Remembering Naomi

Remembering Naomi

I made this special quilt for a friend, from fabric that his sweet mom gave to me when she moved to assisted living. Sadly, she passed this year, and I thought he would like a remembrance quilt.

The design of squares and rectangles is simple but the colors of navy, hunter green, and dark red coordinate well. I added a few squares of my own fabric as a personal touch.

Quilting was done with green thread, using both straight and serpentine stitches. Remembering Naomi is 56” square. I used my restored Singer 127 (Mary Margaret, a machine gifted to me by another friend) to piece the blocks.

One of the best parts of Christmas is giving. Over the past few years I've been given lots of fabric. I believe in paying it forward, so I've used yards of that material to sew quilts which I've donated to local assisted living and senior living homes.

I got a lovely thank you note from one little lady who said, “It was like the heavens opened up and rained down pretty quilts for us.”

So, to everyone who has provided the materials that made this possible: You are appreciated!

Merry Christmas to you all, and I hope that you can experience the magic and joy of giving all year long.

Born To Be Wild

Born To Be Wild

It's been said that scraps multiply when you're not looking. That might actually be true. I sew many quilts every year, so the leftover bits add up quickly.

Managing these can be a challenge. I try to cut remnants as I go, sort into my most used sizes and store in stackable plastic boxes. This doesn't always happen, so I just toss the fabric into larger tubs for later. I have a major cutting session to empty the tubs when I'm in between projects or when I run out of space.

Today's quilt is made up of scraps in my favorite sizes: 2½” squares, 2½” half square triangles, and 2½” strips. I started out sewing quarter log cabin blocks, then added the HST for a bear claw look.

Born To Be Wild is 49” square. The backing is a colorful quilt block print, binding is a light navy check. I finished it off with simple channel quilting 2” apart using light gray thread.

Sewing these is so much fun! No plan, no rules, just choose what looks pretty together and stitch. Pop them on the design wall, move them around to get the most pleasing layout, and another quilt is done. I considered using a solid color sashing between blocks, but decided on this wild version.

Going through leftover fabric is like seeing old friends. It reminds me of where I got it and what I made with it. That's why I adore scrap quilts!

Just one shelf of remnants...that's definitely not all

Accuquilt dies used:

55017 Strips 2½”
55018 Small Value die: 2½” square, 2½” HST

Summer of '69

What great memories! The colors and prints of this fabric take me back to 1969...bright orange, lime and avocado, psychedelic purple and aquamarine. These colors dominated my closet in wild and crazy peasant dresses, and tops to wear with white shorts or bellbottom jeans.

I was only fifteen, so my cool mama was driving me and my friends all over town, radio turned up, windows down, in her red Pontiac Catalina. Shopping centers, bowling alleys, movie theaters, skating rinks, and swimming pools were our hangouts. What carefree fun we all had!

Summer of '69 finished out at 45” x 51” size. It would have been perfect for laying out at the pool. I used several square and rectangular dies to cut these pieces. I quilted using aqua thread in straight stitch inside the rectangles, then changed to a curvy stitch on the aqua sashing.

This one was fun to sew, singing along with late 60's music like I did back then. I can't believe it's been over 50 years.

Accuquilt dies used:
55159 Rectangles 2½” x 4½”
55160 Rectangles 4½” x 8½”
55059 Squares 2½” multi
55017 Strip 2½”

Those were the days, my friend

Friends Down Under

We had just over four inches of snow last week, so after eating several batches of snow cream, I happily stayed inside to finish up this delightful scrappy quilt.

I combined two Blue Wren dies in this pattern, designing the layout in EQ8. I dived into my scrap bins to pick out pieces to cut. These pretty colorful prints and solids look especially bright on a black weave background.

I quilted horizontally using white thread and my Squiggy ruler by Angela Walters. Final size is 51” x 61” after binding.

I decided to name this one Friends Down Under as a nod to A1 Craft and Quilting in Australia. Blue Wren dies are a quality product; Norma always provides great customer service with quick order processing. I love that mats are included with each die, and clear covers come with 6x12 dies.

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6077 Periwinkle 10” finished
6562 Glorious 9 Patch 10” finished
Accuquilt
55017 Strip 2 ½”

Friends are the sunshine of life