I'm having a Crumby Day- join me?

I am making 6 1/2" blocks

46 pcs

paper pieced heart from a couple of yrs ago

I am using any old mini orphan blocks that will fit

mini churn dash w/borders

tradition crumb from L&E

Wonky Flying Geese w/borders

mini stars need borders about 3"

check out my last post for links to the original Crumb Along

Crumb Along- Join ME?

As a disclaimer:  I did not start this, she did- lol  Did you see the new button on my side bar?  I think I am getting addicted to adding buttons!

Run over to JO's Country Junction and check out the  instructions and then join us in making a crumbie quilt!

To help out the non-scrapers and cross a Give Away off my list,  I will offer a good size hand full of scraps to get you started.

To Enter, leave a comment here and I will have an impartial third party do the drawing.

I am working on my flying geese, need to decide how I want to turn them into blocks.

Monocromatic Challenge Home Page

I am going to HI-JACK this page to link my MC progress
Jan/Yellow   Alycia had posted on her blog about following Judy's challenge to do a yellow project. 

Jan/Yellow

Feb/Violet

Mar/Brown

April/Orange

May/Red

June/Indigo

July/Blue

Aug/ PINK

Sept/ Green

Oct/ 2 color 

Nov/ Black and White and accent color

Dec/ work on setting strips and sqs etc....

Final top/

I had added it to my TO DO list (you know the one in my head that sometimes actually gets done)

There were a couple of times I almost pulled yellows from my stash to cut into.

(What is it about challenges that seem to put me in the yes, no, yes, not now, maybe, ok, mode of thinking?)

I swear I have at least 3 idea on projects to do in yellow! Have I started any of them?- NO

Did I write the best ones down yet? NO

Well what did I do?

I mentioned to Alycia that I like her scraps!- that is kinda like writing something down.

She sent me an envelope full of her yellows that were left over from her project.

Since the yellows were already pulled for me the new challenge is to make something entirely from her 'gift'.

I stayed up a little late this evening and think I have a start on a cute piece that kills a lot of birds with one stone (not literal birds)

used BABY GO

used Alycia's scraps

Judy L challenge

Tonya wonky letters- maybe

Mug Rug- very possible

can't wait for FNSI to finish this project!

Apple Core top cut out

I am still playing with my new BABY GO!

I had such a good time showing it off to my quilt group.

Bet we get to see a lot of new apple core tops in the future.

This die is fast and fun to cut out.

I had scrap strips left over from another project. It was easy to fold them over and cut 4 to 8 pieces at the same time.

I figured out a chart to see how many pieces to cut. Normally when working with larger scraps, I tend to cut what I have and then see what size I want the top to be. (One can always add border later!!)

A couple of hours later and I have enough pieces for several Holiday quilts.

Here is one section laid out. I hope to sew these as 4 patches/16 patches and then in Nine.

I think the challenge is going to be to sew the directional prints in a way that doesn't drive me nuts.

I have a new BABY it's a GO!

I found my new BABY on the Shoppersrule.com site. It was priced lower then any I have seen.

I was able to get a couple of dies and several mats too.

The triangle die will be used to cut my scraps to do the 1,000 triangle quilt tops. My first one will be will Christmas Holiday scraps.

This die would be better for me if it cut more then two of each size. There are 3 sizes and two cuts each. I have sewn all three and prefer the larger set.

I can see myself making several tops over the years with this die.

This is the pile of scraps from several years of sewing. I hope to pull the larger pieces and cut apple cores then wedges and finally triangles.

Plan is to get three or four new Holiday print tops out of this stash.

I have cut enough of the tumblers to make an outer border on a top I sewed a couple of years ago. The more I look at the border pieces the more I want to cut extra and make a tumbler block quilt top.

The apple core has always been a block I wanted to use for a top, I just didn't want to cut them out. The BABY GO has a die to cut 6 1/2" pieces. These will be an on going project for me to take on the road.

I also purchased a 2 1/2" strip die. I have not tried it out yet but plan to play with it later this week.

The BABY is fast and fun and should let me cut pieces that I would not normally want to do.

My preference would have been to purchase the industrial unit but I just can't justify the expense vs my use.

I have been thinking about doing crumb blocks with the scraps from this session of cutting. If I get everything cut from the Christmas prints I should have quilts, tops, kits and scraps to keep me busy for awhile!- cw

New block for me and a new block with a twist!

I don't know what the name of this block is, I am sure it is making it's way around the quilting circles. The top I saw was just beautiful and I had to do a double take to figure the 'block' out.

Jennifer did tell me she was making 12 1/2" blocks but that was after I decided to do mine using 2 1/2" strips.

I think I have enough in blues to make a nice top. If my cyber friends vote to see me make this top, I will do a tutorial of how I make the block and more importantly HOW I decided on the fabrics! (I might just do the tut. anyway b/c if I don't write it down I may forget when I get ready to put it together-lol)

Lets call this Quilt # 1 inspired by Jen.

On to possible Quilt #2 inspired by trying to short cut Jennifer's inspiration:

Here's a hint as to how I process- I assign numbers in place of colors, for some reason I like numbers better and the color can be substitute in later-

Can you guess the block?

Here's another hint, I am stripping 2 1/2" red and whites, then sub-cutting at 4 1/2". The blocks takes FOUR of these sets and a same size accent sq. (In my block I went with blue)

Can you see it?

I have made several bow tie quilts and had never thought to piece my bow pieces.

I was trying to figure a short cut on Jen's block and stumbled on to an interesting alternative.

Problem is now (as with every block) I need to figure out how to make it and how to set it.

For this Quilt II, there are two different possibilities, the first is as designed, set alternating and creating a frame around the blue center. (can you see it in my drawing?)

The second block idea is alternate the Red and White and set the block in a Rail-Fence style.

I'll call this one Quilt 2-b

Ok, let the games begin- which one if any do you want to see me work on next?

be good cw

RW&B pt 1

Normally when I post, I add my photos first and then write my 'story' round them.

For some reason tonight I have several ideas I want to get in print and am not sure where I am going to start.

Instead of sitting at the keyboard waiting until my brain figures it out....I decided to just start writing and 'see what happens'

Here goes----

Last week, good friend Pam told me about a shop having a 'yard sale' on items not getting moved to the new location. I did a brag post on the huge amount of scraps (fats, strips & yards) that I brought home.

I am proud to say that it is all sorted, some has been re-gifted and some has been set aside to age.

I saw a top the other day that got me to thinking that I wanted to make a similar piece.

I will do a post on that block after a bit.

My motivation was to use some of my new scraps and create a quilt that has a Red White and Blue feel to it..

I drew out what I wanted and tonight sewed up a practice block.

As usual I now have several ideas of how I want to proceed.

I am thinking about showing the blocks and the thought process and letting cyber friends vote for a layout or design. Kinda like a 'flip a coin' without the flipping.

As a disclosure for me Red can be any red in this case the reds are leaning towards civil war repos

Whites can be any lights (as you can see mine in this box are tans and creams)

And Blues are what is on hand

In case you worry I won't have enough, rest assured, my scrap wall can fill in where I am lacking from this busted NO BUY.

Part II will be showing off the top Jennifer made and my thoughts on how I would do a similar one (If that is what the cyber friends vote for me to do)

Before you start feeling the pressure, know that I am prone to making TO-DO's and Kits so even if you persuade me to commit to something, don't hold your breath.

Be good. cw

Friday Night Quilt-IN-

I laid this thrift store find out to see what needed mended. For the time being I am going to leave it as is. There are about half dozen small places that could use a bit of hand work. I will either put it in the pile of other 'fix' me ups or maybe hang this one in the guest bedroom. It really is pretty enough to get its own quilt rack!

Several of the quilters are doing a Quilt-IN tonight. I have four projects that I want to be working on, I just don't seem to 'have time'. Today I decided NO EXCUSES, just turn off the phone and take a couple of hours to re-discover my quilting side.

My BAD is I didn't 'work' on anything from my TO-DO List!

In my defense I was able to put away a lot of misc. piles that had been growing over the past couple of months.

I cut up this quiet book panel and sewed it up to make a small 36 x36 baby top. I hope to use the orange for the back, quilt it and bind in orange. I make a lot of small quilts from the quiet book panels. Normally I will either set the pgs in a 4 x 6 using alternating plain blocks the size of the pg. Or I will set 3 x 4 using setting strips and setting sqs. This is the first time I have just sewn the pgs all together. (I think I like this smaller size- it should make a nice drag along quilt for a toddler)

These next two are made from material I picked up at the $$ bag sale. The sqs were already cut and sewn into strips. I took them apart and made a couple of 'puppy' tops.

I know that is not a term we call quilts but last year I made my friend Pam a couple of small quilts when her dog had puppies. Pam likes them so much she asked me to make another 6 for gifts for friends. (She supplied the material, cute doggie prints of course- and I am sewing the quilts and doing the quilting.)

These two small tops will be added to my on going pile of future doll quilts. The first is a D-9 the second is 4-patches. Both are 24 x 36 (ish)

Not to exciting of a Quilt-IN but I did get to do a little mindless sewing. I was starting to miss the hum of the machine.

After I get Pam's puppy quilts finished maybe I can talk myself into doing a project or two from my list.

Save your scraps for me!- cw

Yard Sale-Home Spuns

I am not sure what I want to do with this pile that was gleaned from the $$ bag quilt shop yard sale I busted my self-imposed NO BUY on last weekend.

Should I:

1- measure the fats and scraps and put them on a shelf to age?

2- strip cut them and make a piano key border for a future home spun quilt top?

3- request pattern ideas from my cyber-quilter-friends? (then lose them on a shelf w/a pattern?

4-do a contest and gift them to the winner to do 1,2 or 3 with?

What to DO, What to DO, What's a gal to DO?

YardSale Find- don't look if you are busting stash!

Good friend Pam suggested I run down to one of her favorite shops and check out the 'yard sale' they were having.

Hubby ran down with me. We did a couple of errands, had lunch with my sister and her girls and got to the shop just before they closed!
I love scraps so I spent my time at the $$ per bag table. There were several sizes of bags, I started with a smaller one and quickly realized that it was not going to work.

Since it was so close to closing and the gals knew the bag prices would be 1/2 price the next day, they let me fill a large one for $20.

I weighed it when we got home and .....drum roll...... 26.5 lbs.

It was not even packed full. I started out being selective but then just started putting it in by the handful. I ended up with over 50 of these fat quarters of Christmas labels. (They will be re-gifted as stocking stuffers for the quilters in my group)

I sorted by 'colors'. At first I was looking for lights, so that pile has a lot of cream, yellows, tans etc... it also grew to include browns.

The greens and red were mostly repos and I have enough to do several pieced tops.

My favorite find is all the pre-cut strings and 2 1/2" strips. My head is spinning on what I hope to use them for. Another Benito box top maybe?

Strings are being added my collection and should get worked in to my TO-DO list soon.

Strings are 1 1/2" irregular, most are Width of Fabric~

Strips are mostly 2 1/2" WOF with a small pile of 3"

The flannels have been sorted out and bagged to mail to cyber-friend Erin.

The homespuns were put aside to gift out but after looking at them I may make another scrappy version of the 7-shirts quilt.

I may also do a separate post on them and figure out a give-a-way.

I have no clue how much fabric I am adding to my 'collection'- I am so glad I don't keep track, bet this not only blows my self-imposed NO BUY but it slows down my stash-busting too!

quilt group: Children's I SPY challenge

For May the group was challenged to take a pack, of 48 misc. fabrics and make an "I SPY" donation quilt.

Participants were free to add their own materials to the mix.

We meet 2nd and 4th Tuesdays. The first meeting each month is a 'learning' class and the last meeting is show and tell and get caught up class.

Not everyone can make each class so there is a lot of catching up of past classes going on.

I did not take a packet b/c I am trying to get rid of my stash (the 12 packets that got handed out didn't make a dent in my children's prints)

Grand daughter, Karlee picked out prints she wanted in a donation quilt. She wanted to do one for a little girl. We didn't 'fussy' cut but did line up fabrics in sets of four. Sets that had a bigger focus fabric were used in the 'corners' and smaller prints were used on the sides and one print was used in all the middles. (We made 9-patches and then cut them doing the D-9 pattern)

Most likely a border will be added and then this little top will be done.

Marcy used many of the fabrics from the packet and add some from her stash.

Her quilt is made using the D-4 method. She sewed 4-patch sets and then sub-cut them into 9 pieces. She mixed it all up to create this beauty.


Mary M. worked hers similar to Marcy's but with a slightly larger starting sq. I think the outer border just makes this top "POP"

Jana is new to the group this year and was concerned that I would be disappointed that she went different route with her blocks-

Are you kidding!! I am thrilled to see that she used the fabric in a pattern that spoke to her. This is a beautiful top.

Some kid is going to be thrilled to call it their own.

Even though the gals were told that these are donation quilts, there was a twist to the night. The tops will be used for us each to practice our Free-Motion quilting (that class starts in a couple of months) and will then be up to the designer to gift as she chooses.

Fingers crossed we will see another dozen or so little I SPY beauties before the end of the year.- cw

4th Tuesday FEB 2010 Hearts class

Paper Piecing is not for everyone BUT I am so proud of the gals that tried it.
Some even 'like it."

Twelve hearts were turned in. Each is unique and just wonderful!


My goal is to incorporate the 'home-work' into an additional donation quilt.

Linda and I stayed after class and pieced the blocks using the D-9 pattern

Special thanks to Mary M for bringing a beautiful quilt to share. Her paper-piecing skills are just fantastic. She also free-motioned quilted it on her home machine. (Another skill our group is going to learn this year)

Dawn brought a large print floral top she is working on for her mom- just fantastic!

Of course I didn't get pictures- my bad. Linda had to remind me to get a shot of the heart blocks after the meeting.

Sherry brought in scraps to add to the 'crumb' box- can't wait to get to that class! She also did the pink panther heart block. It is great!

Pat and Dawn both made additional blocks in Americana fabrics to keep- which is a good idea, they can be used along with other things we are doing to make a small quilt.

Debbie H and Edna both missed the last class so we did a little catch up on the How-To's, Debbie finished one heart block and it is in the group quilt.

One of the donation pieces we worked on last year was trimmed and is ready to be bound.

We have a very fun group this year and I am looking forward to seeing what each of us can get done. Next month is a class on stack-and- whack- we will discuss concepts, fabrics, patterns and see how it goes. I have at least 6 quilts in mind from this way of layering and cutting. Can't wait to see if the others get as excited as I am. be good - cheryl

Mom’s strings

My S-I-L, Phyllis, unearthed a nice size stack of string pieced blocks. Mom has been working on sewing these for awhile.

Phyllis took over and set the top together. She did a lovely job, I don’t know that I would have stayed sane working with such small border strips.

I love a scrappy quilt and this one has everything in it. The paper-pieced blocks are about 5”. There are 130 of them in the top.

Mom was thrilled when she got to see the top.

I machine quilted large roses, border to border.

Now Phyllis just needs to get the binding sewn and mom will have a new beauty to keep her warm.

Progress on the Celtic Knot

I haven’t gotten as much done as I planned to but I am making progress on my Celtic Knot.

At least now I can ‘see’ the pattern emerging. I am now looking forward to a marathon at the machine. Goal is three more chunks tonight before I put this up.

FYI:--If I get the top together this year I win. (Don’t know what I will win but a gal has to have a goal)

Joseph’s Coat KC Star Quilt Pattern

MAY 30 1934

A week or so ago, I saw someone had posted a scrap top and was asking if anyone ‘knew’ what the pattern was.

I was pretty sure I had seen it before. I have a lot of the old KC Star newspaper patterns laying about.

I don’t remember who I told I would send my copy to but since they were just wanting a ‘name’ of the pattern, hopefully this will help.

I have seen these tops made with every fabric in the scrap pile. Very pretty take-a-long project for the hand piece-ers to work on.

cw

one more D-9 12 1/2” blocks

I had the fabrics picked out the other day. I knew I wanted to do a quick raw-edge applique but wasn’t sure ‘what’

After looking through sets of what I had on hand I decided the red tulips were going to be the ONES TO-DO. I picked through the pre-cuts and found enough red ones that I didn’t have to duplicate very many. Evidently I went through a ‘RED” stage a few years ago b/c I found several packets of red Tulips.

Must have been around the same time as my ‘blue daisy’ phase b/c I found several sets of those too.This top measures around 70 x 88”. Soon as I find the right dark purple sheet for the back, this one is getting quilted for favorite Daughter-in-Law, Kelly.

She pretty much gets dibs on anything I do in purple, or pastels, or anything else she likes!

This Top was made using the D-9 concept. I started with 12 1/2” sqs. Sewed them into 9-patches, cut into quarters and re-sewed. It takes FIVE 9-patches to make this layout. You do have to plan your focus block placement on the fifth block b/c that one is then set in a row.

Tulip Top Tonight’s Ta-DA!

I don’t have a ‘design wall’ per Se but do seem to enjoy pinning stuff to the mini-blinds in the living room. There is just something about walking up from downstairs and ‘seeing’ the tops from a distance.I don’t know why I like tweeking the colors, This is a raw edge applique on a 10 1/2” sq.

This shot is more normal size but lightened up a bit. To me it looks like a ‘controlled’ w/a little scrappy. The tulips were cut out a few years ago and I still have several sets waiting on me to do something with them.

Sometimes I sew in a series, I have one more D-9 cut and ready to work on. It will be Purples on a 12 1/2 starting sq. I just need to figure what I want to do with the large light sqs.

I have a couple of sets of ‘daisy’ flowers in blues I could add. I might go with a larger version of the butterflies and cut them in scrappy purples. I also like to do the Sun Bonnet Sues, or even appliqué Dresden Plates, I just don’t know. - cw