What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

So far, this month has been a bust for quilting.  Life has been busy and I'm tired by the time evening rolls along.  Now that it is mid-month .... I had better get my butt into gear and get something done!

I did pull out my donation box looking to see what was in there that could be used.  These two blocks were pulled out and I wondered what could be done with them.  There were other blocks but .... blah .... they just didn't work.  So, these blocks stayed and then I started to play.

It’s been quite a while since I posted here. I’ll try to catch up, as I HAVE been making quilts. But today’s issue is a quilt that is too small.

In 2022, I finished a queen quilt for my own bed. All Kaffe Fassett fabrics with a bamboo batting. But both of us toss and turn all night and the sateen backing lets the quilt slide everywhere. So I’m adding new blocks to three sides.

Fortunately, old and recent Kaffe fabrics coordinate well. The quilt is ...

Rain, rain ..... lots of rain .... and then SNOW!  That was our Thanksgiving weekend here in Northern Ontario, Canada.  Our wood stove was constantly burning wood to heat our tiny cottage.  If you would like to know what our life is like at our cottage, then read on.

The rain didn't hold back the ATVers.  Out they went, all bundled up against the cold and the rain.  They came back drenched and cold, but quickly warmed up in our warm cottage.  There were a few times the sun came out but it didn't stay for long.  This is hunting ...

So, so happy to have this finished and not have anything else left to do on it.  From start to finish, it took me about two and a half months.  Used up charms and lots of scrap batting.  Did I mention that I'm so, so happy?  LOL

In a bid to move this hexie project along, it got hung up on the design wall and the light bulb clicked on and I started to play.

I do think that is what this quilt should be called ..... Hexie a-go-go!  Has a nice ring to it!  It is off the design wall and ready for taking along with me to the cottage for sewing together or along to babysitting (rest of June is going to be a busy month with babies).

It is the middle of the month and this quilt is at ...

Great progress has been made and my goal is to complete it this month!  Can I do it?  I think I CAN!

This is how my sewing of the pieces look.  I can see a bit of thread from the front.

Much, much progress has been made on this project .... because ....  that is the only thing I'm working on right now, except for bindings!  I'm obsessed with these hexies!

After looking at this photo, I realized that most of the hexies have been turned around ... so great progress has been made.   Since this quilt will be reversible, I want the back to look interesting too and colour placement is crucial.  You can probably see some triangle scraps sitting on top of some hexies.  Those are the back colours that will be used of which some are off on the ...

 I have all the scrappy star blocks made and all of them have been quilted using the quilt as you go method. I had to lay them out to make sure the colours were all evenly distributed. I hadn’t realized I’d done as many blue stars as are there, but oh well, it works. I’m now in the process of adding on the long border sections in between the rows of blocks.  

I am still liking the quilt as you go method, even though I think I decided on too many lines of quilting in those borders ...

I started a new quilt with a quilting buddy. I cut the print part at an open sew. I still need to cut the background. My initial impression is that the instructions were not written in my way of thinking. I will have to do a lot of repeat reading to understand the next steps. 

I have no business starting anything new this year. I have enough UFOs to last a lifetime that should keep me busy. On the other hand, I have had the pattern long enough, and the fabric pulled long enough, it could be defined as an ...

As promised here is the tutorial to make mini stocking ornaments.

This tutorial will make three ornaments. Please read the entire tutorial before proceeding.

• Batting Scrap -  5" by 9.5"
• Assorted Fabric Strings - 1.5" wide
• Backing Fabric - Three rectangles 3.5" by 5"
• Zipper Tape/ Ribbon/ Ric Rac - Three 3" sections
• Fabric Scraps for covering the slits
• Steam A Seam 2 Lite

1. Print the stocking template file at 100%.  Trace on to a light cardboard (cereal box works fine) and cut out the template. Set aside.

Mini Stocking Template

2. On the batting scrap, in the center, lay ...

This is more exciting than just sewing 80 blocks and trimming them to size. I had 3 rows sewn together and couldn’t wait to start connecting the rows.

I’ll try to explain the process. I didn’t make this up; I found instructions on several blogs. This is not the only way to connect the QAYG blocks, but it’s the way I chose.

First, I sewed the binding strip to the one side of one block, right sides together.

I stitched along the fold line. Next, I flipped the next ...

On the quilt-as-you-go baby quilt I have completed the first row. Actually, it was completed more than a month ago, I just have found no time to write for the blog. I was trying to take a trip to Michigan to visit family in early June, but life happens and the trip had to be put off. One great thing about preparing for the trip is that I could use my mother’s sewing machine for this project. It is just about the most portable baby quilt project I have done. I started cutting the pieces I would need for ...

I am loving one aspect of this project – that I can make a little progress in short bursts of time.

Earlier this month I worked a bit on the quilt blocks. I cut blocks for backing, and also the white centers of the blocks. I’ve decided to lay out the backings alternating a color print with the white backed blocks, in a sort of checkerboard design.

I put a few of the completed blocks together using the binding. Single fold binding gives finished edges where I sew it down. Here are some progress photos.

I’ll do a row ...

I’m calling this a stringy baby quilt. I chose the “Trash to Treasure” quilt block from my last post. I’m making it on a smaller scale of course. I decided not to cut the block into quarters and sew them back together, because I’m sewing it with backing and batting together to make a prequilted block.

I began with a square of white fabric, 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. I cut a piece of batting and a piece of fabric for backing at 5 by 5 inches. I centered the small square over the ...

I decided to make some baby quilts ahead of having a need for them. I’m a worrier, and I’m concerned that I won’t be able to make them at the time they’ll be needed.

I have to take a certain biologic drug for my cancer for the rest of my life. One major side effect happened when my feet began to go numb. My feet are now numb and I have partial numbness up to my knees, fading like ombre.

Recently my fingers began to tingle. Now they are beginning to go numb just at the ...

Turn your scraps into a useful placemat with this quilt-as-you-go scrappy placemat! You can whip up this placemat in about an hour using the quilt-as-you-go method, and your scraps. And, you can use your scraps of batting as well! Placemats are so handy to have, and scrappy, quilted placemats like these are super fun. Make […]

Quilt Books For Your LibraryIt’s time to add some practical and fun sewing and quilting books...