Final Project Finishes for 2021!

Here are a couple of final finished quilts for 2021. 

 First of all is the doll quilt I started over a year ago.  I finally finished it and gave it as a Christmas gift, along with a doll, to a granddaughter. 

Project number two is a Christmas quilt made in the same string quilt pattern that I have made several quilts from this past year.  The only difference is the fabric placement and using the same fabrics in the same places in all the blocks.  It makes a completely different looking quilt.

 

Here is the back.  I used what I had!
 

 Whew!  I set a goal for 2021 to make quilts without buying any fabric.  Mission accomplished.  I made 5 quilts during 2021 and only purchased quilt battings.

I want to make more Christmas quilts in 2022 using only what I have on hand.  I also think some Christmas pillow cases for the grandkids would be appreciated.  I could give them the pillow cases at Thanksgiving and they could enjoy them until after Christmas.

 

 

October Sewing and Quilting

I saw a pillow pattern on Quilting Digest.Com that I loved.  The one shown with the pattern is made with Fall colored flannel fabrics.  Since the last several quilts that I've made were using the same pattern, it seemed like a quick project that I would enjoy making.  Mine's not nearly as pretty, but I used the Fall flannel scraps that I had on hand.

 

See that cute little owl head?

Here is a link to the pattern., found on Quilting Digest.Com.  I felt like the pattern was way more complicated than it needed to be, so I came up with my own way of doing it.

In other sewing and quilting news, here is my most recent quilt, in progress.  Its ready for machine quilting which I'll start hopefully today. 

This one is made with all blue winter and Christmas fabrics.  I keep thinking about the song, "Blue Christmas".  Or someone who has the "Winter Blues". ...... A possible name?....Nah, I don't think so!

Maybe I'll be able to post the finished quilt soon.  I still haven't purchased any fabrics this entire year, but I did use the last quilt batting that I had on hand in this quilt.

A Rustic Christmas Quilt / "I Spy Quilt"

This post is linked to the following linky parties:  From Bolt to Beauty, Alycia Quilts, and Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

This is my second Christmas quilt finish of the year!  I have been able to continue making quilts using this same pattern, using only what I have on hand.  I have only purchased quilt battings in the year 2021.  This means that I have purchased no new fabric to supplement what I have on hand, nor any backing fabrics. 

This quilt is being made for a family whose home has a cabin feel and I was thinking these fabrics would be cute in their family room.  My vision is that it would be a great throw size quilt and could lay folded on the back of the couch when not in use.  

As I was making the quilt, I realized that there are lots of Christmas items and words in the quilt.  So I decided to type up a list of all of them, put the list into a sheet protector and include it with the quilt when I give it to the family.  It might be a quiet activity during the time leading up to Christmas to find these objects in an "I Spy" kind of game.  There are 3 children, ages 5, 7 and 8, who will be using the quilt.   At the end of this post I included the list of items and words.

 

 

Close ups of some of the fabrics:

I incorporated this panel into the backing fabric.  You might remember that I made a Christmas Tree Skirt using an identical panel which was my first project of the year 2021.  Also, some of the backing fabric has tiny U. S. Flags on it.

Soy Beans are growing in the background.

List of I Spy Christmas Words:

Wreath

Santa

Christmas Tree

Truck Tire

Deer Antlers

Teddy Bear

Ice Skates

Log Cabin

Star

Smoke from a chimney

Snowman

Scarf

Sweater

Sheep

Red Truck

Bird House

Mittens

Bird

Bear Foot Print

Moose

Noel (word)

Christmas (word)

Snow Flake

Mistletoe

Holly

Rabbit

U. S. Flag (In the backing fabric)

Apple

 

I have another Christmas quilt in mind, coming soon, I hope!

Victoria's Big Girl Quilt

I finished the scrappy string quilt I have been working on for my granddaughter!  My inspiration was the monthly color of the month blocks that are hosted by the SOSCRAPPY BLOG HERE.   I wanted 5 colors and so I made 4 pink blocks in January, 4 yellow blocks in February, 4 green blocks in March, 4 blue blocks in April and 4 purple blocks in June.  I didn't do any in May.  

I've still been following my plan of not buying any fabric in 2021.  This quilt is completely made from fabric I already had on hand.  Many scraps were used, but hardly a dent can be noticed!    I love to keep lots of 2 1/2 inch strips on hand, sorted by color, which makes these blocks so easy to make.  If I didn't have enough of the color I needed, I then moved to larger pieces of scraps and fat quarters.  I love doing this!

I used my trusty clothesline for this picture.  I hardly ever hang out actual clothes, but I don't ever want it taken down.

More picture taken around the yard.

  

I pieced the back with yellow and purple/lavender pieces.

I tried a different way of binding this quilt, trying to save time.  I sewed the binding on by machine to the back of the quilt, folded it over to the front and used a decorative stitch to finish it.  I was much quicker and I think cute, but in my opinion, you just can't beat a traditional binding.

The pros of this type of binding:

> It's fast and easy

> It's cute

> It's very sturdy

The cons:

> Choose the decorative stitch carefully!  The one I chose has very tiny stitches and are nearly impossible to remove if there is a mistake.  Ask me how I know this!

> Its a little fiddly go across the corners.

> I don't feel like the edges are as straight and are a tad "wavy". 

I will definitely be using this type of binding in the future, especially on baby quilts.  I plan to use ric rac under the edge on the front which I think will be adorable.

Blue Scrappy Blocks

The scrappy color of the month of April at the SoScrappy Blog is BLUE.  Light and bright blue.

Here are my 4 blue blocks which are going to become a part of the rainbow colored quilt for my granddaughter.

The number of blocks for the quilt are accumulating slowly, but surely.  I now have 16 of the 20 needed.  I also started cutting the sashing strips.

I worked on quilts nonstop for the first three months of the year, but have slowed down some since the first of April.  My plan is to start pulling fabrics for another Christmas quilt for a Christmas 2021 gift.   I am thinking of more of a rustic cabin type quilt.  The fabrics will have some brown, beige and rustic reds in them.  I don't know if that makes sense!

Happy Sunday!

My Sister's Christmas Quilt

This post is linked to:  Quilting is more fun than housework,  Confessions of a Fabric Addict, From Bolt to Beauty.   

 I finished a Christmas Quilt made completely from what I already had on hand.  My sister gave me most of her fabric.  She loves fabric and had bought quite a bit over the years.  But, she decided to de-clutter her house and I was the lucky recipient of some beautiful fabrics.

I decided that since she picked out and bought most of this Christmas fabric, she would most likely like a quilt made from it.  Her birthday is near the end of October, so this will be her gift, just in time to display folded on the back of a chair or the end of a bed.

It is a typical windy March day today, so I had to get creative with the pictures of my quilt inside.  I pulled out a couple of Christmas items to add to the quilt pictures.

It doesn't show up too well in a picture, but the backing fabric has white snowflakes on white.   I don't know why my sister bought 5 yards (+) of this fabric, but it was perfect!  I also love a striped binding and this fabric worked perfectly as well.

One of the fabrics.

It was about 80 degrees outside when I took this picture of some of my Christmas Quilts, but ..... oh well.

I tried something new when I  pin basted this quilt top.  Instead of disrupting our household by pinning on the kitchen table, I tried it out on the table in my sewing room.  I just had to take a few things off it and slide it over to the center of the room.  It works just as well and is out of the way of every thing.  BUT, I remember when I used to baste on the floor and had to move furniture.  I'll never do it that way again!  I was much younger and more able to crawl around on the floor back then though.

 

 

My sister has good taste!!!  This jelly roll was the 2 1/2 inch width I needed.  I only had to cut the strips into the needed lengths.   I only used the green and red fabrics, so I still have some strips left in the different blues.  I added a few Christmas fabrics that I bought in the past that went with the jelly roll fabrics.

The layer cake fabrics were perfect for the corner triangles of each square and also for the border pieces.

I have beautiful blue fabrics left from the layer cake fabrics too.  I'll definitely be making a blue themed Christmas quilt soon.

 The twin sized quilt batting and all the thread that I used in the making of this quilt was bought with a Joann's Gift Card a few months ago.   Its always so tempting to go to Walmart or a fabric store to pick up additional fabrics to match what I have, but so far in 2021, I have not given into that temptation.

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Stats:

68 inches wide

82 inches long

Blocks - 13 inches (finished)

Green outer border: 1 1/2 inches (finished)

Outer pieced border:  6 1/2 inches wide (finished)

5 and 1/2 bobbins were used in the machine quilting.

Happy Quilting!

Scrap Color of the Month - GREEN!

Over at the So Scrappy Blog, the scrappy color for March is green.

Here are my 4 green blocks for the quilt I'm making for my granddaughter.  This makes a total of 12 blocks - 4 each of pink (January), yellow (February) and green (March).

 

There are a few interesting fabrics.

Oops!  Sneak peek at the Christmas Quilt in progress:

 

Have a great day!!!

Autumn Dreams Quilt

This post is linked to: From Bolt to Beauty,   Alycia Quilts, and Confessions of a Quilt Addict.

and Quilting is more fun than housework.

In early January I made a list of quilting goals and making a Fall quilt was on that list.  AND I actually completed it!

Here is "AUTUMN DREAMS":

Also on my list of goals was to just use what I have on hand in my quilt making this year.  I already had each fabric in this quilt.  It is made of lots of scraps, fat quarters, etc.  There are a few fabrics that appear only once or twice in the whole quilt.

I pieced the backing.  This leaf fabric was perfect, but I didn't quite have enough.  The problem was solved by sewing strips on both ends.

It was a windy day, but no rain!!!!

Here is a close up of the backing.

Stats:

30 blocks 

Block size: 13 inches wide. (finished)

Inner border: 2 inches wide. (finished)

Outer pieced border 5 1/2 inches wide made by sewing various lengths together (finished)

Finished quilt size:  80 inches wide; 94 inches long

This Fall I plan to put this quilt on a bed and put decorative fall pillows on it.  I'm thinking of making my own pillow cases to match.

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So this is the fourth quilt in a row I have made using this pattern.  I am sure I will get tired of it soon..... but I may continue on.  The next one will be a Christmas Quilt!