Little Boy Blue

Baby quilts are so much fun to sew. I made this sweet bow tie design with fabric purchased at the $1 sale a few weeks ago.

A simple traditional block sewed with four blue and white small prints gives it a vintage vibe. Little Boy Blue is 42” square. I quilted with light blue thread in free motion double loops, going diagonally across the squares. Backing is a creamy white with medium blue swirling designs.

This size could also be used for a wall hanging or table topper. It's a quick and easy layout that sews up in a flash.

Accuquilt dies used:

55772 Bowtie 6” finished square
55818 Half square 1 ½” finished square
55006 Square 3 ½”
55017 2½” strip

Do more things
that make you forget
to check your phone

Star Island - Done!

Star Island

I'm finally back to normal around the house so this quilt is finished. I think it was worth the wait. Nine-patch blocks in light seaside colors of lilac, aqua, tan, and sage are lovely with the white star points.

Star Island is 45” square. I quilted diagonally across the blocks in a straight stitch, using a light lavender thread. Then I added serpentine stitching horizontally and vertically in the same color.

Can't you just picture it lying across a wicker chair in a beach cottage?

Accuquilt dies used:

3 1/2" Square 55006

3 1/2" Triangle in square 55027

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.

Crimson Glory

Crimson Glory

It's time to share my latest modern replica of a Granny Rose quilt. I have made several reproductions of her work, using EQ8 to design and Accuquilt to cut.  

This interesting block was one from her box of unfinished items. It's an old one called glorified nine patch, although there are actually 13 pieces. I guess that's the glorified part. I don't know if this was a test block or if it was left over from a scrap quilt.

I decided on red and white prints with a few gray accents for a cheerful Valentine touch. Crimson Glory features the kite block combined with 2½” squares, so no curves to stitch. My modified version has 21 pieces for each block.  I'd sure hate to cut all 550+ with scissors.

The pieced bright red border frames everything nicely. Quilting was done with white thread, following the outlines and crossing the blocks diagonally. 

The back is a red and white diagonal stripe fabric, split by nine patch squares in a row. Final 48” x 58” size is just right for a throw.

In addition to her completed quilts, Jerold's granny clipped design ideas from ads in Progressive Farmer and other magazines, and I saved them all. She cut templates from paper sacks, making notes on them for color ideas and number of pieces to cut. I'm lucky to have this quilty treasure.  More inspiration for me!

Summer Sampler

I'm back after a much needed break to catch up on a few chores. Being a carpenter's helper, housekeeper, lawn care associate, and home organizer is hard work in this heat. Not quite caught up, but I feel better now that my surroundings are neater and my to do list is shorter.

I did squeeze in sewing time to finish another project.  Summer Sampler is an adorable retro style table topper or wall hanging, made up of four different blocks in the same colors. The cheery red and blue daisy and strawberry print was my inspiration; I found coordinating fabrics in my stash to cut triangles and strips with Accuquilt dies.

Summer Sampler

The bright white tone on tone print is the perfect contrast, set off with plaid sashing. This cute 30½” square is channel quilted with white thread in a decorative zig-zag stitch. Wouldn't this brighten up the breakfast nook in a country farmhouse kitchen? It's for sale now on my Etsy site.

By the way, aren't those veggies pretty? Local farmer's markets are brimming with fresh produce right now. There's nothing like the rich mouth-watering flavor of Tennessee tomatoes right off the farm. 'Mater sandwich on white bread with mayo...mmmm good.

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts

while eating a homegrown tomato. ~Lewis Grizzard