Springing into projects

Spring is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to seeing the new baby animals.  Speaking of babies -  I'm invited to a baby shower next weekend and they announced it's a girl.  I got busy shopping through my stash and came up with a cute little quilt.

Staying true to my mission to use my stash no extra fabric or supplies were purchased to complete this quilt.  In fact, most of the blocks in the nine-patch were already cut and left over from another quilt I made some years ago.  The finished quilt measures 46" by 40".  To use up the rest of the already made smaller blocks I assembled a fabric tote, again using left over fabrics.  This tote will be used as the gift holder.  I'll purchase a book and a few other items to fill it up.

As I was taking this photo quality control was busy checking it out.  I think it passed inspection.  After circling the tote a few times our cat Simba seemed pleased.  He probably would have liked to jump in but there wasn't enough room with the quilt in it.

February has been a busy month.  I've stayed pretty focused in completing projects and UFOs.  Trying very hard not to create any new UFOs.  With that said - one of my quilting friends came up with a rotary cutter coat.  Cute as heck.  I had to have one.  Digging through my stash here is a coat for my rotary cutter.  Hey there are still more weeks of winter bliss.

This is a free pattern on the internet, however I made a change in the way the bottom is sewn together.  And look at those cute buttons.  How fun. Now when I'm carrying my cutter to guild meetings and retreats it will be safe and protected.   I do have a smaller rotary cutter that I guess will need a coat too.  It will fit in the same size coat.

As you look through pictures of quilts I've made in the past you can see some of the same fabrics used over and over, but still it doesn't seem like I've made a dent.   When I shop my stash I find fabrics that I just forgot about.  Let's see how long I can go without purchasing more fabric.

With just a day and a half left in February I have a couple almost done projects.  The AuSable River Quilt Guild meeting is Wednesday, March 1st, and I would like to quilt my #4 UFO challenge project.  It is all pieced and waiting for the finishing touch.  There will be a new UFO number picked Wednesday so the challenge continues and I don't want to get behind.  Chat again tomorrow.

Seeing double

Double Wedding Ring that is.  I have always admired double wedding ring quilts. 

As a teenager I remember that best friend's mother had a beautiful double wedding ring quilt on her bed.  That was the first time I saw a double wedding ring quilt.  My friend's mother was very talented and she told me she sewed it.  Wow - it looks so intricate.  Back in the late 60s there weren't rotary cutters and acrylic templates like we use today.  She used paper patterns to cut each piece to sew together.  She machine sewed the pieces together, but hand quilted it.  When I told her I loved her quilt she asked me if I like her to make me one.  I was sort of embarrassed and told her she didn't have to do that.  Boy if I could go back in time I would jump at the offer now.  She passed a few years ago, but she'll always be in my memory and her beautiful double wedding ring quilt.

As the years have gone by and I've developed in quilting skills I just had to make my own double wedding ring quilt.  Back some years ago a local quilt shop owner made a wall hanging with just a single double ring.  She made it as a wedding gift and embroidered the names and date of the newly married couple in the middle.  But what hooked me was the fabric she used.  Although she used an orange fabric she also had the same fabric in blues (my colors).  The fabric by Marcus Fabrics called Definitions Strip-it by Faye Burgos came with 2 1/2" wide coordinated strip prints that was sold by the yard.  No trying to figure what fabric to use or how much to buy - it was already coordinated. And I loved the colors.  All I had to do is take my acrylic template and cut the sections for the rings.

Well that was the easy part.  Over the next couple years I worked on this queen size quilt off and on. Once piecing was completed it needed to be quilted.  At that time I didn't own a long arm quilter so it got folded up for me to someday tackle on my regular sewing machine. A few months ago when I was cleaning through my stash I came across this quilt with the backing and cut binding all folded together.  It was one of many UFOs.  I'm delighted to say this UFOs is completed.  

I appreciate the work that goes into making a double wedding ring even more now that I've tackled it.  This quilt has a double meaning for me - my friend's mother and the love of this quilt pattern.

Since I was successful in January completing my UFOs as I challenged myself I treated myself to a massage.  All that sewing and my shoulders were a little stiff.  With my shoulders relaxed and halfway through the month of February I'm still on a roll.  I have a couple more UFO quilts in the works.  Hopefully I'll be posting about them in the next few days before the month is over.

A confetti celebration

The word confetti brings to mind a celebration, but have you thought of making fabric confetti to create a landscape picture?  

Our quilting group tackled confetti landscape collages last weekend.  After viewing these landscape arts at quilt shops and on blogs we decided to give it a try.  Before beginning everyone researched different websites and tutorials to plan their landscape and gather supplies.  Sharing the information we gathered and using slightly different approaches everyone worked on their confetti landscape.  

My confetti landscape was inspired by an acrylic painting I saw in a hotel room.  I snapped a photo and used it as my guide.  When I finished my landscape it looked like the road at my son's house in Grayling.  He  has a beautiful stand of birch trees and possibly that was what I liked about the painting. My finished size is 16" by 16".  I framed my with a glass covered frame to help keep dust off of it.

Here are the other ladies creations. Some used more confetti, some used different shaped confetti and some even added pictures of their pets.  The possibilities are endless.

As you can see they are absolutely stunning.

This was a great way to use up stash and scraps and it didn't take much fabric.  I can see more confetti landscape art on the horizon.  I know I have a couple more I that I will do.

It was a weekend celebration of success and beauty.  Everyone completed their landscape.  No UFOs this time. Just being together with my friends is a celebration in itself.

Quickies

I think everyone likes a quickie.  Well, I finished off January with two quick projects.  

First, I stumbled across a U-Tube where a woman was quickly sewing a drawstring fabric bag.  I was fascinated at how she simplified the process and was hooked to try it myself.  I grabbed a few of my fabric scraps and tried a couple sizes.  With just a couple measurements, a little sewing and Voila - a quickie bag.  These bags will make great little gift bags and can be put together in just  a couple minutes.

At the AuSable Quilt Guild meeting last week we were challenged to teach another member something quick.  I decided to demonstrate this quickie bag.  The lady that I was matched up with was excited that I shared this with her.  She has six granddaughters and will make each of them this fabric gift bag to fill with candy for Valentine's Day.  And then my friend sitting next to me became interested in this gift bag so I taught her too.  She will be making fabric gift bags to give out for Valentine's Day too. Share the LOVE.

My second quickie was a Minky Childs blanket.  The fabric is 60" wide so I bought enough to square it up to a 60" by 60" blanket.  After squaring up the fabric I measured an inch hem all around.  My grandson that I made it for is two and the ABCs fabric pattern matches his crafting apron I made him for Christmas.  Hopefully soon he will have fun recognizing the letters.

Last is no a quickie, but I'm loading a UFO quilt top, that I came across during my cleaning/reorganizing of my stash, onto my Longarm quilter.  My goal is to have it completed by the end of this week.  Can't wait to report back.