Another Postage Stamp Quilt

I had so much fun making my last postage stamp quilt that I had to make another. To make this quilt it takes many 2-inch by 7-inch strips of fabric. My scrap basket is so large that I was on a mission to reduce the overflowing basket of scraps. So I decided that I would cut no more than two 2" x 7" strips from any given fabric.  That would make for an interesting challenge and yet it wasn't as hard to come up with enough variety as I thought it would be.  So over the last week I cut some strips, sewed them into blocks, recut the blocks and on and on...

It wasn't long before I had the whole quilt top done.  The challenge then becomes finding a backing that will complement all those scraps.  I chose a flower pattern that really had nothing to do with any of the fabrics on the top.  I bound the quilt in a Kona solid that complemented the backing fabric.

Now my scrap basket is much more manageable - at least for now.

Happiness is . . .

Baby Ducks

The Huppah

One of my favorite blogger/designer/quilters is getting married. She invited all her readers to help her by making a block for her wedding quilt. The quilt will be used as their wedding huppah. The link to the request for blocks can be found here.

A huppah is the canopy a Jewish couple stands under during the wedding ceremony. It can be a sheet, a family heirloom tapestry, or a quilt. It is held up by four poles and it symbolizes the home that the couple will build together. 

I love learning things about different religions and this certainly was something I did not know about until now. It sounds like a beautiful tradition. 

The bride had some requirements regarding the fabric colors used in the huppah so I ordered a bundle that was already made up with those specific colors. I didn't know what I would do with the fabric then I just decided to make my favorite thing...patchwork.  I surrounded it with a border to give it that modern look that is so popular in quilting. 

I didn't think the block looked all that great once it was finished but when I looked at all the other blocks submitted so far I realized that it will look good among all the other blocks. The similarity to all the others and in a group of blocks makes them all look much better. I can't wait to see the finished quilt.

Best Wishes to the Bride and Congratulations to the Groom!

Tumbler Block Doll Quilt

Tumbler Block Quilt

I have Lori Holt's Thimble Ruler Set. There are 2 rulers in the set; one is a 10" ruler and the other is 5". I started to use the 5" ruler with the idea that I would make a quilt.  I seriously thought I could do that.  Then I started to cut the blocks. They were very small. So I stopped.

For a very long time I stared at the stack of cut blocks.  I cut them from one of my favorite fabric lines and looked at them for months.  I finally decided to sew them together and after stringing 9 of them in a row  I was exhausted.  I made a total of 8 rows of 9 little blocks.

After stitching them together, I had the cutest little piece of fabric.  Earlier in the year, I made my granddaughter a doll quilt and after looking at this, I decided it would make a fabulous doll quilt for the other granddaughter.  After all, I couldn't possibly make something for one of the girls without doing the same for the other one.

I added an one-and-a-half-inch inside border out of ecru and a two-and-a-quarter-inch outer border from the fabric line as well.  I had some leftover backing from a larger quilt I made using the 10" thimble ruler so I used that on the back of this mini-version.  I also did some straight-line quilting on the diagonal for a nice contrast.

I think my granddaughter will love it. And on another note, I have grown tired of this fabric line.  I purchased a fat-quarter pack that contained 35 pieces of the line and I also bought 5 yards of my favorites from this line.  It's time to put the rest away for a very long time and move on to other pretty fabrics.

Quilted Scrap Fabric Basket

Scrap Fabric Panel

 I have so much Noteworthy Fabric and I love it so much that I decided to make quilted fabric panels out of the scraps.  It feels good to use up the pretty scraps and it also gives me the opportunity to use up larger pieces of batting as well.

Using a quilt-as-you-go method, I created a large piece of quilted fabric to make a basket.  The basket measures 8" x 8" finished.  It is a decent size but not terribly large. I used tutorials I found here to make both the fabric panel and the basket.

I do love completing a project where I don't have to go to the fabric store for anything!

Scrap Fabric Basket

Works in Progress

Sometimes I feel like I don't get much accomplished. Today while looking at my design board, I can see why. I have so many works in progress, that it's a bit overwhelming.  But there really is a method to the madness. 

If there is fabric out, I like to keep cutting fabric.  If the sewing machine is on, I like to keep sewing blocks.  If the batting is out, I like to cut enough for more than one quilt top. So everything will get done. Just not today.

To top it off, all of a sudden I have a hankering to make some tote bags.  So I might just leave these projects go for a little while.  I do have a goal of finishing the charm square baby quilt in the middle, it's for Quilts for Kids and I want to take the finished quilt to next month's meeting.  Which means I do have time to deviate and make some bags!

Scrappy Quilt - WIP

I had so much fun making my postage stamp quilt that I have to make another.  I have so many scraps that I keep cutting and cutting and there are still lots left over! Sewing the strips together goes so quickly that before I knew it, I had a giant stack.  So I started to cut the 2-inch strips across the stack.

I can't wait to get the blocks up on the design wall.  That is one of my favorite parts about making quilt tops. I put them on the wall, then take a photo and for some reason, the blocks have a different appearance in the photo. The photo seems to make the badly placed pop right into view.  

R.I.P. Toby

Toby     June 1, 2000 - April 4, 2014

My poor kitty was diagnosed with a brain tumor this winter. In the end, he was blind and could barely walk. The tumor took its toll rapidly. He didn't make it to his 14th birthday.

I prefer to remember him when he was a happy healthy sassy kitty. Always with me no matter what I was doing. So he spent a lot of time under quilts. We loved him dearly and he will be missed.