Quilt Tops done!

Last night, I found a cookie tin with (154) flannel squares (pre-cut to 3 1/2").  The squares were too small to make a "rag quilt", so I placed them on the design wall and then this morning, I sewed them into a 33" x 42" quilt top.  My plan is to back it with larger flannel squares depending on my current stash.  I'm in the mood to use up my accumulated scraps.

154 Flannel Squares Quilt top

This afternoon, I pieced this little sailboat top from donated fabrics.  The (5) blocks were cut from a pre-printed panel.  Both quilts will go to Project Linus.

Sailboat Quilt top

Design Wall Monday

As I was looking through one of my older magazines, "American Quilter" November 2009, pg.80-82, I came across a pattern for a Dimensional Scrap Quilt by Nancy Zieman.  Her quilt was called Treasure Chest and measured 71 1/2" x 93".  Since I have a couple of  treasure chests of scraps, I thought her pattern would be perfect for using up my scraps.  I liked her idea of choosing an inspirational fabric and then using that fabric to select scraps that blended, matched and coordinated. 

                             My Focus Fabric for Dimensional Scrap Quilt

Dimensional Scrap Quilt measures 42" x 63 1/2"

The dimension arrives by adding accents inserted into the strips (folded squares and rectangles.)  The quilt is rather wild with all the different colors but it should make a fun quilt for a teenage girl.  Our sewing group continues to work on "I Spy" quilts, so many of the fabrics were from the "I Spy" fabrics which we have been using, along with my stash.  The borders at the top and bottom have two (1 1/4"strips) of the "Nite Owls" by Judy Hansen for Paintbrush Studio and one (3/4" strip) of the focus fabric sew in between to make a finished border of 3" top and bottom.  Obviously, I would have used the gray fabric for the borders but I used all I had for the strips. 

The Question Is?  Did it use up my scraps?  It didn't even make a dent......  

So the search continues for another easy pattern for using lots of scraps. 

Be sure to visit the Blogs of other quilters to see their creations at Patchwork Times.com
 

Design Wall Monday

For the last couple of months, I have been struggling to get a handle on all the fabrics that I have brought home from R.J.'s.  Pre-printed panels have always intrigued me, although they are usually "not square", which can be very frustrating.  These panels were to be used to make pillows.  When I got them out this week-end, I discovered 12 blocks, which I cut down to 15" square and then cut sashing 3" wide.  When we create the Project Linus quilts, we try to make them less than 42" wide, so we don't have to piece the backs.  Our batting is 48" wide.

The next issue was to find fabric from 20 years ago that would match the fabrics printed in the blocks.  You would think that with all the fabric I have "in house", I could find something that blended.  Hooray!  I found about 3/4 yard of "Shades of Autumn" by Jenny Beyer, which I used for the sashing.

 

Then, I wondered what was in my "green and red" plastic bin.  Yikes!!   More fabric scraps, way more fabric scraps.  Over the last few weeks, I've been searching for quilt patterns for using scraps and strips.

See what others are creating at Judy's Blog; Patchwork Times.com

Design Wall Monday

Creative Girl Art Quilt--
I discovered this easy fun project in the November 2013 issue of American Quilter.  Carrie Payne provides more inspiration on her blog; Believe Magic.com

In Carrie's article, she suggests piecing the background for added interest.  I thought about doing that but found I was stuck on finding the right fabrics.  So, when I went to Hancock's of Paducah, I found a nice tone on tone that I thought would work for me.

Hop on over to Judy's Blog at:  Patchwork Times.com  to see what others are creating this week.

Creative Girl Art Quilt Begins

I Spy a 3rd Quilt Top

Last week, our local sewing group cut more squares for our "I Spy" quilt tops.  Last Tuesday, I took another packet of squares but decided I wanted to try adding some pieced letters.  I had done the letters previously on another couple of quilts and wanted to try it again.  It took awhile to find the magazine since I had put it somewhere safe and then could not find it. 

Sherri Bain Driver, wrote an excellent article called Patchwork Alphabet in Quilters Newsletter Magazine #316 dated October 1999.

I really enjoyed doing these quilts, hoping they would bring a smile to a child who was not feeling well. 

Third "I Spy" quilt Top May 2014

  

Fresh Strawberries picked this morning

A local strawberry patch of about 3 acres opened yesterday.  Last year, we picked one bucket.  However, this year we decided to pick two buckets (1 to eat and 1 to freeze).  Yum!  I discovered last year's plastic bucket made a great container for storing my 5" charm squares.  Now, I'll have (3) containers to store my charm squares.  To celebrate, I had a Strawberry Smoothie for lunch.

Fresh Strawberries picked this morning

Fresh Strawberries picked Monday, May 5th

May Day Celebration

Dancing Around the May Pole

My mother was from England and I always remember her telling about dancing around the May Pole on the first of May with flowers in their hair.

The girls in this picture are not from the same time period because my mother lived in England during the early 1900's.