White Christmas

This is the first in a series of small quilts for our  dear DIL.   She had specially requested a couple of small quilts in 'liturgical colors' to use on a little table that she wants to use for family prayer time.  I was so glad to get it finished in time for Christmas.

about 24 inches square 

White is the color of celebration used during the Christmas and Easter seasons.  My first stop was Hobby Lobby for some inspiration.  They had a very pretty soft gray fabric with calligraphy: "Faith, Hope, Love, Friendship...." Perfect!

Using the fabric as the center focus, the next step was designing a pieced border.  In my book of quilt blocks I found one called "Grandmother's Cross."  I used that as the basis for the border, but ended up piecing it in strips like Seminole quilting in order to eliminate lots of triangles around the edges of each block. 

It worked out quite well, except that the four corners had to be mitered.  I don't think I've ever attempted anything quite so complicated to piece, but I took a deep breath, said a prayer, and forged ahead.  Miraculously, all four corners matched and laid flat!  I only had to make one small adjustment.

The border is quilted stitch-in-the-ditch, and the center is a simple meander.

It was challenging, but this design finally came together and it turned out much better than I expected!  It was so exciting to see her open this gift up on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas

Just a holiday note to thank you for stopping by to Quilt Awhile with me.  I so appreciate your comments and encouragement on our quilting journey together.  Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and wonderful New Year!

Vintage postcard from my Dad's collection

Countryside Wreath

This was an unexpected Christmas surprise!  The pattern showed up when I was searching for something else, and it was just perfect to help use up some of the stash. It became a leader-ender type of project while I was working on Christmas gifts.  It was fast and easy because the pieces were 3-inches and larger.  The pattern is Countryside Wreaths (single block option) by Thimbleberries. 

Countryside Wreath 37.5 inches square

On Smith Lake parts 2-4

"Christmas time is coming and the (flying) geese are getting fat!"

Part 2 of Bonnie Hunter's winter Mystery "On Ringo Lake" is pieced.  All those flying geese!  But they're done.  Part 3 is cut out and bundled, as is Part 4, but that's as far as I get. 

Several quilted Christmas gifts are finished (or just have binding left to hand stitch.)  Posts about those will have to wait until after Christmas.  Addressing cards and gift wrapping have their priorities too.  Plus, with family arriving for the Holiday (with dog in tow) there's some pup-proofing of the house that needs to happen. 

The Christmas tree is up, but no ornaments on it yet.  Way behind in that category.  And no cookie baking has happened yet either.  DH has come down with a horrible cold, which I'm trying NOT to catch, so he's excused from helping with Christmas prep for now.

Hope your Holiday preparations are coming along. Wishing you the Joys of the Season!

On the design wall: Lighthouses

Our Dear Daughter was home for Thanksgiving and she brought me a great panel from the local quilt shop in Ashland, WI.  What a wonderful surprise!

The panel has a half-dozen 6-inch sketches of the Lighthouses of the Apostle Islands.  In recent years her hubby worked with the National Park Service as the Lighthouses were repaired, and he spent many summer days out on Lake Superior with that project.  So it has special meaning.

Lady of the Lake blocks seemed the appropriate setting, so I've pulled the blue, purple and green 3-inch blocks out of my scrap bag.  Matching a light and a dark, I'm making 2.5-inch cut HST's to go around each 6.5-inch cut lighthouse piece.

Here's where I started...

and here's what I have now...

On Smith Lake part 1

Bonnie Hunter's new mystery quilt is underway.   It's always so exciting to see what wonderful design she has for us to sew along together.   On Ringo Lake was inspired by the lake cabin in northern Minnesota that is her family gathering place.  Such wonderful memories are made "at the Lake."  We are blessed enough to have such a place in our family too.  So, of course, my version will carry the name of our Minnesota lake, "On Smith Lake."

Minnesotans are so funny about our over 10,000 lakes.  We talk about them all as if there's only one.  "Been to The Lake?"  "Yup."  And we nod like we know precisely which one it is.  It's not the exact lake that matters, it's the collective memories that are made at all the Minnesota lakes that we instinctively understand.

We were up to The Lake this past weekend and  before we left home I looked up the first clue to the mystery.  Here are the 9-patch blocks right along the lake shore.  Five packs of 10 blocks.  My turquoise fabrics lean more to medium-dark blue.   I hope that there will still be enough contrast.  As you can tell from the photo, it's a color you can often see in the waters of Smith Lake.

Can you tell that the lake is frozen now?  Not long after this photo was taken a flock of 16 beautiful white swans flew in and landed on the one spot on the lake that was still open water.  What a sight!

Linking up with the Monday link-up at Quiltville. 

Countryside Wreath

The holidays are coming up in a hurry, and there are gifts to sew! 

As I was pulling out the perfect pattern for a wall hanging, (which I can't show you until it's gifted at Christmas) I noticed this Thimbleberries wreath pattern in the pile.  It just jumped out and offered to help me use up some 3-inch scraps from my scrap bag. Well, that's my story anyway. (wink)

Why not?

So, amid my other projects, this squeezed it's way into my sewing time, and it turned out great!  I decided to go with the single block version and it's plenty big.  It's 38 inches square with borders, 25.5 inches square without.  It was perfect to use up a bunch of those scraps, but I probably have enough for a couple more!  It's so tempting.  It went together in such a short time!

Don't you think that those spur-of-the-moment projects are so much fun to do?  No planning, no deadline, no fuss.

New Orleans adventure

New Second Line by Rhonda Blasingame 2010

Recently my sister and I met up with some cousins in New Orleans.    We had a delightful long weekend in the city.  The Vacation Rental where we stayed was a very old "double shotgun" style house, a duplex that is long and narrow.  It was adorable!  Not your usual cookie-cutter hotel room.  Nope, this one had age and personality!


It was a pleasant surprise to find a quilted wall hanging above the fireplace in the dining area.  And the more we looked at it, the more there was to be seen. 





The darker blue at the top forms the shape of the Louisiana coastline along the blue Gulf of Mexico.  Black figures in raw edge hand applique march and dance across the quilt in a traditional New Orleans Funeral procession.  First the hearse carrying the deceased, followed by family members on foot.  Next in line are the musicians. Can you almost hear them playing "When the Saints Go Marching In"? Bringing up the rear is the "second line" carrying umbrellas. 


A closer look shows bead embellishments on all the umbrellas, and clear raindrop beads falling upon them.  I wish my photos could do it justice.  I had to use my cell phone since I had not brought a separate camera.

 Fortunately, the quilter, Rhonda Blasingame, had put a label on the back.  She made the quilt in 2010.  Even the backing, with it's bright umbrellas, was a delight. 

Some of the tourist-y things we did on our 'cousins weekend':

* Riverboat cruise on the Creole Queen to the historic site of the Battle of New Orleans.  The National Park Service has a museum there too.

* Demonstration class at the New Orleans School of Cooking.  Loads of fun!  It was interesting to hear the history of the area in relation to the many cultures that blended to create the unique cuisine of New Orleans.

* Walked around the French Quarter, attended Sunday Mass at the Cathedral, went to the Cabildo Museum, and decided that Bourbon Street was NOT our cup of tea! lol

Jackson Square, New Orleans

Log cabin layout

deck of cards layout

Log cabins are such a cute way to use up those narrow strips and scraps.  A week or so ago I cleared out my 1-1/4 inch bag and made up 24 Log Cabin blocks that finish at 5 inches.

It's layout time! 

Recently I saw a 'deck of cards' arrangement that was intriguing.  It would make two small quilts once I add setting and corner triangles.  They'd make nice gifts.  I love how they make a pinwheel in the center.

Or, maybe put the blocks all together into one quilt.  Ooh, the possibilities!

pinwheel and barn raising layout

Just at the right time! Palmateer Point.

Have you ever stumbled upon just the right project at the right time?  Lori at Humble Quilts has a quilt-along that is perfect for some scraps I've been trying to use up.   I couldn't resist jumping in.

Palmateer Point parts one, two and three.

There are lots of projects that take 4-patch scraps.  Nearly every one has two light and two dark blocks.  What's left?  All those not-quite-light enough and not-quite-dark enough colors.  You know what I mean?  Those scraps where the color is never just right?  They get set aside every time.  And I had a bunch of them.

Well, those sad, overlooked blocks have found a home in Palmateer Point.  Twenty-five 4-patch blocks in soft almost-medium colors.  My scrap bag is nearly empty.  Ta-Da!

Here's the center portion all finished.   It's so hard to decide on a border!  The green keeps the soft antique look, but the blue gingham gives it a bit of a pop.  Which is your favorite?  Or something else entirely?

Clearing out the 1-1/4 strips

Every once in a while it's time to clear out a bag of scraps.  My scrap-user system involves putting pieces of the same width in gallon Ziploc bags.  When they get reasonably full, it's time to find a project to use them up. 

Well, this week the teeniest of scraps got the attention.  I dumped out and sorted the 1-1/4 inch strips by size.  Next came a little math and a prototype Log Cabin block to test out what I needed.  Strips were cut and put in small bags, all ready to sew up more Log Cabins.

The two smallest pieces in the Log Cabins are red and white at 1-1/4 inches each.  The shortest dark strip is 2-inches.  So, in the end, I had a bunch of dark strips that were smaller than 2-inches and couldn't be used. 

What to do?  4-patches!  Trimmed to 2-inches and cute as can be.  They might make nice cornerstones in a future project, or maybe the center of a Square-in-square block.  Possibilities....

Busy times!

number one grandson

Blog posting has fallen by the wayside, as has quilting, since I've started my new job as Grandma. 

This little cutie has stolen all our hearts.  I get to take care of him one day a week, and we try to do lots of fun things together.  Look at this cute little book he has.  "Stories in Stitches."  Gotta start him young!

Can you see the T-shirt quilt he has?  All my Minnesota themed t-shirts ended up in there, and it's perfect for tossing on the floor and playing.

A Blackbird Gathering - pattern by Cheri

I do have a couple of projects in the wings.  The binding is finished on Blackbird Gathering, and I'm keeping up with Lori's sew-along "Palmeteer Point."  Hope to have something to share with you on that soon! 

It's really Bonnie!

Bonnie Hunter, Chaska, MN Aug 8, 2017

After making so many Bonnie Hunter quilt designs, it was so exciting to finally be able to attend one of her lectures!  If you ever have the chance, I'd highly recommend going.  Bonnie is a fabulous speaker.  Funny, knowledgeable, and so very genuine!

Original Bonnie Hunter quilts!

What fun to see so many of her quilts up close and in person!  It's one thing to see them in a book, or on the computer, but to get a close-up look at the fabrics, the quilting... well, it 's a whole different experience.

She had a show-and-share at the end of the program, and I was brave enough to bring up a quilt top that was just finished this past weekend.  Charlotte's Baskets from "Adventures with Leaders and Enders."   It was so fun to hear Bonnie exclaim, "Oh!  You've biggie sized it!"  Yes, I had made  8.5 inch string blocks without a project in mind and enlarged the basket blocks of Charlotte's Baskets to fit.  When it's quilted it will fit on the full size bed at the Cabin.

It's raining today, so I can't get a good photo of it right now.  But here's a shot from a week ago when it was 'in progress.'

Charlotte's baskets - center with sashing

Update:
Here I am at 1:40 on the show and share video!
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2017/08/abundant-chaska-show-share.html

Spirit of America finish

Over the past few weekends I've had time at the Cabin and put the bindings on these two little projects. The Spirit of America was a free on line pattern from Buttermilk Basin and Henry Glass Fabrics.  At the time I'm writing this, it can be found at THIS LINK.

It's my first ever wool applique piece.  All the applique was done on my machine with the applique stitch, and looks great!  Still, I'm not sure that wool applique is my true calling.

My sweet daughter-in-law loved it, and so, it's now hanging up on her kitchen wall.  She says she's interested in learning how to quilt.  Sew excited!!!  First up is a Birthday wall hanging, and then a Valentine one.  I'm on the hunt for patterns already.

I have a few piecing projects underway, but it's so hard to get any sewing done in the summertime.  Hope you are having a delightful and relaxing summer.

Spring 1893

In the spring of 1893 someone we will never know stitched a remarkable embroidery square.   Nearly 125 years later there it sat in a box of hot mitts at a church rummage sale.  It was folded so that the embroidery was on the inside, so easy to overlook.  A jewel hidden in plain sight.  But something about that little muslin scrap caught my eye.

It is a Victorian crazy quilt block, 11.5 x 12 inches. The back is two pieces of old muslin of a fairly coarse weave.  The front was pieced of ribbons, and probably taffeta and silk.  But it is nearly completely covered with dense embroidery.  The embroidery thread is the style not made any more.  From the looks of it, and the style of needlework, I believe that the embroidered date of "Spring 1893" is accurate.  Nearly 125 years old!

I'm posting a photo in a larger format than usual so you can perhaps zoom in and appreciate some of her work.  Every time I look it over, it seems there is something new.  I've found bugs, butterflies, horse shoes, a violin, a crown, an anchor, St. Andrew's cross, paisley swoops, a bluebird, a book, moon and sun, flowers, clover and ivy.  I saw the date 1893 right away, but didn't even see the word 'spring' until I got it home.  What a delight!  I've put it in a shadowbox frame for now. Such stories it could tell!  If only she had embroidered her name as well.

You're not going to wear those pants!

That was my daughter's reaction when she caught sight of a pair of batik pants that were in my sewing room.  "You're not going to WEAR those pants!  You bought them for the fabric...right???"

Yes, she knows me pretty well, and I guess there are some things that a woman of a certain age should not be seen wearing.  (Though I will admit that I tried them on when I got them home. lol)  A recent thrift store visit led to the purchase of a $4 pair of pink batik pants, probably made in India. They had a wide border around each leg, but I really bought them for the pink fabric.

Of course, the first thing I did was wash them in cold water....multiple times!  The dye ran, and ran, and ran.  Vinegar rinses helped, and finally the excess dye seemed to be gone.  After drying them I was was in such a hurry to play with the fabric that I went charging on ahead and de-constructed them without taking a photo.  You'll have to use your imagination. (The burgundy stripe was the bottom, then the turquoise stripe, then the florals with a yellow stripe between the two styles. From the knees up the pants were dark pink batik which will go into my stash.)

Front and back leg pieces gave me a total of four 13.5-inch squares from the lower pant leg border.  I cut each of these in an X, and started to play with the resulting triangle pieces.  Here's what I came up with...

A very nice table runner!

It took a while to audition fabrics for the border.  I think I learned a lot about color and value.  Here were my best choices:

Bottom:  The main fabric of the pants, which is the fabric I really wanted for my stash.
Next:  Mottled dark pink that matches the pinks pretty well.
Then:  Turquoise that matched the lightest turquoise in the border.
Top:  a deep gold which was even darker than the dark gold in the border print.
Not making the cut:  a lighter yellow that matched the yellow in the border and the backing.

I learned that matching is a good idea, but isn't always the best idea.  The dark pink just disappeared as a border.  It would have worked, but it didn't really add anything to the piece.

The turquoise was my first choice.  I thought it would be perfect.  Nope!  It matched the bright turquoise, but it made all the darker colors look muddy.  The same with the light yellow - only more so.  In fact, it was amazing how they actually made the piece look ugly!

Finally, I tried the dark gold on a whim.  It was amazing.  It made the light colors in the border pop!  It gave something for the eye to contrast the lights against, and that made all the difference.  The bright yellow and light turquoise in the border fabric sparkled.  It 's something that I'm going to have to remember when selecting colors in the future.

So, here it is.... all finished!  Not bad for the cut off bottoms of a pair of pants.  It was a such a fun little project. It still needs a name.  Any ideas?

17.5 x 35 inches 

Update:  This table runner was donated to a silent auction fundraiser for our children's former Kindergarten teacher who is facing serious medical complications.  It was wonderful to see all the former students and school parents at the event, all out to give our support and prayers to a wonderful and well-loved teacher.

More Baskets of Plenty

May has flown past and here we are in June already!  Not much happening in the sewing room, but I did work on few more baskets from Cheri's 'Baskets of Plenty' sew-along. Perhaps a few of them need more work, but I'll have to think about that for a while.  Sometimes you just have to wait for a block to tell you it's own story.

This block thinks it's all done!

This one feels lonely and wants a little bird at the bottom.

More berries?  No, then it gets too symmetrical. 

This one might need some more flowers, but for sure wants a button in it's star.

Happy Summer!

May Basket

Happy May Day!  I just adore May Baskets, and had to squeeze some time in today to make a basket block to share with you.

Cheri Payne  is a generous and wonderful quilt designer who has such a fresh and whimsical folk style.  She is in the midst of sharing a series of Basket Blocks with her Quilts by Cheri Friendship Group on Facebook.  I put together Block 1 today. It's the first time I've used wool for applique.  The tiny berries were so small that I cheated and substituted some sweet little buttons.  And, I used a piece of lace instead of the scalloped band on the basket top. Oh, I am soooo lazy!

Truly, applique' is not my favorite thing to do, and I don't know why!  My Elna does a lovely job of machine applique and it really doesn't take that long.  Trace, fuse, cut, fuse, applique.  Done!

It wasn't easy today though. The quilt gremlins were at it.

First, I cut the background piece for the top.  Then I cut the basket.  Next I started to cut the background side pieces - out of the piece I had set aside for the top!    What was I thinking?  Good thing this is a forgiving style.  There was just enough fabric left to piece together something big enough to replace that top section - but it took  3 pieces!

Then, my favorite quilting iron went on the fritz half way through the project.  It's the second time it's gone out.  The first time, a few years ago, there was a short in the cord near the plug and it kept turning itself off.   DH trimmed the cord back, put a new plug on and I was back in business!   Today it wouldn't shut off when it reached the set temperature and I scorched the ironing pad, gummed up the plate with spray starch and melted a piece of sweatshirt knit.  Yowzer!  Maybe time to retire it for good.  Should I yell "Mayday!"?

Spring bunnies

Don't you just love bunnies in the springtime?  They are so adorable!... until they nibble off your flower buds.   So far, they've left most of mine alone.  (fingers crossed)  My Easter project this year tumbled into my lap when the museum director sent me a link to the Dakota County Historical Society and an exhibition they are planning for this spring.

Modern Interpretations of Historic Design V begins May 13th at the LeDuc Historic Estate and runs through the end of June.   Entrants were asked to create a modern piece based on one of the LeDuc designs.   Florence and Alice LeDuc  started a cottage industry in Hastings, Minnesota creating lovely embroidered designs for sale from 1888 to the mid-1920's.  You can read about them in this article from the Minnesota Historical Society.

The designs are wonderful and I decided to make a table runner based on their "3 Hopping Bunnies" design, and love how it turned out!  It did take me something like 10 tries just to get 4 corners the way I wanted them.   The first 4 were too small, second 2 were OK, the next 2 were backwards and had to be re-stitched, but they finally cooperated.  We all have days like that.  All I can do is laugh at my blunders.

Spring Bunnies table runner 15.5 x 47 inches

After a little encouragement from my sister I filled out an application, held my breath, closed my eyes, and pushed 'enter.'  A few days later an e-mail arrived.  It was accepted!  It's the first time I've ever entered a piece in any exhibition, so I'm pretty excited!

Blog posts will be few and far-between for a while now.  I'm switching out my computer because Google no longer supports the operating system on my good old reliable.  Though I have the new computer up and running, none of my photos or software has been transferred yet.  So every once in a while, like today, I fire up the old computer and do a few things.

There are other priorities too.  Our first grandchild is due to make an appearance any day now.  Can't wait to see what joy Grandparenting will bring into our lives!  I hear it's highly recommended.  (wink)

Linking up at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Whoop Whoop!

Sarah Stone Mourning Sampler

Today I'd like to share with you a treasure from our local Historical Society that I have recently been researching.  It's not quilting, but it is stitchery related. 

From about 1780 to 1840 part of the needlework training of young women was to make a memorial piece and it was a popular form of needlework during that period.  

This linen cross-stitch sampler, dated August 3, 1823, is a lovely example of Mourning Needlework.  It was made by Sarah Green Stone "In Memory of William B. Stone, Obt. June 14, 1822, Aged 16 months 16 days."  

How tragic for her to lose a beloved little brother.  Stitching her grief into this sampler was her way of honoring his short and precious life.  It's hard to believe that this delicately beautiful stitchery was made by a girl who was only 11 years old!

Mourning samplers and needlework are so very personal.  They were not made from patterns or mass-produced.  Each one, stitched lovingly and uniquely, expresses the experiences of the family in which it is made.  This sampler has a house which most likely looks like the one where the Stone family lived in Stoneham, Massachusetts.  The funeral urn has little William's initials on it.  A weeping willow tree symbolizes the tears of grief, and the baskets and flowers up each side symbolize love.  There are little Egyptian-style birds in several places which typically symbolized the soul of the lost loved one.

Sarah G. Stone, daughter of Aaron and Lydia Buckman Stone, was born in June 1812 (death records) and baptized in 1816 along with her sister, Lydia. (church records)   She married Elihu Spencer Lynde in 1832. Sarah suffered many heart-wrenching losses in her short life: the death of her brother William in 1822, her sister Lydia in 1827, her mother in 1831 and one of her own children in 1837.  Sarah passed away just before her 26th birthday, and is buried with her infant son in the Old Burying Grounds, Stoneham, Massachusetts.

So, how did this lovely stitched sampler, born out of tragedy, come to Bloomington, Minnesota?

Sarah Stone Lynde's only surviving son, Elihu Lynde, Jr. moved to Minneapolis around 1875 with his family. His daughter, Sadie Lynde married Bloomington resident Edward Robert Pond, Jr. in 1911. The couple had two daughters, Elizabeth and Maria.  The Ponds are buried in the Bloomington Cemetery.

Great-Grandmother Sarah Stone's sampler had been treasured and passed down in the family for nearly 150 years.  It was donated by the Pond family to the Bloomington Historical Society where it now can be seen and appreciated by the entire community.

The poem on the sampler is from a hymn written by Anne Steele (1717-1778) of Broughton, Hampshire, England and widely published in hymnals of the day.   Sarah has stitched the first verse at the top, and another verse at the bottom of her sampler.  Though much of the bottom verse is missing, it probably reads:

When blooming youth is snatch'd away
By death's resistless hand,
Our hearts the mournful tribute pay
Which pity must demand.

Christs voice in this alarming scene
May every heart obey;
Nor be the heav'nly warning vain
Which calls to watch and pray.

The taffeta disaster

Have you ever stumbled across a really old abandoned quilting project?  One surfaced here today. What's this???  Pieces neatly put into bags, labeled B, d and Borders.  No pattern.   What happened to A and C?

A few strips pieced and cut.  Have you ever seen anything so crooked?  Look at that middle strip!  And that border strip across that top... um... that's not straight in anyone's imagination. Up to 1/2 inch wave on the left.

The blue taffeta was fabric left over from making the Maid of Honor gown I wore at my sister's 1985 wedding.  I must have thought I could make a quilt for her out of the scraps.  Clearly, taffeta does not work well for quilting!   I was cutting with scissors back then -  no rotary cutters yet.  What a disaster!  Looks like it shifted all over the place.  

Glad this didn't keep me from trying again and learning to quilt.   Now I can only laugh at myself.  What ever was I thinking????  It does make me realize the challenges that quilters had long ago when they worked with silks and taffeta fabrics they had on hand.  The white print cotton might be worth saving, but the taffeta is going out the door!

bags, bags, bags

Looks like I've become a Bag Lady!  It all started when my sister called asking if I had any decorator fabrics to re-cover some 30-inch pillows our mother had made...way back in the 70's.   It didn't look like I had anything big enough for her, but since I had the decorator fabric scraps all pulled out, let's use some up!

Leftover drapery fabrics became these grocery shopping bags.

five blue/white shopping bags

three green/pink shopping bags

No more white/blue stripe.  No more blue floral.  No more green floral.  No more pink.  Whoo-Hoo!

A quick tutorial:
(A little sketchy, but if I want to make more someday, at least I can't lose the directions if they're posted here!)
Cut front and back of bags 14 x 11 inches.
Cut side/bottom piece at 8 x 39 inches.
Cut an inner-bottom piece at 10.5 x 8 inches and finish the edges on the two short sides with serger or by turning under 1/4 inch.  Center on the longer piece, wrong sides together, and stitch together on the outer edges.
Cut two handle pieces, 2-1/2 inches x 22 inches.  Fold, stitch long side and turn. Press and top-stitch 1/4 inch along each long side.
Stitch the bag pieces together with the 11-inch side as top/bottom.
Finish the top edge with serger or by turning under 1/4 inch.  Then turn down another inch and top stitch down.
Attach bag handles.
Slide a 7.5 x 10 inch  piece of plastic or cardboard between the two bottom pieces.

Little garden baskets

9.5x32 wall hanging

This little garden basket wall hanging and matching table runner are finishes #6 and #7 for this year.  Whoo-ee I've been on a roll!

The vertical wall hanging will be for our daughter who has a couple of huge gardens at her rural Wisconsin home.   I was thinking of her when I bought the fabric at Hobby Lobby.  The store recently moved into our area, and though the fabric section is small, they have some very nice quilting cottons.

The plan was to make a runner for the top of our daughter's bathroom counter.  The colors complimented the bright green walls in her bathroom.  Well, not long after the top was pieced she painted the walls a different color!   Then she mentioned that she would rather have a vertical wall hanging.  I was NOT going to rip it all out and turn the blocks sideways, so I pieced a second one.  The horizontal runner will just have to find another home.  LOL
Ah, the best laid plans.....

These already have me looking forward to spring!

9.5x32 table runner

Medallion is quilted too

Another fun finish for the year.   The Medallion sew along is all quilted up too.  The challenge was: A Basket, Childhood (Sister's Choice for childhood days playing with my sister), Log Cabins, Stars and Something Fishy (The blue border is quilted with scallops.)

Sew much fun!

Courthouse Stars finish

Scrappily wonderful!  This Courthouse Stars pattern by Fons and Porter is so cheery and bright.  Just perfect for quilting up during these cloudy winter days.  It's the 4th top quilted up this year so far.  Making progress!

My 1.5-inch scrap bag is nearly empty after this, but I've noticed that the 2.5-inch bag is overflowing, and so is the 2-inch bag.  There will be more scrappy quilts in the future if I want to keep those scraps under control!

Linking up my Friday Finish at confessions of a fabric addict.  Stop over and see what everyone is posting there this week.

Minnesota State Parks

Bed runner 38x85

Here's the next couple of finishes for this year.   A few years ago I picked up a panel at a Brainerd, MN quilt shop that featured four Minnesota State Parks.  Finally, I found the perfect place to use it.   Inspiration for a Bed Runner and a Baby Quilt came from Classic Elegance Bed Runner, by Julie Weaver and found in the book "Quilts with Unique Borders by Annie's Quilting.

I actually started out intending to make two bed runners, one for home and one for the cabin, but changed my mind halfway through.  The Baby quilt has one panel facing each direction so that it is right side up either way when it's draped over the side of the crib.

34x42 baby quilt, yellow flannel backing

Easy Street finish

Lots of quilting accomplished here in January 2107!  With a serious determination to quilt up as many tops as possible, and whittle down that very tall stack, I started out with Easy Street.  This Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt from 2011 was sandwiched and pinned up last summer, all ready to go.

Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery Quilt 97x97 inches

Why had I been procrastinating?  It quilted up beautifully!  I certainly didn't expect that.  It's been on the bed for a week now, and DH loves it.  The size is 97 inches square and he's so happy that it covers from head to toe, and there's enough drop on the sides that there's no stealing the covers necessary.  I'm going to have to remember this size as my new go-to queen size.   It's so big I don't have wall space inside anywhere to take a photo, so out in the snow it went.  Neighbors must have thought I was nuts!  

This quilt certainly looks different from her original.  No lime green, turquoise or purple in sight!

More to come... The sewing machine has been busy!

2016 Recap

Time to do a recap of last year's quilting and keep myself on track.
Quilts completed: (see the 2016 tab above for photos)
One queen t-shirt quilt, one full size denim quilt and one twin size quilt.
One Christmas tree skirt.
Five table runners, five table toppers, five lap quilts and five baby quilts.
Six mini quilts.
Seven wall hangings.
That's a total of 37 quilting projects!

Total yardage used: 71.5 yards. (does not count fleece backings, denim or t-shirt fabrics)
Total yardage purchased: 75 plus my December thrift store Thimbleberries find.  So, I nearly made it as a break-even year.

Eight projects carried over as Works in Progress.  Eight more quilt tops are finished and ready to quilt. Six really old UFO's I'll keep on the books, but one is going to be sent to the orphan block box.  I'm never going to finish the Just Takes 2 quilt and can use those 18 blocks in some other project.

January through March are my most productive quilting months, and I've completed three quilt projects so far already.  It's so easy to be motivated to finish up UFO's during a cold Minnesota winter, and I've got a great start this year.  Hope I can keep it up!

How are you doing?  Have you posted your year-end progress yet?

Seminole Patchwork

This January we took a short winter vacation to Florida.  It was delightful!
We stayed at the 100-year-old Peninsula Inn in Gulfport, FL.  It was so charming and restful.  They made us feel so welcome.

One of the things we always try to do in a new city is go to the museums and learn about the history of the area.  And, as always, I keep my eyes open for quilts.

The Tampa Bay History Center has a very nice area dedicated to Seminole Patchwork and the culture of the Seminole Tribe.  Their unique style of patchwork developed between the turn of the century and 1920.  Originally used for trade goods, it is still used today in their ceremonial clothing.

Can you see the flip card display?  There were two of them.  Each card holds a tiny pieced sample of a Seminole patchwork pattern.  There were several hundred different patterns.  I so longed to look through those and see each one.  But, alas, they are safely behind the glass cabinet.

It looks like an internet search might be in my future.  It's a whole new technique for me.  Wouldn't a table runner or small Seminole Patchwork project be a nice remembrance of our Florida vacation?

Love my little Calendar Girl

It might be progress, or it might be procrastination because I'm supposed to be quilting instead of piecing, but another UFO quilt top is nearly finished.

This one was started in 2011 and you've seen a number of progress reports over the years. Finally, the last four rows are finished and the main part of the quilt top is complete.

There was one last-minute glitch.  The bottom six rows were together, and the top six as well.  Then when I went to put the two halves together...the top was a whole inch too short! Out came the seam ripper and some of the end spacer strips were made wider to get it all worked out.  Lesson:  measure each individual row to make sure it's the right length, don't just presume the measurements all worked out. LOL

Borders might take some thinking.   It only measures 73 x 84, so too small for our queen size bed without a couple border strips. It's pretty busy so a solid or tone on tone might be best.  Maybe just a 3-inch black border and use it on the full size bed in the guest room.  What do you think?

There have been a few requests for patterns. Here's the best I can do for now.   The whole quilt was inspired by the 2011 McHarbors Quilt by Lyn Brown.  January: Snowflake Stars, March: Slanted Shamrocks, April: Baskets and Bunnies part 2, May: Parade of Posies, July: Flying Flags, August: Regatta, September: Windblown Leaves and November: Dresden Turkeys are all  designed by Lyn Brown .  I used a stripe fabric to make Easter Eggs and applique'd them down instead of the bunnies that Lyn had.  I needed something quicker and with a simpler shape.  Now I can only find the basket on her blog.  If you want any of the patterns perhaps you could contact Lyn through her blog or Etsy shop and she might be able to help you.  I printed the PDF files at the time, but to send one to you without Lyn's permission would be a copyright violation.  Sorry.

December Gifts are from 2014 Thimblemouse Designs by Lynn Z Provencher and were part of the Country Crossroads Quilt Shop, Orange Park, FL Row by Row Experience that year.  June Sweet Summertyme are also from 2014 Row By Row Experience designed by Roseann Meehan Kermes for Rosebud's Cottage, White Bear Lake, MN.  I bought one kit and used scraps from my stash to make additional blocks as needed.  I can't find links to either of those patterns anymore.

February Hearts are from Quiltmaker's Bitty Love Hearts, but I doubled them in size.
October Pumpkins are  from Sherri K. Falls at This & That.  They are from her Mystery Monday #6, and I reduced the size by half.

Allietare!

Yes, it's time to Rejoice and do a happy dance today.  It took a year, but my Allietare quilt top is finished!

Allietare quilt top - 84x84 

Allietare was Bonnie Hunter's 2016 Quiltville Winter Mystery, and it's a beauty.  At the time she published the clues for the mystery my scrap bins were pretty low on options.  So, I shopped my stash for fabrics. There was enough yardage of the right colors in the stash to make a half-size Allietare using constant rather than scrappy colors.

Since I have at least four Bonnie Hunter quilt tops in the pile that still need to be quilted, I thought half size sounded good enough for me.  After borders, it actually turned out much larger than I anticipated.  It will fit the full size bed in the guest room perfectly!

It's a new favorite!  It may be some time before it's quilted though. I seem to always be more interested in piecing than in quilting.  But let's count 7.5 yards of fabric used already this year and 0 new yards purchased.  Off to a good start I'd say.