Another Border Added

I'm just popping in for a brief post.

I've been working in my gardens most days; however, it rained yesterday so I spent a little time in my sewing room.  My May theme to move UFOs forward is "Baskets".  Earlier in the month I showed the Wonky Baskets with the first border of Flying Geese. Yesterday I added the dark gray border, made some four inch finished Wonky Windmills and made them into a border.  I can never think of what to add for borders on a medallion quilt. I figured since baskets were wonky I would add the Wonky Windmills made with 2.5 x 3 inch rectangles of scraps (2 of background and 2 of windmill fabric) I pulled out of the 2.5 and 3 inch width scrap bins.   I still need to add another border or two. I plan on a larger sized comfort quilt close to 50 x 70 or 60 x 80 inches. 

And sew on...

 

This And That

Twilight Flock

6 inch blocks

I was busy with my quilting marathon in March so I did not get any Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks made. This month I need to catch up on a few blocks and colors. I made my yellow blocks and had a few other 2.5 inch scraps near my cuting mat so turned those into Twilight Flock blocks too. 

Bow Ties

3 inch blocks

I had red and purple blocks cut but now sewn together. I don't think there will be any yellow ones this month. I don't have that many yellow scraps.  I've been making these for a couple of years and I think now I have over 600 of them. 

Boo Boo Patch

3 x 6

That's my name for the blocks because I made a mistake when making them. I sewed two 1.5 inch width scraps together and mistakenly cut the strip sets apart at 1.5 inch instead of 2.5 inches. Of course I also figured out incorrectly the length of the strip I needed in order tto cut them apart at 2.5 inches too. So Boo Boo Patches is what I ended up with and continue to make. 

Windmills

4 inch blocks

I make these from 1.5 inch width scraps or 2.5 inch width scraps. 

Lil' Baskets

4 inch blocks

Switch Plates

3 x 5 inch blocks. 

9 Patch 

Potato Chip 

6 inch blocks

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 5 -- After a couple of days of snow, rain and wind it was a nice sunny day. Everything that was in bloom before the bad weather is still in bloom! That's definitely a cause for celebration!

Ear worm:

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo

Here comes the sun

And I say, its alright

     ...the Beatles

 

Fruit Basket Upset

15 inch Cake Stand Blocks

or what I'm calling Fruit and Veg Baskets

Someone recently gave me a lot of large fruit and veg triangles and I immediately thought of making them into baskets so actually tried my thought out before I lost that thought. Yes, that will work. I'll make all the baskets brown and the backgrounds cream. I even have a few fruit and veg fabrics I can add to the mix.  And since I already planned for June's theme in my sewing space to be "Brown Stuff", well, I'll move these basket blocks into my June plans because I have a lot of brown scraps I think I may be able to use for those baskets. 

AND

I'll probably use mostly the red, orange and yellows in this bigger quilt and maybe make more colorful baskets on a more colorful background and only use fruits and make a smaller child sized version called "Fruit Basket Upset" because that old childhood game immediately came to mind after I made the baskets. 

And sew on...

 

What's In The Hoop?

What's in the hoop? Basket Four Patch. 

I actually now have something in the hoop. It's been awhile. After I got it into the hoop that I like which is a PVC type square hoop, the hoop broke. Well, actually a couple of the side pieces that clamp on to the fabric have cracks in them and won't hold the fabric down. Then I put the quilt into this bigger wooden hoop and it cracked. I was able to use duct tape to hold it together. I guess hoops are not all they are cracked up to be! Ah, yes, I crack myself up!

So, anyway, I have this little 40 x 56 crib quilt in the hoop. I actually started the blocks back in 2017. The little basket four patch blocks were inspired by an antique quilt at Q Is For Quilter.  Before you call me crazy for hand quilting a baby quilt, well, that's about all I felt I could handle for now and I like to hand quilt. I NEED to hand quilt in the evenings to get out of my slump. And besides...a small quilt is all I could pin baste. I usually pin baste my quilts on the living room floor. Right now my living room has several card tables set up in it. Those tables are full of flowers and veggies we've started under lights in a corner of my sewing space and now have moved into smaller containers for  hardening off before I move them to the gardens. We take the plants out to the deck off the living room to toughen up and get used to the elements and then bring them back in to the card tables each day. Well, short story long or long story short...I don't have much room to pin baste a quilt much larger than this one.

I'm using ecru perle #12 for hand quilting - big stitching on a small quilt. 

Remember I said I wanted to move forward a few UFOs with baskets? Well, I am. This is basket quilt #2. 

I'm quilting on the diagonal in the squares. 

And I'm quilting around the outside of the little four inch basket blocks as well as inside the three muslin triangles in the basket which is kind of difficult to do with big stitching. Those little HSTs are 1 inch. 

I pieced the batting. Normally when I machine quilt I just overlap the batting pieces a tiny bit. I used to zig zag them together but found when quilting on my DSM that the needle would hit those zig zagged areas and have a fit.   Well, anyway, since I am hand quilting I pieced the batting together by hand with a herringbone stitch. 

And sew it goes...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

 

And Then There Were Fifty

My May theme for the month is baskets. I have four UFOs with baskets in them that I hoped to move forward this month.   I had 26 blocks at the beginning of the month and now I have met my goal of 50 nine inch (finished) blocks.   So now I think I'm going to set them aside for a bit and move on to the next UFO with baskets. 

And sew on...

 

'30s Thursday

Plodding along between other projects and making Economy Blocks from '30s reproduction scraps.  Not sure how many I will make yet. These originally started as a way to use some 3.5 inch scraps that are the centers. The two rounds on the sides (3 and 4 inch squares cut on diagonals) are cut from small chunks of '30s scraps. 

 Also in between other projects working on Little Baskets and Hollow Nine Patches. The waste triangles in the little baskets are cut from Indian Hatchet block corners and the Indian Hatchet blocks were made from leftovers from Churn Dashes.  So far the Hollow Nines 2 inch squares have come from the 2 inch scrap bin. I've been using muslin bits and pieces for the basket backgrounds and the "hollow".  These blocks finish at 4.5 inches. 

I've been in twin quilt mode for donation or gifts this year so these probably will end up that size. Time will tell. 

Into The Wild Blue Yonder

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color for July is dark blue. I think we previously used bright and light blues in April. 

Baskets of Flowers

These finish at 9 inches.

I started them last month because I want to use a pile of scrap chunks. I cut a 3.5 inch piece for the HST and a 2 inch strip for the other three basket pieces. I could have used just a 3.5 inch piece to make the baskets but I'm making another block that uses 3.5 and 2 inch pieces so nothing will get wasted and nothing will be left over. 

I'll make the baskets out of the RSC color of the month and use scraps from the 2 inch width bin for the "flowers".  I found a teeny tiny picture of these baskets in a Google search for "flower basket quilt block" but I was warned by my antivirus program not to click any further.  Unable to find any more information about the block I figured out how to make it myself. I'll set these on point and I'm aiming for a  twin sized quilt. 

I'm using some neutral scraps for the backgrounds.  I didn't have enough of the polka dot for three blocks so substituted a few bees. During the block assembly process I grabbed a few of the wrong pieces so some of the backgrounds are a little mixed up within some blocks. I think that will be okay since the backgrounds are scrappy anyway plus I don't really like to rip. 

Hey, wait a minute! Something is wrong with this picture. I thought I made seven blocks. 

(I later found it mixed in with another WIP of partially completed blocks. So this one gets its own photo.)

Then with some of those same 3.5 and 2 inch scraps I used to make baskets I made some Buckeye Beauties that finish at six inches.  I started these last month too. 

I started those Buckeye Beauties because they will use some of the same 3.5 and 2.5 inch scraps as the baskets and I'll also use some shirt pieces as well as some red and black chunks.  I had three bags (yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full) like the one shown here full of shirt scraps left over from making a couple of other quilts. I've been going through those scraps and I've been cutting squares or 1.5 inch strips or 2.5 x 3.5 pieces for some other quilts. Two bags down and one to go!! 

I also made a few dark cornered Wishing Rings. I have been making these for a couple of years. They finish at 3.5 inches. I want 312 of these blocks with dark corners and 312 with light corners and have over 200 of each so I'm hoping this is the year I make my goal.   I have been cutting the center and four corners from 3.5 inch scraps. I cut a 2 inch piece and two 1.5 inch pieces. Then I cut 1.5 inches off of the 2 inch piece and square it up. The 2 inch piece is the center of the Wishing Ring and the 1.5 square goes into the postage stamp scrap box. Then I cut the two 1.5 inch pieces into four 1.5 inch squares for the four corners. I then have very little waste from a 3.5 inch scrap.   The sides of the Wishing Rings are cut from 1.5 inch scraps. 

So, as you can see I got three different blocks from each 3.5 scrap and two of those blocks used the 2 inch scrap. 

Then this is what happened to the rest of the original 3.5 inch scrap. I have some HSTs for the Parts Dept. because when I cut my HST for the basket I used an Easy Angle Ruler and cut two HST parts rather than leave a slanted cut on my scrap.  I then cut off a 2.5 x 3.5 piece to go into a bag of pieces that size I'm saving for a quilt. I am aiming for 800-2.5 x 3.5 pieces and as of today I have 400.  Then I cut the rest of the scrap into 3.5 inch squares for who knows what.  I'm just trying to turn almost all my scraps into squares now.  And if there was not enough for a square it was sewn into a strip. I have a box of those strips in various widths and colors now and at year end I'll make a Chinese Coins quilt. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Pink Potpourri

Basket and Flower blocks made with 3.5 and 2 inch scraps. 

I thought I was finished with all my RSC blocks and pink scraps.  But I had that pink 3.5 inch width of scrap left on my cutting mat after making Buckeye Beauty blocks last week.  I got rid of most of the scraps in my 3.5 inch scrap bin and thought this scrap was too much to cut into squares which is what I've been doing with most of my scraps this year. 

And the Carolina Chain quilt that was supposed to use up all my 2 inch scraps didn't. So I used some 2 inch scraps as well as that 3.5 pink scrap and ended up with those Basket and Flower blocks which is now a new RSC project.  Blocks are 9 inch finished and will be set on point. At least that's the plan at this point in time. 

Then I just pieced a backing with spider webs and had that scrap on the cutting mat. You know I'm trying to keep my cutting mat cleaned off now. So since I had the 2 inch scrap bin out I found a pink scrap I could combine with the spider webs and made a Sixteen Patch to add to my collection. This is the second or maybe third year of making Sixteen Patches so I hope to have 130 of them by year end. 

Then I had this little quart baggie full of parts that featured a lot of pink. I received this baggie last year from a kind lady who wanted to send me some fabric and scraps from her mother-in-law's estate.  

There were parts for these eight inch Drunkard's Path blocks. I had to substitute those pink flowers in the block in the lower right because when I started ironing I forgot it had some polyester in it and my iron was too hot and...

...as you can see the fabric started to melt.

Also in the baggie were some 3.5 inch squares and a few 2.5 inch squares. I'm not sure if there was a plan for all these parts to go together into one quilt or if someone was just cutting parts on a machine.  Anyway, I think I'll make a few four patches and add a one inch frame around them so I'll have some 8 inch finished blocks. And I'll use some of those squares as centers to Happy Blocks that will equal 8 inch blocks.   And I think I will be able to come up with enough 8 inch blocks (35, I think) for a small donation quilt set 5 x 7. 

So I started looking for framing fabrics. How about that...that piece of backing fabric leftover from my Carolina Chain quilt ((that has not been put away yet) has some pink and black and I have a little piece of pink polka dots (always fun) and...

And I think I should look in my cat fabric drawer because I'm pretty sure I have some pink and black cats to add to the mix and...

Yeah, I THOUGHT I was finished with pink!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

More Little Baskets

I've been working on this UFO for the last couple of weeks. When I blogged about this UFO on March 11  I had four out of a target of 35 eight inch blocks and now there are 20. 

Moving forward! Maybe I'll have 35 blocks by the end of next month. 

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts

I Don't Have a Handle on It

I have some civil war repro fabrics screaming to get out of their box.  It's not like I don't have a couple of cw fabric UFOs already that I could work on (Blind Man's Fancy, Sunny Lanes) and another bookmarked to start (Sunflowers).  I just don't feel like working on those quilts right now.  

I just finished a basket quilt - a couple of old UFOs combined into one.  I guess I needed to start another.  (Someday I should do a post on all the basket quilts I've made.)   

Martha (Q is for Quilter) posted about her latest vintage find - a little basket four patch.  Oh, how cute!   I had to make a few blocks before I forgot I wanted to make a similar quilt. 

My baskets are different from the ones in Martha's vintage find. 

 I  don't do applique handles (very often).   

My four patches finish at 8 inches - the baskets at 4 inches.  The baskets are a smaller version of one of the baskets in the May Baskets quilt I just finished. 

Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share

Finished Big Stitching. Started Little Stitching.

I've finished the big stitching with navy perle #8  on all the baskets. I stitched 1/4 inch inside all the basket pieces.  I don't think that's enough quilting for my satisfaction so I'm now hand stitching in the ditch between blocks with regular quilting thread and stitches.   I didn't want to use big stitches anywhere else than the baskets.   I'm also thinking of doing regular hand quilting on the basket contents...maybe outline some of the food and flowers.   Maybe...

Doing hand work today? 

Join us at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday. 

Suggestions Anyone?

Every Sunday Kathy of Kathy's Quilts hosts a Slow Sunday Stitching party where slow stitchers from miles around gather to share their projects. 

This week I have an orange Dresden block I need to applique to the background. I made the block from scraps as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and couldn't decide on a background color. I have lot of different gray fabrics so gray it is.   But, I still haven't decided on a clever center circle for my rainbow blocks to be.   

Suggestions anyone? 

I'm still working on big stitching my baskets.  This is a large quilt. I think it's about 60 x 80. The backing is that flowery fabric with writing on it over on the right. 

When I'm finished with stitching around the baskets I'm not sure what to do next because it will still need more stitching.  Maybe a stitch in the ditch between blocks? 

Suggestions anyone? 

And finally...I may start on some of these cross stitch ornaments I've picked up from the thrift stores over the years.  Some of them may just be small enough for me to see well enough to finish.  I probably will finish off the ornaments in a different way than intended. I don't think I like those plastic frames included with some of them.  But I'm not sure yet exactly how I'll finish them off - IF I ever get any of them finished.   The shoe box full of these things has got to go.  I wiped enough dust off the box to fill a small pillow. 

Suggestions anyone? 

Slow Stitching? 

Join us at Kathy's Quilts. 

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. 

What's in the Basket?

I finished the final 10 of 48 basket blocks. They finish at 10 inches. 

And now I can start assembly of a top. 

I've been on vacation so am a little late in posting for HSTeria Quilt Along.  These baskets consist of 9 HSTs each. 

I'm also linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.