Flamingos

This quilt was a definite squirrel.  I was given a bunch of solid cotton poly blends so I took a minute or two from what were top secret pieces at the time and played.  Two tops were made that I then put away for a more appropriate quilting time.

This quilt is about 40 inches wide by 46 deep.

The quilting was also an experiment.  I practised for weeks on all available paper surfaces until I was less scared and plunged in.  My inspiration was a pattern by Threaded Quilting:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7lhVpsnBr8

It was also probably my first time quilting in a thread that was absolutely going to show.

Note to self:  Learn quilt blocking.  The quilting made it all warpy so I had to cut a bit off the last line to put it back into square.

Flamingos ended up in the "quilts for missions" category because after it was done, there was an opportunity for it to go to a little girl locally as part of a Christmas campaign through the Salvation Army.

HST Love

The third MCC project is HSTs.  Many of them were made and more were cut.

The fabrics are incredibly eclectic.  Florals, Americana, checks, and much more (there's even a pumpkin).  Most of them are patterns I'd never pick myself but together they look amazing.  I pulled out my own "uglies" container to make the project larger.  They worked perfectly.

There's 432 HSTs in this top.  Wow the trimming.

Table Runners for MCC

Last week I posted a quilt called "The Eighties Called".  I used blocks from my favourite mission thrift store to create a quilt that will sell for more money than the bits would individually.  It was the last of the UFOs I had borrowed.

I mentioned this tragedy to a friend.  The next day she showed up at my office with four more projects.  Here are two of them, completed.

The tops were completed, they just needed a bit of quilting and / or binding.

The next two are a little bit more complicated - full sized tops!  The first is HSTs.  That should be easy, she said naively.  The second is diamonds.  That one will be a bit more challenging.

If possible, they need to be done by the end of  May, but no pressure, my friend said.

Spook

One of my favourite things is when I'm given blocks or UFOs from our local MCC Thrift Store.  I have a friend and fellow quilter there who sometimes passes things on.  The idea is to finish them and send them back.  MCC can sell a finish for much more than the sum of the parts.

Date:  July 2015

Pattern:  Unknown - the top came finished with the exception of the outer border.

Fabric:  All from MCC except outer border and binding.  They were from my stash.

Lessons Learned:  If your tension isn't absolutely perfect when quilting, use a thread in the bobbin that matches the fabric on the front.  Yes, I cheat :)

Thoughts:  I'm not a Halloween girl, but I'm sure someone will love this.

All the quilting on this was a walking foot at ¼".  I used to have a ½" walking foot.  I think it met an accidental end.  I think I might want to invest in one to make thicker rows.

My quilting group and I are likely to put on a show at the library next spring.  I'll show it there and then send it back to MCC for sale.

7 Down 5 to Go

These blocks are orphans my grandmother game me.  I love using her blocks.

Five Down - Seven to Go

More Potholders

Our church needs new potholders and hotpads.  I'm hoping to make a dozen.  These are the first two, both made with blocks my grandmother gave me.

PCC 6 of 6

Date:  January 2014

Reason:  My goal is to make 6 baby quilts for the Pregnancy Care Centre in January.

Fabrics:  Grandma has given me a lot of blocks and HSTs.  Hundreds in fact.  Here are 4 of those blocks and 4 of the HSTs.  Fleece that I don't remember the origins of and a strip of yellow flannel binding that was already ironed were probably also donated to me years ago.

Thoughts:  Once again because I am participating in the Building Blocks Quilt Along with Leah Day, I figured I should suck it up and so these straight lines are entirely done FREE MOTION.  I wonder If I have improved at all.  I've now done three baby blankets doing straight lines this way. 

PCC 5 of 6

Date:  January 2014

Reason:  My goal is to make 6 baby quilts for the Pregnancy Care Centre in January.

Fabrics:  Grandma has given me a lot of blocks.  More than 200.  Here are six of them.

Thoughts:  This is my favourite of the six.

PCC 4 of 6

Date:  January 2014

Reason:  My goal is to make 6 baby quilts for the Pregnancy Care Centre in January.

Fabrics:  A friend gave me finished and unfinished blocks as well as random pieces of the same fabric.  I used the previously made units to make blocks and made additional blocks from the fabric.

The bindings were end scraps from various bindings that various people have given me - four pieces in all.  (I am a magnet for other people's unfinished projects and scraps and for the most part, I LOVE it).

Thoughts:  Usually I would get out the walking foot to quilt something like this but because I'm doing the Building Blocks Quilt Along with Leah Day, I figured I should suck it up and so these straight lines are entirely done FREE MOTION.  Obviously I need more practice, but still - pretty excited that it worked at all.  I found that rather than doing straight lines left to right or right to left, I preferred to move the quilt back as if I'm sewing a seam.

There is a heart stitched onto the back because I accidentally ripped the fabric after I had quilted most of it.  Yeah.  Winner.

The small prints were so dizzyingly busy together, a white sash was necessary just for a little separation and relief.

PCC 3 of 6

Date:  January 2014

Reason:  I want to make 6 quilts for the Pregnancy Care Centre in January

Fabric:  7 blocks Grandma gave me, 2 blocks Anne gave me.

Thoughts:  My daughter begged me to let her quilt so there she is carefully quilting with a walking foot.  She did not too bad :)

I latticed the different sized blocks on two sides each so I could cut them all to the same size for easy piecing.

PCC 2 of 6

Date:  January 2014

Reason:  The goal is 6 baby quilts for the Pregnancy Care Centre in January.

Fabrics:  This was a long narrow panel that I got in a bag or a box from someone or another.  I cut it apart and stitched it back together in a better shape.

A repurposed baby blanket was used as the back

Thoughts:  I have hundreds of orphan blocks that have been given to me.  I could make baby quilts for months.

PCC 1 of 6

Date:  January 2014

Reason:  6 baby quilts in January for the Pregnancy Care Centre

Fabrics:  A pillow case my grandmother made for me was picked apart and repurposed.  My sister gave the me fleece which I used on the back.  The binding was from two binding scraps that friends gave to me.

Thoughts:  This was both quilted in free motion and with a walking foot.  I tried to use different patterns of free motion quilting for each piece of the centre panel.

Fleece causes great amounts of excess fluff when cut.  Yay for a lint roller.

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.