Easy Pieces

Here's another multicolored scrap quilt made from my stash box of 2½” squares. Quick work, since all I had to cut were the cream/white pieces. I designed the basic layout in EQ8.

Sewing straight seams in batches was a breeze. I tried to keep the colors balanced but didn't fuss too much. Perfection can be stressful and I only wanted to play.

I quilted with white thread in straight lines on the strip sections and in a crosshatch pattern on the eight and sixteen patch blocks. Easy Pieces is 42” square.

I really enjoyed those three mornings stitching away in the sewing room with smooth jazz playing in the background. The thing is, I hardly made a dent in that scrap box, plus I have more remnants to cut. Don't worry, I've already designed another fun project for those.

Accuquilt dies used:
55017 2½” strip
55059 2½” square multiple

Some days 

are simply meant 

for playing 

Fire and Water

Fire and Water

The Hunter Star quilt block is beautiful done in red and aqua. These bright simple prints direct your focus to the overall design instead of the fabric.

These pieces sew together precisely so it was easy to match the points. After sewing the blocks together, I added a 1” border in a white and red mini dot. The 3” outer border is the same aqua as the blocks. Backing is a geometric print of white, aqua, red and black.

Fire and Water is 44” x 56” in size. I quilted with white cotton thread, using the Elvira ruler to create a curvy design vertically and horizontally across the blocks. The outer borders are also stitched with Elvira, this time in two parallel serpentine lines.

I love how it turned out! One more quilt to add to my ever growing collection. This time fire and water mix very well indeed.

Dies used:

Accuquilt

55032 3 ½” strip

55166 Hunter Star

Blue Wren

6015 1 ½” strip

B A L A N C E

Like fire, be alive

Like water, feel peaceful

Cabin Fever

I haven't made a log cabin quilt in a while, and I was ready for a quick project with straight seams. Cabin Fever features navy, cream and watermelon prints from my scrap boxes, cut into 1 ½” strips.

The six large 14” blocks are framed with 2 ½” sashing, then I added a 3 ½” navy paisley border. Starting in the center of each block, I quilted down the center of the strip with a straight stitch, turning at each corner. For the sashing and borders, I used a small serpentine stitch in the same thread.  It's 42" x 57" lap quilt size.  

Cabin Fever

I really don't have cabin fever yet, but it seemed like a perfect name since I am staying at home. I've only been out twice (grocery, oh goody) in five weeks. 

We should be at the campground right now, but I am enjoying nature by taking walks around our property and reading on the porch on warm days.  

I thought I'd be cleaning out closets, washing windows, and doing other spring cleaning chores from my list.  I'll get to it...maybe next week...right now I'm happy to be in I-SEW-lation.

Dies used:

Accuquilt

55032 3 ½” strip

55017 2 ½” strip

Blue Wren

1 ½” strip 6015

Sweet Talk

Sweet Talk

I like to experiment with designs, colors, and stitches. Today's little quilt was so fun to play with, and I used up a few more remnants.

Drunkard's path blocks in pastels and gray are set with colorful polka dots in two sizes and tiny black and white stripes. Borders of blue gingham frame it up nicely. Sweet Talk is 28” square.

Quilting on this is the best part. I've been practicing free motion ruler stitching on my Janome Memory Craft 9400. I used the Squiggy ruler by Angela Walters, aligning along the seams. Using gray thread, I created two different designs.

I enjoyed this project very much, and that's what sewing is all about for me. Relaxation, enjoyment, learning new skills, playing with fabric: my retirement dream come true.

Accuquilt dies used:

55107 2 ¼” x 4 ½” rectangle

55395 2 ¼” squares

55743 and 55739 4 ½” Drunkard's Path

(in 9” Companion Set)

55032 3 ½” strips

The key to retirement 

is to find joy 

in the little things. 

On Every Corner

A new year and a new decade has arrived! Like most folks, I like to do a reset in January. Wrap up year end items. Clear out clutter. Consider what's next, what makes me happy. For me, a fresh start is energizing.

Today's quilt, On Every Corner, is one I finished just before Christmas. Green, cream, navy, and rust prints were cut into strips and squares and arranged in a diagonal pattern. I worked up the design in EQ8 software before cutting with AccuQuilt.

Fabric for the backing and binding is a grayish tan cobblestone print. I quilted with tan thread, using a straight stitch along the seams, keeping the diagonal lines toward the center. These calming colors would be right at home in a mountain cabin, don't you think?

What's next for me isn't difficult to figure out...I already have a huge list of quilts to make. Modern, vintage style, large and small. My sewing room is clean and organized. The only thing now is to decide which one to cut first.

Accuquilt dies used:

3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle 55005

3 ½” square 55006

Pursuit of happiness =

more fabric,

more quilts,

more time in my sewing room

Daydreams

Fun and color were on my mind when I designed this week's featured quilt. Using up some of my scraps is a happy bonus. I cut crossed canoe blocks and 5” squares in shades of aqua, red, blue, yellow, orange, green and purple with gray contrast.

I laid out the design in EQ8 software so that I could experiment with color placement. Daydreams is 45” x 54” in size. Backing is a white and gray wide print. I quilted with gray thread in a scallop stitch.

Accuquilt dies used:  

Crossed Canoes 55181

5” square 55010

Final 2019 project count is fifty-one. I've enjoyed sewing each and every one and though I always want to keep them, I have gifted a few.

I'm looking forward to the new year, even though the temperature here in Tennessee has been unseasonably warm. 

My 2020 quilt to do list is growing quickly, but first I'll take some time this week to organize the sewing room.

As for other resolutions, I say make a few, break a few, but always live the life you choose.

Crossroads

Crossroads

Simple quilt blocks are quick, fun to sew, and easy on the eyes. This one uses 2 ½” strips with 4 ½” squares to make a peaceful snuggle quilt in a classic style.

Cool blue and white prints in medium and light shades from my stash coordinate well with the grey and white border and backing. I quilted with white thread along each seam.

Crossroads finished size of 43” x 51” is just right for a comfortable recliner nap.

By the way, my lovely fabric from the beach is inventoried and filed away in baskets and cabinets, just waiting to be chosen for the next quilt. So many ideas!

Peaceful Stacks

Last week vintage, this week modern! 

I like to switch between styles because it keeps my ideas fresh. Variety stimulates and challenges my creative brain.  At least, that's my best theory...could be that I'm just spastic and can't stay focused.  

Half hexagons fit together easily with two triangles to form rows. Quick to cut and sew, Peaceful Stacks is 34” x 39” finished size. Cool ocean colors of blue-gray batiks and dots are combined with an aqua chambray background.  I quilted with aqua thread in a decorative stitch across the horizontal seams, adding a straight stitch between rows.  

Accuquilt dies used: 55437 half hexagon and 55429 equilateral triangle

Dream

in colors

borrowed

from the sea

Effie's Butterfly Garden

Effie's Butterfly Garden

I've done a series on my husband's grandmother, Granny Rose, her quilts, and my reproductions of those designs. Until now, I only had one of my own grandmother's quilts, a wedding gift. Recently a cousin sent me some old family photos, including a few pics of Granny Hill's quilts.

Effie's Butterfly Garden is my version of one of them. I made my block simpler so that I could use Accuquilt dies and sew it up more quickly. Her quilt and my block are pictured below. I may do another take on the design later using her kite piece.

Effie Hill quilt

Kaye's version

Vintage style 1930's and 1940's small floral prints, like the housedresses she made and wore, are featured with a natural muslin contrast in each block. Backing and binding are a larger floral print. I quilted with beige thread using a walking foot in serpentine lines that intersect to make simple flower petals.

I remember Effie Hill as a strong, independent woman who raised six kids during the depression. She lived and worked hard all her life on a farm in rural middle Tennessee. She grew a garden, cooked and canned, and somehow found time to sew and quilt. I surely must have inherited some of her sewing DNA.

Accuquilt dies used: 55010 5” square, 55735 2 ¼” x 4 ½” chisel, and 55147 2 ¼” half square triangle. I cut the 2 ¼” square from a strip, using the end of the chisel die.

I am thankful 

for the strength 

that lives in my veins. 

~K. Azizian

Peach Mango Mist

I bought a new Accuquilt die during this month's sale and started cutting pieces immediately. Bow tie blocks are so pretty, especially this one with the tiny center triangles. I paired warm colors of peach, orange, coral and mango prints with cool shades of gray.

I added two borders: one narrow medium gray solid and an outer border of alternating peach and gray rectangles. Peach Mango Mist finished out at 44” square, great for display, table topper, or baby's room.

I quilted with light gray thread on top and white in the bobbin, using a meandering stitch. Quilting went quickly using the Flynn frame. I'm getting better at free motion stitching with practice. The backing is a white and gray circle print with a side border strip of coral.

Dies used: 

55768 and 55769 4 ½” finished bow tie

55107 2 ¼” x 4 ½” finished rectangle

By the way, today's post is late because I went out for a leisurely breakfast with my favorite guy. A date with my husband is first priority, even after all our years together.

Be happier!

Spend more time

with the people you love,

doing the things you love.

Counting The Hours

I teased last week about a triangle project. I really hate to waste fabric so I always keep boxes and bags of scraps. Only the tiniest slivers get tossed.

Today's quilt, Counting The Hours, came from little aqua, green, white and cream remnants. I used 2½” half square triangles turned to make quarter square hourglass blocks. 

It took a while (and a bit of patience) to sew the 952 pieces together, press them, and arrange them on my design wall. I didn't keep track of the exact hours, but I spent almost a week from idea to finished product. 

I love the peaceful color scheme of this lap sized 39” x 47” throw. It matches other quilts in my collection. I quilted in serpentine stitch with a neutral green thread both horizontally and vertically.

The best part is that I used material left over from other projects. These days I use Accuquilt dies to cut them into useful pieces when the boxes overflow. Every now and then I schedule a cutting session to manage and organize my stash. I store them in plastic shoe boxes and square containers labeled with the size and die name.

"I believe the desire to make something out of nearly nothing is bred into my soul."  ~anonymous

Meditation

Calming colors of light aqua, cream and white give today's quilt a light, airy feel. I started with a 5” charm pack of aqua prints, cutting them with the Accuquilt signature block. I added 5” squares and triangles of scrap pieces and arranged them in a diagonal cross pattern.

Backing is a white and gray print. I quilted ½” apart with white thread in four quadrants, following the diagonal cross. Meditation is 46” square.

It coordinates perfectly with my recent queen size quilt (Cool Lagoon). Our master suite has been transformed into a calming retreat. With the addition of some ocean sounds, I'm falling asleep dreaming of the sea.

Sky above

sand below

peace within

We dream in colors

borrowed from the sea

Out For A Spin

Color? Check.

Contrast? Check.

Balance?  Check. 

Motion? Check.

I clicked all my favorite boxes on this quilt, with the bonus of using some of my scraps. I cut black and white triangles with the Accuquilt kite die (it's getting a lot of use lately) and added one to a corner on brightly colored and neutral 4 ½” squares. I tried several arrangements on my design wall before finalizing this spinning star look.

Out For A Spin

Out For A Spin is 45” square. After attaching it to the Flynn frame, I free motion quilted scribbles on the squares using pale gray thread. Off the frame, I added simple swirls in the center of each star. Backing is a black and white print; binding is a tiny stripe.

On a side note, our weather here in Tennessee is crazier than usual. We've had no snow to speak of this winter, only heavy rain, making our yard a swamp. Last Wednesday it was nearly 70 degrees and I spent time out in the fresh air,  walking and doing a little yard work. Today the high is only 30 degrees, so I'll do my walking indoors.  On my to do list:  kielbasa soup, laundry, and sewing!

Pretty Stars

While last week was busy, I did make time to relax by sewing a few random blocks. I like to experiment with scrap die cuts to see how well they might look in a quilt. It's nice to have the scraps already cut and sorted by size so that I can just start stitching. Most of the time I use EQ8 software to design but there's nothing like hands-on sewing to check that seams match.

These two different size Ohio Star blocks are lovely in aqua, purple and peach prints left over from other quilts. This will be a long term project in progress, sewing random blocks in similar colors when I have a few extra minutes. I haven't even thought about how to set them into a quilt, only that I'll use a white background in all of them. I'm sure several layouts will come to me when I get enough blocks finished.

For the time being I'll use the triangles and squares I've already cut, but my scrap baskets are nearly full, so I'll find an afternoon to add more. My sewing to do list is always long and interesting. I have too many ideas and not nearly enough time to finish them all.

I like to think this desire to create came from my ancestors.  They were women who took pride in the fact that they saved every scrap of fabric to make something beautiful or functional.

Refrigerator Update: Still broken. Two repairmen have come, compressor failure is the diagnosis. Parts are on order and should be here by Thursday. We did get approval for food spoilage refund from Lowe's. Their extended service people have been easy to work with and efficient. 

A word of warning, though, do not buy the LG refrigerator with a linear compressor. According to the repairmen, those compressors consistently fail after 2-3 years, even though it was highly recommended in initial reviews.  

Follow Your Path

I've been thinking. Yeah, I know that's dangerous. It usually means something is about to change. Around here that could be anything from moving furniture to planning an adventure.

My thoughts are that there should be an easy rhythm to daily life. When everything is going smoothly, you feel in sync with your surroundings. There's a sense of peace, joy, accomplishment, and satisfaction with yourself. That comfort level isn't easy to maintain, however, because circumstances have a knack for changing just when you think you're on the perfect path.

Managing change is crucial to keeping that balance. Change is how you learn. You have to decide whether to get back on track or head off in another direction. It's important to set your own itinerary. Try to filter out what really doesn't matter, what can wait for another day.

Structure your life to fit your expectations, not those of others. Fill your time with the things, people, and activities that make you smile.  Remember, it's your path.

“From anywhere you are, there is a path that will lead you to where you want to be.”  – Ralph Marston

Lemon Lime Spritz

A refreshing little quilt in bright greens and yellow, this one was quick to sew. I cut the pieces with Accuquilt's bow tie 4” die by Alex Anderson. Turning the blocks made a pretty lattice pattern on this 32” square called Lemon Lime Spritz. 

Free motion quilting was done in a swirling design, diagonally across each block with bright lime thread. The backing and binding are a lime print fabric. Cute baby quilt, I think, or a cheerful table topper.

It's a hot August day in my corner of Tennessee. I'm inside, drinking coffee, doing a bit of Monday morning cleaning, and contemplating which design to start next. And, best of all, there are two dudes outside painting the trim on our house. Better them than me!

Just because you CAN do it yourself

doesn't mean you have to,

or that you want to.

~Christine Brummell

Equilateral

Colorful and modern describes today's quilt. Splashy prints of pink, aqua, and orange are accented with touches of lime and yellow. Constructed entirely of equilateral triangles, their arrangement creates larger triangular shapes in alternating directions. It's busy, bright and fun to sew.

Perfect points were possible thanks to precision cuts with the Accuquilt die. I cut extra triangles and stitched a row of them to set between two pieces of paisley fabric for an interesting backing. Coordinating striped binding adds flair. I quilted double rows on the horizontal seams in bright pink thread. Equilateral's final 44” x 46” size is good for display or snuggling.

As I worked on balancing the color layout on my design wall, several alternate ideas and combinations came to mind, so you may see more triangles in the future.

Useful Notion:  Scrap pieces from this project came in handy last week.  This little quilted zipper bag didn't take long to sew and made a cute birthday gift for J's sister.  

Dreamcatcher

I quilt for enjoyment and relaxation. I love the entire process from design to the last stitch. The whisper of an idea can be transformed into a beautiful item. Dreams to reality.

I finished Dreamcatcher a few weeks ago. It is an adaptation of a quilt photo found on Pinterest. The combination of a shoo fly block with 9-patch star block isn't new, but the color placement gives it a modern look.

I combined scrappy bright prints and solid light gray on this 42” square quilt. I used Accuquilt dies: 3” finished triangle in square, half square triangle and square. I laid out the colors in EQ8 software before fine tuning on my design wall. Backing and binding is a gray and white triangle print. Stitching with gray thread in large overlapping circles across the blocks creates the dreamcatcher effect.

Sewing and cutting can be quite messy, because I pull out lots of fabrics to audition for a spot in the quilt. I try to put everything away after I finish, clean off my tables, sweep up bits and threads. A clean space gives ideas room to grow. But not always. That next quilt is waiting to be stitched.

Sometimes magic hides behind chaos.

Calm And Bright

I've been as busy as a little elf in my sewing workshop!

A few Christmas projects were on this year's list. I used the 9” wedge die for a pretty table runner in gray and red. Calm and Bright looks nice on our coffee table with one of Hazel's Christmas Village houses and a candle globe filled with tiny red bells.

The stockings came from my July yard sale fabric, one for the laundry room and another for the kitchen wall. 

I like for our home to be festive but not over the top. I have several holiday items in every room, sometimes only adding greenery, a quilt, or pillows. 

We don't put up a tree, but I decorate our Norfolk Island pine with lightweight ornaments. Then I use some of my old favorite ornaments to add a bit of holiday bling to my regular decor. 

 

I almost forgot about the purse I made in October, probably because I've been using it. It's made with a flowering snowball block. Cutting and sewing the curved seams was easy and accurate, thanks to AccuQuilt's die. The gray prints contrast nicely with bright purple and coral batiks. I finished Snazzy Snowball in an afternoon.

Christmas 

isn't a season.  

It's a feeling.

~Edna Ferber

Balance

I've been taking things as they come for the past week. Alternating between paperwork and me time seems like the best way to manage right now. 

Thankfully, I have this lovely time of year to go out and enjoy a breath of fresh air.

Balance is not something you find,

it's something you create.