A Scrappy Quilter

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Sleep Cozies

Well the featherweight is flying, ( see what I did there?)

and I am getting some things done!

I am heavy into the list making mode too, so some items are

moving around in the lineup !!

First up is the lovely bundle of baby sleepers that were

out grown by the GKs. Two bags of potential were lurking

under the sewing desk for months!

The sleepers have been cut into 10" squares and waiting patiently

in the wings for assembly . Putting them on my

blog to do list, really helped me focus on them.

A few different layouts finally came together.

Even the little arms and legs of the sleepers were

called up into service as the fringe parts!

the result is two cuddly little quilts that

should be great around the campfire this summer.

The backs are flannel for some added warmth.

The best part of this is the sleepers aren't lurking anymore

and I can check one thing off my list, yay!!!

Next up are some layers to be quilted so on to the stitching!

Stay safe and sew on !!

Linking up with :

Needle & Thread Thursday

Put Your Foot Down

Free Motion Mavericks

Finished or Not Friday

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Mischief Managed!

Well, I am in the process of getting my sewjo back

after lots of time in the sun! Two big repair jobs were waiting

and now, both repair projects are complete!

The first was an easy patch on a

generic comforter, ( that darn dog) and the second

was a zipper like patterned quilt of my GD,

and yes, that darn anxious old dog again.

Anywho, I got motivated and finished up both items!

Here is the more concerning patch up,

a lovely big hole all the way thru the quilt!

So, I took out the fragments and laid out the

quilt to see what pieces needed replacing.

Actually only three pieces were destroyed,

two squares and a rectangle, 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" and 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".

Then I opened up a bunch of seams and picked out

the clamshell quilting. Hurrah for scrap quilting

because one doesn't have to match colors! I cut

out the replacement patches and stitched up the seams,

sewing all the verticals first and then finishing with the three

horizontal seams. The through and through hole made

the repair a bit easier, and I didn't have to top stich on the

front of the quilt.

I was able to find a bit more of the backing and the batting

was replaced using some powdered fusible to keep it in place.

Once I topstitched the backing in place, I repaired the quilting.

After a quick wash to remove any canine saliva, it is all set and

the repair is only noticeable if you know where to look!

Another win for quilting!

Stay safe and sew on !

Linking up with :

Needle and Thread Thursday

Free Motion Mavericks

Finished or Not Friday

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Ah Vacation!

Well, did anyone notice my absence? If not surprise! I was away!

If you did, surprise, I'm back!

We had a wonderful time in the far south, Florida!

It was beautiful, warm and we had family to visit.

The wildlife was wonderful and plentiful.

We saw, manatees, tidal coons, turtles, rays,

alligators, crocodiles, herons, storks, ibis,

spoonbills (they were beautifully pink),

cranes, sandpipers (all sorts), large leaf mantis,

and to cap it all off, a rocket launch!

We returned to host our GK for a few days.

After surviving some wild dance parties,

there was a small quilt problem.

The resident aging dog got a bit

anxious and ate a hole in

a cuddle quilt!

I can add a repair task to getting caught up

on my quilting projects!

Looks like a lot of sewing is in my future!

Stay safe and sew faster?

Linking up with :

Friday Nite with Friends

Put Your Foot Down

Needle and Thread Thursday

Free Motion Mavericks

Midweek Makers

Sew & Tell

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

The Reason I Have UFOs

I have had an epiphany !!!

In working thru my UFOs , I have discovered something startling.

Many of my UFOs have issues.

I thought most of my UFO s were the

result of DSD ( Dreaded Squirrel Distractions) or

FASPS ( Found a shiny penny syndrome) .

I was hoping some of them just needed a binding, or

maybe an extra block. Unfortunately, many of mine have serious

difficulties and need some heavy duty quilty solutions.

This is what I have discovered so far and

some of the solutions planned for them.

The Curved Log cabin- has narrow seams and

some pulled apart. This one I had tightly quilted

and will topstitch the open seams. It is all bound and we use and

display it, with the pins still marking the areas needing work!

True confessions, we often slept under Big Red

when it was half stitched and had pins holding the

batting in place around the edges.

The Stretched stars

The base block was not a standard size,

so additional charm blocks had to be cut

down to make more rows. A top was unearthed during an

organizing spree, but I have many blocks left of 2 sizes so

now they are another ufo.

The Square Dance - The on point setting created gaps in edges.

This was one of my first attempts using quilter's fuse on a

large, on point project.

I am adding a sashing and it will be " a softer square dance"

with no sharp corners as I have to sew

over the edges of the outside squares to add the sashing.

Curved nine patch- Discovered an easier way

to get the same effect with less work. ( Thank you

Jenny Doan) This is not an issue, more of a disenchantment.

I will combine these with some other blocks to

make a complete top.

That is the plan so far.

My UFOs and Gifted Goodies live

in a basket on a shelf. It would be

very nice to clear it out a bit this year.

Stay safe and sew on!

Linking up with :

Finished or Not Friday

RSC Sucess

Yes, I must admit, I found this pattern on Pinterest.

I try not to go down that dark rabbit hole but wow,

there certainly is a lot of interesting patterns!

I am trying to give a small portion of my sewing room

time, trimming out scraps. I found a perfect block

for the stack of 1 1/2 " strips that didn't have a place.

Over at the DC Modern Quilt Guild, I found a colorful

block ideal for the RSC. This block lends itself to the

challenge with lots of color and ease of piecing!

Here is how the first bunch of greens stitched up.

I do have lots, as a little friend of mind says!

Usually I don't stitch with a lot of 1 1/2" strips,

but this pattern looks much better with the smaller

strips than the normal 2" or 2 1/2" strips I use.

This blocks should help pare down my scraps

and make some pretty blocks too! They will

be put together in a rainbow quilt with more

blocks made in the color of the month!

Stay safe and sew on!

Monday, February 12, 2024

The Log Cabin for This Year

The rainbow log cabin challenge has been a

great way to keep me inspired and working on my

scrap pile. Last year I managed to make a nice stack

of multicolored log cabins to use, gift and donate.

This year's search for a similar project is

proving difficult. It has to be a nice looking

project without a lot of complex pieces.

I would also like a pattern I want to do.

The Stash Buster challenge over at

Border Creek Station is a triple Irish chain so I am

doing it for one of my monthly RSC blocks.

There are many variations of string

quilt blocks so I many stitch up a bunch of

those each month. They would use

lots of strings and that is a very good thing.

The string strips are really piling up!

There are a number of RSC projects from last

year to finish up too. The garlic knots got pushed aside,

so that project is back on the RSC list for 2024.

The fiddle stixs blocks got a very slow start,

so I am going to stick it right into the waffle blocks

scrap project that I am using for a RSC project.

One of my all time favorites, the little wonky stars

is an ongoing block. Crumb blocks and crumb strips

are also on the nice easy sewing list that I can do

anytime I just want to stitch and not worry about a pattern.

They both make great additions to finish off

crumb quilt blocks or enlarge a block pattern.

There certainly seems to be enough to keep me sewing!

Stay safe and sew on !

Linking up with :

Needle & Thread Thursday

Finished or Not Friday

Off the Wall Friday

Whoop Whoop

Monday Musings

Free Motions Mavericks

Monday, February 5, 2024

Pineapples are Always Welcome

Diving into the UFO corner for a retreat

project, I landed on the pineapples!

I so love this block and what a surprise,

there were a large number of complete blocks

in the box! When I discovered the partner

box with white strips, batiks to use and

plenty of both, it was Sahara all over again,

minus the sand and the heat but there was a

good looking love interest nearby so, success!

(That's just a reference to being stranded with nowhere to go

and having something to work with!)

The ruler from Creative grids really makes this

project a delight, although

attention to cutting lines is crucial.

I cut and I sewed and repeated that a lot and tada!

A completed top for display. It did season awhile and one bright

afternoon, I dug thru my box of large yardage, (say that

3 times fast), and found a grand, mottled bright print.

I store my larger pieces of fabric in a bin under my

work table There is a sheet protector with a snippet

or piece of selvage of each fabric and

a note of yardage on top of the bin.

This way, there is no digging required to find a great fabric

and I know without exploration if I have something suitable.

The fabric on the upper left of the second picture above,

made the cut and off to the quilter it went.

This quilt will go into my Cozy Quilt Collection.

The other pineapple I finished was a wedding quilt

for my daughter. There are a few extra blocks left from

this quilt project that can go into a matching quilt when

an addition to the family arrives this coming summer.

While sorting my binding during the recent declutter,

I even found a packet of satin binding!

It is a fun block to do but a bit time consuming.

I think that makes it a perfect project!

Happy stitching. Stay safe and sew on!!

Linking up with :

Free Motion Mavericks

Labels

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Monday, February 12, 2024

Monday, February 5, 2024