.  In the bottom of the bag I found a couple of large pieces of novelty fabric with little girls on it. 

 So I cut some 6.5 inch blocks for some wonky log cabin centers, used some of the strings from that large bag of pale strings, and turned them into a quilt. 

I pieced together some batting and found a piece of a solid pink sheet in my stash for backing. 

I'm not sure if you can see it well enough in the photos but I quilted it with some free motion three-petaled flowers and loops on my DSM. 

I actually had some leftover binding in  different shades of solid pink. So that got used. 

I'm getting a little better at binding on my DSM.  

This will be donated to Wrap-A-Smile.    Wrap-A-Smile is a partner of Rotaplast International, Inc. an organization committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities. 

This was goal #5

for 2017 Finish-A-Long

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Sew Some Love at Kat & Cat Quilts

Vintage Butterflies: It's Finished!

Vintage Butterflies

79 x 90

Hand quilted

from Nostalgia Cafe

My inspiration was the above quilt I found when researching "vintage butterfly quilts" a few years ago.   This block is actually called Beggars Block.  The individual blocks within each block is actually a 3 inch spool block. 

I started making the individual 3 inch butterfly (or spool) blocks from 1.5 inch scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project in late 2013 (I think).   When I accumulated 8 butterflies I made a block.  When I had enough blocks I made a quilt.  When you use scraps some quilts are not a quick make. 

I used Kona Candy Blue (blue candy?) as the background/sky. 

I normally don't lay out my blocks before I sew them together. I really don't like to spend time moving blocks around endlessly because no layout seems pleasing.    I don't have a big space to easily lay blocks out nor do I have a design wall (except for that old cutting mat with the piece of batting on it propped up on the wall next to the sewing machine).  So I usually sew blocks together randomly.  I'm rarely disappointed. 

I should never add sashing without cornerstones because sometimes things just get a little wonky. The good thing is that it all works out in the end somehow.  This quilt will give warmth same as a perfect one.  

I hand quilted in a variety of colors of regular quilting thread.  I didn't mark anything but the center butterflies. I just stitched. And stitched some more.  I have a callous on my "underneath finger" to prove it.   The stitching served as a kind of quilty yoga to soothe the soul, clear the mind and calm the nerves. 

After a good wash and some time in the dryer the quilt came out more crinkly than usual. I think that's because the backing fabric, a sheet from the thrift store,  was pre-washed and the fabrics on front were not.   Thank goodness I like crinkly. 

Now, about that backing. I found a sheet at the thrift store in a pale blue, in perfect condition and silky soft. Must be a far higher thread count than what is on my bed. I was a little leery about using a sheet on a quilt I was going to hand quilt because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to hand quilt. Not to worry...the needle went through it like a knife through butter.  And as a side benefit the back looks like a whole cloth quilt. It's difficult to get a good picture but all of the different colored threads on the pale blue are joyous. 

This was my goal #1

for 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 1

Lots of scraps in this one so linking up to:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

And since it took a month of Sundays to hand quilt linking up with:

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts