Friday, March 31, 2023

Orange Sorbet

I'm on a mission to use the orphan blocks in the orphan box. After finishing Orange Sherbet, I pulled the flippy corners and pieced a small quilt with them, Orange Sorbet.

The HST's were already sewn but needed to be sliver trimmed to 2.75". It took me all day to trim all these blocks!


Then I sewed the HST's into broken dishes blocks, at least I think that's what this block is called. If not, I'm sure someone will comment and let me know.

The broken dishes were arranged and sewn into a crib quilt which measures 35". 

The narrow gray border is the same gray fabric used in orange sherbet. I didn't have enough of any one peach colored fabrics for an outside border so I mitered strips and made scrappy outside borders.

Obviously we had snow when I took the above picture. March has been a crazy weather month.

The colors in the bottom picture are more true to color. After looking closely at this photo, I see the bottom right block is turned the wrong direction. I am NOT going to change it!

I used leftover blocks in the backing.

I originally posted about Orange Sorbet here.

Since I wrote all the above, orange sorbet has been quilted. I used the curvy line idea I see in Preeti's blog. I used white Guterman polyester thread for quilt but it doesn't show very well on the fabrics.

While quilting, I noticed there are several blocks turned incorrectly. Oh well.


Blogger decided this picture needed to go next. It looks like the bottom part of the backing is a different color, more brownish. It's not, it's the same fabric as the rest of the backing. On the left edge, there is a strip of a different gray fabric that also looks brownish at the bottom.


This is the first that was supposed to have been the first of this group. 

I had originally planned to donate the little quilt to The Center for their B.A.B.E. program but I sent this quilt and the sunny lanes quilt along with my SIL to be used by cancer patients during their chemo treatments.

Linking to Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Peacock PartyFinished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts, Oh Scrap

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Little Lap Quilts

When I was cleaning up the bits and pieces after finishing the SAHRR flimsy, I left out some of the orphan blocks to use for lap quilts.

This first little quilt is 24" square. And yes the top left corner block is set incorrectly. I didn't notice that until after the little top was pieced It didn't bother me enough to change it.


Again it snowed overnight and some blew up onto the porch. I didn't feel like pulling on my boots and tromping in the snow for a snowy background picture. This will have to suffice.


The cherry border fabric was used in the patchwork comforter top and was donated to me to be used for charity quilts. All of it has been used except for some bits and pieces.

The backing fabric was also donated to be used for charity quilts. Either side can be used in this quilt, both are interesting.

Preeti quilts her quilts with a curvy stitch and stitches over the seam lines. I decided to try that for these quilts. I usually straight stitch but unfortunately my straight lines aren't straight! The stitching shows best on the backing fabric.


This next little quilt is 28" square. 


This gray does look darker again the snowy background.


I had the gray border fabric in my stash but the backing fabric is the same fish fabric I used in the top quilt. I also used the curvy line stitching in this quilt. Both quilts were quilted with white Guterman polyester thread and both quilts have scrappy polyester batting. These little quilts are perfect to use small batting scraps.

I had originally planned to donate these little quilts to the nursing home in Wakarusa but my SIL was here on Sunday and I showed her the little quilts I've made. She's a volunteer at Goshen General Hospital in the cancer center. She said they are getting low on quilts for the patients to use during chemo treatments. I would have thought these were too small to use but she said they need all sizes and these would be fine. So I sent them home with her to take to the hospital the next time she's there.

I don't normally make small quilts but it has been fun to make small for a change.

Linking to Monday This N ThatTo Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait LossNeedle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, Oh Scrap

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Quilting Lady Jane

This post is about quilting the applique center of Lady Jane. This first picture is the right side of the medallion.

I've made the pictures extra large so you can see more detail. All the applique is stitched in the ditch and the background is quilted with hanging diamonds.

The center of the medallion. The pins help me keep track of where to start quilting.

And this is the left side of the medallion. You can't see the texture of the quilting. It does puff up nicely with wool batting.

The pattern for Lady Jane can be found here. For more details about my Lady Jane, click here.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Sew & TellHandmade Monday, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic MondayMonday Musings

Friday, March 24, 2023

Sunny Lanes

Last summer I pieced a Sunny Lanes crib quilt then hung her in the to be quilted closet.

I'm trying to finish projects this month so I pulled her out of the closet. Since she is only 48" square, I decided to quilt her myself. 

The quilt is very simple and basic, mainly just outlining the design and cross hatching in the squares.

The backing fabric was gifted to me to be used for charity quilts.



After washing, Sunny Lanes is 45" square. She'll be donated to The Center for their B.A.B.E. program.

Here is a link to the Sunny Lanes pattern from the Quilter's Cache.

Last December, Michele from Pennsylvania Piecemaker had a post displaying Christmas quilts. One of them was made using the Sunny Lanes pattern, very pretty! Maybe I'll make one for myself!

Linking to Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Patchwork Comforter Top

I took a bag of 2" squares along to Deanna's when I went to visit her last September. During our sewing time, I sewed all those squares together in to foursies.

In February I sewed those foursies together and made 13 twelve inch finished patchwork blocks. 

There were still some foursies left but they were too repetiative. I made more foursies using 2" cut strips which were then sewn into 12" finished blocks.

Now I have a comforter top. Simple designs really are the best pattern to use for comforters.



The cherry fabric was given to me to use for charity quilts, it's the perfect border for this quilt!

Someone commented when I showed Orange Sherbet that we had green grass. This winter has just been weird. We get snow then it melts and the grass shows. Then it snows again then it melts and we have grass showing again. It's been that way all winter.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Quilting Lady Jane

I've quilted across Lady Jane again. I'm able to reach in and do a whole churn dash block but I can't reach well enough to stitch in the ditch around the applique. 

If you look closely, you will see a lot of pins in this block. That is to show me where to start and end stitching. 


This is the left side of the quilt.

And here is the right side of the quilt.


After I roll, I'll just quilt the applique part.

The pattern for Lady Jane can be found here.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Sew & TellHandmade Monday, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday This 'N That,  Monday Musings

Friday, March 17, 2023

Sweet Kisses

Sweet Kisses is a flimsy! She doesn't scream Christmas quilt at you so she can be used all year round.

The first picture is taken outside on the glider.

Here she is draped over the couch.

For the final picture, she is displayed on a bed.


She measures 69" by 80" now. I'm sure she'll shrink after being quilted and laundered.

Here is a link to the Sweet Kisses pattern.

Linking to Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

2023 SAHRR, the Finish

My SAHRR flimsy is finished! I incorporated a lot of orphan blocks into the project and most of them were used, at least the ones with blue in them.

Here is more of a close up of the bottom half.

And the top half.

It was a nice day so I took a picture outside on the glider.

This quilt was made with the intention of being donated and knotted. It will be sent somewhere there is a crisis and people have a need for comforters.

As of now, the flimsy measures 63" by 90" which is longer than I had planned but you know how it goes when you're making a quilt without a real pattern.

Linking to SAHRR Linky Party, Magic CraftsTo Do TuesdayMidweek Makers, Wednesday Wait LossNeedle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Orange Sherbet

I pieced Orange Sherbet at the November 2021 Jane Stickle retreat. You can read about that here.

In the process of moving last summer, I sent five flimsies to Lori to be quilted and promptly bound four of those quilts when they came home in November. 

The plan for Orange Sherbet was to scallop the border. November and December are very busy so I decided to wait to bind the quilt in the new year.

The new year has been here for several months and I decided to get this quilt finished. I didn't want to mess with a scalloped border so a straight border it was and she's finished now!


It's kind of a stretch to show this quilt on slow stitching Sunday since I didn't hand stitch the binding, but, I DID hand stitch the corners. My mother always did that to her quilts so I stitch my corners also.


One thing that really attracted me to this pattern was the lovely gray corners but since she's been quilted, they don't show as much. I guess my gray is too soft.


She's been washed and now she's crinkly and cuddly.


On display on our bed while drying. You can see the gray corners better in this picture.


And another outside picture taken before washing. Apparently the gray shows better from an angle then directly above.


She measured 74" by 86.5" after piecing. Since she has been washed, she measures  69.5" by 83", definitely some shrinkage.

She'll be accompanying me to the Jane Stickle retreat this spring. I'll show her at show & tell and she'll also be the quilt I put on my bed in the motel room. She's not a full sized quilt but she's big enough.

See, I can make other quilts besides blue and white. 

I also finished knitting a dishcloth this week which is all handwork. I always have a dishcloth in progress.

Friday, March 10, 2023

A Little Star Quilt

I'm often given fabrics to use for charity quilts. I sort through the box and pass on fabrics that are too small for backings or not needed for my purpose. Sometimes those boxes contain projects that have been passed along.

A year ago a box contained this star block. I've added the outside border and quilted it with my sewing machine using an easy X design.

This black fish fabric was perfect for the backing. It also came from a donation box.


I thought black and white looked rather austere so red thread was used for quilting. It doesn't show well in the top picture so here is a close up. It looks very nice in real life.

At 26" finished, it's the perfect size for a lap quilt at a nursing home.

I folded the backing over to use for binding using this tutorial.

It didn't take long to finish this little quilt and it feels good to not have this project guilting me to finish it!

Linking to Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Sweet Kisses

All of the blocks for Sweet Kisses have been trimmed and the blocks have been sewn into rows!

Here is a closer up picture of the blocks. 

Now I need to cut the side triangles to finish the rows. I don't cut every part needed for a quilt right away, I like to work in sections.

Click here for a link to the pattern for Sweet Kisses.

Linking to Magic CraftsTo Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait LossNeedle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Quilting Lady Jane

Another swath hand quilted across Lady Jane. This time some of the applique center has been quilted.

Quilting has started in the center medallion. The bottom leaves and the light blue weird shaped leaves have been stitched in the ditch. The background is quilted with a hanging diamond design. And yes, I know, the spacing isn't perfect. This quilt will end up with one of the grandchildren, they won't care.

I decided not to quilt the blue border around the center medallion.


This is the left side of the quilt.


This is the right side of the quilt. The center medallion photo was supposed to be have been in between these two pictures but Blogger didn't want them that way.


We received 6" or more of snow Friday afternoon and evening, wet heavy snow, perfect for grandchildren sledding. This picture looks toward the southwest from the front of our house.


And this picture toward the southeast from our house.


And here is a picture of the north side of our house.