plaid star quilt block swap

The plaid star quilt that lives in my Colorado cabin was from an internet swap in 1996. The homespun plaid fabric was very popular then! The stars were difficult for some of the new quilters, and the blocks didn't come to me in all the same size, but they were close enough, and it turned out to be a cute lap quilt.

I am extremely happy that I began this adventure in blogland this year : )    I am looking forward to 2011 in hopes of having many new quilting/stitching projects accomplished.  I am thankful for my family, friends, health, and I will always keep memories of my sweet mother in my heart.  May God bless you in the coming year as we continue this adventure.

piece,
elizabeth

rag quilt

Have you ever made a rag quilt?  They are fun and easy and pretty quick to make.  They do create lots and lots of lint when you dry them to give them the rag look.  I made this quilt around 2001, when rag quilts were popular.  This was a kit from a wonderful quilt shop in Colorado that is no longer open.  It is flannel, and I still enjoy it in our Colorado cabin.

If you haven't made a rag quilt, this is a quick tutorial on how to make a rag quilt like the one in the picture:

Cut 112  9" squares of flannel and 56  6" or 7" squares of batting(this is a great way to use scrap batting and some make these without any batting)

Sandwich the batting between two flannel squares and quilt and X or the design of your choice in each square.  Using a 1/2" seam allowance sew the squares in rows that are 7 x 8.  Then sew 1/2" all around the outside of the quilt and it is ready for you to clip the seams every 1/4".  Be careful not to clip the seam lines.  This will take a while and your hand will get tired : )

Now it is time to wash and dry to make the clipped seams fray.  This is going to create lots and lots of lent, and I would recommend checking on the dryer/lent tray often.  I hope this tutorial will help if you decide to make a rag quilt!

piece,
elizabeth

past quilt block swaps

I have been in Colorado for the past 10 days celebrating Christmas and enjoying some family time. I have been taking pictures of quilts that I leave here at the cabin, and I will be posting them because I haven't been sewing much the last few weeks. The quilt I am showing today is from an internet swap in 1997.

The pictures were taken on our deck, so please excuse the shadows from the railing! The weather has been gorgeous with snow in the mountains, but none in the valley. No white Christmas this year, but the view has been great.

piece,
elizabeth

be nice

I just finished sewing the binding on a simple table topper made from a t-shirt and Christmas fabric.
I don't remember where the t-shirt came from, but it makes a cute little quilt!  It measures 21"x 28".

piece,
elizabeth

thrilling

This picture says it all : )

piece, 

elizabeth

time to machine quilt

I have a quilt top of Christmas fabrics from my stash that is ready to machine quilt.  I will try to get this done over the week-end.  I have the backing and batting ready, so now to decide whether to stipple or quilt with straight lines.  Any suggestions?

piece,
elizabeth

christmas table runner

I am beginning to make a few things with my Christmas fabric stash.  The only new Christmas fabric I have purchased this year can be found here.   I haven't decided what to make with Aneela's darling holiday fabric, but I will show you as soon as I decide.

The  Christmas table runner was made from my stash(Thimbleberries), and I plan to make a few more table runners because they are so easy and fast.  I cut a 12 1/2 inch by 4 inch rectangle out of nine fabrics and in the photo you can see that I repeated some of the same fabrics to make mine symmetrical.  (Have I mentioned that I have an accounting degree and that I have always kind of liked math : )  The border is cut  1 1/2 inches and I sew using a seam allowance of 1/4 inch.  After adding binding the table runner finished at 15 inches x 36 inches.  You can easily make yours longer by adding a few more rectangles.

As you will see, I haven't learned my lesson yet, and I used green thread on the backing.  I am not pleased with the result, and I hope I remember next time to put a different thread in the bobbin : )  I could also use a darker fabric next time for my backing.  I machine quilted with straight line quilting and I think it was the right choice for this table runner.

I will have a few more Christmas projects to show you during the holidays!

piece,
elizabeth

another mug rug

I  haven't been blogging over the holidays because I haven't been doing much sewing.  I am in the process of cleaning my sewing room/studio in hopes of having some fun sewing again, without all the messy distractions.  I have found several orphan blocks and I made a quick mug rug out of one of them.  I didn't bind or quilt this one, I just sewed it with batting and backing(right sides together) and left a few inches so I could turn it right side out.  I used a chop stick to push the corners out, ironed it, and then sewed about an eighth inch all the way around, which closed the opening and gave it a finished look.  I may do some big stitch quilting or embroidery later, but I kinda like it already : )   It is a six inch block.

I have always wondered how do you know if you have a sewing room or studio?  ; )
piece,
elizabeth

mug rug

I just couldn't resist making a mug rug like the ones I have seen in so many blogs lately.  I was not happy with the white thread on the back, so next time I will remember to use a different fabric or a different thread in the bobbin.

The fabric is Origins by Basic Grey and instead of linen I used osnaburg cotton.  The backing and binding is Moda brown.  I love the look of linen and I purchased some in several beautiful shades at my LQS and while I was there they showed me the osnaburg, which was less expensive than the linen.  It only came in the one nubby color, and I am glad I bought some of it along with the linen.  This will give me a chance to experiment with both and decide if the linen is worth the extra money!

The mug rug is sitting by my computer with the cup of coffee that you see in the picture.  This is a fun quick project : )  I have the feeling I will be making a few more!

piece,
elizabeth

christmas potholders

I need to do a small projects right now.  I don't really have time to spend in my sewing room, but I can spend a little time making potholders : )  These were made from my stash of Christmas fabric and leftover quilt blocks.  I plan to make more potholders, and I am going to use some linen like I have seen used by so many of my favorite bloggers!

piece,
elizabeth

slow going

I am working on a diamond lap quilt that is slowly taking shape.  I have already had to take out stitches, so I am going to slow down so that does not happen again!  The fabrics are so lovely, and fun to work with.  I got these beautiful flowery fabrics in London at Liberty of London(many years ago), and I finally decided what to do with them!  I am determined to make quilts with my stash : )

piece,
elizabeth

blogger's quilt festival

Here is my entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by amyscreativeside.com :

I have collected many blue and white fabrics and after I cut them into charm squares I used my "go to" technique that I have shown here.  I learned this technique, how to turn charm squares on point, about 9 years ago from my local quilt shop.  Whenever I want to make something quick and easy, no matter what size quilt I need, this is my favorite easy quilt method.   I try to cut some squares out of all of my fabric, because the idea of a charm quilt is to have no two squares alike.  This is a great way to use your stash!  This technique works for any size charm square, so I usually cut 4, 5 and 6 inch squares to have on hand : )

I hope you are enjoying the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

piece,

elizabeth

oklahoma dugout

Several years ago I bought a quilt kit called Oklahoma Dugout from my local quilt shop and they still sell it here.  I made it, but as usual, I didn't follow the directions exactly as they were written.  I usually like to make a quilt "my own" and so patterns are just my guide, but not necessarily what the final outcome will look like : )   I don't think I have mentioned who I often use to machine quilt my quilts when I don't do it myself.... this quilt was quilted by Debbie Croft and she always does a wonderful job with her long-arm quilting machine!

piece, 

elizabeth

picnic quilt

I don't like to make very large quilts.  A square quilt makes a great picnic quilt.  Here is one I made with squares and just added a few borders.   I really like the yellow and blue french fabric!(it isn't from France, just has a french look : )

piece,
elizabeth

finger labyrinth stitchery

I finished my little labyrinth that I will follow with my finger, so that is why I call it a finger labyrinth : )
I kept it simple and like I mentioned here, I plan to make a series of these, just for fun!
piece,
elizabeth

wee woodland charm quilt

I finished my moda wee woodland charm quilt that I started here.  I machine quilted straight lines which was something new for me.  I started out with my walking foot, but it kept skipping stitches and I got a bit frustrated, then took it off and used my regular foot and finished with better success.  It isn't perfect quilting, but it was fun to try straight line quilting instead of my usual stippling/meandering.  I put my lines in a random pattern and I have the pictures below.  I hope I can improve each time I try to use straight lines in my quilting : )
piece,
elizabeth