Rail Fence Quilt Complete!

Rail Fence Quilt

I spent part of the morning working on crumb blocks before loading the rail fence quilt on the longarm. I ended up using the high loft batting that I didn't use on another project. I auditioned several different binding colors before choosing the white which was leftover from two other projects. It is really nice when you don't have to go out and buy fabric and batting sometimes. It has been a very productive month. Hopefully, it will be this way all year! Happy Quilting!

Another Busy Sunday!

No layer cakes, no problem! I am a scrappy quilter, so the idea of buying a layer cake to make a quilt would never cross my mind. I found this free pattern at http://aprilrosenthal.com/2014/09/08/moda-love/. What a fun pattern! I am still using fabrics that I got from the scrap dive at the quilt show in October. It is amazing how many quilts I have made with that fabric! I ended up using two different background fabrics since I didn't have enough of either one for this project. Sometimes you have to make do with what you have! I also pieced the batting together on this one. I have quite a bit of batting scraps that need to be used up.

No Layer Cake Quilt

I also managed to get my scrap t-shirt quilt finished up as well. I ended up using a black and grey paisley backing for it. I love paisley for some reason, so why not use it for backing fabric? I think it works for this quilt.

Scrap T-Shirt Quilt

Attic Stairs Quilt Started

I got a good start on my attic stairs quilt today. It is slowly coming together. I will have to cut up some more 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch strips but that shouldn't take me too long since I still have few 2 1/2 inch strips left in my scrap dive stash. I apologize for the pictures. My design walls are in a narrow hallway and it is very difficult to get a good picture due to the lighting and the angle. I really need to have a dedicated quilting space with a large design wall. I can dream, right?

Attic Stairs Quilt

Attic Stairs Quilt Close Up View

Attic Stairs Quilt Opposite Angle

Bookshelf Quilt Complete!

Scrappy Bookshelf Quilt

Since the weather outside is not the greatest today with the ice storm in full force, I decided to stay inside and finish the bookshelf quilt. I used white binding to match my daughter's bookshelves in her room. Hopefully she will like it. She is an avid book reader so this is totally her. If I had to make this again, I would only use 2/12 and 2 inch strips. The 1 1/2 inch strips got a little wonky on me when putting it together. I should have added a cat as well. Maybe next time!

Busy Sunday!

It's always nice to wake up and get a few things done. I started out the morning finishing the rail fence quilt top I ave been working on the last few days. It is scrappy and I like it. I can't wait to get it quilted. After getting the rail fence quilt top done, I wanted to get a couple of quilts finished up that I had all ready to go. I can now cross these two off of my UFO list! 

Scrappy Rail Fence Quilt Top

Close Up of the Rail Fence Quilt

HST Quilt 

String Quilt

Scrappy Rail Fence Quilt Started

Today I decided to start a rail fence quilt for my next project. I thought it would be a good choice since there would be minimal cutting to do and minimal waste. I had a decent size pile of 2 1/2 inch strips to start with and I used a good amount of them on this project. All that is left for the top to get done is to sew the rows together. I should be able to get that done tomorrow morning.  

Scrap T-Shirt Quilt Top Complete!

There is nothing better than making a quilt top and virtually spending no money to do it. I got a bunch of t-shirt scraps from a friend that had interfacing already attached. I figured I might as well make something useful out of them. I'm still undecided what to do with it after I get it finished. I will probably give to one of my siblings since our school colors were red and black. Time to figure out what to work on next!

Scrap T-Shirt Quilt Progress

I spent tonight working on my scrap t-shirt quilt. I managed to add three more rows. It's slowly coming together. It should make a warm utility quilt that will be good to curl up and watch TV with.
I need to do some "shopping" in my fabric stash to find some backing fabric soon. I should be able to finish the top tomorrow night.

Scrap T-Shirt Quilt Started

Tonight I decided to start on a scrap t-shirt quilt. I am using scraps I received from a friend. I'm one of those thrifty quilters that will never pass any fabric up if its free. These scraps already have the interfacing on them, so this make it much faster and easier to put together. Most of the scraps were red, gray, black and white, so that's the color scheme that I will be using for this one. To construct the quilt, I am going to randomly sew the pieces together. I have one section nearly done. It should go together relatively quickly. It will be interesting to see what it ends up looking like once it's complete.

Bookshelf Quilt Top Finished!

After a busy weekend, I finally had a chance tonight to finish the bookshelf quilt top. Overall, it doesn't look to bad. It did get a little wonky when I sewed the rows together but once I get it quilted, I don't think anyone will hardly notice. Next time, I will probably do things a little differently.

 

Bookshelf  Quilt Top

 I'm not sure what I am going to use for the backing fabric yet. I will have to see what I have in my stash. I do know that I am going to use white for the binding. I can't wait to get it finished!

Making Progress

Have you ever wanted to get home from work and just get working on a project only to get sidetracked, and not get much accomplished? That was me tonight. I thought I would have made more progress on my bookshelf  quilt, but that's alright. There is always tomorrow!

I decided to go with the white for the background fabric. I like it and I think it will work. My daughter is excited about this quilt since she is an avid book reader.

I have three cats and Alex refused to get out of the picture. Cats can be stubborn sometimes! It seems like they have a knack for being in the way. At least he wasn't lying on the fabric!

Bookshelf Quilt Started

For my next project, I have decided to make a bookshelf quilt. From the scrap dive back in October, I got quite a few 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 inch strips. I thought that this would be a fun way to use them. So far, I've had to do little cutting since many of the scraps were the perfect size already. I am still undecided on the background fabric for this. I am leaning towards white since that is the color of my daughter's bookshelves. She loves to read books, so this will probably end up going to her when I get it finished. With that, I better continue on. Happy Quilting!

Half Square Triangle Quilt

These half square triangle quilts go together really easy. Start by taking two 8 1/2 inch squares and placing them right sides together. Next,  draw a diagonal line across the squares (opposite corners).  Then sew on both sides a quarter inch away from the line. Next, cut on the diagonal line that was drawn. Open up both halves, press and trim. The finished half square size is 7 1/2 inches. You can use any size you want, but if you want a quick, easy quilt, this size works pretty well. I have another one that just needs quilted. Hopefully I can get that one done this week as well.

Ready to quilt on the long arm

Finished HST Quilt

Close up view

Crumb Quilt!

Since I haven't figured out what quilt I want to start on next, I decided to work on my crumb quilt blocks today. I love making these little blocks. Once trimmed, they measure 4 1/2 inches square. If you are frugal like I am, these blocks can help use some of your scraps up. If you chain piece, the process can go a little faster. I usually keep my really small scraps in a small tote by my machine so I can work on them if I have a few minutes before work. It is amazing what you can get done when you are prepared. I have bright blue sashing that I plan on using that was leftover from another project. It should work well, plus I don't have to buy anything!

Jar Quilt Complete!

String Quilt Top

 Today has been a busy quilting day. I started off the morning with finishing a string quit top. The fabric I used for this was from the scrap dive in October. Hopefully I can get it quilted this week. After I finished the string quilt top, I worked on my jar quilt. I ended up using scrap binding that was from the scrap dive. It was nice to have half of the work already done. All I had to do was sew the strips of binding together. Time to figure out the next project!

Jar Quilt

Close up of the spider

Close up of the cardinal

Jar Quilt

Jar Quilt Top

I've been working hard this week trying to get a jar quilt finished up. The fabric that I used for the jars is part of what I got from the scrap dive at the Fort Dodge Area Quilt Guild Biennial Show in October. I ended up buying the rest of the scraps at the end of the show. So far, I have completed four quilts and started another eight with all of the scraps I got. The only thing that I have added is the backing and some background fabrics. My goal is to make twenty quilts out of the scraps. We will see what happens. This is the first jar quilt I have attempted. It went together pretty easy. Happy Quiltng!