Cool Breeze!

It's hot here! I just finished the winter theme quilt.

The one with the backside of the quilt made from leftovers, scraps.

I still have lots of leftovers to use for a future quilt-as-you-go quilt. Since it's still extremely hot outside, I think I will stay inside and start another scrappy quilt.

Leftovers

I still had some remaining blocks that needed to be made into a quilt. I started to make a quilt similar to my last one, but...

I just wasn't into doing my next quilt the same way. I really wanted to do a quilt-as-you-go as my next quilt project.

So instead, I got out my huge tub of leftovers and dug out strips.

The leftovers are being used for one side of a quilt-as-you-go block.

And the other side will be three blocks in the first photo, along with blocks made with the gray and teal fabrics. Plus, two other motif fabrics will be used too.

Two blocks down and 18 more to create.

Long Overdue

Many years ago I made numerous blocks that I had planned to use in some quilt pattern that I had seen, but since I never bookmarked that pattern the quilt didn't get completed.

So the blocks sat in the pile of my items for future quilt projects for a couple of years.

In March, I decided it was time to make a quilt with some of the blocks.

I thought that it would be pretty to set these blocks in a row on one side of the frontside of the quilt.

And on the backside the quilt do the strip quilting pattern since I had never done a quilt that way.

Since the center block has a winter scene, this quilt will be used in the winter months to snuggle under while watching tv.

My Texas Star

Years ago when I visited Tokyo, I picked up this beautiful fabric that reminds me of a field of wild flowers.

Well, that fabric sat for years in my stash pile. Every time I looked at the fabric I would think of my road trip to Houston, Texas to deliver my daughter's car to her. That long, beautiful, scenic drive across the Southwest left me with wonderful memories of places that I had never experienced before the trip.

I really don't know why this view from Carlsbad Cavern looking out across New Mexico to Texas and the motif of wild flowers are tied together for me, but they just are. They conjure up fond memories of the Southwest and Texas. My daughter no longer lives in Houston, and many years have past. That fabric sat too long. So, January I pulled it from the stash and looked for a pattern that also echoes the memories of that trip.

I found that pattern in LeMoyne Magic by Cozy Quilt Designs. It's an easy pattern to do. Since I only had a yard of the flower motif fabric, I used that fabric in each star and part of the binding. There is one mistake that I made in one of the yellow stars, but I'm not telling which one. Heck, life isn't perfect. And sometimes quilts have faults too. The backing is solid blue jean material that was from the huge stash of jeans and jean material given to me years ago. I didn't use any batting since jean material is heavy. Well, this quilt will travel in my RV to keep me warm during those cold nights of camping as my husband and I explore other beautiful places in the US. And maybe one day, we will make it to Brazo Bend State Park outside Houston to hike and camp.

T-Shirt Quilt

A friend from work asked me if I could make a T-shirt quilt for her from her son's baseball shirts. I decide that I would try it as a quilt-as-you-go by quilting the rows.

After prepping the shirts, I spent some time arranging the shirts for the front of the quilt.

I then prepared the back design for the rows.

I added sashing between the blocks.

I just did straight row quilting on the sandwich back, batting, and front.

To do the quilting, I measured and taped off the distance between the quilted stitching, about 3".

I then pinned and stitched the back sashing and front sashing onto the rows.

I finished off the top sashing with just a straight stitch very close to the edge of the sashing strip.

Once all assembled, I finished off the quilt with the binding, which I just straight stitched finished.

Back of finished quilt.

And the front of the finished quilt.

Finished Flower Garden

I finished the flower garden paper-piecing quilt today!

Moving on to new projects!

Flower Garden

After completing paper-piecing, I added a border...

and started basting the materials together for quilting.

I started quilting the flower pots and then quilted the flowers.  I did use decorative stitches for some of the quilting of the pots.

I'm now working on the borders by quilting them to look like a picture frame.

Spring Splash!

These are the fabrics for the quilt project that I'm working on now.

A coworker asked me if I could make her a quilt that looks similar to this one. She only took a screen shot of the quilt, but didn't link me the website.

I tried googling and searching Pinterest for this image, but I couldn't find it. So, I made up my own paper piecing patterns.

I started with the flower pots since I already had a pattern for flower pots from a previous small quilt. I just enlarged that pattern to make a 10" square.

All squares are done. Now comes the assembling of squares to from columns. I plan to make a border around the large block of flowers by using the blue background fabric and the pink batik fabric that will be used for the back of the quilt.

Ready for Spring!

I didn't plan on finishing this quilt a couple of days before Easter, but I just did. I started this baby quilt in January. The top was completed and quilt basted in the beginning of February; and then, I hit a quilting wall. I didn't know how I wanted to quilt it. So, the project sat beside the sewing machine the rest of February and most of March while I planned and went on camping trips.

Well, a light-bulb moment came to me. Actually, it was an inspiration. My sister informed me of the wonderful news that my niece is expecting her first! That bit of news jolted me back to finishing the quilt. I was so excited for my niece and her husband that I had the quilt finished in a week.

Which happened to be just in time for bunnies, Spring, and Easter. I'm saying good-bye to winter, and hello Spring!

Simple Things Take Time

I have been working on a baby quilt. I'm hoping that this quilt will be a shower gift for my niece. Unless she's having a boy, then I'll be making another quilt since this quilt screams girl.