Holiday Lap Quilt

Made over 2 afternoons just for myself to use for naps in December!  This is the SUPER simple split 9-patch made with a pack of Christmas charms and 4 strips of 5" white cut into squares and 2 strips (plus a  few charms) of red, with a 4 1/2" border (again a few stray charms in the corners.)  I made (8) 9-patch units with red in the center, charms in the corners, and white in the other spots and then "split" them.  Real fun!

I could do it again with FLANNEL charms........ baby charms......... charms charms charms!

A warm Christmas Quilt

Big block in traditional colors made this quilt go together quick.  But then I put it away for a few years and pulled it out this Christmas-time to quilt with my new Juki machine.  Machine quilting the bigger quilts is so easy on the Juki!  This quilt went to my grand-niece Jenny for her Christmas season bed!

A Stocking, not a quilt!

A new baby in the family!  Just an excuse to make quilts and such!

Count To Christmas

Made a pair of Christmas Quilts with little pockets, an Advent Calendar.  The panel with the monkey-numbers was purchased on a quilt run last spring.  The blocks are charms; one cut from my scrap box, one a charm pack.  Quick, sweet, easy, for some special little girls!

 There is a little stuffed Santa Monkey that can travel from pocket to pocket to help count the days until December 25th. Candies or treats could be placed in the pockets as well.... but I suspect Little Girls might find that such a temptation!

Merry Christmas, Emma and Mai Mai!  Merry Christmas, Carrie!

Old is New Again

The block known as 54-40 or Fight has always been interesting to me.  Such an odd name!  Those triangle star points!  The corners can be HST's, or 4 patches, or even plain squares.  I got a triangle ruler a few months ago, and it has opened up blocks that before I used to cut with paper patterns, slowly accidentally slicing off bits and pieces of my template as I cut.

The slogan 54-40 or fight was from a mid 1850's dispute between  Britain and the US over territories in what is now Oregon.  One of the boundaries was the parallel on the map with the coordinates 54,40.  The slogan was also used by James  Polk, democrat, in his successful bid for the presidency.

At that time, women were denied the vote, but would often express their political views in their "Women's Work," such as quilting.  So to me, the thing I like about the block is it's association with women being politically active at a time they were denied that right.

The fabric collection I used to make my small quilt came from a reproduction set of 6 fabrics (and I added a few from the scrap box) named "Old is New Again," since we may tend to think pink and black is a modern color combination.  This collection was put together from reproduction fabrics of fabrics popular together in the 1840's. 

Though they appear to mirror one another, in reality all the blocks have a dark center.  There are also a few blocks where I had to piece some pinks together to finish the block since I accidentally made one too many black-pointed star when I really needed one more PINK pointed star!  Love it when I end up making these little mistakes.  Reminds me of myself! 

UPDATE: This quilt found a living home with Romana Uher in 2015.

Little Houses

Very simple little charm square mini quilt.  Machine applique raw-edge for the doors and windows.  The 5" hexagon template for the roofs.  It seems very simple.... maybe I will embroider some flowers, or add some yo-yo flowers?

Midwinter Reds

Just a little tumbler quilt made from a charm pack named "Midwinter Reds."  I'll use it as a table runner.

Another Future Quilters Orientation

I adore showing a new generation of little girls.... or big girls and even adults.... the joys of quilting.  Fabric and design, the techniques, the options, the amazing ability to create for a lifetime and never create the same thing twice.  So when Andrea, my son's friend and her 2 little girls were visiting from up north, I asked would she and the girls be free for a morning to quilt, I got a happy "YES!"

Andrea had sewn a pillowcase before.  With a friend who was also a non-sewer.  Her husband got her a sewing machine from his Grandma while they were here, so she brought it over and we unpacked it, I taught her to wind a bobbin, change a needle, thread the machine, and basic maintenance.  I also highlighted important instructions in the book.  Andrea was a FAST learner, soon sewing up a storm, trouble shootong, re-threading the machine and re-inserting a bobbin!  I wish they lived closer, Andrea was a very fun student.

The girls, Sienna, age 7 and Olivia, age 4, each completed a Christmas project.  I can see both becoming quilters in the future.  And Mom, heading home with a new machine and a lot of excitement, will surely teach her girls and pass it on.

Autumn Snuggle Quilt

Isn't it always like this?  The quilter's own snuggle quilt is in tatters, worn and the batting thin and patchy!  It's still good, but so thin it's good for summer naps, not for the first chill of Autumn in SoCal.  So, into my stash for a set of fat quarters I bought online at some clearance some years ago and a pair of neutrals from my Anaheim Fabric Warehouse treasures!  Some Autum charms, left over from a project last year complete the random circles. Machine quilted and raw-edge applique.  I used a regular old glue stick to place the circles. The batting is 100% cotton, a little stronger for an autumn quilt.  Just my size"  46 X 56.

The design is my own.  Favorite basic 4,9 or 16 patches.  I call it "Square Unless it's a Circle"

Charm Pluses

Wall quilt richly machine quilted, made with a charm pack named "Covent Garden" and a neutral written with the words of the child's rhyme "Star Light, Star Bright" that I bought on a quilt run down near the border in Chula Vista. Just for fun!

My own pattern and arrangement.

Gifted to Racquela

Sand Unity Ceremony

When a friend of mine was getting married, she described to me a "Sand Unity Ceremony" that would take place at her wedding.  Two different colors of sand in two jars are poured into one new vessel.  This symbolizes the two becoming one, intertwined, inseparable, eternal.  I loved the image, and decided to illustrate that in a wedding quilt for the couple.  Her wedding colors were grey and pink, and his favorite colors were turquoise and purple.

Found the fabrics in Anaheim, at my favorite warehouse (!) and a few bits and pieces of other things from the scrap box.  I love the two grays i found for the background.  I like how this combo of 9-patches and 4-patches came together.  They are 4 1/2 inch blocks (but I accidently made the 9 patches 5" blocks (!) so had to arbitrarily trim them down.  That makes the grains uneven, more authentic!

I googled "sand unity ceremony" and liked this quote:  "Just as the grains of sand can never be separated, may the two of you be intertwined together in love for the rest of your lives."

Fruits and Veggies Convergence

A simple wall quilt, made by cutting 4 pieces of fabric an replacing the strips from one with another.  Ricky Timms calls this CONVERGENCE, and I followed his instructions from a book.  (https://www.rickytims.com/quiltgallery/harmonic-convergence-quilts)
 A super simple quilt, the fabrics are oranges, apples, corn on the cob, and celery. The border is a tossed salad, complete with olives, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and egg slices!

The fabrics didn't quite contrast as much as I would have liked, they kind of blur together.  But there it is, a fun technique!

Coffin Quilt

Back in 2004, I read an article in a book on old quilts about the custom of memorial, or "Coffin Quilts" in the late 1800's.  So I decided, along with a collection of reproduction prints of "mourning cloths" of that era, to make my own Coffin Quilt.  I chose a block named (of course) Coffin Star, which is a 16 patch square in a square.  I used 2 different grays from my stash to set the somber black fabrics, along with a tan from someplace.

The border is a great Anaheim Warehouse find, a black/pink/grey stripe I picked up for $1.98 a yard on one of my fabric binges.

 Perhaps my favorite part of the Coffin Quilt is the Epitaph, written by my BFF and quilting partner Sprout.  I wrote it on the back, and have asked Pete to display and read it at my funeral (some day MANY hundreds of quilts from now!)

In death
I leave this world I've known,
To reach
A place with streets of gold.

But still,
Remain, thorough quilts I've sewn,
And left,
Upon God's earth to hold.

 

Autumn Braids

Bought the fabrics for this orange/browns wall quilt on a foray to my favorite fabric warehouse in Anaheim.  had my friend Sharon with me who went CRAZY at one of the fabric selections.  Sharon felt it was "spring" not "autumn" and therefore did NOT belong.  I loved the color, and the idea of a little bit of Spring peeking forward (or back?) in my fall quilt.

The braids were a bit challenging; the vertical rows got "wavy" and I had to do streching and pulling to make them fit.  It all came together when I quilted it by machine.  I do not particularly like autumn, since I LOVE summer, but this bright quilt is a consolation prize since I really find it bright and cheerful.

Sold to Kendra

Autumn Wall Quilt

I bought a little kit at a Quilt run several years back.  Not my usual colors or style, but it was a promo kit for $5..... Never one to pass up a bargain, I bought it.  The idea was each store sold a little kit for a "strip" and you put all the strips together into a quilt.  I bought only this one strip, and made it into three rows instead, and into a little wall quilt I put up once the weather begins to turn cool.
The little quilt shop has a sign printed by the Quilt Shop (Fat Quarters) that indeed identifies this quaint little house/shop as "Fat Quarters."  The shop indeed is a 2 story old house with fabrics, treasures, patterns and goodies tucked into all sorts of nooks and crannies.  The theme of the store is usually the darker, somber "country" colors, of which I am not usually drawn.

An Old Halloween Quilt

I was bringing out the Halloween quilts and noticed I had not photographed some made many years ago.  Checked the back of this one; it's from 2002.

I recall getting the fabrics as a fat quarter collection, probably some fabric of the month club.  (I still indulge...... yeah, I have a lot of quilts "to be made!"

Simple shoo fly block, used scraps in the thin border.  The binding is plain black.

Halloween Quilt for a Little Girl!

)There are tricks to making this complicated looking block from 2 1/2 inch strips.  So I gathered new and old Halloween fabrics together and started sewing, twisting, cutting.  I love the way it looks!
For Carrie, for the baby to wrap up in during October!

https://modafabrics.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/simply-woven-quilt/

Crazy Patches

Just 4 small blocks.  The fabrics are old and tea or coffee dyed to give them a nice aged warmth.  There is a piece of a table napkin lace, a scrap of ecclesiastical embroidery my Mom made in the 60's, a cross stitch on a linen napkin, and my own embroidered butterfly.  Pieces of an old apron, a dog ragged scrap of a good old dog's neck scarf, old buttons, lace and trim.   I have not done the traditional stitching over it, but I still might!

Fresh Little Quilt

I just adore the green background and border fabric I used on this charm pack quilt of half square triangles.  It could easily be a baby quilt or a wall quilt celebrating the colors and feel of spring!  40 charms, 40 green 5" squares, 3" borders, and it's done!

Sold

Alaskan Fireweed

This wall quilt features the Alaskan Native flower, Fireweed.  There is a little poem about the end of fireweed's season when the beautiful red blooms turn white and fluffy.  My friend Sharon brought me the fireweed fabric from Alaska when she went there for a vacation.  t's a very simple "3 color quilt" made with large blocks and goes together in only a couple hours.  I'll hang it after Labor Day to signal the summer's end.

 

Jackie & Martin's Wedding Quilts

My very sweet young friend married her best friend.  I wanted to make a special set of quilts for her and her husband.  She had requested the batiks, rail fence, large enough to snuggle and a pair!  Actually pretty specific.  In any case, I had a lot of fun shopping for the colors, mixing them up, adding the applique to hers, and putting them together.  The little pillow is for the rings at the wedding, they were attached and passed around so all the guests could warm them and fill them with good wishes and blessings.

Tiny 16-Patches

Another Charm Square Project.  The 3" blocks have 16 patches in them, each patch is 3/4" of an inch big.  Keeping everything precise in tiny squares is usually a bigger challenge.  BUT, I can satisfy an need to be instantly gratified, fondle fabrics, start and finish a project in an afternoon AND use a charm pack!  This color scheme is outside of my own norm, kind of glaring and clashing.  The theme of the fabric is robots, circuit boards, gears.

Grey Plates

This little quilt was an experiment in using a few, not-bright colors and crisp white.  Sort of hard for me, I tend to love LOTS and BRIGHTS!  So, some simple dresden plates needle-turn appliqued in circles, with the theme being "grey stripes."  Then quilted by machine in a meandering, fairly dense pattern. A tiny grey and pink paisley inner border and the same fabric for the binding.

Update: SOLD on etsy

Cheerful Hexies

I bought a great bright charm pack and a new template; a half hexagon that cuts 2 half-hexies from each charm.  Then I saw a magazine ad in a catalog that was a pattern and template for about $20, and I realized my half hexies would be perfect, I didn't need to buy another pattern or template!

So, 42 charms, some white muslin, and an afternoon later, here is the darling bright quilt I made!

Updat3: SOLD on etsy

Split 4 Patch

This block is fascinating to me, so I have made it a few times, experimenting each time with the colors.  This one used a collection of 12 fabrics (1/8 yard cuts) I received in a fabric of the month collection, mixed with neutrals from my stash.  The collection included several florals so I selected a green leafy fabric (bought on a quilt run just for this quilt!)  for the border.  Quilted on my new machine 1/4 inch from the seams and meandered on the border, the batting is a fluffy polyester, very thin, so it's a nice cuddly quilt.  It is for my friend, Marinee. 

Autumn Table Runner

Simple simple simple!  3" blocks set on point. Autumy sunflower scraps and other things from other quilts.

Scrappy Triangles Wedding Quilt

This one was made from scraps from the floor, the scrap bin, boxes lying around.  Even the binding came from the scraps of bindings box!  Was also learning how to cut and sew triangles from a ruler.  Plus trying out the new sewing machine fro quilting!  When Em mentioned how much she liked it; it found it's home.  Interesting; I was thinking of her when I made it, since she has an eye for artsy, asymmetrical and non-traditional quilts!

Too Young To Quilt?

Ryan's mom April helped me take a footprint (Ryan would NOT allow a handprint!) for his Christmas ornament.  Youngest quilt class I have done yet!

When he gets bigger will he still want to paint on quilts?  I bet yes! 

Racquel's Christmas Table Runner

I could always count on Racquel to talk me OUT of buying more fabric!  Since I have a serious fabric hoarding addiction, when I would check what's for sale each day (they post at midnight and I work all nighters!) Racqui would look over my shoulder and encourage me to "just y no!"  Well....... until she saw THIS Christmas collection!  She loved it and egged me on to buy it and make it for her!

And no wonder!  They are beautiful fabrics.  So I bought the charm pack and made a simple table runner for her Christmas table.  

Baby Memorial Quilt

Sometimes I buy some fabric and even stitch it together.  These fabrics were in a collection of fat 8ths I got during a quilt run a few years back.  They are sweet, innocent, old fashioned classical baby fabrics.  I put them together, found a great stripe from my stash for the mitered border, then it went in a closet.  Until just the right baby came along, who's brief life mattered so much to his parents.  I knew just which quilt top I had, and pulled it out and finished it.

  Baby Dale, 2009.

Girls Quilting Day 2013

I LOVE to introduce people to quilting.  Sometimes, it "clicks!" and a new quilter is produced.  So when my friends bring their daughters over (age 3 1/2 and up!) we have a blast bringing out the paints and stamps and creating a first quilt.

The little girls were between 3 1/2 and 5, I had 3 little ones and an 11 year old over. I may have offered too many options for so little time; next time I may do only painting, stamping and sewing buttons. 

The girls were all quite proud of their creations.  I think EMMA was the most intense.......... maybe she will be a quilter some day! 

  

One Thousand Pyramids

Been wanting to make a thousand pyramids quilt for awhile.  Made literally from the scraps on the floor and white muslin.  Machine quilted in the ditch with triangles in the border.  These are 4" triangles, measured with a equilateral triangle ruler.

Watermelon Summer Quil

A light weight, light hearted summer quilt for taking afternoon naps.  Half square triangles made from 5 inch squares.  Very light, poly batting an a few watermelon appliques cut from the feature fabric and placed along th right side border.  Quickly put together over 2 afternoons.

4th Of July

I saw something strip pieced similar to this in a catalog, and purchased my colors at my favorite discount warehouse in Anaheim (THOUSANDS of bolts and flat folds for $1.98/yard!) The Anaheim fabrics are often a little odd, random, mis-matched, even mis-printed sometimes.  I also suspect they might be old old old, they often smell dusty.  It's a lot of fun rooting through these fabrics for treasures....... and mis-adventures!  The red in this quilt is one of those odd-balls, with sparkles.

Gifted to Adelle

Serenade Spain.

Another morning project to satisfy a need to create RIGHT THIS MINUTE and use a beautiful bright modern charm pack.  In the summer, I always feel like quilting, something about the bright sun, the beautiful weather, my sewing studio with a nice window.  The charm pack name was "Serenade" and the fabric designer is Kate Spain. This small quilt is machine stiple quilted.

Happy Baby Quilt Split 4-Patch

This quilt is a "split 4 patch" made with a happy charm pack (named Simply Color) and white muslin. I hand quilted the border, but machine quilted in the ditch between the blocks.  I was inspired not by a particular baby, but a beautiful white crib! 

The quilt came together in an afternoon, the borders were about 6 hours of quilting with the TV on in the background.  I really enjoyed this use of a charm pack!  Will do this one again. 

Wedding Quilts Vanessa/Luis

For my brother's daughter Vanessa and her new husband Luis.  I chose a block sometimes called "Steps To The Altar" and a setting sometimes called "Many Trips Around The World." (Thanks, Google!)

The quilt for Vanessa has 25 1.5" squares per block, 42 blocks (That';s 1,260 1.5" squares!) in light ("Low Volume") colors, with some grey and dark blocks helping to define the pattern in the block arrangement.  I put strong blocks towards the center; and made them a little cork-screwy (because I can...) and the more subtle blocks out towards the edges.

The fabrics are scraps and leftovers from other projects.  You may recognize baby quilts, Christmas gifts, children's quilts, Sprout scraps, and some scraps of my Mom's.  I inscribed the saying on the back, "Chains do not hold a marriage together; it is threads, hundreds of tiny threads that sew people together through the years."  I have used it before, frankly I love the symbol of a thread in a wedding quilt sewing a couple together!  The quilt is going to the before and after parties to be signed by guests.

For the groom, the same but different.  Same 1.5" squares, but each block has 36 squares (1,512 squares total.) The color is dark, masculine blues; greens and browns with a lighter selection of fabrics suggesting the pattern. His is inscribed with "Marriage should be a duet.  When one sings the other should clap."  The best advice I could think of! 

These are generous lap quilts, meant to be snuggled under and wrapped up in.  Together; the pair took around 7 weeks to complete (you know with breaks for work and life!) and are very simply machine quilted "in the ditch" between blocks.  Each binding is MOSTLY one fabric, yet each one has a scrap of something else in it; just to avoid perfection and suggest forgiveness.

Very fun, simple yet tedious at times.  Want to do this pattern again!   

Fruits, Veggies and a Cow!

Made for my niece Carrie when she graduated from college.  (2003?  2004?) What fun I had collecting the fabrics.  Each one a different fruit or veggie.  Some simple stars, a few hand appliques.  Carrie is a vegetarian for humane, non-violent reasons, living her beliefs by not consuming meat.  I put a cow on the quilt to tease her a bit, but it's a sweet, friendly cow, not a steak or burger! 

Strawberries for the Table

Reaching WAY back in the archives, to 2001.  My BFF Sprouty (did we even SAY BFF back then???) redecorated her kitchen with strawberries and asked me to make a table topper. 

Quick, simple, fun!  Mostly machine quilted and hand quilted in the border.  Button-hole stitch applique and good old white muslin. 

Baby Quilt for Daniel

Helped a friend make a quilt like this quilt several months ago and I really liked it.  So with the leftover fabrics I made the same one.  The designs are painted with Inktense Water Color Inks.  They go on like a colored pencil.  When wet with the brush they act like watercolor, but after drying they are ink and permanent. 
It is for a special newborn baby boy, whose parents have loved him already for several years.