Leisure Time

Leisure Time, May 2026

Well, this queen size quilt took me a while to finish. I designed and cut it in March, then finally on May 20^th I sewed on the binding.

Whew, what a challenge! I'm used to sewing quilts quickly, but I had to take my time, even set this one aside, because my right wrist was giving me fits. I thought it was sprained, but the doc said it was tenosynovitis. Lucky me. Ice packs, rest, a splint and no heavy lifting.

I chose navy, green and blue scraps to complement our sea green bedroom. The modified kite blocks were fun to sew, using larger sides than normal and trimming the corners. I had the top done before my wrist let me down. I added a wide green striped border made from a thrifted sheet, plus light blue swirl 108” backing.

It took a while to pin the layers, since it's larger than my work table. For quilting, I used light blue thread and a gentle wave ruler to stitch an allover rectangular fishnet pattern. All sewing and quilting was done on the Janome MC9450, and that was a chore to manage with a splint on my hand.

Leisure Time finished out at 95” square and looks beautiful on our bed. She's a big 'un! I don't make this size very often, and it will be quite some time before I consider another. I'll stick to my lap size designs.

Accuquilt dies used:
55254 Kite 4” finished
55821 Triangle in Square sides 5”
55017 Strips 2½”binding

Good Fortune

Good Fortune, February 2026

I just can't let a good remnant go to waste! I love combining colorful scraps with neutral hues in some of my quilts. They're a little less busy, emphasizing the block design.

Today's quilt features the Road to Fortune block. I chose light gray linen print with black & white weaver, both fabrics from Marshall Dry Goods, to go with my bright colors.

I did layout in EQ8, then pieced the blocks on Laney, my lovely painted Singer 301. Simple straight stitch quilting with light gray thread in vertical lines 1½” apart was completed on my Janome MC9450. Good Fortune is 46” square.

Die used: Accuquilt 55586 Road To Fortune 9" BOB

Minnie Deakins quilts

Side note: Last Friday I attended the 36^th Annual Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival in Algood, Tennessee. Oh, the amazing quilts I saw! Displays of antique and new creations with intricate stitching, in both modern and traditional layouts. Such talented quilters! I'm freshly inspired with ideas and color combinations. My wish list is now miles long.

I think my favorite display was the quilts of Miss Minnie Deakins. Her tiny hand stitched miniature pieces were astounding. I don't think I'll ever attempt ½” blocks, but seeing them in person made my day. She lived to be 101, quilted all her life, and was featured in several magazine articles over the years.

Tried & True

Tried & True - January 2026

This is what happens when you have lots of tiny remnants and find a die on sale that uses small pieces. It was a perfect project for that snowy, icy week in January.

I upended my scrap baskets to dig out navy, blue, and aqua bits for this one, combining with natural muslin. Layout alternated the 6” Priscilla Stripes and simple half-square triangle blocks, with a border added.

Piecing was done on Annie, my Singer 221 Featherweight with her perfect little stitches. I switched to the Janome for quilting, using a ruler guide and walking foot to sew a 3” cross hatch pattern with cream thread.

Tried & True finished out at 49” square. I'll definitely be using this die again for a random scrappy quilt to use more leftover fabric. Could be time to schedule a marathon cutting session to manage those overflowing bins of bits!

Accuquilt dies used:

55607 Priscilla Stripe 6” finished
55009 HST 3½”
55017 Strips 2½” binding
55032 Strips 3½” border

Savannah Spring

Savannah Spring, December 2025

Colors of springtime include lilac and lavender, and they happen to be my favorites. I added in a dash of lime for contrast to make this quilt sing.

Large 8” triangles made piecing easy on my Singer 221 Featherweight, Annie. Switching to the Janome, I used lilac thread and a walking foot to quilt straight lines along all seams to emphasize the triangle shapes.

Finished and gifted last December, Savannah Spring finished out at 48” x 50” size. I wanted to keep this one, but I can and mostly likely will make another in similar colors.

I've been resting some from our improvement projects, and sneezing my way through this unpredictable spring weather. There's a new set of allergens over this way, but I'm getting a handle on it.

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6568 Equilateral Triangle 8”
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2”

Olivia's Choice

Hot pink, orange, and teal scraps come together for an exciting quilt. Made with simple squares and rectangles, the colors capture all the attention here.  

The back is no different, with large sections of orange dots and hot pink gingham. Color choice was selected by the teenager who received this lap size quilt as a gift last December.

Piecing perfect little seams on Annie, my Singer Featherweight 221, is always a dream. For quilting I switched to the Janome, using serpentine & straight stitches in orange thread. Olivia's Choice finished at 48” square.

*****

I didn't have much time for quilting last week because yard work was on the schedule. I learned a new skill (running a trencher) and practiced manual labor tasks such as shoveling/spreading dirt, fitting pipes, scattering grass seed/straw and general labor. Running two drain lines isn't bad exercise for two 70+ year olds, although we followed up with Aleve and heating pads.

Now on to some landscaping and maybe time for a quilt session this week.

Dies used:

Accuquilt 55021 Lg. Value die: 4" square, 2" square

Blue Wren 6047 Rectangle 2" x 6"

New Beginnings

This was the first quilt designed and completed in my new sewing space during October 2025. It was wonderful to get back to sewing, especially in my freshly organized room.

A variety of navy, blue, rust and orange prints were pulled from current inventory and scrap boxes to make triangles in a square. Medium blue blender fabric was used for sashing; a vintage blue checked sheet provided plenty of yardage for borders and the backing.

Quilting was done in serpentine stitch rectangles with blue thread. Appropriately named New Beginnings, this one's 55” square, stitched completely on my Janome Horizon MC 9450.

Dies used:
Accuquilt
55820 and 55821 Triangle in Square 5” finished
55017 Strips 2½” sashing
55032 Strips 3½” borders

Lightly Toasted

I took a break from bright colors for this soft neutral baby quilt. A trio of rectangles in tan and cream small prints are turned on point and alternated with beige gingham squares.

Lightly Toasted is 40” square, and quilted diagonally with tan thread using a utility zig-zag stitch. It's easy on the eyes and perfect for a little cowboy's room.

I finished this one last spring, right before packing up my sewing gear. I can't believe I went more than six months without quilting, but I somehow survived. Wouldn't want to do that again, ever! Now I'm blissfully back in my happy place, quilting nearly every day.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6047 Rectangles 2” x 6” 

Accuquilt
55000 Square 6”
55001 Half Square Triangle 6”
55002 Quarter Square Triangle 6”
55017 Strips 2”

Sewing Again!

Hey everyone, I'm finally sewing again. Not quilting just yet, but stitching up things for our new home.

Buying and moving 75 miles away, then updating and selling our old house has taken up all my time. Especially when we've done nearly everything ourselves. Two 70+ year old coots can still get things done and even learn new skills! 

My sewing room was the first room we finished at the new place...priorities, you know. I took the master bedroom with walk-in closet since it was larger. His basement hobby space/workshop/den was second on our list. We are slowly settling in, tired but happy. 

This weekend I added my last new piece: a custom ironing table. The Harbor Freight cart was Jerold's idea--he had an extra one. We painted it, added a plywood top and stapled on a repurposed moving blanket for padding. I sewed the removable cover and it's ready to go. An added bonus: the two baskets underneath were formerly used for laundry, but they fit the cart perfectly to hold my unsorted scraps. Ta-da!

Hopefully soon I'll get back to quilting and posting. Till then, here's a few pics of my new space.

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 

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!

 

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

Cookout Time

I'm ready to celebrate the 4^th of July with a cookout, using brand new hot pads and an apron.

I have lots of these handy hot pads, made with scrappy leftovers from quilts and odd test or sample blocks. These two are the latest in my collection.

The navy smock style apron is reversible, made with medium weight poplin and denim for the straps. I've seen this style selling online for $75 to $150, can you believe it? I made my own pattern, then used fabric from my stash to whip this up in an afternoon.

That was a fun diversion from quilting, but now I'm back to my ever growing list of quilt projects. I'll take a break to grill some burgers on Thursday.

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”

 

Skinny Churn Dash

Skinny Churn Dash

What a fun quilt to sew! The classic churn dash pattern got a makeover with a taller center section, creating a rectangular block.

I returned to the remnant boxes to find fabric in green, aqua, coral, gray and brown. Natural muslin makes a great neutral to focus on the prints. There are no repeat blocks and all were stitched on Laney (Singer 301).  

The 7” x 10” finished rectangles are set together, adding a 3” muslin border for a 49” x 57” final size. I'm calling it Skinny Churn Dash.

Quilting with a medium taupe thread lightly emphasizes the stitching. I used a braided border ruler to quilt vertical rows that look like an allover design.  

There's not much change in my overall scrap total using a bit of this and a bit of that, but I still love getting bonus quilts out of leftovers. On to the next one!

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6047 Rectangles 2” x 6” and 2” x 3” finished

Accuquilt
55005 Rectangle 3½” x 6½”
55032 Strips 3½”
55018 Value Die Half Square Triangle 2½”
55017 Strips 2½”

 

Afternoon Delight

A large bright paisley print by Amy Butler is the starting point for this happy quilt. Citrus, lime, aqua, melon, lilac and magenta colors are just luscious. I chose matching solids, then added crisp white plus a black and white stripe.

I used dies from the Accuquilt 10” Qube to cut squares, half square triangles and parallelograms. I didn't use a pattern, and randomly combined the colors on my design board as I sewed.

Listening to 60's and 70's light rock had me dancing across the room between the machine and iron. Gotta keep moving! All piecing was done on Laney, my sweet Singer 301, painted in Maui Blue & white. Link here to read about her. 

I switched to my Janome 9450 for ruler quilting. The Elvira ruler by Angela Walters is great for long vertical serpentine lines. White thread shows off the stitching without detracting from the fabric. Afternoon Delight finished at 49” square.

Hope you like this one as much as I do. See you next week!

Accuquilt dies used:
55797 Mix & Match 10” Qube
55017 Strips 2½” binding
55054 Strips 4½” borders

 

Americana

Red, white, and blue fabrics always look great together. I have quite a few quilts using those colors but I keep making more.

Remnants from other projects gave me enough material for the blocks, and I added tiny red gingham for sashing and borders. Backing is little red hearts on white. 

The North Carolina Star die has lots of small pieces, which are a little tricky to sew. It takes a perfect ¼” seam to get all those intersections to match up. Jack (the seam ripper) and I had a few tense moments until I worked it out.

Americana finished at 48” square. I quilted with white thread, using a circle ruler to create an allover design. I'll have this one displayed for Memorial Day.

Accuquilt dies used:
55605 North Carolina Star 12” finished
55017 Strips 2½”
55054 Strips 4½”

Midnight Shift

Midnight Shift

I'm back, relaxed and recharged after spending two weeks camping at Dale Hollow Dam. Walking the trail, sitting by the trout stream, reading, people watching, and hanging out with my sweet husband was so nice. We had a delicious Mexican meal at Los Primos on my birthday.

Since I can't go that long without sewing, my Singer Featherweight (Annie) and two tubs of scraps went with us.  I sewed blocks for two different scrap quilts, and I'll finish those soon. A couple of cool rainy days gave me a chance to sort quilt idea photos on my computer, and I designed a few quilts in EQ8.

I cut all the half hexagon shapes for this quilt on the Accuquilt cutter before we left. Dark navy blue prints with crisp white on white vine fabric is a classic look. It didn't take long to sew these together in rows. I improvised a design wall by pinning them to the valance on our back window.

After we got home, I sandwiched the layers and quilted on the Janome. With dark blue thread and the 2-point shell stitch, I used a ruler to sew vertical lines. Some of those utility stitches are fantastic for quilting. Midnight Shift finished out at 46” x 50” size.

Accuquilt dies used:

55437 Half Hexagon 4¼” finished
55017 Strips 2½” binding

Easter Lilies

This little quilt started out as a sample block. I always cut and stitch an example of every die immediately after purchase. This is to check that it cuts and sews together properly, in case I had to return it. The truth is, I just can't wait to play with my new toys.

Purple (one of my favorite colors) contrasts nicely with avocado green and natural muslin. I changed the original layout, trimmed to a square, and added borders. I quilted with an applique stitch around the curves in cream thread.

Easter Lilies finished at 18” square. Right now it's hanging on my front door but later may be used as a table mat.

I've bought several brand new dies lately at super low prices, thanks to my ever supportive husband. He found the sale and told me to stock up! Love that man! Most of the ones I bought, like this one, had been on my wish list for a while.

As usual, I have so many ideas and not nearly enough time to stitch them. Laundry, cleaning, yard work, and cooking have sunk to the bottom of my to do list. Again.


Accuquilt dies used:
55597 Alabama Beauty BOB 12” finished
55017 Strips 2½”

Times Past

I nearly forgot about this little remnant quilt! I sewed it back in October, then put it away without sharing it on the blog.

The fabric in this reversible table mat reminds me of vintage brocade. The muted brown, tan, green, and rose colors work beautifully with black accents. 

I used isosceles triangles plus half square triangles to make kaleidoscope blocks for one side. The reverse is half-square triangles of the brocade print with black gingham, plus two borders.

I did all the piecing on Violet, our restored and painted Singer 99. She's a joy to sew with. Quilting was fun with free motion meandering stitches in tan thread using the Janome.

Times Past is 24½” square, an old fashioned classic look for a change of pace.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6396 Isosceles Triangles

Accuquilt
55009 Half Square Triangles 3" finished
55031 Half Square Triangles 4” finished
55017 Strips 2½”