Improvisational Quilts 2

Update - hand quilted and finished 2013
to see it - to herehttp://uniquelyyourscreations.blogspot.com/2013/10/bloggers-quilt-festival-chasing-rainbows.html

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Where do you get an idea from?

I had 2 bundles of fat quarters, a library book
- The Quilts of Gee's Bend and spotted a book
on my shelf by Jenny Beyer - Quiltmaking by Hand.
On pg. 7 Jenny says "...generations of quilters made do
with minimal supplies ... All it took was a needle and
thread, a thimble, a pair of sharp scissor, cardboard..."

Hmm, I thought about that for awhile.

The rotary cutter was created for quilters in 1979.
I wondered if I could manage to make a small quilt not
using a rotary cutter and piecing it by hand.

No ruler, just a large piece of cardboard and pencil
to draw my squares and strips.
I also wanted to experiment with colors - using colors
together that I never tried, instead of gravitating to my
old favorites. This was really a challenge for me. At
first I thought I couldn't stand to see certain colors next
to one another but I kept persisting.

I started by cutting out a square piece of fabric and
using that size as my template; I did the same for my strips.
Using my cardboard and pencil; I found that the sizes varied!
Part of the charm of some of the Gee's Bend is that not all of
the seams are perfect and the some fabrics don't match
- that to me adds to their beauty and uniqueness.

Surprisingly, it doesn't take long to hand sew all of the
pieces together. Using a running stitch; I made a couple of
squares in no time. I was tempted to draw a 1/4 " seam allowance
but I decided to just "wing" it. After all I don't want it to be perfect
- that's the point.

After all of my squares were sewn together; I have to
admit I couldn't stand it anymore and broke down
and got out my mat, cutter and ruler! I had to add the border
and I wanted it to be straight. You have to give credit to
the women who made quilts without these conveniences
that we have today.
I also wanted to add a piano like border - those were
cut with the rotary cutter BUT they were all hand sewn
also - 1 1/2" x 5" abt. 166 pieces! I must be nuts!

I'm very satisfied with the way it turned out.

Only I think it will be a long time before I hand piece another quilt top!

Bushfire Quilts

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” -Winston Churchill

I found out about this wonderful project through
reading someone's blog. It is being organized
through a U.S. Army wife named Tia.
God bless her!
So, this is what I'll be doing all weekend.
I have 4 completed so far and several more cut out and
waiting to be sewn.

This block is called "Wonky Star" and it's the first time
that I ever tried it. Thanks to Silly Boodilly for her excellent step by step tutorial.

I'm using Laura Burch fabrics for the center blocks.
I love her fabric; they're all so colorful and down right
cute!

I hope that I have inspired you to do a couple of "easy"
blocks for this worthy cause. They go together very
quickly and it's a great way to use your stash! You
can also make it scrappy.

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Wonderful Day!

The temperature today was over 50 degrees and "Plenty of Sunshine"!
So I decided to take a ride down to Kitchen Kettle
Village which is in Intercourse. Everyone must have had the
same idea - it was quite busy as if it were summertime.

Not only were there lots of tourists here today but also plenty of
horse n' buggies.

So, as there wasn't a parking space to be found in Kitchen Kettle
Village; I did what any smart woman would do. I made a right
turn into the parking lot of my favorite fabric store - Zooks!

I just love this shop. I can always find something I absolutely
must have.

This is their parking lot. You can always find Amish shoppers
here.

This is what I bought today - Robert Kaufman - Oriental Traditions.
I just love this fabric and I have a pattern for it that I borrowed
from my quilter buddy.

Here's a couple of other shops:

All good things must come to an end - On my way home.

Charity Quilts

We have had bad weather all week. Snow and ice in
mid-week and very, very, cold. So, to ward off those
winter blues; I did my charity quilts this week ~
for my Guild ~ The Red Rose Quilters Guild.
Move QOV strippy blocks which go very fast.

I also found a block I liked very much at Quilterscache.com;
it's called Aunt Dinah:

I also finished more of the applique blocks for the Breast Cancer Quilt:

I love this block - although there is a mistake in it but I won't
say where. (-: I'm thinking of adding some embroidery around
it. You can faintly see the line in the back of a heart shape. That's
where I'll probably put some embroidery stitches. Here's where
I found the pattern: Craft and Fabric links.

This one is called Posy Folk Art and I found the pattern here:
Patch Pieces

This one I think is really cute. I might embroider some eyes.
Here's where I found this pattern:
Bella on Line

I'm satisfied that I had a very productive week! Now the forecast
for Tuesday is "we may have another winter storm"! ugh
Good thing I have a list of things "to do".
Is it spring yet?

Quilts of Valor, String block

The beginning of this year; our Guild started a BOM. Every month
our V.P. of Programs is choosing a member of the Board to pick
a block of their choice.
My block is for the month of March. I picked a scrappy block
because we have been doing QOV (Quilts of Valor) for nearly
two years and I have 2 bags (grocery size) filled with red, white
and blue scraps and I'm sure half of the ladies in my guild does
also!
These blocks will be made into a QOV. Last month's block
was a "snowball" block. So many women made this block
that we have enough to make 2 quilts!
I found this pattern over at Mary's Quilts
The name of the block is "Amish Stripes and Strings".

Color me Blue

Misty's Blue


While doing the blue portrait; I realized
that I don't have much of the color blue
in my home. I do have a tweed blue carpet
in my bedroom but the walls are white.

When I first moved into my Pa. home; I
did paint my sewing room a light blue.
After a year I had to change the color
because I noticed that it affected me.
It made me feel gloomy.
Also because my room faces north and I
don't get direct sunlight in that room.
It's now painted white and I plan on
re-painting it in the spring to a pale
shade of yellow. I'm hoping that it will
make the room more cheery.

Rose Of Sharon

This is another one of my UFOs that I'm currently working on.
I started this about 4 years ago the pattern was in one of
the quilt magazines; I can't remember which one. Anyway,
I needed an applique pattern to join an applique group.
One of the criteria for joining is that you have to know
how to applique - this was not a teaching group. I had
gone to one applique class but I was still unsure of my
ability to work on my own. So I looked for the largest
pattern I could find - This block measures 17 x 17.

When I started this pattern I was using templates
but then I met a lady from this applique group
who was teaching a different method in one of our
local quilt shops. I stopped by the quilt shop
and looked at her samples - another Baltimore!
My first ever quilting class was a Baltimore (like)
Album! I almost quit that class twice but I being
a trooper hung in there and was one of the few
who actually finished it!

Getting back to my friend who was teaching this
yet another Baltimore Album class; she assured
me that the "new" way she was going to teach was
much easier than making templates. and it was!
She taught Jeana Kimball's technique which is that
you draw your pattern on the back of your block,
NOT the front.
Needless to say, I was hooked on the method and
never went back to templates.

This Rose of Sharon quilt is half and half. Half done
with templates, and half done the Jeana Kimball's
method. I have 8 blocks in all plus 8 very hugh
nine patch blocks! It's really a quilt with VERY
large blocks but I think of it as "My Happy Quilt"
It always makes me smile when I see it.

I am now in the process of free motioning the blocks. It's going
to be a Quilt As You Go. It will be much easier for me to do that.
This is what I have completed so far. I do not know what I'll be
doing with the white space. If you have any thoughts; I would love
to hear them. Thanks!