I have been saving copies of quilt patterns that I think I might make some day, but probably won’t.  Some quilts I see on the Internet, Pinterest or magazines.  I could never make all the quilts that I would like to make.  While cleaning out the files, I had an idea.  When I find a quilt that I like, I could make one block from that quilt.  If I used one fabric in each block along with colors from that fabric, I could have a sampler quilt.  The blocks wouldn’t have to be the same size.  The Moda Blockhead project is done and I have made all the Splendid Sampler blocks that I intend to make.  I wouldn’t have a deadline to make a block before another  arrived by e-mail.  The scrap fabric drawers are overflowing.  I could make this project with the fabric that I don’t choose when making a quilt.

I found a yard of colorful floral fabric that I bought at Mardens.  It has red, blue and yellow in it and is great for the focus fabric.  I could add tints and tones from those colors.  I also have a yard of beige fabric.  I have several small pieces of shirting fabrics to use for the background.  I seem to put the shirting aside when choosing fabric for a quilt.  The bottom drawer has plaid fabric.  I never put plaids in a quilt because I have to fussy cut them. Making one block at a time wouldn’t be that bad.

The first block was found in Quilting Cubby.  They have a lot of very interesting quilts on their website.  This block has five nine patches set on point.  The nine patches have triangles in each of the four corners.  By using a different fabric in some of the triangles, a star appears.  The four corners have just three pieces.  Now that I’ve made one block, I don’t have to make the quilt.

One of my friend asked me why I haven’t given a recipe for a long while.  Usually, I just check the refrigerator and make up something with the ingredients that are there.  The recipes aren’t very interesting.  I do like brown rice and make a batch in the rice cooker.  On the day that I make the rice, I can cook dinner in about 20 minutes.  After I start the rice in the rice cooker, I chop up vegetables. I use a combination of vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, onions, brussel sprouts, or anything that is in the refrigerator.  I place them on a cookie sheet that is sprayed with olive oil.  Then I spray them with more olive oil and sprinkle them with onion salt.  Cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  I have a little five minute red copper chef cooker.  I have cooked chicken, crab cakes, pork chops and other meat in it.  The meat is cooked to perfection without effort.   Everything should be ready at the same time.

Did you know that you can make hard boiled eggs in a rice cooker?  I checked the Internet and it told of several different methods.  I chose one to try and really like it.  Wet a paper towel.  Squeeze a little of the water out and place it in the bottom of the rice  cooker.  Add eggs.  I used three.  Plug in the cooker and cook for 15 minutes.  Then turn the rice cooker to warm for 7 minutes.  After the 7 minutes, immediately place the eggs in an ice water bath for 3 to 4 minutes.  Don’t omit this step because the ice water prevents the green ring around the yoke. Roll the eggs on a flat surface and remove the shell.  It will come off very easily.  The eggs are perfect.  It will be fun to see what other meals can be cooked in the rice cooker.

 

Years ago, my husband bought several bags of kindling.  One of the bags contained small pieces of framing with the ends cut at 45 degrees.  That bag was a treasure.  The wood was not used to start a fire in the stove.  He made lots of little frames for me and I made 6″ quilts to put into the frames.  The local quilt shop was using  colorful paper bags at the time, so when I made a purchase, I had beautiful paper to back the frames.

All the little quilts were hand quilted.  We gave many away to friends and even sold a few.  I have seven little framed quilts left. Six of them fit on a small piece of wall between a closet door and a corner.  The seventh is on a window sill.

   

When I was reorganizing all my sewing stuff in the attic, I came across the bag of the wooden pieces.  I’ll have to figure out how to staple the pieces together and make some more.  The quilts were fun to make and made great gifts.  I still have some pretty paper bags left and can use that.  It doesn’t take much time to make and hand quilt a 6″ quilt.  I could use scraps and make the quilts so that they would be ready to frame when I make the frames.

This is just another project for the future when I finish other ufo projects.  I’ve been working in the yard and have  not sewed or quilted for a few days.  The weather is beautiful.  Not too warm and not too cold.  When it rains, I’ll sew again.  I’ll show some more of the little quilts on another day when I have no new quilting or sewing to show.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Eight years ago, I bought some sunflower fabric.  I originally intended to finish the sunflower blocks of the month that I won at a Guild meeting.  The fabric had stripes so I changed my mind and cut out some 60 degree triangle pieces.  Then the fabric was put away.  When I found the box of ufos in the attic, the partially finished pieces were there.

Out of this pile of fabric, I made:

three table toppers

three place mats

one table runner

two table mats with a fabric addition because the prints were different.

The sunflowers will be cheery in August and later on in the fall.  Then I can flip them over as the background is a Christmas print.  I was at a local Guild show in Maine and there was a table of fabric for sale.  I bought yardage that would make a great table cloth and this was the coordinating fabric.

When I finished, I had one small piece of the sunflower fabric left.  It is in the mile a minute bin.  I had to piece the last backing, but there is a small amount left over.  I will cut it into 2 1/2″ squares and should have enough for a small quilt.  These fabrics have been in my stash long enough to count as free fabric. Therefore, this group of table linens was free.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

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The pattern for block # 52 arrived today.  It was a quick and easy 6″ block and was quickly made and added to it’s place in the quilt.

Originally, I was going to leave the quilt in four quarters and quilt it myself, but decided to send it to the long arm quilter.  I sewed the four quarters together and then pieced a backing with more of the Japanese fabric.  I’m glad to have made that decision.  I need to get on to other projects.  This one has gone on for a year.  It is time for something new.

The backing

 

 

 

The quilt is very busy, but I really enjoyed  making all the different blocks.  Miss Molly has inspected the quilt and has given her approval. I took pictures of the left and right sides of the quilt.

   

The quilt show is in two weeks and I have to finish a few things before then.  Labels have to  be made and sleeves applied to two quilts.  After than, I can sit back and decide  which quilt to make next.  I have several quilts planned in my head.  Of course, there are always the UFOs to be finished.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

The quilt show is coming up soon.  I still have one quilt to finish.  The Five Yard International challenge quilt took much longer to quilt than I had planned.  It is finally quilted.  The binding is sewn on and partially tacked down.  There are more than a few ends to knot and bury into the quilt.  I’ll work on it tonight while watching TV.  I will meet the deadline.

I have a few labels to make and two sleeves to sew on.  All the pictures are in a file in the computer and waiting to be printed.  The quilts are waiting in some very sturdy tote bags that I bought at Ocean State Job Lots.  Everything will be finished in time.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Next week, I should receive the instructions for the last Moda block.  Then I can put them all together and have a quilt.  The quilt is busy, colorful and not one that I would intentionally make.

Block # 50 is a 12″ block  It’s called Vintage and is designed by Sherri McConnell of a Quilting Life.

Quarter square triangles are easy to make with the Tucker Trimmer.  Making 16 took a while, mainly because even though I organized the blocks in the proper orientation, I twisted them when I sewed.  It led to a little un-sewing and re-sewing.

Block # 51 is a 6″ x 12″ block.  It is called Power Star and is designed by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. This one took a really long time to make.  It had ninety six 1 1/4″ squares and a total of 141 very small pieces.  The little squares made twelve 2″ x 1 1/4″ flying geese and eighteen 2″ x 2″ square in a square units.  That’s a lot of little pieces for such a small block.

Before I receive the instructions for the last block  I can complete two more quarters of the quilt.  One quarter is already completed. I can also have the last quarter ready to insert block # 52.  I plan to piece large pieces of the Japanese fabric for the backing and can have that done.  The quilt will be ready to quilt in a few days.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

The weather was beautiful this noontime.  I decided to rake some of the lawn.  If I rake a little each good day, it will eventually be done.  Then I can take care of the flower gardens.  I filled two big yard bags full of pine needles and leaves before I went into the house for lunch. The part of the yard that I raked looked very nice.  Then the wind came up.  The gusts were strong and the trees were swaying in the wind.  As I look at the back yard now, the part that I raked is covered with leaves and branches are down all over the place.  Tomorrow is another day.  I’ll try again.

I’m still machine quilting a large wall hanging.  Also putting Dear Jane blocks together.  There is progress, but nothing is finished at this point.

I found two very nice small pieces in the UFO bin that I found in the attic.

The table topper is the Hunter Star pattern.  It is the piece that I made when checking out Deb Tucker’s Hunter Star ruler.  I like to make a small piece when trying out a new ruler so that I can figure out how to use it. I made four different size blocks and added different widths of the purple fabric.  This won’t take too long to quilt when I finish the piece that I’m working on now.

 

I don’t know where this table runner came from.  I didn’t make it.  It needs a border before it is quilted.  After I took a picture I noticed that there are red spools in the center.  Maybe a red border will bring attention to the spools.

 

 

I’m checking some of my notebooks and downsizing.  That means throwing away anything that I probably won’t use.  One of the books that I looked at started with notes from Janome classes at the dealer.  Later in the book are notes from lessons that I took from classes at the Vermont Quilt Festival.  There is a wealth of information in this notebook.  I had forgotten half of what I had learned.  This book is a keeper and will be on my side table so that I can read it all the way through. It really is hard to throw some things away.   Other things are real easy to get rid of.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I just got this quilt back from the long arm quilter.  She makes the dullest quilt come alive.  It’s always nice to have a great quilter to step in when there isn’t time to quilt a large quilt.

 

 

The quilt looks as if it is woven.  It is so easy to make.  It consists of four rail fences around a center block.  A partial seam method is used to piece it together.  All the blocks have the same coloration.

 

I pulled all the fabric from the bin to find binding fabric to match the outside border. There was a little of the dark blue dragon fly fabric left in the bottom of the bin. When I cut it and sewed it to the quilt, I had two inches left over. No more dark blue dragon flies. It’s a good thing.

It could be that I am tired of using the Japanese fabric.  There is another quilt at the long arm quilter with this fabric.  I also made the Moda blocks with it.  I have two more patterns to make with this fabric and there will be still lots more left. There is hope that after the next two quilts, there won’t be anything left and I can start quilting with fabric from the other fabric drawers.  Maybe even finish a few UFOs or make something with orphan blocks.

It’s April.  I must remember to take down the March wall hanging and replace it with the April wall hanging.  Also think about making a new dress for Annie Louise.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I enjoy my evenings when I can watch TV and work on the Flower Garden quilt.  Up until a week ago, I appliqued the flowers down, piece by piece on the background.  Then I saw a YouTube video where the quilter sewed the parts of a picture together and when the piece was complete she appliqued the whole piece to the background. This sounded very interesting and I thought that I would try it.

Gypsy Freezer paper is run through the copier for the patterns.  It’s much easier than drawing.  I cut out the freezer paper parts and then iron them to the back of the fabric. All the pieces for each flower are cut large and stored together in a baggie, When I’m ready to sew the flower parts together, I cut a seam allowance of at least 1/4″ around the pattern.  The edges are glued under with a glue stick. The sides of the parts that go under another piece are left unglued.  I should use starch and an iron to press the edges down, but I want to prepare the pieces while watching TV.

I had worked three nights to applique the center rose on the background.  It is still not finished.  Using the new method, I can sew a flower each night and sometimes more than one.  When they are finished, I pin them to the pattern that I drew on the stabilizer.  That way, I can see if I like the color before they are on the background.    I may even decide to add more flowers and leaves before I start to sew everything down.  All decision can be made before anything is sewn down.

Here are some of my new flowers. They will go on the right side of the top border.  I’ll have to reverse the patterns for the left side.

They make a very pretty garden.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

I needed a break from machine quilting so thought that I would finish one of the UFOs that I found in the attic.  I also had to try out a small sewing machine that I had bought for classes and retreats. I’m going on a retreat in May and thought that I should see how the machine sews. It doesn’t have a thread cutter or automatic threader.  It’s a basic machine.  I bought it from a friend about one year ago and hadn’t even looked at it.

The UFO that I chose was a  small quilt in a plastic bag. Several pieces had been cut out and sewn.  How long could it take me?  It was only 40′ X 40″.  I couldn’t remember why I didn’t finish it.

I usually sew in the sewing room, but I decided to sew on the dining room table so I could look out the slider at the lovely spring weather.  Actually, the weather is the same out of the sewing room window, but the back yard is beginning to green up.

All the pieces had to be pressed and organized.  That didn’t take long.  I read the confusing instructions and looked at the diagram.  The instructions were in two parts.  The first told how to make the components of the quilt.  The second told how to sew the components together.

The first part was originally finished.  Four 1 1/2″ x 18″ strips were sewn together. This was cut into four 4 1/2″ pieces. This is what the second instructions said – “Take a 3 1/2″ square an sew a strip of 1 1/2″ fabric to the left and right sides, trimming and pressing as you go. Next add strip to the top and bottom, again trimming and pressing as you go.” Repeat and make 25 squares.  These squares measured 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″. Five  squares with borders and the first four were to be sewn into a  12 1/2″ nine patch for the center of the quilt.  How can 4 1/2″ squares be sewn to 5 1/2″ squares?  “.  First error in the instructions.  It should have said “trim to 4 1/2″ square”.  I trimmed with a Tucker trimmer and the center was fine.

The quilt has a diagram for placement of the components.  I count 21 squares with borders.  Where do the other four squares go?

The 24 flying geese on the first border were already made, so they were sewn on.  The next 2 1/2″ square and rectangle border had to be sewn.  As I was sewing, the sewing machine started to slow down.  It finally stopped and wouldn’t sew anymore.  I will have to take a trip to the repair shop.  I’m so glad that this happened here instead of when I was at the retreat.  I went to the sewing room to finish on another machine.  It was easy to make the 1/4″ seam the same on both machines.

Sewing was smooth out to the last flying geese row.   The flying geese were sewn with no problem.  The instructions are – “Sew your remaining flying geese together in pairs and join the left and right hand side pieces together, then attach to the quilt.  Next, join your top and bottom pieces together and attach to the quilt.”  Looking at the diagram, I made the strips.  When I placed the strip on the main quilt body, the strip was 4″ short.  After looking at it for a while, I realized that the four extra squares belonged in the center of the strips.  It went together perfectly after a little unsewing and inserting.

The instructions have been filed in the round file.  It’s not worth passing it on to a friend.  It’s a bright, cheery quilt and will look very nice on my dining room table.  The quilt pattern was designed for a fabric line. Apparently there were animal squares to use for the 3 1/2″ squares. The title is “Wild Things”. That’s appropriate.

One UFO down, many more to go.

Have a great day and happy quilting.