peace~~~bias tape mini quilt

I joined the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club this year.  Once a month there is a new challenge, a different skill or technique to try, and the instructor for the month will send a PDF with the instructions for the challenge they are teaching.  This month the challenge was Shapes and Curves Using Bias Tape by Krista Fleckenstein of Spotted Stones blog.

I have made bias tape before and used it a few times for basket handles in quilt blocks, but it was definitely a fun challenge that I needed to give a try again. 

Here is the design that I chose for my bias tape mini quilt: 

It was a fun little project, and I do like the peace sign!  I used a variegated thread to sew the bias tape down and it blended well with the bias tape.

I also used a variegated perle cotton thread for the big stitch quilting.  It looks great with the flax essex linen fabric and compliments the OOP Kaffe Fassett Spools in Amber fabric.

I used a very thin binding, like I often do on my mini quilts.

This was a fun project, and I am looking forward to a new challenge each month from the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club : )

piece,

elizabeth

little lap quilt--blogger's quilt festival entry

I received a special request this week from my daughter for a lap quilt.  She is a physical therapist for children at a rehabilitation hospital.  At the end of her workday, she sits at her desk to fill out the daily paperwork and her office is cold.  Like most quilters, I have a pile of quilt tops waiting in line to be finished, so I looked through the pile and I found a small one that would be perfect for her office lap quilt.

This is also my entry in the small quilt category in the Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2015.  Be sure and go here for lots of  beautiful quilts and inspiration.

This small top has been waiting quite a while to be finished...here is the original post that I wrote about making this quilt top from leftover strips of Botany by Moda and Kona white.

I machine quilted in straight lines and then added some of my favorite big stitches. 

After adding the binding, I decided it was too plain, and I added more big stitches : )

This lap quilt measures 30"X40".  

It has been washed and is now waiting to be gifted to my daughter... it'll be like I am giving her a big ole hug every time she uses it!  That must be why I quilt... I am a hugger : )

It is always so satisfying to finish a quilt.

piece,

elizabeth

hexagon pincushion tutorial

I made a hexagon pincushion for my Liberty of London swap partner.

Here is the tutorial/process for making this pincushion!

Begin with a 2.5 inch hexagon and sew 1.5 inch strips of fabric around

the hexagon, log cabin style.   Repeat this one more time with your printed fabric.

The last round will be with a solid 2 inch strip.

Now cut a backing and batting piece the same size as your finished hexagon above.

(I added batting because the Liberty of London tana lawn fabric

is thinner than regular quilting cotton)

Then I added some big stitches for added interest and to secure the batting.

All that is left to do is place the backing fabric right sides together with the top, and 

sew around, leaving an opening.  I fill my pincushions with crushed walnut shells.

Finally, sew up the opening with a slip stitch.  TADA!

I hope you will make a few of these as gifts….it's that time of year, you know!

piece,

elizabeth

blogger's quilt festival~~~scrappy trip along

I decided to enter another quilt in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

This quilt is from an Instagram quilt along called Scrappy Trip Along.

I am an active twitter and an IG user, enjoying all the inspiration that can be found there.

I made this lap size quilt with my Kaffe Fassett fabric stash.  Just like the title of one of his books,

I dream in color : )

I hand quilted this quilt with big stitches, using variegated crochet thread.

This is the thread that I used when I began big stitching years ago.  

I decided if I was going to hand quilt a project, then I wanted it to be seen!

I am not a perfect stitcher, but I like the texture that it gives a quilt.

I used a scrappy binding and a favorite Kaffe Fassett print for the backing. 

This was a fun quilt to make.  

Although the pattern was simple, it made a lovely scrappy quilt.

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  

I hope you will come back and have a look around soon.

piece,

elizabeth

blogger's quilt festival~~~color curves

It is always fun when Amy hosts the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

I am entering my mini quilt, Color Curves, this time around.

  

It all began like this:

While playing with my solid scraps and curve piecing I came up with this:

And from there I decided to stop and make it into a mini quilt called Color Curves.

It measures 18 inches X 20 inches.

I used my favorite big stitches and variegated thread to quilt this colorful mini quilt.

A friend of mine in the OKCMQG is taking some of our guilds small quilts to

Budapest for a show in November.  I am sending this mini quilt for a door prize!

Thank you for stopping by my blog : )

piece,

elizabeth

  

budapest quilt show

A friend in my guild, is going to have a Modern Quilt Show in

Budapest in November.  Agnes has family there, and visits often.

She is taking small quilts that will travel easily : )

I am sending a table runner that I made several years ago.

I am also making a mini quilt for a door prize during the quilt show.

This is how it started out.

 I am doing some big stitching with variegated thread.

Hope to finish this week-end!

piece,

elizabeth

barn quilt

I entered two quilts in the OKCMQG quilt show and my Barn Quilt made the cut : )

I have blogged about it here and here.

The OKCMQG show starts in October, and I will be writing a post

about it so you can see some of my guild friends quilts too!

If you are wondering which quilt didn't make the cut it was this one,

Garden Path.  They said the venue had limited space and there was room for only one of them.  

That was fine with me, both quilts were fun to make!

I blogged about this quilt here and here.

piece,

elizabeth

around the world blog hop

Today is my turn to join the Around The World Blog Hop.  

I was invited to participate by my friend Amanda from The Cozy Pumpkin.

We are both members of the OKCMQG and I hope you will check out

Amanda's blog, as well as the OKCMQG blog.

Now here goes….

What am I working on?

I have joined an Instagram swap called Liberty of London Round 1,  because

I am a big fan of LOL fabric.  I visited Liberty years ago on a family trip

to London and that is when my love for LOL fabric began : )  My husband brought

home some fabric from a recent business trip to London, and I am very excited to make

something with my growing fabric stash for this swap!  

Until I receive the information about my swap partner, I thought I'd make

a little project with my LOL stash using the technique I call

"turning charms on point".  It is my most popular post and also one of my 

first posts : ).  You will find the original blog post here.

These 2.5 inch LOL squares are waiting to be turned on point!  I will

blog more about this project later this week.

If you are interested, here are a few posts that contain 

projects using the turning charms on point technique:

journal cover

comfort quilt

table runner

baby quilt

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I think this is a difficult question because I am not unique.  One thing that I

do like to add to most of my quilts is big stitch quilting.  I sometimes machine

quilt my quilts, but I really like the look a big stitch gives to a quilt.

Why do I write/create what I do?

I enjoy making things…I am a maker!  

I absolutely love color.  My grandmother taught me to sew 

when I was a girl and I have always loved to make things.  It is very satisfying 

to finish a quilt but I also love to garden, and I dabble in weaving and knitting.

I want to learn to crochet.  I think creating things is just good for the soul, it is who I am.

How does my writing/creating process work?

I rarely follow a pattern when making my quilts.  I like to buy patterns and I

look at other quilts for inspiration, but I don't like to duplicate someone else's work. 

I usually get an idea, draw it out on paper, and pull my fabrics….a pretty simple process! 

As I mentioned before, I love color and enjoy trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone.
I have made many mini quilts over the years so that I could try a new technique.

I find solid fabrics to be very inspiring, and I am using them more and more in my projects.

I have asked Cindy from Live a Colorful Life blog to join the
Around the World Blog Hop next Monday, September 22.  I have followed Cindy's blog
for years, and her way with using solids has been a constant inspiration for me.
 I bought a darling selvedge pincushion from her
several years ago and there is a picture of it here.
Please check out Cindy's post on the 22nd and be sure to take some time to
look around her blog and enjoy!

I also asked Mary from Molly Flanders Makerie.  She has already been asked to join the
hop, so please check out her post on the 22nd too.  Mary is one of the people
that has inspired me in my big stitch quilting.  She calls it pick stitching : )
When I first started my big stitches, I emailed Mary about how to hide my knots.
She gave me great instruction and encouragement : )

Jacey from Jaceycraft blogs about knitting, sewing and cooking.
I also enjoy following her on Instagram because I love her cat pictures as well as her
crafty endeavors.  She inspires me with all the different projects that she is able
to accomplish…oh, how I wish I could knit like she does.
  And like Mary, Jacey has already been asked to join the hop, so please check
out her post on the 22nd, as well as the others!  You will be glad that you did : )

Thanks for stopping by….
piece,
elizabeth