Using quilt pieces left from another project Part 1

We all have pieces left from another project that didn't quite make the size that we needed or we just made too many.  Not sure what the case with this was but I found many such pieces when I was cleaning out a box of UFO's.

I decided to work with them by making them a uniform size.  8" X 8" is a good size to expand on. Some of the pieces were already 8"x 8" while others needed to be extended.

I used a coordinating fabric 2.5" X 8" to add to one side of the 8" x 8" piece.






I then joined three sections into a strip.          Four strips into a topper.

This 3 x 4 square is just about crib size but I really think that it needs at least another row of color.  The border with the dots really gives a lot of color choices to choose from. 

Adding a border really can extend the little amount of squares that I started with.

Ann Arbor Adventure with Kay Part 2

Another group of shops we went to during our Ann Arbor adventure.

Pink Castle Fabrics
So many different fabrics.  The store itself had a very lofty warehouse feel to it.  Lots of Asian and foreign fabrics that you just don't see anywhere.  Too much to decide on.  I'm saving this place for our next trip to Ann Arbor for a purchase.


The Quilting Season

The ladies here were were a real joy.  They were getting fabrics ready for their big Christmas Open House. WOW.... lots of great samples. I got these chicken fabrics.  The chickens are a set of place-mats but I'm not sure yet if that's what I'll use them for.  I've got more chicken fabric at home along with some black and white fabric that might work out also.












Sandhill Crane Vineyards Wine & Wool Festival

Very busy.  Lots of vendors and all sorts of yarn and roving.

Ann Arbor Adventure with Kay

On Friday July 28th and Saturday the 29th 2017, my friend Kay & I set out  to discover the Quilt & Yarn shops of the Ann Arbor Area.

Here we are at our new favorite the Ann Arbor Sewing Center.
WOW....what an fantastic selection of fabrics. Great parking and very friendly staff.

I always say "I've got plenty of fabric at home", but we definitely found some fantastic fabrics that we could't be without.

I found these sweet little kitty themed fabrics and peach with tiny white hearts just happens to  work with some fairy themed fabric I've already got in my stash.

Some cherry themed fabric to add to my
Traverse City cherry theme.  The cherry trees and vintage camper was so cute.  It was hard not to buy the other camper fabric.

Yoga fabric.  Love it.  OM
I think this will make for great mug rugs to give to my yoga buddies.

Boat fabric to add to my lighthouse

 collection.

Halloween Quilts

It's time to start thinking Halloween. One of my favorite holidays.  I love the fabric that's come out.  All the different colors and themes. Day-of-the-Dead. Gray, black, purple and orange. 

These are all small baby size quilts. Quick and easy to make.

Esp this one with panel fabric and strips added in to make them all fit together.

Another panel quilt with coordinating border fabric added.

Panel and fabric purchased at The Red Rooster Quilt Shop in Columbus, Ohio.

Sewing area Organization

I've taken the time to revamp my fabric. Organize and Purge. Doing this always reintroduces me to fabrics I've had and often makes me wonder why I've got them!

My shelving is standard Sauder Shelving purchased at the Ready To Assemble Furniture Store in Lima, Ohio.

Everything labeled as to style, color or fabric groups.
It's like my own fabric store!

I always feel that "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is important as far as my supplies go.

I just need to remember that the next time I'm at a quilt shop.
NOT







I also have an wonderful combo ironing board made with screwing two small shelves together and attaching a shelve board covered with padding and ironing board fabric. It gives me the rectangular ironing space and storage underneath. Both things a regular ironing board do not offer.

The shoe size storage boxes and mini laundry baskets stack nicely.

Mug Rug Swap

I have been a member of Swap-Bot since 2009.                                     I have swapped a variety of crafts and supplies with hundreds of people all over  the world.  The mug rug is one of the swaps I've done recently.
If you've not tried a mug rug yet, now's a good time to give it a try with these simple directions for a variety of mug rugs. It's a great way to use up scraps for a quick and easy "mini quilt".  They make great gifts and are very inexpensive to mail to anyone.

Here is the mug rug I made for a recent swap.

Mystery Quilt 2015

I had done this mystery quilt a few years back a few years ago with a Yahoo Group called OhioQuilters.  I really haven't been too active with it lately, but when I came across this quilt, I was reminded of how fun it was to make.

Groups are a great place to meet other quilters with out having to leave your house!    Try it out.

This is another top I had sitting around forever and finally found the time to add backing and binding..  My theory is that we all have a certain amount of creative process built up inside and we just need to keep making it/doing it until we just can't do it anymore.                                                                                                                                                                                      I make quilts, Afghans, whatever with no particular "receiver" in mind.  My only rule is that they "want" or will appreciate the gift. I would be sad if it showed up at the thrift shop but it could be a more grateful receiver would be the final owner instead. 

Columbus Area Quilt Adventure

On Thursday June 8th, my friend Kay and I went on a quilt adventure in the Columbus, Ohio area. We try to go to another city or state when we can but today we stayed local and had just as much fun.                                                                                      We started the day at Quilt Beginnings.                 Always a great place for new fabric combos, ideas and inspiring samples.  The staff is very friendly and helpful.

  

Then we headed to another one of our favorite places,

  Sew To Speak. Which has an assortment of quilting, sewing and knitting supplies.  Eclectic fabrics and patterns. Friendly and helpful staff combined with wonderful samples.  They always have something new that I can't leave without.

I purchase a linen piece to coordinate with a few linen items I had acquired on a few previous trips. The gray with light dots I got at  Sew To Speak, the gray cats on the black background I got when we went to Pittsburgh to the Knit and Crochet Festival in March from a vendor at the  show.  There were actually quite a few quilt vendors which was great as Kay and I love both knitting and quilting.  The rolled piece of red hearts on the tan background I purchased in Chester England last year at Liberty Bell. 

I would really like to incorporate the three fabrics together into a clutch or a bag of some sorts.

 

After all our shopping it was time for lunch and an adult beverage at The Whitney House in Worthington

Then we finished off our day at the Red Rooster Quilts 

Where we each bought a 5" charm pack of Poppy Mae by moda.

T-Shirt Quilt and Crochet Rug

A few years ago i had the opportunity  to make a few t-shirt quilts for a guy I worked with.  He had been in Boy Scouts for many years and had a collection of t-shirts from a lot of jamborees he had participated in. 

I made a template that incorporated the design and made a uniform size [there are clear grid templates that make this easier]. I trimmed each down. Used iron on interfacing to give each a stability to keep them from stretching out. 

I surged them all together.  Used a dark green fabric [boy scout color] as the backing and binder.   

                  

With the left over material I cut into 1/2" to 1" strips and made "yarn" balls.  I joined the pieces randomly, crocheted them into a circle using a large hook.  

This is the sweet little rug i produced. Approximately a 36 inch circle.

Haven't decided where to use it or gift it to yet. 

Cherry Country Quilt Shop Sutton's Bay Michigan

My husband and I made a recent trip to one of our favorite vacation areas last week, Traverse City, Michigan.  

We like to take short little shopping trips in the area. This was from Sutton's Bay.

I stopped at a cute little quilt shop in the area, Cherry Country Quilters.  I've been there many other times and I always seem to find something I just can't live without. This time was no exception. 

I came home with a bundle of cherry themed fat quarters and a third of a yard of script fabric.  I just can't resist fabric with writing.

The ladies were super friendly and chatty.  The store has a wonderful assortment of fabrics and samples.

Happy Halloween Panel

This wonderful Happy Halloween Panel was purchased at one of my favorite quilt shops, Red Rooster Quilts, along with an assortment of Halloween fabric to coordinate with it.  I love Halloween!  I especially love fabrics that aren't the traditional black and orange combinations.

This simple panel was combined with some fun witchy fabric and oranges. It is 37" x 55".

Top

Backing

As you can see on the backing, I pieced the gray witchy fabric with the orange.                                                                                                        My usual lack of planning left me without enough of the same fabric to use for the entire background.              Oh well!                                       I never really have a total plan when I'm on the fabric hunt anyway other than " I love it ! Gotta Have it!"

Little Red Riding Hood

This sweet little quilt is 50" x 50".

The panels were purchased on a trip to Austin, Texas a few years ago at The Sew Crazy Fabric and Quilting Boutique.

I didn't really know what to do with them at the time but came up with a framed square method that featured them nicely.












I had a vintage linen flat sheet that was perfect for the backing and the binding.

                                 

I had sheet fabric left over and made a pillow case to go with it.

The sheet was embroidered with someone's initials so i featured them on the edge of the pillow case.


















I still have enough sheet backing to make a doll quilt and pillow case.

Flannel Block Quilt - January 2015

Flannel Block Quilt

This one is an oldie.

I had all this flannel and decided to do blocks. Had a bunch of blocks and then decided it was way too long since I had made them. Time to put them to use!

Didn't have enough of the background flannel and made do with what I had.  It works! It was pretty small and I wanted it to fit a twin bed so I added the borders.

Not sure if has gotten beyond this stage of not.  I'll have to do an inventory and see if it needs a backing and binding.

Winter Theme Quilt - January 2015

Winter Theme Quilt Backing

I didn't have enough fabric to do the entire back. So I made a strip on each side with backing fabric and a green that was similar to the green in the top. I liked the vintage plaid fabric that was an even weave.  I stopped getting hung up on the backing needing to be all one piece of fabric.

Winter Theme Quilt Top

The top was an old assortment of winter pre-cut kits from JoAnn Fabrics I've had forever.  Found them tucked away while I was organizing!

Stripe Panel King Quilt - 2015

This this the finished Quilt on our King Size Bed.

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This this the Quilt in progress.  It was made in strips and each strip was had sewn to the quilt body.
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This this the Quilt in progress.  It was made in strips and each strip was had sewn to the quilt body. I was only concerned that the squares were lining up. I trimmed the ends off later.
















                                                                                                                                                                                    


This this the Quilt in progress.  It was made in strips. These are lined up before being attacked to the quilt body.  I used a purchased "body", a king size quilt from Kohls for $30 rather than doing the batting & backing separately.










This this the Quilt in progress. 
 It was made in strips. These are lined up before being attacked to the quilt body.  I used a purchased "body", a king size quilt from Kohls for $30 rather than doing the batting & backing separately.

This this the Quilt in progress.  It was made 3x3 block squares using 2.5" charms and strips. The blocks where then sewn together with another 2.5 " bar and then into a long strip.