It's a Finish! Birds in the Air

Birds in the Air

71 x 71

Hand quilted with perle #8 and #12

 I started this back in 2014. I had won some hand dyed scraps from Vicki Welsh. 

 Around that same time I had picked up a copy of McCall's Quilting Vintage Quilts and saw a pattern for this Birds in the Air variation inspired by vintage blue and white quilt. 

 I had a couple of different dark blue Kona fabrics in my stash and thought they would be a great background for those hand dyes 

 I sorted the scraps by color to determine how many scraps I had in each color which then determined the layout and how many blocks of each color I needed.   I finished the top in November 2017. 

I used perle #12 in a variety of different colors to stitch inside the colored triangles. In the dark blue spaces between I used perle #12. In most dark blue spaces I quilted concentric triangles. 

And here's the back. 

It's a weird size but makes a good couch or recliner quilt.

It's usually pretty cold in this drafty old house. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework 


This was my goal #2
for
Q1 Finish-Along

Red and White Bits and Pieces

Red and White Bits and Pieces 

It's a flimsy! 

42 x 63

Last year while I was sorting through the crumb boxes I came across lots of red and white HSTs in a variety of sizes. Most were wonky so that's why they were in the crumb boxes. Some were bonus HSTs. Some were waste triangles still matched up with a white waste triangle.  

I made most of the other colors of HSTs into blocks last year that are now orphans waiting for a quilt.  But there were so many red and white bits and pieces that I put them aside to make into a quilt this year when the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is red.  This is the month. 

I sorted by size and then sewed them together into columns keeping in mind that I wanted a quilt at least 40 inches wide. 

Then I added some red tone on tone scrap chunks to the bottom of each column. I added red first because I had fewer red scraps than white. 

I then measured each column with the addition of the red and added a white scrap to the top of the column keeping in mind that I wanted the quilt to be at least 60 inches long.  

And that's the story of how this flimsy came to be. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Little Log Cabins in the Woods

 Last year I worked on reducing my crumb scraps and back in December I decided to try to reduce string scraps this year so I started on several string  quilts.    Looks like lots of folks in blog land decided to do the same thing. Oh, what fun!  I'm looking forward to lots of string quilt inspiration and a string of new ideas. 

I'm using brown and green strings in these nine inch Wonky Log Cabin blocks.  The little cabins I'm using for the centers  are 3 inches. 

Back in December I made four blocks to test out using the cabin in the center. They looked okay so I decided to continue on.. I've been making them in batches of ten because I'm not sure how many blocks I can get from the box of green and brown strings. Now I have 24 blocks. I think I can squeeze out another 11 blocks.  That way I will have a layout of 5 x 7 that will measure 45 x 63. 

I don't cut strings from yardage.  If I cut a strip off of yardage I call that piece a strip, not a string. My strings come from trimming quilt backs or from the very end of a piece of fabric that is less than 1.5 inches. Or it may be the leftover end of a strip.    I consider selvages a type of string. 

I sorted strings last year into several different color groupings. The green and brown was one of them. That box used to also have some yellow strings in it too. 

 The first quilt from that box of green, brown, yellow strings  was this 48 x 64 wonky quarter log cabin  flimsy  with frog, lizard, chameleon centers I made last March. It's awaiting quilting. I've also been thinking I should add some borders so I can donate it to a place looking for twin sized quilts. But I haven't yet found anything suitable in my stash and it's on my list for quilting this quarter. 

I usually make Wonky Log Cabins or Heartstring type quilts from my string scraps but I have made a few other quilts with strings, have a few in the works and have a few awaiting quilting.  For fun I've made a tab at the top of my blog with string quilts I have finished.  What a lot of string scraps!!  The page doesn't include strip quilts. I make those too. 

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More. 

My Version of the Center

 This is my version of the center of a vintage inspired quilt.  It is 44 inches square and consists of sashed twelve inch Broken Wheel blocks. 

 I made the blocks from old men's shirts. The next round is Flying Geese. I  was going to make the Flying Geese from shirts and from 1930s reproduction fabric scraps channeling grandma who made most of her quilts from old shirts and dresses.  I was looking around for something to use for sashing and came across a big piece of fabric in one of my 30s repro bins that seemed just right. I am not sure I have enough for the entire quilt but I will cross that road when I get there. 

I need some shirt pieces for another UFO so I think I will cut pieces enough to finish that quilt before I start making the Flying Geese for this one.  

This is the quilt that inspired me. 

It's a Finish!

 A Wheelchair Quilt

for someone who loves their Irish ancestry and the color green. 

36 x 45

 It is now in transit to the intended recipient. 

I hope he can use it. 

He went home from an extended care facility on Christmas eve and we were told his Parkinson's progressed to the point where he would be confined to a wheelchair. In the last few weeks I understand that he barely makes it to the wheelchair now. 

This was my OMG (One Monthly Goal)

for January as declared at Elm Street Quilts. 

It's a Finish!

Autumn Orphan Blocks

40 x 60

It's a finish!

It's ready for giving or gifting. 

 I dug into the orphanage and found several blocks that had an autumn color scheme.  Looks like I did that way back in February 2018.   I'm pretty sure some of the blocks were long ago winnings from the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild Block Lotto.  This will probably also be donated to one of the causes supported by the Sunshine Guild - Wrap-A-Smile or Quilts Beyond Borders. 

I have made a lot of quilts in autumn color schemes and I usually end up quilting them on my sewing machine with some free motion leaves.  I still need practice but I'm getting a LITTLE better at it. 

The batting was pieced.  The binding is scrappy and made from pieced leftover binding I had in autumn colors. 

This was my goal #25

for 

Q1 Finish Along

On to the next...

It's a Finish! Crumby Stars

 Crumby Stars

from a constellation far, far away.

It's a finish! 

Ready for giving or gifting.

40 x 56

 Last year I worked on getting my crumbs (small weird sized scraps) under control. I made crumb fabric each month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month. Crumb fabric was then made into a variety of blocks.   Eight inch Crumb Star blocks was one of those blocks. I made enough Crumb Stars for two small quilts. 

 For the Crumb Star background I used scraps in a complementary color. 

I Spy!

Batting was pieced. I used a soft pale green cotton sheet for the backing and quilted it with loops and stars on my DSM.  Binding was made from scrappy bits and pieces of leftover binding. 

I just found out one of my nieces is pregnant with twins and will give birth in July.  After I finish the other Crumb Star I may send her the two quilts.

This was my goal #10
for
Q1 Finish-Along

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt