Drawstring Bags

I went on a little drawstring bag kick.  The tutorial is from Sotak Handmade.  I have made other drawstring bags, but I think this is my favorite.  I like the method of making the casing separate from the bag.  I plan on giving these as gifts -- to whom, I don't know, but I'm sure I'll find someone!

Falling Maples Quilt

I am pretty happy about this quilt.  It started with the idea of making a maple leaf quilt for my sister-in-law who lives in West Virginia.  We went there years ago to visit.  It was Fall and the leaves were spectacular.  I had this Fat Quarter bundle of pretty traditional looking fabrics.  Then, Swim, Bike Quilt announced a quilt along for their "Spiced Chi"pattern in the book "Vintage Quilt Revival."  I have that book!  So I very loosely followed along -- meaning, I read the first post and made the quilt.  :)

The original Spiced Chi quilt is so great -- with grays and brights.  But here's proof that traditional fall colors look great too.  If I had finished this about a week earlier, the fall leaves would have been really beautiful.  But that's okay -- those dead, brown leaves actually match pretty well!

I quilted it with an all over loop -- I imagined it could be like the trail of wind-blown leaves.  :)

And here is the back.  I used 4 lower volume fat quarters from the bundle.  Looking at it hanging on the fence, I see it's a little crooked.  It is hard to baste a quilt perfectly straight since there are 3 layers and I am pinning it from the top.  Oh well.  Since this is not meant to be hung from a fence, or even a wall, I think it's okay.  :)

This is on my list of Goals for the quarter.  I may not get much done this quarter.  I am in the process of quilting on more, though.  Maybe I'll finish that too.

I am linking up to Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.
I am linking up to the Finish-A-Long party at She Can Quilt.

2017 Finish-a-Long Goals Q4

Another 3 months has passed and it's time to make a new list of goals.

For last quarter's list, I only included completely pieced tops that need to be quilted.  I am quite happy with the SEVEN that I finished!  Yay! Looking at the remaining 4 that I didn't finish, I can easily see why.... they are all large quilts.  Ugh to the basting, ugh to the maneuvering it under my little sewing machine.

Nonetheless, I am going to keep these on my list. Plus, I am adding two I've started recently.  One is a gift for Christmas, so I better get it done! 

1. Mystery Quilt

2.  Summer Sampler Quilt-a-Long

3.Sports Quilt

4. Holly's Tree Farm Quilt

5.Fat Quarter 5 Quilt

6. Spiced Chi Quilt Along Quilt

I am linking up the Finish-a-Long Q4 party at She Can Quilt.

Persimmon Four Square

I made this quilt using a charm pack of "Persimmon" by Basic Grey.  I really liked this collection when I first saw it.  The orangish "persimmon" color, the small patterns, the blues.  I still like it, but I wish I had done different background colors -- maybe navy and off white?  I wanted to use what I had in my stash, but after all is said and done, I probably should have just spent a little bit of money and bought some background fabric.

The pattern I used is from Amy Smart's book "Fabulously Fast Quilts." (I also made this quilt with the same pattern.)  I adjusted the pattern slightly so I could use the 5" charm squares. 

 

For the backing I also wanted to use fabric from my stash.  It took me a while to decide.  The tan gingham was perfect, but I didn't have quite enough.  This blue was one of the few other fabrics that matched -- so there it is.  The binding is done with this super, super soft woven cotton with tan and navy.  I had considered using this on the back, but I really love it and so I decided to keep it for a quilt I will keep.  This one will be donated.

Here is a close up of the loopy, meandering quilting.
  

I am finishing this just under the deadline -- binding it and posting it on Sept. 30.  Phew!  You can see from the pictures, it's getting dark outside!

This is on my list of Finish-a-long goals for Quarter 3 of 2017.
I am linking up to the Finish-A-Long party at She Can Quilt

Scrappy June Quilt Along

I was super lucky to win a copy of the book "No Scrap Left Behind" by Amanda Jean Nyberg.  I have followed her blog, Crazy Mom Quilts, for years, and knew this book would be a good one.  I was right! I could make every quilt in the book.

Amanda hosted a quilt along for one of the quilts in her book -- "June."  Maybe I should call mine October since I used all orange scraps.  I used Shot Cotton for the background.  It is so soft.  I have made one other quilt out of shot cotton and that is my boys' favorite (even if it is mostly purple.)

I wanted it to be very soft, so I didn't quilt it very densely (and because I don't have the patience for dense quilting.)  A few straight lines through the orange/brown and a loop in the background.  I love it.  It's going to be a soft, comfy blanket for the fall.

Here's the back -- yellow chambray and an orange Denyse Schmidt print, both from my stash.  

I am linking up to the same Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday.  

Amanda, I hope you see this!  I don't do instagram so I haven't posted. 

Thanks for the quilt along, and for the fun book!  

This was on my list of goals for the Finish-a-Long. 

I am linking up to the Finish-a-Long party at She Can Quilt.

Clementine Four Square

This quilt is one I made with a couple of Heather Bailey "Celmentine" charm packs.  These colors and patterns are not my usual, but I got the charm packs on sale and thought I'd be able to use them. The pattern I used is from Amy Smart's book "Fabulously Fast Quilts."  I originally started with the green 4-squares, then decided I wasn't so sure about that color and changed to the pinkish 4-squares. In the end I used both.

I quilted with a figure eight pattern.  The binding is a shot cotton in red -- but since it is shot cotton it looks pink (a fabric where two colors are woven, in this case red and white.  So instead of red, it looks pink.)  I got the backing on clearance months after I bought the charm packs.  

 

This is the second quilt I made with this "Fast Four Patch" pattern.  The other is waiting to be quilted. Hopefully you'll see that one soon too!

This is on my list of Finish-a-long goals for Quarter 3 of 2017.
I am linking up to the Finish-A-Long party at She Can Quilt

Fairytale Quilt

I am on a role!  I have several "flimsies" (quilt tops that haven't been quilted.)  So for my Finish-A-Long goals this quarter I decided to only include those.  Quilting is not as fun as piecing for me, so I tend to start more projects than I finish.

I started by measuring all the flimsies that I had.  Then I measured the batting that I had.  I often buy queen sized batting and then cut it up to use it for two or more quilts.  Then I sat down and figured out what flimsies would fit on what pieces of batting.  This process really motivated me to baste and finish one quilt after another.

One of my really old flimsies was this Fairytale quilt.  The fabric is from a charm pack by American Jane. I like the colors, but never really loved the cute bears and flowers.  I think I'm finally figuring out that I am drawn more to color, and so sometimes I buy the fabrics based on the color only.  But then I get home and don't love the fabric pattern.

As is often the case, I like the quilt a lot better after quilting it -- even with simple straight lines.  I hope I find someone to give it to.  Pretty sure my boys don't want it.  :)

I had a bit of an adventure quilting this one.  I had a piece of black minky for the backing.  I haven't done much with minky.  I don't love heavy blankets -- particularly for babies.  (Carrying baby and car seat weighs enough without an additional heavy blanket.)  SO I thought I'd quilt it without batting.

But when I started quilting, the black minky was pulling through to the top.  I looked online for some tips and tried a few things.  I changed my needle (one site said use a smaller needle, another said use a bigger needle.  I tried both and neither fixed the problem.)  Then I changed my thread from cotton to polyester.  This seemed to help a little bit.  But still the black came through.  In the end I unpicked the quilting I had done and re-basted with some batting.  Yay!  No more black fuzzies on the front.  I guess I had to have that batting in between to catch all the fuzziness.  If I use minky again, I may still try it without minky -- I'll just use a minky that more closely matches the quilt top.

So that was a long explanation.  Karen and Allyson, I hope you didn't think you needed to read all those details.  :)  It just kind of helps me remember my mistakes/discoveries.

This was on my list of goals for the Finish-a-Long. 

I am linking up to the Finish-a-Long party at She Can Quilt.

A Quilt for Elijah

A few months ago I finished this quilt for my nephew.  Sadly, he died just a few days before his due date.  I have put off writing about this quilt, not knowing what to say about it.  I know the past month has been tough for my brother and his family.  They have moved along in their busy lives, taking care of their other 4 children.  Their courage and faith has been a great example to me.  So Allyson & Dave, if you are reading this, know that I love you!  I made this quilt thinking of you and your little boy...and I do love how it turned out.  So here goes:  

The pattern is "Simple Simon" from Amy Smart's book "Fabulously Fast Quilts" -- I have used the pattern before and I think it's a great one for baby boy quilts.  The fabric is an adorable Riley Blake line called "Greatest Adventure."  I love the little boys in this -- throwing airplanes, wearing capes, riding in cardboard box cars.  Super cute.  

For the quilting I did some straight lines in the middle section, loops on the white border, and loopty-loos around the outside boarder.  Not sure how well you can see it on this backing, but there it is:

I had a fat quarter bundle for this quilt, and so I ended up with some fabric left over.  Much of what I didn't use had a white background.  So I made this second quilt.  Frankly, I don't love it.  The pattern is simple, which I like.  But I think solid white borders might have looked better.   The pattern is from Elizabeth Hartman's book "The Practical Guide to Patchwork."  

I quilted waves around each of the squares.  Up until recently I have only done meandering, all-over quilt patterns (the same thing over the whole quilt, not following the quilt blocks at all.)  So actually quilting only certain parts of the quilt was new for me.  The challenge is that you have to start and stop and twist and turn the quilt more often.  But I did this one simply so I could avoid all that.

The backing is from another Riley Blake line -- I can't remember the exact name, but I think it also has "adventure" in it.  It is cute little newspaper hats.  I think a bolder binding might have helped this quilt out too.  But this one will have to do.  :)  

Space Quilt

A couple of years ago my sister gave me a small fat quarter pack -- I think there were 6 fabrics.  They are space/astronaut fabrics from a the line called Planet Buzz by Blend Fabrics.  I didn't have many fabrics that would match with these, so I looked for a pattern using 5 or 6 prints, plus some background fabric.

The one I ended up using is from a book called "Take Two and Add a Few" by Atkinson's Design.  I won this book in a drawing at my local quilt shop.  It is older, and the fabrics are not my favorite, but it ended up being a great pattern for me this time.  The "floating" blocks seem fitting for a space quilt. I had a few extra blocks and scraps of fabric, so I pieced the back.

I tried a new quilting pattern -- kind of an elongated, meandering maze.   I even went out on a limb and used some colored variegated thread.  When I first started quilting it kept breaking and I initially thought it was because it is a different brand and weight of thread than I typically used.  But after trying to adjust the tension, I changed my needle and didn't have any more thread breaking.  Yay!  I think my other needle may have had a knick in it or something.

You can see in the picture that my meandering corners kind of changed -- from boxy to curvy. I started with the curvy corners at the bottom, then when I came back the next day I morphed into boxy -- oops. I'm certainly not going to unpick it all.  :)  Despite the imperfection of my quilting, I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.  I'd like to try it again sometime.  And since I have 2 more basted quilts, I may just be able to do it.

I am on a roll.

This was on my list of goals for the Finish-a-Long. 

I am linking up to the Finish-a-Long party at She Can Quilt.

do. Good Stitches - Teen Quilt

For the past couple of years I have been participating in an online charity bee -- do. Good Stitches.   How it works is that there are about 8 assigned to one "beehive."  We live all over the U.S.  Each month everyone makes a couple of quilt blocks and mails them to a person in charge to finish the quilt.  That quilt is then donated to Project Linus, a non-profit organization that gives quilts to children in need -- for example, children who are seriously ill.

So in May I was in charge of the quilt for the first time .  First I contacted a local Project Linus person who gathers the blankets and distributes them.  I asked her if there were any particular needs, and as suspected she said they are often lacking in boy quilts -- specifically teen boy quilts.  This was not surprising, as quilters tend to enjoy making cute or pretty things.  Having 3 boys myself, though, I am happy to contribute something cool instead (or something like that. :))

So off I went to choose a quilt pattern suitable for a teen boy.  I decided on Mister DJ by Melissa Cory.  We are all using scraps from our fabric stash so I needed something that could be nice and scrappy.  I chose the colors, shared the instructions, and waited for fun little packages to arrive in the mail.  It was so fun to open those envelopes and see the different blocks.  A few of the other ladies sent an extra block or more.  That was so nice.  I had plenty for the quilt -- even 2 extra for the back.

I love how the quilt turned out and hope that it is appreciated by some teenage boy out there.  :)

This was on my list of goals for the Finish-a-Long. 

I am linking up to the Finish-a-Long party at She Can Quilt.