A completed table runner!

Hi everyone, 

I have another finish to share. 

I finally finished this blue table runner that I started in October 2017. 

I quilted it yesterday and finished the binding today. 

I love how it turned out. 

I free motion quilted it on my domestic machine. 

This was made from scraps from my stash. 

I picked a dotted fabric for the backing and I really like it. 

Works in progress

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well. 

Happy Halloween!

I’m handing out candy this evening to all the wonderful trick or treaters. 

The last few days I’ve sewn some blocks to make a table runner using the November blocks from my guild BOM. 

I have the top completed, and still need to quilt it. 

Here’s another picture.

I have it on my new design wall, which I purchased from Connecting Threads. 

It was on sale, plus I got free shipping. Love that!

You can see my table runner blocks in progress on my design wall. 

This is a collapsible design wall by Cheryl Ann.

I’ve also completed some of the pink blocks the the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2017.

I made 9 plus blocks. 

Plus, 4 pink Arkansas crossroads blocks. 

I hope you like my projects.

A small finished table topper and some blocks

Hi everyone, 

I’ve had such a busy month. 

I helped my parents pack their things to move back to their home town. 

They we living in a house that we owned. 

When they decided to move, we stepped into action to put it up for sale. 

Carrying two houses wasn’t for us and we didn’t want to continue renting it. 

It was a lot of work to prep it for sale. 

But it sold very quickly. It was a relief. 

I hardly had any time to sew this month.

I had planned to make a table runner out of the blocks that I used for the my quilt guilds BOM. 

I had it all designed, but I was too tired to make all the blocks it required.

So, I made a mini version. A small 20 inch square table topper.

I really like how it turned out. 

I may still make the full table runner, but this one will do for now.

I also worked on trying to catch up on my Arkansas crossroads blocks that I’m making for the Rainbow Scrap challenge 2017. I just finished my blue blocks. 

I have to make the orange, pink, and cream/white coloured blocks still to be caught up. 

Here are the blocks I’ve made so far.

I’m really loving these blocks together. 

I hope you like my blocks.

Table runner progress

Hi everyone, 

I took my blocks from my quilt guild BOM sew day and made a table runner. 

It's not completely done. I still need to find a backing for it and quilt it.

I hope you like it!

My quilt guild BOM quilt.

Hi Everyone,

I designed the scrappy sampler quilt especially for the Limestone Quilters Guild.

We are doing this quilt as this years BOM.

It's more like a several blocks per month endeavor. LOL!

But, I've had really good feedback from people who are planning to make this quilt.

It's my first time doing a pattern for others, so it's been a bit nerve wracking.

We had our first BOM Sew Day yesterday.

We were nine ladies all together.

I gave demonstrations on how to use the rulers to make the blocks and how to put the blocks together.

We talked about fabric and color selection, fabric placement and value.

I gave tips on getting an accurate 1/4 inch seam allowance. 

It was interesting to share my perspective on sewing a scrappy quilt.

It was fun to share with the ladies and they were very encouraging. Phew! I made it through. 

Because I'm doing these demonstrations, I'm making more blocks.

I don't really want to make this quilt again.

So, I'm going to use my blocks to make table runners.

These are the blocks I demo'd yesterday.

My plan is to make a few more of these blocks to make the table runner.

I've already starting cutting for a few more blocks.

It shouldn't take me long to make them.

Distracted.....

Hi everyone, 

I've been working a lot of overtime in the last few weeks. I haven't had many days off because of this. I'm not complaining because I need the extra money and I'm fortunate that I can get it. All my shifts have been 12 hour shifts. So, I've only done a little bit of sewing. 

I just couldn't bring myself to work on projects that I considered brain intensive. Plus I just wanted to play with my fabric. I sewed up some tiny 2.5 inch bow tie blocks. These are so cute. I've no plans for these yet. 

I also made a 6.5 inch Arkansas crossroads block, with my red 1.5 inch scraps. 

It's also a super cute block. 

The majority of my sewing has been on scrappy nine patch blocks for Butterfly Threads Scrappy Star Sew-a-long.

I've made all 48 coloured 9 patch blocks from step #1. I didn't use the strip method as I had a huge bag of 2.5 inch squares cut that needed to be used. Sorry, I don't have a picture of these. I need to make the background blocks now. But I haven't started that yet. 

Did I need to start another project? No!!!!! 

There are so many sew alongs this summer. I wish I could participate in them all. I probably have enough fabric. Lol! But I don't have the time. Oh well. I'm hoping to finish one quilt before the end of the month. I have several tops ready for quilting. I just need to chose one. 

I hope you all have a great rest of the week!! Hugs !!

I have the blues....

Hi everyone, 

The blues I have are in the form of quilt blocks! Lol!

Here are the blocks I made so far.

Twelve plus blocks

Twenty four spool blocks. I hope to have 30 blocks by the end of the month. 

I also made some tiny 2 inch 9 patch blocks with crumbs. 

I decided to turn 4 of these blocks into pincushion. I added a 1.5 inch border to these to make these pincushion. I was inspired by Crazy Mom Quilts to make these. 

I filled these with crushed walnut shells. Two were machine quilted and two were hand quilted. 

I hope you like these. 

I'm linking with 

So scrappy

Oh Scrap

Hand stitching kites

Hi everyone,

It's been another busy week for me. 

I haven't had time to do much sewing, but I continue to work on stuff a little bit at a time.

I'm almost done all the blocks for my Idaho square dance quilt. I will try to get a picture of the progress soon. 

I've also prepped some blue spool blocks for sewing as part of my July Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I have continued to work on my scrappy star blocks made from the kite shape. This is going to be a table runner for my formal dining table. I wanted something that reflected my scrappy style. I'm hand piecing these blocks. I'm not using papers or anything like that. I'm using a template that I trace around to cut all the pieces with scissors. Then I eyeball a 1/4 inch seam allowance as I hand stitch them together. It's very soothing to sew this way, and it's portable too. I just carry a ziplock bag with my supplies wherever I go. 

This is what I have sewn together so far. 

It has not been ironed yet, so it looks lumpy. But it's going to be gorgeous when it's all done. I haven't decided how long I'm going to make it yet. It will have at least 4 full stars, but I might make it five long. I'm not sure yet. 

I hope you like my scrappy start of my table runner. 

Linking with

So Scrappy

Oh Scrap!

What I have been working on....

Hi everyone, 

It's been super busy for me the last week. My mother-in-law moved in with us this week. It was a last minutes decision that was made on June 22. We had to pack and clean out her apartment, sell a bunch of stuff and get her set up at our house. She has not been well for a while now. So, I had a feeling this was going to happen soon. 

In between all this activity, I did give myself some me time to sew. A lot of the sewing was done at 4:00 am, because I couldn't sleep. I would get a bunch of sewing in before anyone else got up. It was a great stress reliever and allowed me to keep going during the day. 

First, I worked on my mini 3.5 inch spool blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2017. My goal for this project is to make 30 each month. But, I fell behind on some colours. But, I managed to make 30 yellow ones and 34 green ones. 

I also made some yellow plus blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2017. 

This weekend I decided to pull out a UFO to work on as well. I chose the Idaho Square Dance quilt by Bonnie K. Hunter. 

I had all the Idaho square dance blocks done. So I worked on the log cabin blocks. I got all those done. I just need to make the pieced setting triangle to make the centre of the quilt. 

I would have liked to lay these blocks out on the floor to take a picture. But my puppy thought it was a game and kept spreading the blocks everywhere. Oh well, next time. 

Well that's it for now. 
 
 
 

 

RSC 2017, week #22.....finishing up green

Hi everyone, 

I can't believe we are in June already! 

Time is just flying by, and I don't seem to be accomplishing as much as I would like. 

I fell behind on my green blocks for May. 

So I got my green Arkansas Crossroads blocks done yesterday. 

 

I decided to take a peak at how my blocks look all together so far.

 I really love these so far. 

This layout is perfect as it is. But I want a bed quilt. I'm wondering if I should make more blocks in each colour. I'm not sure yet. I could just mix the blocks so that the colours aren't linear, but more random. Either way, I love these blocks.

Onto making my yellow blocks!!

RSC 2017, week #19 - green

Hi everyone,

I did make some progress on my green blocks.

Here's what I got done this week.

I made 13 green, 3 1/2 inch spool blocks. My goal is to have 30 made.

I also made 6, 6 1/2 inch plus blocks. I using these on more than one project. So, more of these are going to be made too.

I'm having fun with these blocks. I hope you had time to sew on your green blocks too.

I'm linking to So Scrappy!

A few placemats

Hi everyone, 

Today I made a few placemats as a gift for my Mom for Mother's Day. 

She loves placemats and uses them all the time. I've made her some before, but that was quite a few years ago. I had looked on Pinterest for ideas and chose to do them as courthouse steps blocks. I used 2 inch strips to make these, and batting scraps. 

   

The backing fabric is one that my Mom had given to me a few years ago. I thought it was perfect for these. I knew that she would like the back as much as the front.

These two placemats were part of the package I'd put together for her for Mother's Day. 

I'm working all weekend 12 hour shifts. So, I gave it to her this evening. 

She loved it! She always loves the things I make for her. She has them displayed all over the house. Lol! My dad really loved these placemats too. My Mom reminded him that these were part of her gift. Haha! They are so cute. I told them, I would make a few more to add to their set. My Dad was happy to hear that. Lol! 

It's a simple gift, but I know they appreciate it! 

My daughter took me out for dinner tonight to celebrate Mother's Day. And my oldest son was able to join us when he got off work. That was so nice. My two boys got themselves an apartment and are moving out at the beginning of June. I'm happy for them, but I'm sad too that I won't see them everyday. You know, even if they've been doing there own things and weren't spending much time at home, it was nice to just hear them come in the door. They would sit with me a few minutes and talk about their day. Or just run in to pick something up and be off again. But I knew they were okay and it made me feel good. Now they want to be on their own. It's hard for me to let them go, even though I know it's the right time, and good for them to learn about life. Oh well, kids grow up so fast. By the end of August I won't have any kids at home as my daughter will be going away to university. I guess I'll have to quilt a lot to get over missing them. 

My Scrappy Sampler quilt progress

Hi everyone, 

I've got the centre of my sampler quilt done. Woohoo!

I'm really loving how it looks. 

What do you think?

 

Slow stitching and RSC block ideas

Hi everyone,

I've been working this weekend.

It's interfering with my quilting. LOL!

Oh well, I can't buy fabric if I don't work. LOL!

Anyways, I have had time to do some slow stitching in the evening after work.

I picked up my Millefiori rosette #1 and I'm doing the final round.

Don't look too closely at the stitching on this EPP project. I'm terrible at EPP. I don't know why. But it's just not my thing. I will finish this round and make it into a wall hanging and that will be the end of this project. I love hand piecing better than EPP. I'm just better at it. 

Also, I worked on my sampler quilt the last few weeks, and some of the blocks that I made would be good for the RSC challenge. These are 12 inch blocks and look great all scrappy.

I think I will add these to my must make RSC blocks for next year.

I might even make some this year and catch up with the colours we've already covered.

What do you think? I used the Essential triangle tool by Bonnie K. Hunter to make all the HST's and flying geese. It's so much easier. These were all made from 2 1/2 inch strips. 

Anyways, I didn't do my spending report for March yet.

March was my birthday month. I turned 40 this year. AHHHHHH!

Okay, I'm getting up there. But I'm actually quite happy to be 40. I'm coming into my own, more or less. And I'm in a good place right now.

So, since it was my birthday month, I did spend more than I should have. 

I hope this is not a trend though. LOL! Because, I'm supposed to be good this year. LOL!

I don't know if this program is working, or if I'm just spending as much as I normally do.

Oh Well!

So, I bought a new to me sewing machine for $400. It was a steal and I couldn't pass it up.

That's my big birthday gift to myself. And I did do some fabric shopping. I spent a total of $192.50 on fabric. I bought 9 fat quarters, a 1 gallon scrap bag, and 11 meters of yardage. I also purchased the Essential Triangle tool by Bonnie K. Hunter and the EZ dresden ruler.  

So, my total spending for quilting stuff so far this year is .........$695.40

Ouch!! That does include a sewing machine though. Ughhhhh!

Okay, I need to get back on track. LOL!

Linking to Slow Stitching Sunday,  and RSC 2017 - Scrap Happy Saturday and Oh Scrap!

Sampler quilt....

Hi everyone, 

I've been working on a sampler quilt the last few weeks. This quilt is my own design. It uses traditional blocks, done scrappy. 

Why am I making it?

Well, I volunteered to do my quilt guilds BOM for next year. I wanted to make a sampler that could be done out of scraps.  My style is scrappy. I thought I'd share my techniques for making all kinds of fabrics work together in one quilt. So this quilt is being made ahead to encourage members to want to join in. 

The funny thing is that I second guessed myself on this design. So, I submitted a second layout that was more symmetrical, thinking that we could chose one to make. But it was a split decision, and I couldn't chose so I'm doing two options using the same blocks. 
 I'm a sucker for punishment. Lol!

Not only is this the first time I'm doing a BOM, it's my first time writing a pattern for others to make. And now I'm doing two!!!! What did I get myself into. Lol! 

So this is version #1. 

Hope you like it so far. 

RSC 2017 - Week #11 - red

Hi everyone, 

I've had a pretty good week. 

I did manage to get some red blocks made. 

I made 12 plus blocks. 

I also made some blocks designed by Sew Fresh Quilts. 

I made a raccoon 

And a Canadian beaver. 

These definitely take more time to make, but they are super cute. I have a special project planned for these. 
 

I also bought a used Janome 1600p-db sewing machine. I only paid $400, which is a steal. I'm so excited about it.  

I played around with free motion quilting on it. I had to work at getting the tension right. But I managed to do it. I love being able to make manual adjustments. 

I quilted this mini quilt with it. 

This mini is 8.5 inches square. 

I love how it turned out.  

I hope you all had a chance to get some sewing in this week. 
 
 
 
 
 

RSC 17 week 8, aqua/blue green/teal

Hi all, 

I finally got a chance to work on some Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks in the February colours of aqua/blue green/teal. 

I made four more 16 patch variation blocks. These are 12.5 inch blocks. 

I really love these blocks, and they look great with the purple ones. 

I also made a few more 3.5 inch spool blocks. I'm way behind on these as I want 30 in each colour of the month. I do have a bunch cut and ready to sew. I just need a chance to get to it. 

I made some plus blocks too! These are cute 6.5 inch blocks. 

So, once I'm done working on my En Provence quilt, I'll make more spool blocks. I finished quilting my En Provence quilt last night. It just needs to be trimmed and bound. 
 

 

 

 

RSC 2017, week #4 - purple

I did quite well this month with my purple blocks. 

I finished 30 spool blocks. 

These are 3.5 inch blocks, made from my 1.5 inch strips.  

These blocks are so cute. I love these. 

I also made four 16-patch variation blocks. These used up 2.5 inch squares, and the block is 12.5 inches. 

I really like these blocks and the secondary pattern it creates. 

I then decided to start making some 6.5 inch plus blocks. 

These were also made with 2.5 inch squares and 1.5 inch strips. I only have three of these made. I will need to make more. But that's okay. These are easy and fast to make. 

 I'm really enjoying participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year.  I hope you like my January blocks. Now I'm excited to see what next months colour is. 

Go see http://superscrappy.blogspot.ca to see what the others are making.