An Autumn Quilt...

My daughter wanted an Autumn quilt made of batiks.  She chose five batiks and sent the fabric to me, to do with as I wished. (Oh, goody! :))

I perused my books and the Internet and finally found a block I liked.  http://www.quilterscache.com/N/NoName2Block.html.  However, when I put the test blocks together, I felt they blended too well. 

Well, this won't work...although the photo is clear, the colors close up were simply too much alike.  The block is dull and has no zing.

 

Wow, the black made it pop!  I sent it to her and she approved.  This is still the No Name Block, just separated by 2 1/2 inch black sashings. 

 

 I had cut the center of the block orange fabric into 4 1/2 inch squares, anticipating many blocks.  However, the other fabrics only made a total of 9 blocks, each 20 inches square.  What to do with the orange blocks??? Why, make them into prairie points!  And put them somewhere on the quilt...like down the sides of each middle block!  A "quilt inspector" cat approved my choice and acted as a weight while I was trying to sew...so I turned off the machine and let her have the quilt for the evening. 
 

 

The finished quilt.  I had to add the dark gold fabric sashings, too.  My daughter wanted a twin size and I wanted it to match, without taking away from the blocks.   

As I was putting the back together, I realized I didn't have enough fabric.  So, the piecing began...I used nearly every scrap of leftover fabric, and still had to add 2 fat quarters, which were not batiks, from my stash. They had every color of the quilt in them, though, so it worked out.  

 

A closeup of one of the center blocks - I bought leaf buttons and sewed them to the prairie points, and then sewed the points down, too.  I domestic machine pieced and domestic machine quilted - Xs in the blocks, and stitch-in-the-ditch for the rest of it. 

The label still needs to be attached, but essentially, this quilt is done!

Stashbusting (not including the 5 batiks my daughter sent as they weren't part of my stash):

5 partly used spools of gold thread

1 yard of gold fabric

2 fat quarters

Yes, it's been a while.  However, I did make a quilt in the past few months. 

 

My niece and grand-niece came to visit, so I bought a used toddler bed for the grand-niece, who is 2 years old.  I then made a quilt for her.  She likes Hello Kitty! so I bought some fabric with the famous kitty on it. 

 

I wanted it to be a row quilt, so it's sort of improvised. All the rows are 5 inches wide.  I made two rows of pinwheels, 2 rows of 5 inch blocks, 2 rows of stripped blocks, 2 rows of Hello Kitty! fabric, and then WOW fabrics between each row.  On the row at the top (Hello Kitty) I put a pink and white lace ruffle between the HK fabric and the WOW fabric. 

 

The matching pillow case was WOW fabric measured to fit a travel pillow, with a Hello Kitty! border and more lace. 

 

 

 

And then, I went to my computer and into Microsoft Word, chose the Edwardian Script font, spelled out her name, blew it up to 300 (it came out on 2 pages it was so large), stuck it under the SECOND row of WOW fabric and lightly sketched her name with a #2 pencil onto the top of the fabric.  Then I hand-embroidered her name in a light blue, thin crochet thread, using a straightline stitch.

 

 

I used batting, and backed it with a pretty flannel print. The binding is more of the HK fabric. About a foot of the quilt is tucked under so you can't see the other rows. 

 

 

She knew the bed was for her...here is Cheyenne, sleeping under her new quilt.

 

 

 

StashBusting: 

About 1 yard of various fabrics

A piece of batting left over from another project

1/2 spool of white thread

 

New fabrics:

1 fat quarter bundle of 5 fabrics (the pinks)

1 yard HK fabric

1 yard flannel 

1 spool of new thread

This is the quilt I messed up by washing it after it was sewn together, but before it was quilted.  I had to take it completely apart, and put new batting a new back on it.  It is for my grand-niece for her 9th birthday.  She loves butterflies and the color green, so the quilt reflects that - a basic 4 patch with wide butterfly fabric borders. The back was folded over to make the binding.

 

 

 

Machine pieced, machine quilted. 1 spool of white thread, 1 twin sheet for backing and about 3 yards of fabric for the front.

Long Absence Is Over...

After holidays, visitors, remodeling, and then sickness, I am finally back to quilting and blogging about my quilts. 

I started a quilt many moons ago, experimenting with a fabric I liked.  Had no idea who to give it to, but I figured it'd find a home eventually. 

So, I put a back, some batting and the quilt top together, and then "birthed" it.  Sewed all around the edges while it was wrong sides together, left a small hole and turned it right side out.  Then I set it aside.  Unfortunately, I set it on the bed...and the dog loved it.  He came in and laid on it with muddy paws after he'd been for a swim in the neighbor's pond. 

Well, I washed it.  And because it wasn't quilted, the batting shredded, and the quilt back, which was 100% cotton muslin, shrank.  Even though I washed both it and the quilt fabrics BEFORE i made the quilt. 

I put it aside for a while, knowing I'd have to remove every stitch. A special birthday is coming up, and I realized this quilt would be perfect for the birthday girl!

So, I took every stitch out...and today, I will be putting it back together as a quilt with a new back.  I'll post photos when I am done. 

Blue Green Scrap Quilt...

I made 6 inch scrap blocks from leftover various colors with a predominent color of green. There were only enough scraps for 12 blocks.  I used 10 inch sashings to make it lap size. Not sure I am pleased with the outcome, but this is what it looks like.   

The front.

The back.  The quilt is 68 x 54 inches. I stitched in the ditch for quilting.

Stashbusting:

About 1 yard and 32 inches green fabric + scraps

About 1 yard and 18 inches of blue green flower fabric for the back

A piece of 68 x 54 batting given to me (not bought)

I used standard white thread for sewing and quilting

New quilt - Barnwood Scrap...

Still trying to use up leftover brown scraps and yard sale scrap fabrics.

The front. 

6 inch scrap strip blocks interspersed with 6 inch barnwood fabric blocks.

Sashing is a white/gold star fabric. Border is an autumn leaves fabric. 

The back is pieced, leftover autumn leaves, white/gold star fabric and plain white muslin.  Quilt measures 57 inches by 67 inches.

Stashbusting:

1 yard + 31 inches of various fabrics for front

1 yard + 21 inches of 3 fabrics for back

8 partial bobbins of various colored threads

3 partial spools of various colored threads

1 mattress pad as batting

Yard Sale Treasure...

I went to a yard sale today and there was a pile of fabric, mostly Christmas and some vintage calicos.  I asked the lady how much she wanted for the fabric...$2.  I came home and discovered I have about 15 yards of fabric all together, and some is even cut into strips already!  I have a project for those strips :).

Anyway, as I sorted through the fabric, I found a little bag, opened it up and there was this:

Whoever started this project quit because the blades are all hand-sewn and the centers are sewn on machine, which bunched it up - the entire Dresden plate doesn't lie flat.

This will be an easy fix - rip out the centers, place them by hand, and all will be well.  I have no idea why there are only 5 - there is no other matching fabric at all. 

My daughter suggested placing one in the center and off-setting the other 4.  Sounds good to me.  Now, to find a nice background...plain white, or should I get adventurous?  We shall see...