Christmas Challenge

Another UFO turned into a practical item!  During my recent closet cleanout, I found an experimental block that I created several years ago using chisels and parallelograms. Stored in the ziplock bag with it I found scraps and more cut shapes. This, my friends, was like a challenge to me. I just had to make something out of it.

Back and front view of Christmas Challenge placemats

I decided to whip up a couple of holiday place mats for our kitchen bar. Adding 2" strip borders made the blocks the right size. A rose and holly print remnant was found in my stash for backing.  I used champagne colored thread with an eyelash serpentine stitch for quilting across the blocks diagonally.

Christmas Challenge place mats finished out at 15” square. I enjoyed playing with fabric, used another piece of material, and eliminated one of my unfinished objects. What could be better on a December day?

Mixed Nuts

I went on a cutting spree several weeks ago with my hexagon die set and a big pile of scraps. This colorful quilt is the final result.

The brighter the better, I say. I used a cream and beige swirl print for the hexagons and equilateral triangles making up the background. No real planning for color placement, other than trying not to get the same prints too close together as I slapped them up on the wall.

Quilting was done with medium beige thread in a straight stitch, criss-crossing the quilt along the design lines using a ruler to keep everything neat. Mixed Nuts finished out at 49” x 53” in size, good for snuggling.

Sewing is my stress relieving relaxation activity. We're still doing home improvements and I miss not being at the sewing machine every day. Although I've found that other power tools can be just as satisfying to use when all goes right. Drills, staple guns, hammers, mini chain saws, jig saws, and sanders have been in action here.

My man and I make a great team. No matter what project we're working on, there's a nice sense of accomplishment when we get things done.

Blue Wren dies used:

6808 Hexagon Set 3” sides

6566 Equilateral Triangles 6” sides

Vintage Breeze

Three old fashioned prints give this quilt an antique look. I chose a lovely medium floral, a simple swirling vine, and a geometric design for the fabrics. The rose print contrasts nicely with chocolate brown and dusty coral.

Larger pieces in these 16” blocks make quick work. Nine blocks later and I was done. Getting perfect points is easy with Blue Wren's dies and a precise quarter inch seam. The back is pieced using a large rose print in the same shades with a cream and coral mini print.

For quilting I kept it simple with rows of scallops lined up 2” apart. Vintage Breeze finished at 48” square. 

Back to the sewing room to cut out more quilts...I got a shipment of new dies from Australia on Friday!

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6954 Dynamic Blocks

Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” for binding 

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for many things, first and foremost that I'm still moving forward on this lovely life journey with my one and only husband.

There are loads of reasons to be thankful in 2024; both gains and losses count. We've both shed quite a few pounds, which gave us a healthier life. The frig and pantry are no longer stuffed with sugary snacks, so our grocery budget is lower as well. Closets are cleaned out, too large clothing donated, and new skinny sizes added. YAY!

Home improvements are in process around here. Planning and working together on projects has always been fun and we're still learning new skills. These changes provide us the opportunity to get rid of lots of unnecessary stuff. Paring down is a challenge, given our vast collections of hobby gear, but we are working on it. Prioritizing what we want and what we need is key.

I'm thankful that the two of us don't really have to consider what others think, say, or do. We're certainly old enough to decide for ourselves how we spend our time and what's right for us. Letting go of the expectations of others gives us peace of mind.

A simple, comfortable, happy home has always been our goal. Putting things in perspective has allowed us to experience less stress, less worry, and less drama. Old habits can be hard to break but this year's fresh starts have been invigorating. Less is more, and I'm thankful for it! 

We're moving forward...

Imperfectly Teal

Scrap quilts are the reason that I save small bits of fabric from every quilt I make. Seems crazy, I know. But there's such a high level of satisfaction in using leftover pieces to create an entire quilt.  Plus, you get several extra bonus quilts without spending any more money. I do love a bargain! 

My inspiration for this project was a group of quilts designed by Jo Anne Merrill-Duckworth. Her beautiful creations are scrappy, colorful, and amazing! Her method makes it easy since you don't have to worry about perfect cuts or uniform pieces. The wonkier the better--just choose a focus color and use what you have that fits.

I took a shoe box full of aqua and teal fabric strips to the campground in October to begin these crazy log cabin style blocks. I used leftover black gingham to begin each one, adding random width strips until it was roughly 7” square. Once I got home and finished all the blocks, I trimmed them with a 6½” die before stitching them together.

Imperfectly Teal finished at 48” square after I added 3” borders. I quilted with white thread, using a rolling wave ruler in diagonal rows about 3” apart.

Scrappy imperfect quilts aren't for everyone. Lots of people just can't stand so many prints, or crooked blocks that don't align perfectly. My brain had to reset a bit before I could resist the urge to straighten out those seams. I had fun, though, and gave myself permission to play. And I'll happily do it again.

So thanks, Jo Anne, for sharing your ideas, inspiring us to abandon perfection, and to save and use our scraps!

Accuquilt dies used:
55000 Square 6½”
55032 Strips 3½”
55017 Strips 2½”

Lakeside Picnic - Better Late Than Never

You never know what you'll find when you start cleaning out a closet, especially in a sewing room. Maybe treasures, maybe trash, usually both. My normal responses vary from “Oh wow!” and “I remember that fabric” to “Why did I even keep that?” or “What the hell was I thinking?”

This little quilt is one of two pretty unfinished quilt tops I found stashed in an unlabeled box. Looking back at my quilt diary, I worked on it in the summer of 2013. I'm not sure why I laid it aside, but the pieced backing and the border fabric was stored with it. I probably had several projects going at once and it got lost in the shuffle. But here it is now, all finished.

A simple rail fence block is arranged using blue prints alternating with a green & white check. Borders are a lovely solid green and a blue floral. I think it has a 1930's vibe going. The back is pieced with wide and narrow stacked strips. I quilted the center section using a straight stitch in green thread, following the rails. On the borders, I changed to a multi zig-zag utility stitch.

Lakeside Picnic is 45” square and ready to use now that it rested for 11 years. The other top with backing has been added to the To Be Quilted shelf in my decluttered and organized closet. You'll see it soon, I hope.

Better late than never!

Windy Day

Let's start November with an easy snuggle quilt. I pulled out a coral red peacock feather print from my stash, adding blue fabrics from the print to coordinate.

This simple windmill block is so quick to cut and sew, especially after laying it out in EQ8, then on my design wall. This quilt is alive with motion and color, don't you think?

For backing, I used the peacock feather print with leftover strips of the blues and a center section made up of one Curve in a Square block. Now it's not just a backing, but a reversible quilt.

For quilting, red variegated thread was used with serpentine stitch to make 4” grid along horizontal and vertical seam lines. Windy Day finished out at 49” square.

I'm thankful this one didn't take long, because we're still finishing up brush cutting and clearing around the home place. 

Dies used:

Blue Wren

6554 Windmill 8” block

6602 Curve in a Square 12” finished block

Manual Labor

The weather last week was warm and sunny, so we gathered up our gear, the tractor and mower, then headed outside for some much needed yard work.

Picture me, dressed in overalls, ball cap, and boots, armed with a hand-held mini chain saw, hedge clippers, and a rake. Although there's no photo evidence, I'm definitely a redneck Southern woman when I need to be. Not quite the sweet little old quilt lady you're used to, huh?

We attacked prickly wild rose and blackberry vines, overgrown weeds, crabgrass, unruly shrubbery, nasty poison ivy, stubborn privet, dead bushes, and a couple of fallen trees. We stripped out all the shrubs around the house to create a clean slate for new landscaping later. 

Even though there was sweat, sore muscles, bruises and a bit of blood, overall we had a good week. We were out in the sunshine every day.  We got lots of exercise chopping, loading and dragging brush and logs. I lost two more pounds. We took our time, laughed, enjoyed the breezes and admired the fall colors. The yard looks better and Jerold bushhogged the back field. 

I'm not sure how it got so out of hand (well, maybe because we played instead of working) but it's almost whipped into shape, at least near the house. Out in the country, there's always something that needs to be done. Could be time to think about a place with a smaller yard so I can sew instead of doing manual labor.

Wave The Flag

Wave The Flag

I started this quilt in April during our spring camping trip, then set it aside. Fast forward to September, when we headed to Dale Hollow again. I took along more scrappy red, white, and blue half-square triangles and finished the blocks.

Ocean Wave is a vintage design that was published in several women's magazines around the 1930's. I've seen this classic quilt many times and always wanted to sew one. It's a bonus that I pieced it on Annie, my Singer Featherweight. 

Once home, I added the light blue corners and completed the quilt. Wave The Flag is 48” square, quilted with light blue thread in a simple 2” grid pattern. I finished it off in a red and white striped binding.

Accuquilt dies used:
55039 Half Square Triangles 2½” multiple
55031 Half Square Triangles 4½”
55017 Strips 2½”

 

Tilt-A-Whirl

Tilt-A-Whirl

Last week I teased a story about the quilts I worked on during our rainy camping trip. This brightly colored scrappy quilt is the first one to be finished. I cut the pieces before we left so I could focus on sewing the 4” Washington's Puzzle blocks.

Once we got home, I laid them out on my design board, then added sashing using white on cream fabric.  I used two utility stitches for quilting: a multi-stitch zig-zag on the sashing and a small serpentine across the blocks.

Tilt-A-Whirl finished at 44” square, and may be used as a baby quilt, wall hanging, or table topper.

I'm convinced that I can never use all those remnants that I create from making quilts. But that's ok, because it provides plenty of little pieces for many more bonus quilts.  I love getting the most out of my fabric stash!

Dies used:
Accuquilt
55602 Washington's Puzzle 4” finished
55159 Rectangles 2½” x 4½”
Blue Wren
6047 Rectangles 2” x 6” finished

Camping, Scraps, and A Clever Substitute

Obey River, Dale Hollow Dam Campground

We're home from an interesting trip to Dale Hollow Dam Campground. First, it rained every day...Hurricane Helene remnants...but thankfully no flooding or wind damage at our campsite or our house. I'm so sorry for everyone who has been devastated by this unbelievable storm.

After we determined we were safe, our stay was actually very quiet and relaxing. Soft rain on the roof was nice and the campground was less than half full because of cancellations. A few days there were only a dozen sites occupied. We had plenty to do: tablets loaded with books, movies on a hard drive, and fairly good internet access. We cooked some nice meals, ate delicious Mexican food at Los Primos in Celina, and walked the trail in between showers.

Of course, there was sewing! I brought along my Featherweight (Annie), bins of cut pieces for blocks to make two quilts, plus some random scraps. As I set up my sewing station, I realized that I forgot my thread stand. Huh. I tried putting the cone thread in a cup, but it wasn't working well.

My clever husband pulled two items out of his tool kit: Vise-grips and a long screwdriver. I added a little binder clip to the top as a thread guide and it worked a treat! It never hurts to have a backup plan or the ingenuity to create an alternative.  A bit of redneck in us, I guess.  We could have gotten extra points if we had also used wire-ties and duct tape. 

We made the best of a rainy escape, plus came home relaxed and happy. And I have two nearly finished quilt tops ready to sandwich and stitch. That's a story for another day. See ya next week!

 

Be Back Next Week

 

Maple Row

Maple Row

Autumn has arrived, even through the temperature doesn't agree. Ninety degree days aren't what I had in mind for Tennessee in late September.

Nevertheless, I have a fall quilt for you today made with scraps in gold, brown, tan, and green shades. Maple leaf block is a vintage nine patch design.  

This was the first project I pieced using Midnight, our recently refurbished dark blue and silver Singer 404.  Lovely stitches and smooth running after a few adjustments.  I added 1” sashing to separate the blocks plus 5½” wide borders.

Midnight: Singer 404

Using medium tan thread, I quilted wavy lines horizontally and vertically across the whole quilt using a rolling wave ruler on the Janome 9450. This is one of my favorite allover designs to quilt since it doesn't have to be precise to look good.

Maple Row finished at 49” square. It looks snuggly but I won't be under it until this summer heat goes away. It will have to decorate the back of the couch for a while yet.

Stay cool, and have a wonderful week!

Dies used:
Accuquilt
55195 Maple Leaf BOB 8” finished
55488 Strips 6”
Blue Wren 6015 Strips 1½”

Honey Sweet

Here's an adorable quilt for a cute little sweetheart.

Baby quilts are always fun to make, but this one was particularly special since I included fabric given to me by the little one's grandmama.

Soft peachy pink, muted aqua and shiny gold arrows blend well with a light gold batik dot fabric. Hexagons and triangles are arranged in a honeycomb style design.

For quilting, I created a new allover pattern using a curved ruler with light tan thread. I really like the results and will use it again.

Honey Sweet finished at 40” square. It's been done for a while but finally found its way home this past weekend.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6808 Hexagon Set 3” sides

Accuquilt 55032 Strips 3" finished

Felicity

Happiness is a finished quilt. I love the entire process of sewing a quilt, but sewing that last stitch on the binding is such a wonderful feeling.

Turkey tracks block is an old design dating from the mid 1800's, with the pattern published in 1936 in the Kansas City Star. There's also an appliqued version where the pieces are curvier.

My 12” blocks are machine pieced, with dainty yellow florals, green woven, blue check print, and grey mini dot background. The white arrow print sashing ties it all together.

For quilting, I chose an ice blue thread and the which way ruler to create an allover design. Felicity finished out at 48” square.  

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6664 Turkey Tracks 12” finished
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½”

Rolling Along

What a fun quilt to make! I've seen this die but didn't realize it had been discontinued. I was lucky to find a new one in original packaging on Facebook Marketplace a couple of weeks ago. Thanks Marilyn! 

This block is easy to sew and the curves stitch up beautifully. I started with the black batik, then picked teal, lime, and cream fabric out of my stash to give a clear contrast in the circles.

After adding backing and batting, I quilted with khaki thread across the circles with 3 lines of ruler stitching in waves. Once that was done, I added free motion stitching on the cream sections.

Rolling Along finished at 48” square. I've already designed a few more color combinations in EQ8. It will make an adorable baby quilt.

By the way, how did it get to be September already? 

Accuquilt dies used:
55452 Local Color by Bill Kerr
55017 Strips 2½” binding

 

Right Side Up

I needed a quick project for last week, so I dived back into the remnant boxes.

Choosing a couple of busy prints first gave me the colors to coordinate. Pink, yellow, orange and aqua solids, low volumes, and brights were cut into half rectangle triangles. I arranged them in horizontal rows for symmetry.

For that little something extra, I pieced the back using a single column of the triangles bordered with a muted yellow/green shell print. I used yellow thread to quilt straight stitches 1/2” from each seam.

Right Side Up finished at 48” square. I love it when an impromptu quilt idea comes together! And I finished just in time to relax with my sweetheart on our 51st anniversary weekend. 💖

🎉 Another milestone: last week was my 700th blog post!  

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6038 Half Rectangle Triangles 4” x 8” finished

Sail The Caribbean

Summer is nearly over; we've had a couple of mornings below 60° to enjoy. That's unusual for August in Tennessee! Still, today's lovely quilt brings thoughts of tropical island breezes.

Classic navy and white prints contrast nicely with Caribbean green. I adore these colors and have made several quilts with this combination. The chisel blocks were wonderfully quick to cut and sew.

I chose light aqua thread and a zig-zag utility stitch to quilt vertical lines 1½” apart. Sail The Caribbean finished as a 48” x 54” rectangle.

Once this one was finished, I straightened up my sewing room, updated fabric inventory, and cleared the decks for the next project. 

By the way, thanks for all the nice comments on Facebook about last week's blog post, our refurbished Singer 404 (Midnight). I'll be using him to stitch something soon. 


Accuquilt dies used:
55039 Chisels 3” x 6” finished
55017 Strips 2½” binding

Midnight: Singer 404 Restoration

Midnight

How do you like this for a complete restoration? I think he's beautiful!

It's been a while since we restored and painted a sewing machine. We bought this guy from Goodwill for $45 in December 2021. It was a cabinet model manufactured in May 1960. The motor was frozen, paint spotty and filthy with dings and chips.

Before

My resident repairman went over it, replaced the handwheel clutch spring, oiled, lubed, cleaned and polished. After that TLC, the motor freed up. He took the machine completely apart, ordered a few parts, and worked on it off and on between other projects in 2023.

Fast forward to May of this year. We decided to paint since I already have a nice Singer 404 (Elizabeth) in original condition. Jerold filled the chips, sanded, keyed the finish, and primed the whole machine. Wet sanding the primer makes a really smooth finish for paint.

He used three coats of Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover in Midnight Blue and Silver. After a week, wet sanded to smooth before layering three coats of Ultra Cover Clear. Two days under a heat lamp, then a final clear coat for a mirror finish.

After two weeks of curing, Jerold reassembled, wired and fine tuned bobbin tension. He did the majority of the work on this machine and it's certainly a job well done. 

Midnight sews great now! I'm happy, loving the classy color scheme and can't wait to stitch a quilt or two.

 

Color Me Curvy

Color Me Curvy

How's this for a curvy project? There's not a straight seam in this quilt.

Joseph's Coat design has been around for decades, traditionally hand cut, hand stitched and hand quilted. Not me. I cut with Blue Wren's die, pieced with Violet, my Singer 99 and quilted using my Janome MC9450.

I stayed with tradition by using colorful scraps and vintage muslin. I keep thinking the remnant boxes should be decreasing, but they are still full.

I took my time sewing and carefully pressing those curves. Joining the sections was tricky and I used Jack (the seam ripper) a few times. I ended up with a few bumpy intersections but everything lies flat. You can't see imperfections from 3 feet away, so it's good enough for me.

Quilting with a walking foot and off-white thread, I outlined all the circles with the edge of the foot on the seam line. It created a lovely allover pattern. I used a bias binding because of the scalloped edges.

Color Me Curvy measures 46” x 51” finished size. It took longer to sew because you just can't hurry if you want good results. I also spent extra time rearranging the pieces on my design wall to balance colors and separate duplicate fabrics. Even so, I missed a couple.

I'll make this one again later, probably a tablecloth, bed runner, or baby quilt.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6854 Joseph's Coat 11½”
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding

Home Improvement

Well, there's no new quilt this week! I got distracted by a home improvement project that I've wanted to tackle for a while.

My laundry room had an old plastic laundry sink that was functional but kinda ugly. I had disguised it with a fabric skirt in 2017 but it was still not exactly what I had in mind.  Time for a change! 

Before

Last week we ordered a new vanity, sink, and faucet. Our installation took 2 days, since the cabinet had to be assembled and I painted the wall after we removed the corrugated tin backsplash and old sink.

The two of us are pretty handy around the house and have done many DIY projects together. This one went fairly smoothly, with only one extra trip to Ace Hardware for supplies. Luckily, basic plumbing is a skill I acquired early on, since that was my daddy's profession.

New Vanity 2024

We changed the handles on the overhead cabinets to match those on the vanity. I'm considering painting them white, but I sure hate to paint over the alder wood since it's in great shape. We'll see. 

Now that we're done, naturally I see more things to update in other rooms.  I guess there may be fewer quilts finished this year, but we'll be having fun redecorating our nest.

 

Braided Blue

Oh, I love this adorable quilted mat! I've been on a roll with curves lately.

A classic color combination of clear navy blue and crisp white fabric is perfect here. The design is created with a new die from Blue Wren, called Wave Peak.

The small 4” blocks fit together like a puzzle to form a lovely wave or braid. I set them on point, then filled in the outside with white setting triangles.

For quilting, I used a straight stitch and white thread with a walking foot, following around the curves. On the outside edges I added two rows of echo curves.

Braided Blue is only 23” square, since I wanted table mat or small wall hanging size. A larger quilt can be made by adding another round of the braids.

So cute and so much fun to make! I'll be experimenting with this die to create borders or combine with other blocks.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6633 Wave Peak 4” finished