Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Day Lilies

Started in 2009, finished in 2010.

Reason:  This was a gift for my sister and brother-in-law as a Christmas / Housewarming present.  My sister is a lily grower so it seemed appropriate.

Pattern:  It is all paper pieced.  Every time I do a big paper pieced project I say never again.  Clearly it doesn't stick because I have another one in the works.

If I can find the author of this pattern, I'll post it.

Fabrics:  Most of the fabrics were from my stash.  It was really fun and a little scary picking all the colours by shade values.

Monday, November 4, 2013

12/12


Date:  October 2013

Reason:  Part of my goal to make 12 quilts for missions this year.

Thoughts:  I made my goal two months early!  Whoo hoo!  I'm so excited!

I couldn't have done this without a lot of help and donations:

Fabric:  Grandma and Linda - they started this with 4 boxes of fabric.  Lori, Ben (denim), Jane (and MB people - fleece), Melody (fleece), Kath, Mum (flannel)

Thread:  Melody and Shelly? Sherri?  (A friend of Ed & Marie's)

Fill:  Kath

Encouragement:  EVERYONE!!

I also received flannel and fabric from MCC.  The quilts I made with them went back to MCC.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

11/12


Date:  October 2013

Reason:  Part of my goal to make 12 quilts for missions this year.

Thoughts:  All the fabric Mum bought me in Mexico is down to scraps :)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

10/12


Date:  October 2013

Reason:  Part of my goal to make 12 quilts for missions this year.

Thoughts:  I loved this technique and the unexpected patterns on the back the thread made.

Most of the denim was from my friend Ben.  The flannel was from Jane and Melody.

This quilt will likely go to Streets Alive.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

9/12


Date:  September 2013

Reason:  Part of my mission to make 12 mission quilts in 2013.

Thoughts:  The top was made from apple box fabrics.  The back is fabric that Mum bought me in Mexico.  If they go back to Mexico next year, I'd like them to bring it down there to give away.

I used this quilt to practice free motion patterns and methods.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Craftsy BOM 2012



Date:  June 2013

Inspiration:  www.craftsy.com  - I found their 2012 Block of the Month and loved it from the first month.  I did the whole top in two weeks.

Fabrics:  This was all done with scrap.  My drawers do not look any less empty.

Thoughts:  I gave this to my Mum for her birthday

Nancy Pauls in Manitoba quilted it for me.

I should have done it on point - it would have looked so much more interesting.  I am considering doing another just to see what it would look like.

Friday, May 17, 2013

8/12: String Quilt


Date:  May 2013

Reason:  I have so many scraps and strips both from my own quilting and from what my aunt and grandma have given to me.

After doing Craftsy.com's BOM 2012, I realized that a string quilt was the perfect way to use up my mountain of fabric pieces.

Thoughts:  All I know about free Motion quilting is from Leah Day - see link on side bar.

This quilt will be auctioned of at the MCC relief sale in Coaldale next month and is eighth in my series of 12 quilts for mission organizations this year.  Four to go!!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

7/12



Date: April 2013

I started this top years ago and stuffed it in a closet because I wasn't careful with the measuring so I knew I had an uphill battle to finish it well.

Dora gave me a hand made shirt from MCC.  It was black and striped with bold colours.  She challenged me to make it into a quilt.  That's what the pinwheels are made from.

With fabric my mother bought for me in Mexico for the back, I completed this top and donated it back to MCC to be used in relief work overseas or sold in the local thrift store.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Pink Delight II


Date:  April 2013

Reason:  I bought a jelly roll at Walmart that easily made two baby quilts.  This one is slightly larger that her sister because I added the pink plaid border.

Thoughts:  A friend bought this for her daughter.

6/12


Date: April 2013

I made this top a year or so ago and stuffed it in a closet.

With fabric donated from a drapery store for the back, I completed this top and donated it to MCC to be used in relief work overseas or sold in the local thrift store.

Monday, March 11, 2013

5/12


Date:  March 2013

This quilt will go down to Mexico at Easter.

Lessons:  This is from my apple box fabric.  I made it more than a year ago, discovered that I had cut corners (assumed that someone else's cut squares were identical in size) and thus had split seams and threw it in a corner.

I used 2" wide strips of fabric, folded them in half like I was binding and sewed them down next to the split seam - raw edge to raw edge.  I then folded the strip over, again as if i was binding and hand stitched the folded edge on the other side of the seam.  Problem solved.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

4/12


Date:  February 2013

This quilt went down to Mexico last week.  It is 4/12 quilts for missions this year.  The top was made and forgotten last year.  I'm pretty sure it was one of the first Apple Box quilts.

Monday, March 4, 2013

3/12



Date:  February, 2013

3/12 is uglier on the flannel side because I wanted to use every scrap of flannel I could, but I love how the orange and blue looks together.  I should do this on purpose . . .

This quilt is also in Mexico

Friday, March 1, 2013

2/12


Date:  January 2013

In my quest to do 12 quilts for missions organizations this year, here is #2.  This one is in Mexico.  I used denim from my huge tubs full, heavy fabric from the Apple Boxes and flannel from many sources.

Easy Placemats

This was my prototype.


Then I had some fun.


Start with strips of fabric that are about 4½" x 11½".  They're placemats.  The size isn't critical.  Sew the strips together with a quarter inch seam.

Cut backing fabric to be slightly larger than the front.  That'll make it maybe 18 x 12 or so.

Cut binding and bias strips.  The bias strips should be approximately 1¼" wide.  You'll need a strip about 40" wide (the length of your fabric) for one placemat.  I cut my binding at 2½"  Each placemat used about a 60" long strip.


Piece your binding strips together and iron them in half.  Create bias tape by ironing your edges under.


Fast bias - just pull it under your iron.


Lay your backing fabric pretty side down and smooth out.


Layer fill and your topside down, smoothing everything out.


Pin your bias down.  Do straight lines, curvy, whatever, but try to keep the bias over your seam lines.


Choose a stitch and sew down your bias.  The beauty of this project is - you just quilted it too!


Square up the mat.


If you plan to hand bind the mats, go ahead and attach your binding on the front as usual.  Because I'm going to machine stitch mine down, I'm going to attach it from the back so the pretty stitching is perfect on the front.


Voila.  I did my placemats individually when I had minutes and found they took about 35 minutes each.  If you had the time to do each step once for the entire quantity of mats you need, I bet the time per each would be cut down substantially.

  



Thursday, January 17, 2013

Quilt for Uganda


Date:  January 2013

Reason:  I got wind of a care package being sent to a friend in Africa.  She works with street boys.  I thought a quilt might be useful.

Fabrics:  All these fabrics were given to me for the purpose of making utility type quilts for charitable organizations.

Thoughts:  I see God in the making of these quilts when the right pieces are available in the right sizes.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Pink Delight I


Date:  January 2013

Reason:  When I found the fabric for purple, I also fell in love with this roll set.  One roll is going to make me two baby quilts.  Here's the first.

Thoughts:  This quilt top and her sister top have been hanging out in a box waiting for me to find the right chocolate for the border.  I'm glad to be able to get one of the two off my extensive to-do list.

I've got a little ripple going on here but I don't think I was tugging too much on the binding too much.  However, I did quilt the border separately so I'm wondering if that made the difference.  I'll quilt to the edge on the next one and see if that changes anything.

Update: January 2014  This quilt was given to a baby named Emily.