Scrappy Irish Chain Quilt Top Complete!

Today I managed to finish my scrappy Irish Chain quilt that I had been working on. I made one with white background fabric last year and have been wanting to make one with black background fabric ever since. I really like the look of these quilts and it is a great way to use up small scraps. Time to start another project!

Another Crumb Quilt Top Complete!

After a long day of quilting, I finally got something completed. I think this is the fourth crumb quilt that I have done, They are so addicting! I ended up using leftover quilt backing for the sashing. The red may be a little too bright but once I get it quilted and put the binding on, it should be fine. I am thinking of using black for the binding. We will see what happens! Bobo, my 17 year old cat, decided to photobomb the picture. I guess he likes the quilt!

Iowa State Quilt Top Complete!

It seems like I have been working on this quilt top for a while but that really isn't the case. Things have been really crazy lately and I haven't had as much time to quilt so it is taking me longer to finish tops than it normally does. I ran across this free pattern on the Film in the Fridge blog at http://filminthefridge.com/2010/10/20/rectangle-squared-a-quilt-block-tutorial/. I did modify the pattern slightly. I ended up making the squares 3.5 x 3.5 inches instead of 3.25 by 3.25 inches and the rectangles 3.5 x 7.5 inches instead of 3.25 x 7 inches. The reason why I did this is that if I had leftover squares or strips, I would have a better chance of using the 3.5 inch squares. This was also the first time I have done a border on a quilt. I think I did alright for the first time.

Quilt Retreat Weekend!

This weekend I headed to Jefferson, IA to a great quilt retreat. Even though there were only 16 of us, there were lots of wonderful quilts being made and a ton of laughs all around. This was the second year in a row that I have been to this particular retreat, so it was nice to know what to expect this time around. 

I managed to get five quilt tops made. I ended up making two Quilts of Valor and three scrappy quilts. I do quite a bit of time cutting and prepping ahead of time so that by the time the retreat gets here, I am sewing rows together. 

It is kind of sad to think that this is my last quilt retreat of 2017. I would like to get one more in before the end of the year but I will have to see what happens! 

Rainbow Bookcase Quilt Top Complete!

All I can say is that this thing is big. I had to move my sectional by putting the pieces on end in the corner of the living room so I had enough floor space to work on it. I can't wait until this quilt is completely finished. Time to get the backing and batting out and get it ready to be put on the longarm! I may do a tutorial on this quilt eventually.

In addition to working on this quilt, I have been busy getting several other quilt projects ready for a quilt retreat that I'm going to in a couple of weeks. I have plenty of projects all ready to go and it should be productive weekend. I have a couple of Quilts of Valor quilts that I am excited to work on. I also want to try and finish all of my quilts from the scrap dive last year. I have five to bring to the retreat. If I complete those, I will have a total of 30 scrap dive quilts. We will see what happens!

Rainbow Bookcase Quilt Started!

I finally started this rainbow bookcase quilt that I was commissioned to do for a friend of mine. I have only made one other bookcase quilt before, so I'm excited to do another one. That one was made using random scraps. My biggest concern is having enough yellow and orange fabrics for this one, but so far, so good! Luckily, I have quite a stash so it's just a matter of finding the fabric that I am looking for. I know I need to get more organized and hopefully this fall I will be able to work on it. There just isn't enough hours in the day!

Jar Quilt Top Complete

Tonight I finished my second jar quilt top. I ended up using a dark green background fabric. I think it really shows off the jars. These fabrics are from the scrap dive from last October. It is amazing how many quilts I have made from those scraps!