Saturday, August 02, 2008

Latest in the Quilting Chapter

Using scraps to make quilts brings me pleasure - sometimes as much joy as the quilt it's self. I guess it comes from the fact I feel like I am getting more for my money - not that I don't have plenty more fabric stashed in the closet I could use.

Remember back several weeks/months ago I made the Cherry Limeade quilt - had some strips, blocks, etc. left over - so instead of sticking them back in a bag ....I just sort of started creating my own pattern. This wound up being 45 X 45 - which will make a nice lap quilt or perhaps a baby/child quilt. Just don't know where it will land.
This little thing is so small you can not really call it a quilt. Oh, it has all the requirements of a quilt - blocks, batting and backing. However, the finished size was 17 X 17.

The half square triangle blocks came about from the block I made for one of the gals who is with us in an on- line quilting group of women. This gal is in the service (protecting us while we quilt). Anyway, several of us each are making a star block to be put together in a quilt for her when she returns. Well, the first I made somehow fell out of the envelope before it got to South Dakota to be compiled with the other blocks. So I made another block - and mailed it yesterday - so here is hoping it makes it.

So I sewed the triangles together - added the borders - and then quilted it on the machine. This was a first for me - you know I always hand quilt - but with this being so small I thought I would learn something new and machine quilt it. I put my walking foot on the machine and sewed away. Of course, if I could sew a straight line it would have been better - but that is okay - it is mine to use.

If you could say my sewing room has a theme for decorating it would be hearts and apples and antiques...but any way it is done in red, white and blue...so the little quilt looks great on the chest with following the theme colors.

Really probably no one could see that I have a theme or decorating direction in there as most of the time there is fabric on the work table - oft times the ironing board is up - some things may be stacked in the floor. But you know what - it is my room - I can always close the door if I want to. Know a secret though...I very rarely close the door - I don't like closed doors to bedrooms and the cats always think I am hiding something from them if a door is closed.

Now I am doing the hand quilting on the Log Cabins in the Pines quilt I pieced back several months ago. Will probably start making the pinwheel blocks like the sample I showed a couple of weeks ago.

5 comments:

dot said...

Very nice and resourceful use of the fabric scraps.

Michelle said...

I love you little quilts, both of them. When I have little quilts like those, I take them to a sewing machinee (one of many), lift up the pressure foot, place just a little bit of one corner under the foot, put the needle down into it, put down the pressure foot, and walk away. Makes a sewing machine look pretty just sitting there. Those sizes are nice to set something on top of, on an end table, or coffee table, or to hang on a wall. Lots of ideas for things like that. I like it!
Michelle

Norma said...

I hear you about the sewing room. I clean it up, and mess it up right after. If I close the door, Paris just throws herself at it and it opens so I don't even bother. She sneaks in there every so often just to explore.

I love the cherry limeade colors!

Halcyon said...

I found a picture of a wonderful quilt by someone in New Mexico. I thought you might enjoy it!

http://visualstpaul.blogspot.com/

Chanda said...

Love all your quilts with the scraps. I'm gonna try my hand at that, maybe one day soon.