Blogger's Quilt Festival - Original Design

Don't Set Sail on Someone Else's Star

72 x 90

Machine Quilted

For my granddaughter's hope chest- a quilt for High School graduation. 

In the making August 2013 - February 2014

Original post. 

Entry for Blogger's Quilt Festival Original Design category. 

This was my first attempt at making letters for a quilt. 

I thought the African proverb "Don't set sail on someone else's star" was good advice for a high school graduate. 

Actually, the quilt started out with a Block Lotto win of some "Tall Stars".   

I made several blocks to add to the winnings then

I added strips to the side of the 6 x 9 inch blocks to make them 9 inch square. 

It just so happened that a month before I joined Block Lotto the block of the month was a "Tall Ship".  And I thought a few of those would go well with the quote and stars so made a few of those blocks and added strips to the sides to square up to 9 inches.  

I machine quilted stars in the star section and made an attempt at waves in the filler blocks around the ships. 

This quilt was a little outside my usual box.

 I'm glad I crawl out of it every once in a while to try something different. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Hand Quilting

Double Wedding Ring

70 x 85

Started Feb 2013

Finished Apr 2014

First attempt at hand quilting.

A wedding quilt for my granddaughter's hope chest. She's 9. 

Previous post about quilt. 

I learned a lot in the making of this quilt. It was a challenge that, quite frankly, I didn't feel I was up to.   The piecing of the quilt with all it's curves and different type of construction (no even rows) was the first challenge.  The second was the hand quilting.  I had to try different types of thimbles before I found the one that worked for me.  I had to learn the proper "rocking motion" in order to get smaller, even stitches so I first stitched in the ditch around all the arch pieces. 

I used a template and experimented with different marking methods until I found chalk worked best for me with the templates I used. 

I'm pleased with the results of my first attempt and will definitely be doing more hand quilting in the future. 

I hope I'm still alive when it comes time for my granddaughter to receive her wedding quilt but if I'm not I will be at her wedding in spirit. 

And so that is my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival - Hand Quilting category.  I would like to encourage you to try hand quilting. It's very relaxing after you get over the initial fears. I didn't think I could do it.  I can't believe I did it. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Visit and be inspired. 

Green Without Envy and Without End

Green is the color for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I made 4 - 9 inch wonky log cabin blocks from green and light scraps and then sewed them together into one big 18 inch block. 

Then I made four 8 inch string blocks from green scraps.

Then I made 27 - 3 inch green butterflies and joined them together into 3-  9 inch blocks.  (The one in lower right was made last year. )

And finally, I added 9 - 3 inch spools to my spool collection. 

Got Green Scraps? 

Make something and join the party every ScrapHappy Saturday. 

A HSTerical Post

Vicki Welsh of Field Trips in Fiber is hosting an HST QAL. 

The UFO I'm working on that uses HSTs - 10 inch basket blocks full of all kinds of things.  

I have a lot of novelty fabrics so decided to put them in baskets. 

This is a red, blue, purple, yellow stash buster. 

I'm also still working on my 16 inch Depression blocks - all dark/light HSTs.  I'm working on stash busting my patriotic fabric drawer and when completed this will be for QOV.  I don't have a design wall so prop up my cutting mat, cover it with a left over piece of batting and prop up the blocks for a photo shoot.  

Got HSTs? 

Join us. 

Green - The 2.5 Version

Green 2.5 inch scraps used this week for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I've finished 15 Little Monkeys (they use 1.5 inch scraps up also), I've been making these since last year so I should have enough for a quilt (without sashing) as soon as I fill in this year with colors missed last year. 

I only made 4 Twinklers but may find scraps for more before month end.  

I see they are now all the rage over on the Stashbuster Yahoo Group.  I've been making them since last year. They are so easy (no points to match), good use of scraps and fun. 

Other 2.5 x 5 inch scraps went into making Lozenges.   

I opted for the smaller size since I have more 2.5 inch scraps than 3.5. 

I made 30 but got tired of putting them up for a photo shoot on my batting/cutting mat improvised design wall. 

Funny thing...when I look at my green scraps I'm kind of amazed at how many of them tend toward lime green which I thought I despised. 

Got Scraps? 

Show us what you did with the green ones. 

ScrapHappy Saturday Linky. 

HSTeria

Vicki Welsh from Field Trips in Fiber is hosting a HSTeria QAL. 

My HSTs are going toward 16 inch Despression Blocks for a QOV quilt. 

I just need 18 more blocks for a 64 x 80 quilt. 

One Wedding Quilt Was Not Enough

I'm making some things for hope chests for my 3 grandkids.    I finished (with hand quilting) a Double Wedding Ring as a wedding gift for my oldest granddaughter, Isabelle, who is only 9.  She has a brother, Jacob, who is 5. For his wedding quilt I've been making a Jack's Chain. Last weekend I made  a couple of "rows". but don't have them added on yet to the rest of the quilt.  I'm not really loving all those Y seams, but I am loving the quilt so far.   Those 9 patches are 3 inches finished to give you an idea of the size. 

Kayla, my other granddaughter who is also 9, will get a Pickle Dish quilt. She has loved PINK since she has been old enough to say the word so I've been saving up pink, yellow, orange, coral fabrics for the arches.  I originally thought I would use this teal fabric for the background but this quilt is made differently from the Double Wedding Ring in that the background is not one piece  - the quilt, following Kaffe Fassett pattern in Quilt Romance,  is made in blocks instead.  So, those big butterflies would get cut up.   And, to tell the truth...I don't think I like the teal as a background anyway. 

I found this in my stash that I think I will use instead.  I think there is enough of it. I'll have to make all of the arches and try them out on the fabric later.   Besides, I'm not sure what I'm going to use as the center fabric joining the arches. I'm taking it just one step at a time.  I never really plan anything too far ahead. 

Since these are both works in process and because it is Wednesday, 

 I'm linking up to WOW = WIPs on Wednesday at Esther's Blog.   

And, as another WOW...boy, she does some beautiful applique work.