Lovely Day

Lovely Day, April 2026

Springtime colors of blue and violet with light gray give this wall hanging a peaceful vibe. I love how the curves and contrasts create circular movement.

Winding Ways is one of the first dies that I bought and is still one of my favorites. I did all the piecing on Rockette, my 1962 Model Singer 500-A Slant-O-Matic Rocketeer. Perfect stitches and a fabulous looking machine!

Moving over to the Janome to quilt, I followed the curves with a walking foot using light blue thread, then stitched free motion loops around the borders.

Lovely Day finished at 39” x 47” size, and is currently featured on the wall in my sewing studio where I can enjoy it every day. I adore creating beautiful things with fabric and my collection of new & vintage machines.

Accuquilt dies used:

55069 Winding Ways 8” block
55017 Strips 2½” binding

Distraction

Distraction, January 2026

It's no secret that purple is my favorite color, even though there aren't too many hues that I don't like. I'm definitely a color lovin' woman. For this simple design, I wanted to use some large and medium florals that have been in my stash for a while.

I added pink, purple, and green scraps in coordinating colors along with a white-on-white print and black & white mini gingham. These half and quarter square triangles are easy to stitch, especially on Annie, my Singer 221 Featherweight.

A sweet paisley print in purple, green & cream was perfect for backing and binding this 50” square quilt called Distraction. I quilted on the Janome with pale gray thread, using a utility zig-zag stitch in diagonal rows, plus straight stitching along horizontal and vertical seams.

I'm off to do some more rain dancing, since we are so very dry. April showers are needed for May flowers, and we have only had 0.65” so far this whole month. Not your usual rainy April in Tennessee, despite several storms passing us by.

Accuquilt dies used:

55001 HST 6½”

55002 QST 6½”

55017 Strips 2½”

Amethyst Dreams

This sweet purple quilt makes me want to grab a book and snuggle in for a while.

Three lovely prints coordinate nicely with a bright white tone on tone fabric. I used Blue Wren's 5” Gem Star die for the center blocks, making all those points and seams easy to match. Amethyst Dreams finished at 50” square after adding the borders.

I chose light blue thread for free motion quilting in long rows using a circle ruler. Then I switched to a straight stitch across the curves, guided by a straight ruler. It made for a unique design that I will use again.

I love experimenting with everything about sewing and quilts, from color to finishing. My mama started me early, at about age 3, hand stitching little scraps of material. Even after sixty plus years of sewing, I still enjoy trying and learning new techniques. Guess I'll never stop!

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6817 Gem Star 5” finished quarter square
Accuquilt 55488 Strip 5½”

 

Sweethearts Dance

Purple and white scraps plus a new die and a classic block equals a happy little quilt for Valentine's Day.

The Interwoven Star is pretty when alternated with a simple heart block. I framed them with 2” solid lavender sashing strips. Backing and binding is a lavender mini gingham. My little Singer Featherweight (Annie) always stitches perfectly.

I quilted in narrow channels using light purple thread and a straight stitch. I finished this one very quickly, starting on Friday afternoon and finishing up Sunday morning. Sweethearts Dance is 32” square, small and adorable.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6364a Interwoven Star 8½”
Accuquilt
55018 Value die 2½” square & half-square triangles  
55017 Strips 2½” sashing & binding

Happy Valentine's Week!

 

1954 Singer 99K - Violet

Violet: 1954 Singer 99K hand crank

From rusty to beautiful, this little 1954 girl from Great Britain was quite a challenge!

We bought her for $35 in February 2022. Her decals looked good but the shellac finish was mostly gone. Gouges and crazing in the paint, wiring shot, and oh so dirty inside and out. Amazingly, she did sew after oiling. We put her on the shelf while working on other projects, thinking it could be a parts machine.

This February, we got going with a plan to clean, paint, replace missing parts and add a hand crank. Jerold took her apart all the way down to the last screw, then cleaned and polished all parts. He rewired the motor, too, so we can use either it or the hand crank. We got the spoked wheel and crank on Amazon; they both fit and the bobbin winder still works.  

We tried to sand the finish but it was too uneven, so ended up stripping her to bare metal. After primer came the gorgeous Rustoleum 2X paint in Gloss Grape. I printed and applied new decals in black, using Art Deco style designs.

Then Violet just decided to be finicky. We hit a snag with the clear coat: it wrinkled up on the bed so we had to sand and recoat. It's not perfect but it's good enough. We polished and waxed her to a super shiny finish.

Jerold had to fine tune all tension and bobbin adjustments, but now Violet sews a perfect stitch. I'm happy with how she turned out, even with the setbacks. I couldn't do this without my talented husband. We learned a lot, didn't give up, and I got the purple machine I wanted. It's all good!

 

Blackberry Winter

Blackberry Winter, 2023 Useful Remnants

We had a little cold snap last week, light frost when the wild blackberries bloomed. My granny always called it Blackberry Winter, so I decided to name this rich purple quilt the same.

These fabrics match so well that you'd think they were a collection, but I bought three of them in 2018, 2019, and 2020 from different companies. The fourth was an estate sale find this year. Neutral gray pin dots from Marshall's Dry Goods made the perfect background sashing and binding.

The block is Jackaroo Star, a Blue Wren die. Since I had scraps left after cutting, I added an extra border, cutting the small triangles from Hattie's Choice die.  It was definitely worth the additional work! All piecing was done on Laney, our sweet painted Singer 301.

For quilting, I kept it simple, straight stitching with light gray thread in a 2” allover grid. I used my Janome walking foot and ruler as a guide. Blackberry Winter is 49” square.

Purple is one of my favorite colors and this quilt turned out gorgeous. I believe I will keep it for myself!

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6369 Jackaroo Star 12” block

Accuquilt
55220 Hattie's Choice 8” block (small triangles)
55017 Strip 2½” for sashing & binding

 Never let a fabric scrap go to waste! 

Sliced & Stitched

Did ya miss me last week? I needed some down time so I took a mini break to chill out.

Now I'm back with a luscious purple and gray quilt. Before cutting, I laid out the design using EQ8 software to audition different arrangements.

It didn't take long to stitch this easy modern block. For quilting, I sewed three simple straight stitch lines 1/4” apart, along each side of the slanted seams. Light gray thread blends well and emphasizes the lines while adding texture.

Sliced & Stitched finished out at 49” square.

Dies used:

Blue Wren   6600 Sliced Squares 6” finished
Accuquilt   55017 Strip 2½” for binding

There's absolutely nothing wrong with shutting things down, putting your feet up, and doing a whole lot of not much.

 ~Brian Gardner 

It's Magical

Nine patch blocks are quick, easy, and versatile. So many different looks can be achieved by varying color placement and layout. I chose purple, amethyst, and teal colors from the beautiful star print fabric, adding natural muslin for contrast.

Layout was done in EQ8 for this 44” square quilt called It's Magical. I used the Creative Grids Elvira ruler to quilt a curvy allover design with cream thread. I really love the result!

Accuquilt dies used:
55018 Small Value die (4½” square)
55047 Quarter Square Triangle 4½”
55031 Half Square Triangle 4½”
55054 Strips 4½”
55017 Strip 2½”

Life is full of
magical moments

Bella

Here's a quick, easy table runner in my favorite color, purple. I sewed the center block from scraps back in May as a sample of the Jackaroo Star die from Blue Wren.

One afternoon I decided to stitch two more blocks with similar fabric, and finished it off with two inch borders. I quilted in white thread using a spiral ruler template. Bella is 16½” x 40” finished size. It's nice to have projects like this in mind when I want to get something done quickly.

Last week, my resident handyman refinished the top of my sewing desk. While it was out of the way, I deep cleaned the sewing room, including windows, shelves, and dusty baseboards. I love a clean room! 

Naturally I got sidetracked while putting away quilting magazines. I flipped through a few older ones to rediscover some amazing ideas for the rest of the summer and into the fall.  So many possibilities!

Blue Wren dies used:
6369 Jackaroo Star 12” block
6720 Magic Strips

When you focus on

possibilities,

you'll have more

opportunities.

Starfish Key

I found this beautiful starfish batik fabric last fall in Pensacola. The soft muted colors of lavender and blue on a sandy background make me wish for the beach!

Starfish Key is 40” square. It was very quick to sew with the large pieces. I quilted in an overall clamshell design using the Squiggy ruler by Angela Walters. Cream thread shows up just enough to emphasize the pattern.

This one's hanging on the wall in my spare bedroom, which is currently decorated in shades of purple, lavender, and lilac. It's a sweet retreat where I can read and relax.

Dies used:

Accuquilt 55058 8” square

Accuquilt 55399 8” quarter square triangle

Blue Wren 6522 8” half square triangle

On this Memorial Day,

I salute the brave Americans

who fought and died

for our freedom

Spring Sewing Ideas

I love spring sunshine, and despite this crazy pandemic, I am enjoying myself at home. With windows open and a glass of sweet tea at hand, sewing is right at the top of my daily to do list.

I've finished up several small projects. The first is a dust cover for Rockette, my Singer 500 Rocketeer machine. I found an embroidery sample of sewing notions that I had set aside several years ago. With it as a focal point, I pulled out coordinating fabrics in grape and white, and whipped up a quickie tie-on cover. No pattern, I just used what I had to make it fit the machine.

The flower block on the back is a test block for a quilt currently under construction. I played with several decorative stitches to quilt in purple thread. After adding binding and ties, Rockette is now dust free.

Another day I stitched this wildly colorful Boho style bag called Feelin' Sassy. It's made from a test piece that I used to practice free motion quilting with the Squiggy ruler. 

No pattern, just fold in half, seam up the sides, add a band at the top, and a strap. The hot pink tab is the same fabric as the lining. I can't go anywhere yet to use it; maybe by summer it will be safe to go out! 

Now you see why I named my blog Useful Remnants. I love fabric so much I just can't let any of it go to waste unless it is too tiny to sew.

Purple Blaze

Purple Blaze

The Blazing Star quilt block looks complicated but it's pretty easy to sew, although it took a while to put together 25 blocks. 

I designed it in Electric Quilt 8 so that I could experiment with purple shades for the star pieces and audition different fabrics for the borders and sashing.

I used Accuquilt's 55051 Blazing Star die, which made cutting a lot quicker. You just have to pay attention to which sections are placed right side or wrong side up for the cuts.

After sewing all the blocks, I added sashing and cornerstones before sewing the rows together. The backing is a wide dusty lilac paisley print. It took some time to sandwich and pin this too. I quilted rows 2” apart with a walking foot in a serpentine stitch using light lavender thread. I cut the binding with the AQ 2 ½” strip die.

Purple Blaze is 87” x 92” and I just love the end result. Of course, that's pretty predictable since any shade of purple is a favorite. This beauty ended up on the bed in our spare room. 

Start to finish, I worked on it for just over two weeks, with a couple of days off to cut other projects and clear off my tables before quilting.

Side note: I hope you liked last week's Singer Model 20 restoration. I've been so bad...on Friday I bought another vintage Singer machine (1960's), so watch for future updates.

Stargazer

Stargazer

I've always loved lone star quilts but never got around to making one until now.    

Stargazer features shades of purple, orchid, and amethyst framed by a dusty aqua floral print. Using my Accuquilt LeMoyne Star (55453) die, I cut the entire die with each fabric to save time and material. The center diamonds were all I needed for this quilt, so I set aside the other pieces for a later project.

I used EQ8 to arrange the colors, calculate the fabric needed, and number of pieces to cut. Laying the quilt on my design board helped me keep the sections in order. 

It looks more complicated than it really is. I sewed rows of three to make eight large diamonds, making sure to press so that the seams would nest. 

I added triangles cut to fit each side and sewed two of these together makes a quarter section square.  Four squares together, and it's done!

I quilted with light purple thread in a straight stitch, following the diamond sides. Binding in the darker purple frames it up nicely.  

This happy wall hanging is 28” square and fits perfectly between the windows in my sewing room. I'm delighted with the results and added a larger version to my ever-growing project list.

Surround yourself

with

beautiful things

I Shall Wear Purple

The fabric that inspired my latest quilt is bright, cluttered, and loud. I bought eight yards of it at a closeout sale in 1995...yeah, I know, but it was only 25 cents a yard! I've used it for backings and in scrap quilts.

I chose a granny square design to showcase individual prints used in the material. I cut 2 ½” squares with Accuquilt, then sorted them by pattern. I added red, blue and purple blenders as the four center squares, with light beige prints for the triangles.  Layout was done in Electric Quilt 8.  

original fabric

The sashing is a grape Quilters Candy chambray from Connecting Threads. Binding and backing is the original wild and crazy fabric. Quilting in a medium purple, I used a straight stitch horizontally and vertically across each square. Then I added the wide zigzag stitch on the sashing.

I Shall Wear Purple

I am so pleased with the result; it finished out even prettier than I expected. The 44” x 54” size is handy for naps or display.

Jenny Joseph's poem, Warning, has encouraged many of us to keep our playful nature alive. I Shall Wear Purple seemed like the perfect name for a granny square quilt made by an old lady whose favorite colors are purple and red.

So, go out and do something unexpected today and don't forget to wear purple.