The Ugly Ties

I love to recycle! Over a year ago, I won a bag of ties in a raffle. It was an easy win, since nobody else put a ticket into the drawing. Nobody wanted a bag of old, funky ties, but I was so happy to win that bag even though I didn't have a clue as to what type of quilt I would make with the ties. So that bag of ties sat off in a corner while other projects took priority. Recently, I came across the bag while organizing that corner of clutter. 

Realizing that I need to do something with the bag, I researched quilted tie projects. There are some ugly tie projects to be seen, but there are also some quilted tie projects are very well done and elegant looking. Luckily, I came across this gal's scrappy, quilted, necktie scarves that could pass as a table runner: http://www.flickr.com/photos/quiltmanufaktur/sets/72157630834274980/ At, I first thought she had made table runners. Here is her blog: http://quiltmanufaktur.blogspot.com/2012/01/krawattenrecycling-iii.html. After seeing her photos of her pretty, quilted, tie scarves, I'm now inspired to create a table runner with my bag of ugly ties.

Birds on a Fence

Back in March, I participated in my quilt guild's block-of-the-month. The gals that organize the block-of-the-month said it was a paper-piecing project. I was excited to do this block since I had done paper-piecing. What I didn't know was that the block's pieces were already cut to size and only needed to be sewn together. I didn't know this since the instruction sheet was titled paper-piecing project. The diagram of the bird on the instruction sheet was there for one to use as a guide and not to be used to paper-piece. Well not realizing the mistake in terminology, I paper-pieced. When I turned in my block, it was then that I realized the error since my block was smaller than the other blocks. I looked at the gal in charge of the project and stated that it said paper-piecing. She then said "OH" and mumbled something about it really being foundation piecing (which it isn't that either). I looked at her blankly, then quickly recovered my thoughts, and stated that my square could always be used in the back of a quilt for whomever wins the squares.

The time came for the drawing, there were three winners and I was one. When I heard my name called, I just chuckled to myself since I knew my square would be handed back to me. My lone birdie on the back is sitting proudly.

This donation quilt is truly a community quilt since many hands went into the making of the quilt.

Leftovers

This table runner is a leftover row from the latest quilt that I made. I had misjudged the size needed for one side of the quilt by one row. So, I decided to make that scrapped row into something that I could use and enjoy.

A Mother's Day Gift

When I saw the Pick Violets free paper piece pattern by Amy Friend of During Quiet Time on her blog, I knew it would be my next project. I made a small change to the handle of the garden shovel since I didn't want to deal with the smaller pieces.

My mom loves wild flowers. She will sometimes stop on a side of a road to pick daisies, Queen Anne's Lacy, and other summertime flowers to make a beautiful bouquet. The daisies in this mini quilt remind me of some of those roadside fields that my mom frequents in the summer. This spring my mom has been replacing some old, leggy plants in her yard. That's a prodigious job for her since Mom is in her eighties. Instead of giving my mom flowers for Mother's Day, I'm going to give her this small table topper. It should last longer than a bouquet of flowers.