2015 Finishes

It looks like I averaged one quilt per month in 2015. Not bad.

click photo to enlarge

Five of these quilts are with their new owners, and seven still reside with me. Some are hard to give away because I really like them, but I think I'll try to find homes for at least a few early in the new year.

Happy New Year to all and I hope that 2016 brings you lots of quilting happiness!

Last Finish in 2015

Many years ago, I bought a couple of quilt kits at the old Lancaster quilt show, thinking I would one day make the applique quilt patterns that came with the fabric (gorgeous hand-dyes, maybe even snow-dyed). I quickly discovered that applique quilts are just not something that I like to make, so the kits just sat around in my stash.

A few years ago, I decided to give the patterns away, but keep the fabric. I made a quilt for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law using some of the fabrics (you can see it here), and then recently made this one from the fabrics that were left.

Here's a closeup of the quilting...

My husband said that it looks quite luxurious (and I agree), so for now, it's found a home on our sofa until I decide if I want to give it away.

The pattern is Fat Quarter Fizz, available free at the Fat Quarter Shop website (click here for the link). It goes together very quickly, with almost no seams to match.

Almost Forgot About This One

I just realized that I had forgotten to show this quilt that I finished late this past summer for a fundraiser for the local library.

Again, it's the same pattern as shown in my previous post. This time with Grinch fabric!

I've used this pattern so many times that I think I can make it in my sleep!

The Train Has Left the Station

A friend recently asked me to make her grandson a Thomas the Tank Engine quilt, so I did.

The pattern is one of my favorites, the Quick Strippie on Maryquilts.com. I've lost count of how many times I have used this pattern over the years.

Here's a closeup of the fabrics and meandering quilting...

And a peek at the back and binding...

Now on to the next project...or two...or three...

Busy, busy, busy

Yesterday was a very quilty day for me. First I did some machine quilting on one quilt...

Then I did some piecing for another quilt (of some very ugly fabrics that I've had for years)...

And then I sewed on some binding for a third quilt...

Whew! And today I plan to do it again!

Sewing Some More

I've started another quilt and I'm loving the colors!

 And it's all from my stash, including the backing and binding! I wonder how many quilts I can make before I run out of fabric...

Another Week, Another Finish!

I don't have any projects in the works right now for any particular recipients, so I'm trying to use up fabric from my stash for simple quilts that may be given away in the future. By using a simple pattern, I can use up some old fabric fairly quickly.

I've had these three fabrics in my stash for quite a few years. For some reason, I couldn't pass them up when I saw them at a quilt show packaged in a bundle of one-yard cuts for a great price.

A few weeks ago, I came across the Bloominescent pattern (you can get it free by clicking here) and immediately thought of these three fabrics. The pattern was easy, peasy and now I have five fewer yards of fabric (front, back, and binding) in my stash.

Fixed and Finished!

The quilt with the mistake is now fixed and finished.

This is the Strip Twist pattern (found free on Bonnie Hunter's website), using a free batik jelly roll that I had won in a giveaway.

Here's a closer look at the quilting...just free-motion loops.

I Almost Missed It

Over the weekend, I had loaded my latest quilt top on the frame to be quilted, when I noticed that one block was not sewn in right. I debated for several hours about whether to fix it or not, and even asked my Facebook quilting friends their opinion. 

Since this quilt is made from free fabric that I won in a giveaway, and since I don't have any particular recipient in mind for it right now, I could have easily left it the way it was. But I knew that even though most people wouldn't notice the mistake, it would bother me if I left it in, especially since it was in a place that was easy to fix. Not a whole lot of unstitching to do. In the time that I spent debating, I could have easily taken care of the issue. I finally decided to fix it and get on with the quilting.

I'll show the completed quilt in my next blog post.

Waste Not, Want Not

It may be a bit hard to see in the photo, but this batting for my latest quilt is made up of six leftover pieces from previous quilts.

click on the photo for a larger view

I use a flat-joining seam on my Bernina to sew them together, and it works great. The seams really are flat.

click on the photo for a larger view

I don't usually piece batting if I'm making a white or other light-colored quilt -- the seams can often be seen and I don't like that look. But with this quilt, the dark fabrics on both the top and bottom will hide the batting seams just fine.

Now to quilt it!

Deja Vu

This is the quilt that I sent to the newest member of my family, using the same pattern as the quilt in my previous post (Bonnie Hunter's Scrap Crystals block, but enlarged to make a quilt about 42 inches square). Click on the photos to enlarge.

I had first planned to send the other quilt to the new baby, but after I had finished it, I found scraps of my hand-dyed fabric that I had used in quilts that I had made for the baby's two older sisters almost two years ago. You can see those quilts by clicking here. I immediately decided that the baby needed a quilt to match her sisters' quilts.

Here's a closeup of the quilting...

And a look at the backing and binding...(the backing is the same on all three quilts).

I'm told that the quilt was well-received. Oh, and the two older sisters got presents, too -- the two fleece blankets that I blogged about here.

A Finish!

I recently finished this baby quilt that I was planning on sending to a new baby in the family, but I changed my mind and made another one instead (I'll post that one in another post soon).

It's just an enlarged version of Bonnie Hunter's Scrap Crystals block (you can find info about it here). The block pattern was first published in a magazine and then in one of Bonnie's books. All I did was enlarge the size of one block and made it into a quilt about 42 inches square.

Here's a closeup of the meandering quilting...

And a peek at the backing and binding...

I've put it away for now, waiting for just the right baby to give it to!

Little by Little

Since getting home from our wonderful Mediterranean cruise, I've slowly been getting back into some of my stitching projects. I'm finishing up a couple of quilts, but first needed to get these crocheted-edge fleece blankets done. They're going to a couple of "tweens", so I think the colors work just right.

For info on how to crochet various edge designs, check my friend Susan's blog by clicking here and here and here.

Just one warning -- making these is very addicting!

Back to Reality (sigh)

I haven't had time for quilting or blogging or just about anything else for the last several weeks because I've been a few miles away from home...actually, a few thousand miles from home, with no access to a sewing machine and almost no access to the internet.

My husband and son and I took a fabulous Western Mediterranean cruise to belatedly celebrate our son's 2014 college graduation and my husband's and my 25th wedding anniversary (also in 2014). We had a lovely time enjoying Barcelona, Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi coast of Italy, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Monaco/Monte Carlo, and Mallorca. Fabulous food, drink, art, and scenery.

And although I didn't have access to the usual ordinary daily stuff at home, as you can tell from the photo, I had plenty of access to gelato!

Now it's time to get back to needle and thread!

Great Tool

I love, love, love this little travel iron for when I have to go somewhere away from home to sew. It's compact (the handle folds down) and heats up very nicely. Great for working out on the deck, too. It's a Black and Decker Travel Pro that I bought many years ago.

"Fun Is Good" -- Dr. Seuss

In honor of the new Dr. Seuss book that was released this week, I finished another Dr. Seuss quilt.

I've lost count of the number of Dr. Seuss quilts that I've made over the last several years; I believe this is number 5. Most of them have gone to local fundraising events for libraries and teen book clubs, and now this one goes to the grandchild of a friend who is very involved with our local library.

The pattern is my all-time favorite quick quilt, Quick Strippie, graciously provided free to quilters by Mary on MaryQuilts.com.

Here's a closeup of the easy meandering quilting and the fun fabric...

She's Home!

My version of the Jane Stickle quilt is finally home after traveling to a few U.S. quilt shows over the last year, including the International Quilt Festival in Houston. As much as I loved having my quilt on display for others to see, it feels really good to have it back on my wall again. Sometimes I look at it and wonder, what the heck ever possessed me to make this? All I know is that I never would have been able to complete it without the support of my local quilting friends and the support of my readers in cyberspace. Thank you all!

I am very impressed with how my quilt was packaged for her trip home...

It might be hard to see in the photo, but the note says "Packed with tender love and care and white-gloved", and then signed by those who handled it. There was acid-free paper rolled up inside the quilt to prevent creases, and then it was all packed in acid free paper and a heavy-duty plastic bag, inside a sturdy box.