Halloween Postcards Finish

Halloween Postcards

It's a finish!

45 x 60

I finished the top back in May 2021.   That year  I  made three different tops with big prints using the Double Sawtooth pattern from Quilter's Cache. It's a good pattern for big prints because the center of the block is 9.5 inches. 

With this quilt I also used up almost all of my Halloween fabrics. Some went into the pieced backing I made at the same time I made the top. 

I quilted it on my DSM (Brother PQ1500SL) with swirls in black thread. I really wanted to use orange thread but didn't have any and had plenty of black. I usually use lime green thread to quilt on black but decided to see how black thread would look since I have a few other quilt tops with black backgrounds that need quilting. 

I said I was going to try to get bigger quilts finished the rest of the year; however, this one in the to-be-quilted pile I'm trying to reduce already had a pieced backing made and since it 'tis the season it went under the needle. 

This one will go to my granddaughter Isabelle who was born on Halloween. She will be 20 this year! 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Oct. 28 -- A roll of batting magically appeared at my door. I did manage to track down the sender. Thanks, Teresa! Now there is now excuse for moving forward on getting some twin sized quilts finished!

Oct. 29 - I early voted!   That triggered a few memories... I remember the first time I voted was 1972. At age 20 I was able and very excited to vote that year because the 26th ammendment (1971) lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. McGovern and Nixon were the candidates for president.  At around the same time in 1972 Iowa lowered the legal drinking age to 19 so I was able to sit in a bar and order a drink. So, lucky me...I didn't have to wait for my 21st birthday in order to vote or drink.   I also remember reading The Making of the President 1960 by Theodore White in my American Government class in high school and was rather surprised to read that a lot more than votes went into the making of a president. 

 

Garden By Moonlight - It's A Finish!

Garden by Moonlight

60 x 75

It's a finish!

In 2021 I decided to make a few quilts to use a lot of aging big prints. I chose to use Double Sawtooth blocks with a big 9.5 inch center. In this top I used big print florals with dark backgrounds. 

I finished the top back in May 2021. I also pieced a backing for it at that time but it wasn't until now that I got around to getting it quilted. I free motion quilted it on my DSM with 3 petaled flowers. 

The backing is pieced with big prints too. 

The binding is a floral with dark background too. 

My husband doesn't usually comment too much on my quilts but he asked if he could have this one. He likes to keep one on the back of his recliner to use when needed.  He kind of surprised me with that request but now the quilt is on the back of his recliner. 

And now I can check the first one of the year off the UFO list! 

And sew it goes...

Happy New Year! 

BIG Prints Series #4

Patriotic Text fabrics happens to be what I used this time for my BIG print series.

Now I have a flimsy 60 x 75! 

I've been trying to use some of the BIG prints that have been lingering in the stash for awhile.  This is the fourth flimsy in the series using the Double Sawtooth block at Quilter's Cache- perfect for BIG prints with the 9.5 inch center square. 

This time I mixed things up while making the top and I changed the orientation of HSTs on alternate blocks. 

I've been trying to use up all of my holiday fabrics and I consider the patriotic prints as holiday fabrics in my stash. I scraped the bottom of the barrel to be able to have enough of the text prints for the centers. 

One block had to have a symbol instead of text. 

And so now my patriotic print box (banker box size) is finally almost empty. 

And as far as BIG prints go I think I will make one more for this series. I'll leave you wondering what that BIG print will be. 

 

BIG Prints #3 - Hen Party

Hen Party

It's a flimsy!

45 x 60

I've been trying to use some of the BIG prints that have been lingering in the stash for awhile.  This is the third in the series using the Double Sawtooth block at Quilter's Cache- perfect for BIG prints with the 9.5 inch center square. 

The BIG print this time was a chicken print that has been around for awhile. I used white on black and black on white fabrics for the frame around the chicken themed fabric - feathers, bugs, eggs, spider webs, paw prints and a couple of florals. I thought I had some white with black chicken wire fabric but must have used that one up. 

I have a similar one yard piece but with blue instead of red tinges that I will use to piece the backing. 

I think the next BIG print quilt will use patriotic text. I threw some red, white and blue fabric chunks for it into a box and I want to use some of those red and blue fabrics in a couple of other quilts. Fabric pieces shuffle from one box to another around here. 

 

BIG Prints #2 - Garden By Moonlight

Garden By Moonlight

60 x 75

It's a flimsy!

I've been trying to use some of the BIG prints that have been lingering in the stash for awhile.  This is the second in the series using the Double Sawtooth block at Quilter's Cache- perfect for BIG prints with the 9.5 inch center square. For this one I picked out all the BIG print florals with a dark background. 

I was thinking of a moonlight stroll through a lovely cottage garden while I was making this.

I used more dark BIG prints to piece a backing.

 Now on to the next BIG print...chickens, ballerinas, light florals or patriotic text???? Hmmmm...

BIG Prints #1 - Halloween Postcards Flimsy

Halloween Postcards

It's a flimsy!

45 x 60

In our online Stasbusters group a challenge was issued to work in a series - pick a block and make several quilts using that block (or variations) and scraps and/or stash. 

I chose to use scraps as well as BIG prints that have been lingering in my stash for many years and the block I'm using is a fifteen inch (finished) block called Double Sawtooth found at Quilter's Cache. 

The center is a 9.5 inch square perfect (I think) for BIG prints. And the HSTs finish at 3 inches so they are perfect for using up some scraps.   I used a cute old Halloween fabric that I've never been able to cut into to use for the centers. I chose to use black and orange HSTs in all of the blocks and used up a lot of small scraps of Halloween fabrics. I also had to add in a few polka dots and solids when I ran out of Halloween fabrics. 

My small drawer of Halloween prints has been greatly reduced. I tried to use up all my Holiday fabrics several years ago but was a failure. Maybe this year that will happen. It looks like I may have the makings for a small Happy Block quilt as well as a black and white Medallion quilt left in the drawer. I reclassified a couple of the prints with pumpkins and scarecrows, etc.  and added them to a small box of Autumn themed scraps and orphan blocks. 

And this rarely happens...I pieced a backing right after I finished the flimsy. I hope to make that a habit because I have a giant pile of quilts that need quilting and when I actually do feel like quilting something I never feel like hunting for fabrics to piece a back. 

I used the rest of the Halloween Postcard fabric and this vintage looking fabric for the back but I also had to add in a few other scraps for length and width. 

I'm not much for decorating for or really even celebrating holidays so I'll probably pass this one on when finished to my oldest granddaughter who was born on Halloween in 2004. For some reason Halloween is her favorite holiday! 

So...on to the next BIG print!