Still Hand Quilting

 I finished the row I was quilting the last time I posted but I didn't take a picture, The quilting on the borders always look the same. Today I'm showing you the quilting from the next row.

See the large flower in the applique section? That is the center of the quilt, I'm halfway finished with the quilting!!

Click here for the Stars Around the Garden pattern.

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Daisy, Connie, and Sherrie

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

Dancing Stars

Six green Dancing Stars were pieced this month. I was surprised by the variety of greens in the solids box. The center blocks have darker green that is harder to see in the pictures.

While I was rooting through the solids box, I came across some black fabrics to be used. I wasn't sure though if they were black or a very very dark navy blue. I used them anyway, the variation of background fabric will add some character to the quilt.

The pattern for Dancing Stars can be found here.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday

9 Patch Crib Quilts

The 9 patch and turquoise quilt didn't use nearly as many 9 patches as I thought it would so I decided to make some simple crib quilts.

I dug through the solids box and pulled fabrics for squares and borders. I'm sorry the pictures are blurry but it was really windy when I took the photos!

The flimsies measure 40.5" by 46".

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

Green Circle of Squares

Four green circle of square blocks were pieced this month.

Some very old fabrics were used in these blocks.

Click here for the pattern.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday

Nine Patches & Turquoise Squares

I had planned to give into the split 9 patch project and just work on those blocks until I had the 224 blocks I needed but then I changed my mind because of Jayne.

I enjoy making 9 patches of every size. When I finish a quilt and have fabrics left, I often cut the fabric into strips and make 9 patches.

Several years ago I sorted through them and pulled 3" finished patches for a quilt and bought the alternate turquoise fabric to go with it.

Like I said, I had planned to work on the split 9 patch blocks but then Jayne posted about a 9 patch sew along on her blog. I thought about joining in using 2" strips from the box  and making 4.5" finished 9 patches. Then I thought about how I already have the 9 patches pieced for 2 or 3 projects. I decided to finish one of those projects.

Here is 9 patches & turquoise squares except in my pictures the turquoise looks blue. He measures 61" by 83".

For this quilt I used 3" finished 9 patches with light corners. Its so nice and bright!  These pictures just don't do justice. This project was on my list of quilts to make this year and it's ready for quilting.

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

Hand Quilting Blue Stars

This week I can show you I finished the row I was working last week, the left side block and the left side border.

After the quilting was finished on that section, I rolled and started with the right side border then the sashing in between the blocks and the bottom of the block above it.

The center takes awhile to stitch in the ditch around the applique.

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

Green Easy Breezy Blocks

I made 13 green easy breezy blocks that will finish at 8". 

Seven 16 patch blocks were also pieced.

The strips for these projects all came from the 2.5" strip box which is very slowly going down.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday

Split 9 Patch in Blues!

One of my challenges to myself for 2021 has been to lower the amount of strips in the 2.5" box. That is slowly happening by using the strips for the 8" finished easy breezy blocks I'm sewing for the RSC.

What I haven't talked about is the smaller box that is full of 2.5" squares that I've also been accumulating for years. Of course most of the squares in that box are blues. I've been wanting to make a blue split 9 patch for a long time but just never got around to it until I saw Keryn's post about her blue split 9 patch. That was all it took for me to start one too! I love her star center!

It is harder to see my star because I'm not piecing a true split 9 patch. I'm making the center a full square which changes the appearance somewhat. It would be nice if my display wall was large enough to add more of the blocks but it isn't. I'll have to wait until I have more blocks pieced then lay all the blocks out on the display floor.

This is supposedly my new leader/ender project but it's threatening to take over the sewing room and become a full time project! 

Split 9 patch was Bonnie Hunter's Leader/Ender project in 2013. Here is a link to the instructions.

When we we had the frigid arctic temperatures several weeks ago, we woke up to fog one morning! When the frozen moisture in the air touched the trees, they became frosted.

Those frigid temps are gone now and so is the snow. 

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

Quilting Blue Stars

I'm still quilting away on blue stars. I didn't make all the way across the row this week but that's ok. I'm happy as long as I'm making progress. The pictures are from the right side border towards the center.

Last Sunday several of you asked about the stencil I'm using for the center background. Kathi kindly found two links for me. The first one is for a 3" triangle, the 2nd one is for a 1.75" triangle which is the size my of design. Thank you so much Kathi!

I promise, this will be the last pictures of my Amaryllis flowers. The 3rd bud on the red & white bulb is blooming. This is the first time this salmon colored bulb has bloomed, it's one of the babies I've been growing for several years. My patience has has paid off.

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

Green Scrappy Sprouts

I made 5 green scrappy sprouts blocks for green RSC. 

The pattern for scrappy sprouts is here.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday

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 speck 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