Scrappy Quilt

I have been derelict in updating my blog as I finished projects.  I will try to correct this starting with this post and the others spread out over the next few weeks.  This quilt was actually finished back in November.  I gave it away to be used as a baby quilt.  It measures 31.5 in X 34 in.

Quilt Damage Repaired

Our rescue Jack Russell terrier Harlow decided to chew on this old quilt for some unknown reason.  We adopted her in March this year.  She had not chewed on any of the quilts until recently when she did this.

I repaired it by trimming the hole and then hand sewing a piece of batting to fit.  Then I machine stitched the words "Harlow was here" on a heart shaped piece of felted wool.  I then machine quilted this over the hole.  I then hand appliqued another heart using dog paw cotton fabric on the back.\

Here is a picture of Harlow (usually sweet).

Blocks for Thomas Fire Relief Quilts

The Ventura Modern Quilt Guild has organized the collection of quilt blocks (Perkiomen Valley block, 12.5 in square) for relief quilts of those affected by the Thomas Fire (link: http://www.venturamodernquiltguild.com/2017/12/11/thomas-fire-blocks/).  Here are seven I made over the extended Christmas weekend (already mailed).

Cross Shoulder Purse

I made this cross shoulder purse after making this travel bag.  I used the same fabrics as I had so much left over.  I entered it into the 2018 Road to California Bag Challenge.  I don't expect to win but you never know.  I drafted the pattern for this purse using an old leather purse.  There are three outer pockets and three inside pockets.  The purse has a zipper closure.  The strap length can be adjusted for shoulder length or cross body.   This side has two slip pockets.

 I consider this the back.  There is one slip pocket on this side.

 The inside has three pockets, two open and one zips closed.

There is also a hook for keys on the end of the strap.  I have always loved this feature in my old purse so added it here.

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Sewing Room Remodel Done

The remodel of my sewing room is mostly done.  There are small things that still need to be done -- like recovering the chair, hanging pictures, etc -- but the floor it done, the walls are painted, the shelves are up, new blinds in place, and the books, fabric, etc have been put back into place.  Here are some photos of the after.

This first photo shows the wall with the closet that has been turned into a small office space with my antique desk as well as some built in shelves which hold yarn, books, etc.  There is a large peg board that hold gadgets, some thread, and my quilt templates. I have have a big board ironing board that fits over my regular ironing board.  It needs a new cover which I plan on ordering soon.

This photo shows the wall that faces west so this blind will be closed most of the time to help keep the room cool.  My sewing machine sits on an old dining table (it actually will fold out into a rectangle) that I've had since the mid-80's. I long ago took over one of my husband's draft tables to use as a cutting area and to help support my fabric and quilts as I sew/quilt. I discovered that several of my storage bins that stack fit nicely beneath it (easier to see in a photo below).

This photo is of the wall facing north.  The blinds will be mostly kept open.  There is a nice bookcase along this wall which holds quilting and knitting books.  There are also more storage bins of fabric.  My fabric hasn't been sorted by color.

This wall holds my design area made of white felt.  I made sure it was twice as large after the remodel as before.  I am enjoying the increased size already.

 Here is a photo that show the stacked bins under the cutting table.

Second Memory Quilt Top Finished

Here's the second memory quilt using the mostly Tommy Bahama shirts for my colleague's family. The top measures 46.5 in X 60.5 in.  It is machine pieced and will be machine quilted.

 I used the pockets for this quilt.

Memory Quilt Finished

The first memory quilt from the mostly Tommy Bahama shirts for my colleague's family is finished.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  The finished quilt measures 51 in X 66 in. The photo of the full quilt isn't the best but I am pleased with how it turned out.

 This photo shows some of the fabric detail.

 This photo also shows some of the fabric detail as well as the tags/labels.

 Here is a section of the back which shows some of the quilting detail.

Two Fabric Postcards

These two fabric postcards are birthday themed. Both are machine appliqued and quilted. The first one features a n ice cream cone with a cherry on top.  It measures approx 5 in x 8 in.

 This photo hopefully shows the added sparkle (using glitter glue) to the cherry and to lesser extent the ice cream.

 The second card features a cup cake with single lit candle.

Stars Galore

This lovely quilt, Stars Galore, is the quilt I received in the ALQS9 quilt swap.  It's 18.25" square, machine pieced and quilted.  It was made by Marie.  Her blog is Marie's Creative Space.

Works in Progress or Not

This first project is a sweater I was knitting (no longer in progress).  I almost had it finished when I frogged it.  At the point this first photo was taken I was pleased with the project as the fit seemed good.  The pattern is Gemini by Jane Richmond.  The yarn is Rowan Creative Linen.

After finishing the body and the first sleeve I changed my mind.  The fit no longer seemed good.  The sweater body felt too boxy.  The sleeve was way too wide.  I decided to frog the project and use the yarn with a different pattern.  I think I will use this one -- #14 Leaf Yoke Top by Angela Hahn.

This quilt project is progressing better.  It's another of my crazy quilts for a baby or toddler.  Here are two photos showing parts of the quilt top being pieced.  Lots of color and objects to be found.

This section has a tractor pulling a wagon full of apples, a robot, frogs, and a motorcycle.

My #OLFA35 Quilt Block

A few weeks ago I was contacted by an OLFA representative asking if I would like to participate in the 35^th Anniversary Celebration this summer by either creating a square for their 35^th Anniversary Commemorative Quilt which will be displayed this October at the International Quilt Market in Houston in October or by hosting a reader giveaway.  I choose to create a square for the quilt.  In return for participating I was sent a kit of OLFA products (a cutting board, a rotary cutter, a 6.5 in square ruler.  There were only two rules for the quilt block:  1) it had to be 6.5 in square (will be 6 in square when sewn into the quilt) and 2) had to include the color yellow.  Here's my #OLFA35 block.

 

Happy 4th of July!  Hope you enjoy it safely.  Here’s a link to one of my old post from 2011 on Firework Safety.

Fantasy Footwear -- Part Three

Let me refer you back to the these two previous posts (beginning, part 2) for the back story of this quilt.  It took me a while to decide how I wanted to do the actual quilting.  As you may notice in the photos below I made a few false starts with my marking.  I'll have to be careful when doing the quilting to not take a wrong turn onto those false start marks.  I finally settled on a circle around the shoe.  Inside the circle will be hatch quilting in a horizontal direction.  Outside the circle will be hatch quilting on a 45 degree angle.  The shoe will be outline quilted.  All of that will be done with white thread.  Then I will most likely do some additional quilting on top of the larger green leaves and tulips, we'll see.

In this photo, you can see the freezer paper I used to sketch my quilt design (after I had made the earlier false starts).   I marked the actual quilt using the freezer paper to get my outside square marked, then trimmed each corner from the circle and marked the circle.

And here is one corner marked.  I don’t plan to mark the inner hatch marks until I have stitched around the shoe and stitched the circle plus another inner circle 1/4 inch from the original circle.

Fantasy Footwear -- Part Two

See the prior post for the back story on this quilt work-in-progress.  After placing all the small pieces and fusing them into place it was time to do the detail stitching.  These photos show some of the stitching.  This first one shows the entire quilt top.

This one shows the heel of the shoe which I love.

Here is the butterfly which really came alive with the stitching added.

I really like how the daffodils came out.

The tulips may need a bit more work.

And here is the toe of the shoe with the bulb sitting on it

Now it's time to put the top, batting, and backing together and come to a decision regarding just how the actual quilting will be done.

Sandy Quilt Blocks

Recently received an email the Quilting Gallery asking for help.  Michelle has organized a Quilt Block Drive matching up those that want to make quilt blocks with those that will assemble the finished quilts for donation. She is asking for scrappy wonky log cabin blocks and has  provided the tutorial too. If you want to lend a hand, you can find the Info and registration here (link removed 3/2017).

I made four blocks and have mailed them to my team leader.

I cut off some of the black strip in this photo but it is as wide on all sides.

Two WIPs

I have two projects I am currently working on.  One is another scrappy child's quilt.   This one is for a colleague who saw another one I had done.  It will be used for his grandchildren.  I pieced twelve 11 in blocks (so when sewn to the sashing will finish at 10.5 in square).  The sashing is 2.5 in wide, so when sewn to the blocks will measure 2 in wide.  Here are some photos of some of the fun details.  This first one shows robots, flowers, skiers, a red convertible.

This one shows a cat peeking out, a razorback, Tigger, a steamboat, stars.

And in this one you can see the owl in the connecting 2.5 in square, a dancing cat in a hat, a race car, carolers, trees.  

The other is an ambitious knitting project.  I’m making a swirl jacket using the pattern Sheer Beauty by Sandra McIver.   

Here I've stretched out the knitting so you can see the two yarns:  Noro Taiyo (color #28) and Malabrigo Lace in Damask (#13o).

WIP -- African Whole Cloth Quilt

A friend from high school gave me some gorgeous fabric from her travels.  She was cleaning out her closets and I won the lottery.  This gorgeous fabric is from the African continent (the stickers fell off so I don’t know for sure which country).   It measures approximately 56 in X 76 in (photo only shows part of it).  I couldn’t bring myself to cut it up into smaller pieces so have decided to make a whole cloth quilt. 

I felt the animals and trees needed to be three dimensional, so have opted to use the trapunto method of sewing polyfil batting to the fabric and then trimming around each piece to remove the batting from areas that aren’t meant to “stand out.” 

I then made a quilt sandwich of the quilt front, cotton batting (Hobbs), and the quilt back (which is a lovely green though the below photo has washed it out).  I am now in the process of machine quilting the piece.  I’m using outline or echo quilting.