Science Fair Friday Finish

Finally, a finished quilt top. This quilt is not hard. The blocks are large. There are only 12 of them. But it took me forever to get them done and put together.

 It went from this...

 to this...

 to this...

 I made the sashing strips 3 inches, instead of 2 1/2 inches. Same with the borders. I wanted the quilt  wee bit bigger so it would fit on J's bed better. I discovered how much I hate cutting and sewing the long sashing and border strips onto a quilt. Probably why I don't make many quilts like this anymore.

 But I do love the way it turned out. Now, on to basting and quilting. The goal is to have it done and ready to give to J when he comes for Thanksgiving!

 I love these blocks!

Have a great weekend. Happy Halloween and daylight savings time ends Sunday! Really, it is fall now. Linking up with Amanda Jean At Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Friday.

Thursday Threads

So I missed WIP Wednesday, and truth be told, I was feeling a bit too lazy to get pictures and post. But here I am today. One of many things I am working on right now is the Fair Isle QAL that Lee at Freshly Pieced has going on. I am hoping that this will spur me to get this one done in a timely fashion. It is a beautiful quilt and even though there are tons of pieces, the assembly is straight forward. Here's where I am so far. All the cutting is done ad I have started with the poinsettia blocks.

                                  First these tiny little 4 patch blocks go together...

 I love how cute and small they are. You sew strips together and then cut and sew to get the 4 patch.

                                           Then, you add the side pieces...

 Then you make about a million HSTs and trim them down. Okay, so only 120, but it feels like a million. They do look pretty, don't they?

 Then you assemble each quadrant so they are all exactly alike. 40 quadrants to make 10 blocks.

And TA-DA!! The first block is finished! Only 9 more to go and then it will be on to the next step. Still time to join in...c'mon, you know you want to.

Sunday Stash #29

I just had to look and see what number this post would be. I haven't posted a stash post in all of October. Not because there was nothing to post, but because I was feeling lazy. I even had pictures on the computer of some things I bought. So I am back now. First of all, I bought a whole bolt of Kona white. No picture of that, but great thanks to Julie at Intrepid Thread. She got it to me so quickly. This is the first time I have bought a whole bolt of anything and I am loving it!
Next, these:

 Trying to control my spending, so I bought just one yard of my favorite in each collection. This is Anna Maria Horner's Pretty Potent.

 I love these bees in this colorway from Tula Pink's new line. I have already started fussy cutting some for a project.

And this is my favorite from Jeni Baker's new line, Geometric Bliss. I just love the uneven stripes and the colors. Linking up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Time

I love looking at all the quilts in the Blogger's Quilt Festival that Amy Ellis puts on twice a year. I though a lot about which quilt to show off this time. I have made many quilts this year, but the one I am in love with the most is of my own design. I made it for a blog hop last spring and I still love it so much. I keep it close to my chair, now that the fall weather has cooled things down.

 I started out with these, and then sorted them into dark, medium and low values, just by my eye's perception.

 And then I laid them all out. I have long wanted a red and white quilt, but the design always halted me. What to do? This was just what I wanted.

 I made my own gingham picnic quilt. This was a lot of 3 inch squares to sew together and keep straight.

 And to hold them all together I used a black and white stripe. The perfect frame for it all.

 I love the way the sun and trees dapple the shadows on it here.

 The backing I have had for years and this is the perfect use for it. Now it can be a beach quilt too. And it did go to the beach this summer with us.

The text print was my "white" for this project. Many of these fabrics have been in my stash for awhile. I love this quilt!
Quilt size is approximately 55 x 60 inches.

WIP Wednesday-Busy, Busy

Lots going on over here these days. So many projects, but I just can't seem to help myself. Lots of starts and a few finishes every couple of weeks. Not bad. Starting on some holiday sewing too. Here's what's up.

 Got a bunch of pieces cut out for holiday table runner. This is from a Warm Wishes bundle by Red Rooster fabrics. I won a $30 gift card to Ms Apple Heart's Etsy shop and this was what I chose.  This is the Etsy shop run by Madame Samm of Sew We Quilt. Pop over and check it out. Lots of great things, and the proceeds are going to help her assistant with college expenses. A win-win for all.

 Next, I have started the cuttin of pieces for the Fair Isle quilt sew along with Lee at Freshly Pieced. It doesn't start until tomorrow, but with all these pieces to cut out, I need all the extra time I can get. Can't wait to get sewing on this one.

 I have 2 of the 4 rows put together, pressed and on a hanger for J's new quilt. I hope to get this quilt top finished by next week. The goal is to get it quilted and ready for J when he comes for Thanksgiving. I need deadlines people. They keep me moving. Projects without deadlines languish around here.

 A couple of trick or treat bags for V and B. I did J's and took it to him a couple of weeks ago when I went to visit and drop off the Fall Wedding quilt to my daughter and her hubby.

 And while I was there, she asked if I could fix the binding on this quilt She made it in sewing class, way back in 1999. For some reason we mad a single fold binding and for a quilt that is loved and used as much as this one is, that was the wrong decision.

 I found enough of this in my stash to make a new double fold binding so I will be working on this too. Also with a Thanksgiving deadline so it can go back home with her.

 The sewing on the edges where the binding was are very irregular and the batting is so very thin now. I told my husband I think the fabric weighs more than the batting does for sure.

I do love seeing these older fabrics. I remember when we went to choose them. I had hoped I had another quilter in the family, but nope. This is the only quilt she ever made. She doesn't really like to sew. Oh, well. Hope your week is as productive as mine is shaping up to be. Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

Friday Finish-A quilt for V

Today's finish is a quilt for my great niece, V. She is now in second grade and growing up so fast. When she was born, I sent her a baby quilt with sheep on it. A very sweet, small quilt, to be sure. V is currently living with my sister in her home, along with her mother and her grand parents. There are several quilts in that house, mostly made by me, but also a few antique ones my sisters rescued. When my sis came home from work one afternoon, she noticed the lap quilt from the couch was missing. She found V all wrapped up in it. She apparently "needed" the comfort of the quilt. Another day she was wrapped up in the queen size bed quilt on my sister's bed. So I decided V needed a new quilt of her own.

 This is the quilt top on the wall. It is the only shot of the entire thing because it is so wet outside right now and the indoor lighting isn't great. Lots of rain and clouds here lately.

It is made from a jelly roll of Aneela Hoey's Hello Petal that I won in a giveaway last year. The perfect thing for such a girly little girl. I quilted it in a 4 inch cross hatch pattern. I love the look the four line so close together give it. I put several random flowers in some of the blocks.

 It's not a bed size quilt, but I think it will cover her up nicely and provide lots of snuggles. It is so soft now that it is washed and dried.

 For the back I pieced together some of the flowered fabric from the line, along with the palest pink that has been in my stash for literally, years.

 Another shot of the back so you can see the quilting lines.

 I added a long strip of Kona in a pink shade to make the quilt wider. V is a big girl after all.

 The binding is from my stash. I couldn't match the colors perfectly, so I settled for using some yellow, pink and blue, alternated to give a bit more scrappy look to it.

Here is the pink binding. I quilted her name in the pink near the bottom of the quilt, but I can't get it to show in a photo. But I know she will love it. From her "Aunt Charlotte who makes the quilts". Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Friday.

WIP Wednesday

Fall is rushing by and I know there is some holiday sewing on the horizon, but not just yet. Here is what I am working on today:

 The binding is ready and soon will be attached to the quilt for my great niece V. I chose three colors from my stash that I think go with the quilt, since there is not enough left of the fabric I used in the quilt.

 Here is the quilt, quilted and ready to bind. It is made from a jelly roll of Hello Petal.

 I just had to get a yard of this cute fabric and now am pulling from my stash, fabrics to go with it for something. I can't decide, small quilt or pillow, but I love these bees!!

 And all the blocks are made for J's quilt now, so it is time to assemble the quilt top. There are twelve of these star blocks.

The white sashing and the print border are all cut and ready to go. So that is what I am working on today. Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced. C'mon and join us.

Scraptastic Tuesday-My First Visit There

She Can Quilt and Mrs.Sew and Sow have a Scraptastic Tuesday link up that I am trying out for the first time. I have read these posts before, but never joined in until now. Now I have something to show. So I belong to a Bee group on Flickr that I started 3 years ago called Sunday Morning Quilts Bee. I wanted to celebrate the book and the awesome push it gave me to use my scraps. After 3 years of sewing with scraps, I still have tons of them, since every project generates more. My month this year was August and I chose to have X and plus blocks made from scraps in blue, red and yellow.

 These two blocks here are mine and I posted them to the group to show how I wanted them made. Then, I turned them loose and let them sew.  This is what I have received so far:

So much scrappy goodness on my design wall. I am going to wait until I receive the last few blocks before I finalize the arrangement, but so far, I am loving its bright cheerfulness. Scrap sewing is so much fun and it really pushes me to try things I might nowt otherwise. Linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday.