Yay! I finished the 3rd column for my Pastel Braid baby quilt tonight. Now that I have my sewing area organized and the strips sorted, it takes less than 1/2 an hour to sew a column. I'll make the 4th column tomorrow and I think I may add a few strips to each of the 4 columns to make them a bit longer.

This is a scrappy pioneer braid that I'm doing really as a test. The braid quilt I saw and loved so much 10 years ago had the colors flowing into one another like variegated thread. I hope to start that one next.

My son left today to spend the entire 4-day holiday weekend with his adopted grandmother. This will be only the 2nd time in my life I’ve been alone for Thanksgiving weekend. The first time, more than 15 years ago, didn’t go so well, so this time I hope to keep myself busy.

I thought perhaps I’d sew a short mystery quilt. I would want one that I can easily finish in the 4 days of this weekend. Also, I don't want something that needs too many different fabrics because I'll be using only fabric from my stash.

I was amazed how hard it was to find mysteries online. Most of the links were just broken, and many led to malicious/spyware web sites. I found only a few online to choose from...

• Fat Quarter Mystery
• Summer Mystery
• Fly Away Home Mystery
• Twisted Tales Mystery

But then I found I couldn't stand to commit my time, and especially my fabric without knowing what the quilt would look like. Kinda defeats the purpose of a mystery quilt! I guess I need to trust the person who made the mystery, or at least the person who is hosting the mystery quilt before I can do it. That explains why I've only done one mystery quilt in all these years.

So, I've decided to instead work on one of my WIPs (works in progress). Except I got a little side-tracked by this cute quilt by Cindy Carter. (Click the photo to view the PDF instructions for this Scrappy Split Rail quilt.)

To make with 12" blocks this takes 3.5" squares, which I just happen to have a nice bag of from when I was chopping up all my scraps for my (not-yet-started so it’s not really a WIP) Scrappy Lattice quilt. (I have a list of WIPs in the column to the right.)

Except that I really should not start something new until I finish one of my WIPs. But which one???

I made great quilty progress yesterday. I unpacked the remaining 2 boxes from my old sewing room, and fit everything into the linen closet, which is now my sewing closet. (Note to self: get more large plastic tubs.)

I also sorted and boxed my stash, taking out pieces that are less than 1/2 a yard to cut up and add to my scrap bin. I hope (in my dreams?) to make some (small) scrap quilts for Christmas gifts. 

I found my works in progress (WIP), and got out a couple of them actually work on. <gasp!>

I really like the look of simple quilts.

This is was made by Dawn at Spring Water Designs using fabric from Stone Cottage from Andover Fabrics. Didn't she do a lovely job?

It is a from the pattern called Great View by Pieces From my Heart.

Say that 3 times fast!  :)
I’m working on a new purse today. I picked out several color themes for it but settled on a pink-purple-green combo.

I’m stumped finding a color/fabric for the top band, which is pink on the pattern cover. I don’t really want a purple purse, so I’m thinking maybe an olive-ish green for the band. Something the color of the green dot fabric would be good. Maybe I should swap out the green dot fabric to use for the top band and put another green in the purse body. I just happen to have a multicolor bead trim that is going to be perfect for this project.

I’m excited to be getting a new purse. I normally keep the same purse for years. It is definitely time for a new one. My current purse is pretty, I made it myself and love the fabrics, but it is a tad too small and the handles are too short. I’ve put up with it for more than a year—time for a change.

Cute!!

Found this free pattern at McCall's Quick Quilts online: Ghoulies & Ghosties Quilt

I just love Quick Quilts magazine. Fast and lovely, that's my style!

Here’s the block I finally made with the yellow flying geese scraps. I pulled in some scraps of this minty green 30’s print and I think it came out very well. I couldn't make it work with the other green fabric I posted yesterday because the center square was not large enough to make a square in a square block.
Here’s another block I made with some more of the flying geese scraps. I ended up reversing the square in a square, and pointing the flying geese inward.  (The light green fabric is actually much brighter than it appears in the photo.)
I've still got a few flying geese left to play around with...

Here is the design I settled on for the challenge from my last post. Thanks for the ideas in the comments.

I like this block now, though it only uses half of the yellow flying geese.(This isn’t sewn together yet, the pieces are just placed on the cutting board.)

The square in a square middle adds interest, but I think it needed the half-squares on the corners to tie in the green. Yesterday, I found these 4 green half-squares already sewn and also the large green square.

Actually, yesterday I also found 3 more purple-yellow flying geese and 4 yellow-green-flowered flying geese, so now I have to come up with more ways to use these up!

I need some help. I’m trying to find a way to use these leftover flying geese patches to make a 12” block. The catch is that I don’t have any more of the yellow 1930’s print used in the geese. (You can see the fabric better in the bottom right photo, the bottom right corner.)

 
I don’t want to do a Dutchman’s Puzzle block (left), because I already have one of those in 1930’s prints.

I thought I’d do the “Another Star” block (right) from www.quilterscache.com. That works well with 6 of the flying geese, but the problem is that I don’t have any more yellow for the 4 half-square triangles that need to go in the corners. (If I cut the flying geese in half to make fake half-square triangles they aren’t tall enough – they come out to 2.5” by 3.5” but need to be 3.5” x 3.5”)

I could just use solid squares of the background fabric in the corners, but I was looking for something more exciting. I’m looking for suggestions of some other block patterns that might work.

On the right are the 1930s prints I have that could go in this block. The yellow on the bottom right of the photo is the fabric that is in the flying geese patches.

Please leave a comment with your ideas. Thanks!

As I’ve finished organizing my scraps, I’ve been looking over my collection of quilt magazines and books with a new eye towards scrappy quilts. (I really never paid attention to scrap quilts, thinking they would be way too much trouble to make.) 

I have a tub a bit bigger than a big shoe box full of a different type of scraps: These are odds and ends of sewn scraps. Lots of strip sets, parts of 9-patches, and tons of half square triangles that were cut when making flying geese blocks and snowball blocks, and others that you cut the corners from. I sewed most of these leftovers together in half-square triangles already so they are ready to make into blocks.

Yesterday I laid out some fall colored half-squares with some 2.5 inch scraps, and 4.5 in scraps in fall colors to make a 12” bear tracks block. I also laid out some 1930s reproduction flying geese scraps into a king’s crown block. I got them sewed and ironed tonight and they are up on my design wall.

I have about 10 or 15 other twelve inch 1930’s reproduction fabric blocks from a swap with Faith Quilters so this block will go nicely with those. :)

I really love the bear tracks block made in fall colors. I may make several more of those and have a quilt someday. I’ve always wanted a bear tracks or bear’s paw quilt…

It made sense to me to iron scraps that were really crumpled that were large enough to slice in strips and squares, but I couldn't seem to stop myself from ironing even the little scraps that I was then tossing in the new I'm-going-to-give-away scrap bag. (Iron, then toss in bag to get all wrinkled again. How distorted is that?)

I cut the scraps in squares in 1/2 inch intervals from 1.5" up to 12.5", the 6" squares being for the scrap quilt that made me start all this in the first place. If it was a long scrap then I cut strips from 1" on up to 6.5". The 1.5” strips go with the 6” squares to make a X block quilt that I’ve mentioned in earlier posts.

I think I went nuts at the end there with all the memories of the shopping trips, quilts, swaps, and gifts these fabrics were used for going through my mind-- I just kept ironing and cutting and stacking squares/strips, tossing not-too-small odd shapes into the give-away scrap basket (for the appliquérs in my quilt group). The 1" strips I will use, but what in the world am I going to do with all these 1.5" squares?

Sorry for the lack of photos lately, my camera doesn’t want to turn on, even with new batteries…

I’m still cutting scraps and as I near the bottom of my scrap bin it is like a trip down memory lane. I’m finding scraps from the very first quilts I ever made, pieces from my first charm and strip swaps, scraps from quilts for over a decade of friends who’ve had babies, and scraps from swaps with quilt groups that have come and gone over the years…

Fifteen years of memories are in this scrap bin. What a quilt they will make!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve been slicing and dicing scraps all weekend. Now that I have a rotating cutting mat this job is MUCH easier than last time I tried it. I am finding it so satisfying to see the stack of strips and squares come out of the chaos of scraps that I don’t want to stop. It has really surprised me how good it feels. All sorts of ideas and designs are flitting through my mind as I slice away--I’m getting excited to get started on some scrap quilts!

Good morning! I'm slicing and dicing fabric today. I'm taking my big tub full of unloved fabric (1/2 yard or less pieces) from my stash clean-out and slicing them into 2.5" and 1.5" strips, plus 6" squares, Then the rest of each piece I slice off the largest size strip I can get from it. I'm surrounded by baggies with sizes marked on them, but am finding that it is too slow to have to stop and put the pieces in the appropriate baggies. I need to get some lunch bags set up that I can just toss the pieces in as I cut them.

I will be using the 1.5" strips and 6" squares to make diagonal bar blocks for a scrappy quilt. For the block you cut the 6" square diagonally, then sew a contrasting 1.5" strip between the 2 resulting triangles. I got the idea from the Trading Patches quilt in McCalls Quilting August 2007. For the last 2 years this tub of fabric has sat waiting to be sliced. Well, this week-end I hope to make a good dent in it. :)



Download my Electric Quilt 6 project for this design:

I sewed together the small pile of mismatched 9-patch blocks I found. Now  I have this pretty, little pillow. This side has browns and greens, the other side has the brighter, yellow and blue blocks. I can flip it over as the mood strikes. I have already sewn it right sides together, and just need to find some stuffing.

I'm tickled to have found a use for some blocks that have been sitting in a pile for 5 or 6 years at least.