Caught Up In Stitches

I am moving on from making charity quilts, now I'm going to finish some unfinished quilts. The project I'm highlighting today has never been started so technically it is not an UFQ but it has waited so long. 

Many years ago I purchased a fabric panel at Yoder Department store, the information on the selvage is Caught Up In Stitches 2006 RJR Fabrics. I did make a slight attempt to find the panel online but had no luck, you may try if you're interested.

I showed my purchase to a friend and she told me it would be lovely if I embroidered over the printing. Yes Elaine, that would be lovely but I've had this panel over 10 years. Embroidery just isn't going to happen so I'm turning this panel into a quilt.

There are 10 different designs which I've cut 7.5" by 8". Yes, that's a weird size but that's what I came up with. There is also a very pretty butterfly panel which runs the full WOF. Here are pictures of the 10 designs. 

My project has been sewn into a flimsy and this is what I came up with. I didn't have a pattern, I created my own very simple design.

It's hard to see the designs on the blocks, that's why I showed you the individual blocks earlier. She measures 71.5" by 80".

A close up of the lovely butterfly border that was on the panel. I had just enough to make four borders.

I had to take a picture in the snow, it's not going to last much longer.

I took the quilt pictures on Sunday, February 28. All that is left of the snow is a few dirty piles.

The picture below is the same place I took the picture of the quilt lying in the snow.

The sledding hill is almost bare. If you look closely, you can see an orange spec up to the top. That's the plastic sleds waiting to be put away. The gate will be shut once this snow pile melts.

Linking to Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Put Your Foot Down, Off the Wall Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, UFO Busting

Quilts From the Extras Box

Every so often, Cynthia from Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, makes quilts from her extras box. 

You know what the extras box is, it's where you put leftover blocks from a project, or where you put the blocks from that started quilt you didn't finish or the block you made to preview a quilt.

I emailed her last fall and told her that she has inspired me and I was going to challenge myself to do this in 2021 with my own extras box.

I wrote about this challenge and several others in my New Year's post.

My challenge was to make at least 1 quilt from that box. I did better than that, I've made 3 quilts from the box!

I had decided the easiest way to make these quilts was to use the row by row idea. My quilts need to be at least 60" by 80". Here they are! I'm not going to bore you by telling you what project the blocks are leftover from.

The top quilt is 63" by 81", the middle quilt is 64.5" by 85.5".

The red fabric that was used in two of the quilts is fabric from my mom's stash. The concept of fat quarters was just starting as mom was ending her quilting days. Mom shopped by the concept you buy plenty of yardage because it won't be there the next time. And she did always buy plenty, these quilts used the last of that particular piece. I had to use another strip to finish the 3rd quilt.

The bottom quilt is 63" by 80", this is the one I like the best. There are some really old blocks in these quilts and some not so old.

In the box there is at least 1 more quilt left to be made with the cream background, the white background blocks didn't even make it out of the box! 

My goal was to reduce the amount of extra blocks in that box, and I did but I had some 9 patch blocks that have been sitting in my sewing room for years that were left from another project. I bagged them together along with another red yardage piece from mom's stash, and stuck it in the extras box. A double 9 patch is a future project from that box.

The frigid temperatures a couple weeks ago didn't seem to bother the grandsons, they still had fun playing on the snow pile.

The temperature has risen and the most of the snow is gone. All that is left is small dirty piles.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot  Down, Oh Scrap

Blue Stars, Starting the Center

After I rolled the last time, just to change things up a little, I quilted the left side borders then the left side block.

This is a closeup of the fussycut center of the block.

Then I moved my chair to the right side of the quilt and quilted the right side quilt block then the right side borders.

A close up of the fussycut center of this block.

Now for the exciting part I've been looking forward to, I started quilting the center of the quilt. The quilting design was given to me years ago from an employee of a quilt shop. She just gave me a printed piece of paper, I don't have a name for this design, I call it curved triangles.

The quilting lines are marked with a light gray pencil which doesn't show in the photos. This looks so nice with the variegated blue thread. The blue thread is Sulky 12 weight and the white is YLI regular hand quilting thread. I am quilting on a Grace quilting frame.

Most of my Amaryllis have quit blooming but this beauty just opened. It's bud had 3 flowers and is a little darker red then the other ones I've shown you.

There is another Amaryllis which will be blooming for the first time in March. I'll show you that one next week.

Some commenters have asked about the embroidered quilt in the background. This is Grandma's Embroidered Blocks and you can read about it here.

Linking to Patchwork & Quilts, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away

Yellow Dancing Stars

Five yellow Dancing Stars were made to finish out February's yellow. They look so bright and cheerful! The blocks finish at 6".

Dancing Stars is designed by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side. 

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday.

Another String X Finish

Another string X quilt top has been finished. The centers of these blocks were pieced while working on other quilts. They piece fast! I used old muslin instead of paper for stability.

The white specks and smears are snow flakes. It was snowing hard when I took this picture several weeks ago and it was cold!

I quickly shoved the quilt in the tree for the tree picture, my hands were starting to turn numb.

I was just trying to take some interesting photos.

I'm trying to use up a box of 1.25" strips but all the brighter strips have been used leaving the dark dreary strips. I cut up smaller pieces of bright fabrics to help alleviate the dreariness but now the box doesn't go down very fast. Oh well, there are probably at least 2 string x quilts left in the box.

I pulled various smaller cuts of blue yardage from the solids box then used larger pieces as needed. I also used various strips for the borders.

This flimsy measures 60" by 86". I  don't need to quilt it because it will be knotted at the MCC  Comforter Bash in November. I'll be counting this as a quilt for Hands 2 Help 2021.

String X is a Bonnie Hunter pattern found on her website.

Are you tired of me talking about my Amaryllis yet? I'm still thrilled to have them blooming so well this winter. At one time I had 7 different plants with flowers!

I don't buy all new bulbs new every fall. I admit I did buy the red & white ruffled one but the others are bulbs I've had for years. The old bulbs develop baby bulbs. When the babies come unattached from the mother, I simply pot them and keep them growing until they start blooming. That is one reason I have so many. I have noticed the salmon/pink ones are the most productive in producing baby bulbs. 

Unfortunately the apple blossom Amaryllis and the white Amaryllis bulbs aren't multiplying this way.

Linking to Peacock Party, Put Your Foot  Down, Whoop Whoop Party, TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, UFO Busting, Oh Scrap

Framed 4 Patches

Since the wedding quilt is finished, I'm working on some scrappy charity quilts now. Here is the first one completed.

In the summer of 2019, Kevin the Quilter had a mystery quilt sew along on his blog called Simply Sensational Summer Scrap Quilt. I chose not to participate in his mystery because I don't do mysteries. I want to see the finished quilt before I spend my time piecing something I may not like.

I loved his finished quilt and pulled fabrics to make the quilt. They are still bagged, ready to go, I'll get started on the quilt someday.

Nanette had started piecing blocks for the quilt but lost interest along the way. When she found out I had pulled fabrics, she mailed me the 4 patch blocks she had completed. They were lovely batik blocks, she had even spun the centers! But there was more contrast between the darks and mediums than what I wanted for my quilt. She had said she didn't care what I did with the blocks so I repurposed them into a charity quilt.

I don't know what the name of this block is, I just call it framed 4 patches. I added 4 patches of my own left from other projects and came up with this flimsy.

I had been concerned the batiks wouldn't blend with the regular fabrics but I think they look fine. The flimsy measures 62.5" by 81.5" and will be donated to the MCC comforter bash. 

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Oh Scrap

Making Progress Quilting Blue Stars

Another narrow border on blue Stars Around the Garden has been quilted. After I roll, I'll start quilting the center applique section. It seems all at once I'm making faster progress!

The applique has disappeared into the bottom roll.

I didn't take more pictures of the cable quilting in the blue border, it all looks alike!

Linking to Link Your Stuff!, Patchwork & Quilts, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away