May Recap

Some months I am very diligent and recap all that I have accomplished on the quilting front. Other months, forget it.  It is the very last thing on my list of things to do. This month I am in to diligent! So what did I get up to this month? Actually more than I thought considering the weather has gotten nice and the flowers and weeds are blooming! LOL.  

All together I think I used up about 23 meters of fabric which is awesome.  I think some of the piles in the fabric closet are decreasing in size. Yeah!

Sadly I never touched a thing that was on my UFO list.  I have to be a bit more diligent and try to do a block a night or something like it in order to make some progress there. But we will see - there are always new things that call out for my attention.

WIP Wednesday

 It has been ( I think) a MONTH since I last linked up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.  For shame.  So what have I been up to? A lot, more than I thought actually. 

Blocks

I got a few of these done.  The first two are for Joy circle at do. good stitches.  The first set are some extras for my month (April). The top is at the long arm quilters and I should be able to get it on Wednesday night and hopefully finish it off before month end. I also did up blocks for Becca who is making a modified Bento Box.

Bento Box

The last set of blocks are made from green scraps testing out my take on Cluck Cluck Sew block 467 from Quiltmakers 100 blocks vol. 5.  I really like how they turned out and it was great to use up some scraps.  Not sure what I will be making next from this mag, but stay tuned.

Block 467

Finished Quilts

Coconut Steps Runner is named after the Bali Pops that I got to make it.  The runner now adorns a lovely home where I went for a wine and cheese party.

Coconut Steps Runner

 Animals in the Zoo was made from a packet of scraps that I picked up at my LQS and my first intentional attempt at improv.  I added the green background ( love it) and other bits from the stash.  I also found a yard of minky in the bargain bin and it made the back of the quilt.  I love it.

Animals in the Zoo

Warm Patchwork is made from the scraps of two other quilts made last year.  I found the bits in my odds and ends bin and decided why not use them up.  It might read a bit to orange for me, but I am sure that it would make a great play mat for a little person.

Simple Warm Colored Patchwork

 
Cowboys and Aboriginal People.  Okay this fabric was in the stash for a long time.  It has cowboys and Indians and bank robbers on it.  Something that kids growing up in the 50`s and 6o`s may relate to.  I am not to sure about now, hence the politically correct name of the quilt. 

Cowboys and Aboriginal People

I wanted to test a pattern and decided why not.  The pattern design is from Me and My Sister Designs.  I had made the rail fence version of the quilt on the pattern and like it well enough to try another.  I think this pattern is great if you are in a hurry for a baby quilt to give as a gift.  You can get it done in a 5 hour time span.  If you put the pedal to the metal and know what color options you are going with that is!

Dr. Seuss 2 is made from scraps.  The whole thing is bits of fabric from other projects.  Even the back.  Unfortunately I still have Dr Seuss scraps still left.  I may have to make another Dr Seuss quilt just to see the end of them.

Dr Seuss 2

 Home Goods
Espresso Maker Cover is a quilted cover for the machine I got tired of wiping down and dusting every week.  Hopefully it will help my espresso making skills too! The Michael Miller fabric was new into my LQS and it was perfect timing too.

Sewing Machine Cover has been on the to do list since the middle of February.  Finally I sat down and followed the pattern from Sew4 Home blog.  It turned out wonderfully. A bit big but that is okay, I can keep thread on the machine top and still cover it all. 

Machine cover

 HST Runner is another project started to use scraps and to work on when I got bored with all the other projects that I had on the go.  Strange eh.  Start a new project despite having 50 others to complete. The pattern is from Heather Mulder Petersons book, On the Run that features a bunch of runners to try out.  This is my second one from the book.

HST Runner

Spring Place mats and case using Fandango fabric and a bit of Riley Blake were for my mom to celebrate 65 years on the planet. Happy B Day Mom.

place mats with carry case ( not shown)

Tops Done
Coconut Squares Runner is awaiting its turn to be quilted.  Not sure if I will do something graphic and linear or swirling..

Coconut Squares Runner

In Progress

• Granny Squares
• NYB
• Waterwheel

Wow.  You tired yet.  Me too that was a lot!  Thanks for visiting. TTYL.

Dr. Seuss Remix

I was able to put the binding on this little baby quilt made from Dr. Seuss prints.  I had some left overs from another quilt made last fall that I wanted to use up and decided to try out some improv.  Its not so random when you look at it, but baby steps I think will be my way to embrace this new technique. Each block is essentially the same, only different fabric in different places except for the red dot and black and white stripe.  I must spend some more time challenging myself with improv. I saw something in a magazine that made me want to use it as a stepping off point to try something new.

Dr Seuss Remix

 I was looking at a Valerie Wells book today and had to marvel at how she has been able to embrace new techniques and make quilts well over 30 years now.  Often its easy to get stuck in one color way, pattern or style.  When I think about the quilts I have done I have to admit that I haven`t found my style yet.  And maybe that is a good thing cause I am willing to play with new options rather than making the same thing.

Spring Placemats

Place mats seem to be my go to gift for my parents.  So it is not surprising then that I choose to make another pair of them for my mom's 65th birthday.  Of course I have other stuff as well, but I always like to have one handmade gift to add to the pile.

Mom and Dad - Happy B Day

 Back in March my LQS had some Fandango fabric by Kate Spain.  Some of it I used to make cathedral windows pillow (still in progress cause I am hand stitching it), the rest I put aside to make place mats for this birthday.  I added to it some orange dots by Riley Blake, and some other fabrics in my stash and have this scrappy looking mats. 

Place mats for two

 The back is the Fandango print, as is the carry case for them.  Though I did put a band of Riley Blake fabric on it to give it an extra pop. The carry case is nothing special, just fabric sewn up the side to corral all the place mats and keep them in one spot.  Now all that remains to do is pop them into the mail! 
 

Carry Case for place mats

Spring Runner

I finished a simple spring runner the other day.  The pattern was from a booked called On the Run by Heather Mulder Peterson, which offers a series of runners. This one is called Party Time in the book.   So far I have made two of these babies with no problems.  I did the quilting on this one myself, rather than take it to Arlene.  Just a simple straight line stitch, nothing fancy as I wanted to get it on the credenza at the front door. Looks pretty good, don't you think?

Party time runner

Simply Patchwork

Trying to be diligent and use up scraps, I made this simple patchwork quilt.  This has fabrics from two different projects in it, so I think I have been very thrifty.  The flannel I purchased at Fabricland during a sale, for less than $3/ meter which is a super good deal. Even the batting is scraps that were pieced together using the heat and press tape.  So far I have been having good luck with that stuff.

Warm Patchwork - boy

   Anyways, these are 4.5" squares pieced randomly to make the quilt top that I think is more boyish.  The back is a mossy green flannel and the binding is yet another 1/2 meter cut that I was able to use up from the stash.  Arlene quilted it using a simple leaf motif that is effective and subtle.  It is 36 X 48 inches, a good size for a crib or covering up a baby carrier.  While my patches aren't as cool as Rita's from Red Pepper Quilts is I think there is something very charming about it. Maybe its the Riley Blake Lions!

Warm Patchwork - boy

Sewing Machine Cover

Keeping in the weeks theme of covering things up, I made a new sewing machine cover.  I picked up the fabric well over a month ago, at Bib n Tucker, my go to place for batiks.  Sometimes they have some other fabrics as well along with pre-cuts that catch my eye. I recently got some Kaffe Facet charm squares in the Water line that I am contemplating making a quilt top with.  You just never know what is hidden away in the store, cause there is a lot of fabric...  If you are looking for balis this is the store to go to.  But back to my project..

sewing machine cover

The fabric that I found for my project is by Kensington for Quilting Treasures.  The pattern that I used was from Sew 4 home who has a series of patterns to cover your sewing machine, serger etc.  I had a bit of difficulty with the lining, I think I would do it a bit differently the next time or even omit it all together and just serge everything for a nice clean finish.  Either way it works well to keep the dust off the machine when not in use. Now I have to do something about my table cover.  I think I will find some black or white vinyl to cover my table and do away with the 7 year old cover that is currently on to keep fabric from catching on some of the rough plastic edges of the table.

I am thinking of making another cover this time for a TV that doesn't get a lot of use.  I saw one online for an outdoor TV  that might give me an idea how to construct it.  I am thinking quick and simple, pull on , pull off. I think i have a scrap of fabric and some orphan blocks that will work for this project! LOL.