Serenity

Finally, another queen size quilt complete! This one's done in soft, relaxing colors: blue, cream, gray, cocoa brown, and seafoam aqua.

Traditional 8” hourglass blocks are framed by various cream and beige 3” strips with black batik cornerstones. The whole quilt didn't fit on my design wall, so I laid it out in sections.

All the blocks were pieced and joined on Annie, my trusty Singer Featherweight. For quilting, I used the Janome's serpentine stitch. I'll have to say, my shoulders definitely had a workout pulling and tugging that big quilt around.

I'm very happy with the results, though. Serenity came out just like I planned, adding another calming layer to our bedroom retreat.


Accuquilt dies used:
55399 Quarter Square Triangles 8½”
55006 Squares 3½”
55032 Strips 3½”

 

Terraces, and A Sad Goodbye

Terraces

Crisp white combined with just about any color makes a pretty quilt. This one is particularly bright and springy using fresh green scraps.

Terraces features 2” x 3” rectangles, 3” squares, triangles, and strips surrounding a 6” center square. I saw a similar one at a quilt show but I don't remember who made it. I laid it out in EQ8 but also played with fabric placement on my design wall.

Finished size is 54” square. I quilted with white thread in several different stitches around each section. The back is pieced with some of the leftover rectangles and a beautiful large green and white floral print.

 

Today is the first day of spring, and sunny here in Tennessee. The only problem is the 17 degree low temperature this morning. Oh well, that's what quilts are for.

On a sad note, I'll be working alone in the sewing room from now on. We lost our precious Callie cat last Thursday after a short illness. She was 12 years old and had a good day on Wednesday, playing outside in the sunshine, even tracking a mouse. I will surely miss our morning cuddles and that sweet face!

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6047 Rectangles 2½” x 3½”

Accuquilt
55009 Half Square Triangles 3½”
55032 Strip 3½”
55000 Square 6½”
55006 Square 3½”

 

Whatnots

Whatnots

I love this colorful scrap quilt!

Hexagon, triangle and diamond shapes were easy to cut using Blue Wren's 3” Hexagon set. My remnant bins are a little lighter now but I'm reasonably sure that I will never run out of scraps.

I didn't use a pattern: I laid out pieces on my design wall and started sewing them into sections, then into rows. Finally I joined the rows and trimmed the sides. I added borders in the same white on white as the hexagons. Lots of pieces, but accurate seams on my Singer Featherweight made matching them a breeze.

I used white thread to quilt an allover diamond pattern in a straight stitch. Whatnots is 48” square.

Bonus quilts made from leftover bits are so delightfully satisfying to finish.

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6808 Hexagon Set 3” sides
Accuquilt
55017 Strip 2½” binding
55032 Strip 3½” borders

Lucy In The Sky

Bright yellow and orange batiks combined with a small navy print make a striking combination for this quilt.

After my last quilt, I was ready for an easy project with larger pieces. Cutting and sewing went very quickly, and I used a simple alternating row layout.

Lucy In The Sky finished at 45” x 49” after adding a 3” border. The back is yellow with gold polka dots. I quilted with gold thread, using a walking foot and serpentine stitch, 3” apart. It would make an adorable baby quilt or wall hanging.

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6557 Spinner 8” block
6380 Diamond in Rectangle 4” x 8” block
Accuquilt
55017 Strip 2½” binding

Weather note: March came roaring in like a lion across the southern US...rain, hail, storms and ferocious wind for three days made quite a mess. Thousands of trees are down in middle Tennessee, damaging homes, cars, and power lines. We lost two 50 and 60 foot white pine trees during the near hurricane force winds. Thankfully, they fell away from our house into our neighbor's hay field. Our electricity was only out for a few hours but many are still in the dark. Unfortunately, there were several local deaths. Our thoughts are with those families.