Calico Dreams

I'm on a roll with scrappy quilts! Colorful prints alternate with crisp white for a pretty lap quilt.

Most of the prints were cut in a previous remnant rescue marathon. You might remember the first version, Thrifty Threads, posted in September. Cutting the white fabric and sewing went quickly...I finished this one in four days. 

I used white thread to quilt a scallop stitch along the center of each row, 2” apart. Calico Dreams is 48” x 50” size. 

I love sewing simple and fast projects, especially this time of year. It feels good to move on to the next design on my list. I have enough lined up to flow well over into 2023.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6047 2” x 3” and 2” x 6” finished
Accuquilt 55017 Strip 2½”

Life Is A Highway

Life Is A Highway

Yep, I've been cutting up remnants again!

I already had a bin of random 3½” half square triangles, so I decided to cut signature shapes to coordinate for a colorful and busy lap quilt. 

I played with several layouts and ended up with the blocks on point in double rows, adding white on cream print squares in between. I finished with setting triangles around the sides and corners.

Life Is A Highway measures 53” x 58” in size. For quilting, I used medium cream thread to free motion ribbon candy patterns across each block. It's really relaxing and fun to get in the rhythm of stitching.

Apparently I love color, because there aren't many shades missing from my stash. These scrappy designs allow me to use odd bits and even ugly fabric that wouldn't work as a primary choice.

Every quilt I finish gives me scraps to make others, even though I toss anything that's less than two inches. Another bonus quilt complete, with more to come. 

Accuquilt dies used:
55356 Signature 4½” finished
55010 Square 5"
55019 Half Square Triangle 3½”
55805 Half Square Triangle 5” finished
55017 Strip 2½”

Thankful 

for the time 

I spend quilting! 

Not A Singer, But...

This vintage find is not a Singer, but it sure was an irresistible Goodwill bargain at $30.

Japan manufactured clones of the Singer model 15 and others after WWII. Universal is one of the brand names they used. 

My Granny Hill used a Universal, but I'm not sure which model. This one was shiny and fairly clean, no scratches and just a couple of paint dings. Gold decor and lettering is near perfect. Not bad for a 1951 era machine.

We've named this one Tojo, after famous Nashville wrestler Tojo Yamamoto. Tough little machine, but the original covered wood carrying case looked like it had gone 10 rounds and lost. It may not be salvageable, but Jerold is going to try to glue it back together. In the meantime I'm using a plastic base.

As for Tojo, he was missing the bobbin case, needed a v-belt, LED bulb (E17 screw in), and a replacement foot control. After a good service by my favorite mechanic: grease, oil and polish, he was ready to sew in just a few days. Stitches look great after adjusting the tension.

I did the final quilting for last week's Back To The Sixties throw on this nice machine. We've found a few more Singers over the summer, and they're currently on the shelf waiting for their chance to be tuned up.

Back To The Sixties

What a fun quilt! Diamond rectangles are wild and crazy showcasing fabric from my large collection of scraps.

I'm trying to use up those leftovers before they take over the sewing room. As soon as this die arrived from Australia, I began cutting colorful pieces for this quilt.

As I laid the blocks on my design wall, my husband mentioned that it looked like a quilt from the sixties. While several of those vintage scraps may actually be from that era, most of them are newer.

Back To The Sixties is 48” square. I quilted with dark gray thread along the diamond seam lines in a straight stitch, using a walking foot. These rectangle blocks are 4” x 8”, and Blue Wren also has a 3” x 6” version (I bought that one too). Both would be nice used as borders or sashing.

While I had the remnants pulled out, I cut an additional bonus quilt using different dies. I like having one or two ready and waiting for me to sew. My idea list is long enough that I'll probably never finish them all. But I will do my best.


Dies used:
Blue Wren 6380 Diamond in Rectangle 4” x 8” finished
Accuquilt 55017 Strip 2½”