Start one . . .

 

This is a small baby quilt I made for a co-worker. I guess this would count as a new project since I started it this year. It actually took me only a couple of days to piece the top. I just used scraps from some of the baby quilts I have made. I did purchase some solids for the sashing, but all of the prints were from my stash.

If you look closely in the second photo you can see the quilting. It is little bunnies; cute but a lot of work!

Machine Embroidery

Several years ago I purchased my 1st embroidery machine. I love machine embroidery and have made several projects which incorporate embroidery and quilting.

These are my latest project. An in the hoop, which just means that I used an embroidery machine instead of a sewing machine to make it, cell phone case. They are large enough to hold a smart phone. Don't you think it's kind of funny that we started out with large phones and they became smaller and smaller, now we have smart phones and they are getting larger and larger?

Start One, Finish One

I don't do New Year resolutions, well not really. But at the beginning of the new year I do have some things I would like to try and accomplish. No pressure, if I do it great, if not, oh well. So this year I decided to try to reel in my ever expanding pile of fabric. I admit to being a bit of an addict. Fabric is another one of the things I go overboard over. Dishes are another, but that's another story. My non-resolution this year; for every project I start I have to finish one. Here is one of my completed projects. It's sort of a sampler. I found a pattern I liked, although I rarely follow patterns (even after I have purchased it); I sort of followed it. Since I started this quilt about 2-1/2 years ago, so this qualifies as the "finish one."

The original pattern had a panel in the center. I used my embroidery machine and appliqued a lion's head for the center. I wanted just an African mask, but ended up with the lion's head. 

The quilt includes flying geese, pieced stars and log cabin blocks, all in African fabric.

I have a couple of new quilt projects (the "start one"); they still need to be quilted. I'll post them in a later post.

Red, White and Blue

I have been on a roll since last summer making patriotic quilts. It started with my neighbor and his thank you quilt since he loves anything patriotic. A co-worker saw his and asked me to make some as Christmas gifts for her military family members. Here's what I made:

So, Do You Sell Your Quilts? A Conversation with Marianne Fons

This Christmas

Prior to Christmas I was on a red, white and blue roll. I made 4 quilts with two more to go. As is my custom I try and give my quilts a good home especially around the holidays. Here are a couple of the red, white and blue quilts and the quilt I gave to my sister for Christmas.

Newest Quilts

I have, I have, I have been sewing. Just not posting! Here are a few of my latest quilts. Forgive me, this is a long post.

 This is a quilt I made for my sister-in-law. She loves all things "peacock". I found the peacock panel in the center last year and decided that I would make her a throw.

I always thought that using panels would be a quick way to quilt. Maybe for some but not for me. I started with the panel and then I felt that because I used the panel I had to come up with some nice blocks. So first I made flying geese. Nice, but still didn't want to just add strips, so I made another block. This one was a little more complicated. I started with half square triangles and made them into

snowball blocks. I thought that the quilt was still too plain/small so I added larger quarter square triangles just on the sides, added a border on all sides and viola! I had a pieced top. All that was left was the quilting and sewing on the binding.

Here is a little pin cushion I made for one of my online quilt boards. We are swapping fabric each month on our birthdays. We always include a little extra gift. I don't know if you can make it out, but there is an embroidered "G" in the middle for the first letter of her name.

 Churn dash quilt. I was watching a video from Jennie Doan of Missouri Star Quilts and she made this cute little quilt. I was in the middle to another project, but since this was a quick quilt I allowed myself to be side tracked. It's done in red, white and black.

The Churn Dash block is similar to Lincoln's platform which is supposed to be a block made to assist the slaves during the underground railroad.

There are a lot of conflicting theories regarding it's use. I just like the block. I however do not think it is impossible that quilts were used for that purpose.

This one I call bricks. I made all the "bricks" using my Accuquilt Go. It's still one of my favorite things. It made it so easy to cut the blocks. All of them were the same size, cutting multiple blocks at once. I was on such a roll cutting the blocks, I made enough to do two quilts. Originally this quilt was supposed to be the center of a memory quilt but, plans change.

I thought it would be cute and sort of a play on the theme; family, house, bricks, you get the picture. Well this one didn't make it, but I do have the second one so we'll see.