one flower wednesdays

I am going to begin posting my hexagon flower progress on Wednesdays.   A group of quilters are having a garden party each Wednesday, and I will now join them!  The hexagon I made today is from some 3" squares I bought in Leadville, Colorado.  They are vintage fabrics, and I am enjoying the old designs, many that are beginning to show up in new fabric designs today!  I have no big plans for my hexagon flowers, and I often put two together with some batting to make a coaster.  But who knows, I may end up with enough to make a quilt one day....let the garden party begin : )

~piece~
elizabeth

antique quilts

The last few quilts I will show you from my Colorado house are antique quilts.  They are full of interesting fabrics and some of the blocks are designs I would like to try to make sometime in the future.  I don't know the maker of any of these lovelies, but I hope they would be happy to know that they are appreciated by me : )

piece,
elizabeth

birdie stitches

I just finished my Block 1 of Birdie Stitches and I wanted to show you how I prepared my block for stitching, because each month I will prepare my block the same way.  I decided to use my stash of fabric in black and white, and I am happy with the result.

First I sewed my 2 1/2" strips in sets of 6 and 4(two sets of each).

Then I cut 2 1/2" strips off each set.

Then I sewed the pieced strips to the the 8 1/2" kona ash square.

Finally, I embroidered the cute pattern!

I will repeat these steps each month.  There is a flickr group with everyones blocks, and they are all different and oh, so cute!  Why not click the Birdie Stitches badge and join me in this cute stitchery adventure : )

piece,

elizabeth

quilt for mother

I made a chemo quilt for my sweet mother in 2005, and she passed away in April of 2010.   I keep it at our Colorado cabin.  When I asked her what color to make it, she picked green and purple.  Those just happen to be our favorite colors, hers was green and mine is purple : )  I made up a quick pattern and my LAQ friend, Debbie Croft,  quilted it as soon as I finished, so that my mother could have it for comfort and love.  My mother was a wonderful lady, and a joy to be around to the very end.

piece,

elizabeth

little quilts

I made these two wall hangings about 1998 from a book called Little Quilts.  I also have the book Celebrate with Little Quilts from the same three ladies.  They are wonderful books and great resources for small traditional quilt blocks with many great tips and how to's, including color choices and the use of scraps and strips in constructing these little quilts.  I am not sure the books are still available but the Georgia quilt shop website can be found here.  The quilts in the books make great table toppers, doll quilts, or wall hangings.  These two quilts hang in my cabin in Colorado.  I have made other little quilts that I will show you another time.  I actually hand quilted these!

I am EXCITED about a stitchery/quilt project that is beginning today at Little Miss Shabby's blog called Birdie Stitches Block of the Month quilt.  I have downloaded the first pattern and I will show you my fabric choices and progress soon : )

piece,
elizabeth

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