Free piecing/Summer 2008

 

I have never worked in a free piecing manner. I grabbed a bag of fabrics and pulled all the fabrics in these colors and started sewing. I know I would like to put a basket of flowers in the center white block. I have to research a little more what it will be….research meaning….run across something while liesurely going through a magazine that pops out at me and MAY work in the realm of things.  

What if I take the 1 1/2 inch squares that are the main ingredients in many of my projects and keep going around and around and around and around…. like a chain or a ripple in water.

Well this is as far as I got before dinner called and that was already about a month ago. It was too beautiful a day to be down in the basement in my sewing area. I dragged the machine out on the deck and started sewing away.

Free piecing/Summer 2008

I went to a garage sale this summer and under a tree were a minimum 40 boxes of fabric. The son said in the garage and the basement were another 100 boxes or more. I set my purse down and started to sift through the boxes….with the permission of the son. I told him there was no way I would be able to take more than a box home and keep the peace in the house. He said I could sift through the boxes. I really found a few treasures and will post as I take photos. There is an adoreable embroidered Scottie Dog, a few table cloths, the start of a gingham baby quilt…the blocks all cut out but not sewn together, and I did take home a box of fabric and an old hard cover suitcase filled with the linens. I had to wash everything and dry it when I got home because it had rained and all the boxes were wet.

I have worked on the gingham baby quilt but realized the blocks are not the same size so I have to do some ripping and re-sew a few blocks.

 This horse fabric was in the box. I like it so much I am having a difficult time cutting into it. Has that ever happened to you?

I have to find a way to use this in a large square!!!

Originally uploaded by Q_uilted T_hrifted

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Free Piecing in Brights/Quilt List

Free piecing in brights

I saw a picture on Flickr with a design similar to this. It was a doll class of some kind. I can’t seem to find it again and it was before I started a Flickr account. It stayed in my mind enough to get this far on it. I don’t work in brights very often so this is a challenge.

I have a what if on this one…

What if I took the design in the circles of the turtles and appliqued that pattern on large circles in the quilt. It would repeat a theme in the quilt and they are really cute designs. It would be a challenge for me to do the applique but that is a good thing!

Over the weekend I worked on the Scrappy Bargello, my CQR Crazy Quilt, and the Triple Irish Chain that I will work on the rest of my life! I was wondering how many quilts could I work on in one weekend? My list of UFOs is enormous!

Quilt Inventory:

Quilts I’m making

1. 1978 Jean Quilt

2. Diamond string quilt

3. Eisenhower Star

4. Ocean Waves in light purple

5. Log Cabin

6. 1989 Baby Quilt Lilac tones

7. 1995 Indian Star

8. 1995 30s Ninepatch

9. Maple Leaf Wall Hanging Small Quilt

10. Patriotic Star Row by Row (Twin Size) Was in a quilt show with other Row By Row quilts…. my first quilt in a show WOW Sept 2001

11. Plaid Tree border quilt

12. Helen Thorn Fall Season Class Quilt/Autumn Sampler Quilt posted photo 11-11-08

13. Christmas Cardinal Class Quilt – gift I gave to my mother

14. Double Hour Glass Quilt with Antique Buttons

15. Second DHG Quilt – gift given to my niece Emily

16. Prairie Point Precious Moments childrens quilt -given to nephen Jonathen

17. Ragged Hearts Quilt- Made in multiple. Given to Tori for Isabel One in blue before she was born….a second in pink after she was born!

18. West Wind Blue Callenge Block Midsize Quilt

19. 9-patch with Blue Rows Quilt

20. Triple Irish Chain for Erica’s HS Graduation

21. Autumn Bulls Eye

22. Free Piecing Brights

23. Free piecing green and tan

24. Basket Signature Small Quilt

25. Ragged Heart Christmas Quilt….Given to Judy as Christmas Quilt BABES

26. Star wall hanging size Christmas Quilt given to Barb B as Christmas Quilt BABES

27. Christmas Quilt Machine Appliqued Gingerbread etc… Given to Sharyn R as Christmas Quilt BABES

28. Scrappy Bargello

Quilts given to me as gifts.

1. Double wedding ring pieces/Grandma Lulu

2. Blue border Tulip blocks/Grandma Lulu -from under her bed

3. Trip Around the World Flannel/Grandma Stang – quilt to each family

4. Satin Green and Golden Whole Cloth/ Kay – St Francis Xavier Church Quilt

5. Grandma Martha Vintage Quilt/Nursing Home

6. Double Wedding Ring as Christmas Gift/Mass produced quilt/G&R

Quilts I’ve Purchased

1. Waxahatchi Snowball

2. Waxahatchi String Tulip

3. Waxahatchi TX Red Tulip Bulb Top

4. Sunbonnet Sue

5. Sunbonnet Sam in Overalls

6.Butterfly top Purple background

7. Butterfly Finished Quilt (Two tone background)

8. Butterfly top light green Butterflies in a rectangle

9. Double Wedding Ring Top with Orange accents

10. Christmas Tree Quilt Green and Red

11. Crazy Quilt in 40s Fabric back

12. Wall Hanging Quilt given to me a Christmas Gift/Barb B BABES

13.

14.

I also took down the quilt I had in the hallway and hung up a Maple Leaf top and back. The back is pieced as well and with the top but it has no batting and just pinned together so I don’t misplace one or the other. The hallway has a nice autumn feel to it now.

My son turned 7 years old on Friday. The time just goes by so fast. We went to his favorite restaurant – PERKINS. He had the usual children’s pizza. His Auntie Julie joined us. We had a very nice time. Sunday we went to a pancake breakfast at a middle school. He enjoyed that as well.

Originally uploaded by Q_uilted T_hrifted

CQR Crazy Quilting Revisited

Two blocks are completed. My intention is to have a sunflower theme. I have two sunflower blocks started but I need to do the crazy quilting for the foundation. I actually did them first but of course don’t know where they are at the moment.

Weaving thread and spools purchased at a thrift this past week. I was wondering if I had some golden embroidery thread and then I remembered I purchased these spools. The yellow works perfectly and gives the project a wonderful texture.  I want to use thrifted  items in this project.  It is uncanny because I just thrifted Thursday night and had the good fortune to find  two packets of needles, a packet  of rick rack,  and some thimbles  all for  29cents and 39cents.  I love it!

This is my revisiting of Crazy quilting.

I took a 1 1/2 inch strip that I work with so often. I had washed a bunch of fabric that had fallen on the floor so the strip had this nice soft fringe. I sewed it down twice so the fringe overlaped.  I then took the remaining fabric and rolled it back over the seam. I took the weaving thread and crisscrossed back and forth over the ridge. I was able to sit in a chair by the front window and soak in the sun while stitching. This is the stitchwork I have been longing to do. I hope to do more and more. It is one of the reasons I enjoy looking at Jude’s work. I can see the hours and hours of handwork she puts into her project.

Thank You Jude. Thank you for starting this group and encouraging quilters to work outside our comfort zones. I have seen so many wonderful projects already on the Flickr site and I look forward to seeing more.

I go through my day and keep coming up with more WHAT IF. I have a few I am very excited to get started on.

College Football - My older son is a sophomore at Minnesota State Mankato University on a football scholarship. He had his second game on Saturday up at Bemidji State. We picked up grandma and headed up to the game. I sewed my 1 1/2 inch squares together while grandma knitted.

I was at my quilting group’s gathering on Tuesday after my little one fell asleep so early. There were 11 out of 12 of us there. I showed the group my Scrappy Bargello I have been working on. The last few meetings I sewed together 1 1/2 inch squares for another Triple Irish Chain. Many of the gals said it looked just like a project I would work on since I enjoy working with the small squares. My favorite member said it looked like “idiot” work. What is her problem? To top it off a few days later my significant other commented in a fit of anger that all I work on is sewing stupid 1 1/2 inch squares together. Of course so while he drove to the football game on Saturday I did my idiot work and hand sewed on my stupid squares. It felt great. I just have to chuckle. Why are people so mean. Why do people have to say things in an attempt to hurt another. Life is tough enough without someone trying to take away from me one of the rare things that give me pleasure.

7 x 7 patch in golden tones

I was off to work before he even got out of bed. I got daddy to take a quick shot once we got home. This little guy was so exhausted he had a splitting headache and couldn’t even eat dinner. He took a quick bath and by 6pm he was sound asleep. That was quite a first day! (Tuesday after Labor Day) As you can tell I like this golden color. We ended up wearing the same color on the first day of school and we didn’t even know it.

• I am trying to use scraps throughout this project. This is a challenging project for me because I have usually worked in a very structured environment. I will end up combining structure with free piecing.

CQR Crazy Quilting Revisited

Originally uploaded by Q_uilted T_hrifted

I finally did it. The 7×7 in yellows and golds I hand sewed in the car to the football game yesterday. Today I put together my CQR.

• What if… I took scraps from the ends of the strips used for the 7×7 and sewed the various sizes together.
• What if… I took a 1 1/2 inch strip that I work with so often and sewed it down twice so the fringe overlaps and then take the remaining fabric and roll it back over.
• What if… I then took the weaving thread and crisscrossed back and forth over the ridge.
• what if…I took fabric with the x imprint and put it with the block.
• what if…I used the shape of the fabric scrap I used and sew the next piece on following the curve of the piece. I like letting the fabric speak to me.

Ragged Hearts

Sisters

Originally uploaded by Q_uilted T_hrifted

I don’t know if it will be a girl or a boy but she does….I do know blue is her favorite color.

Snowball Quilt Waxahatchi #3

This was a major quilt purchase I made while attending the Houston International Quilt Festival a few years back. I purchased 3 quilt tops while traveling around the area. I made a stop at an antique store in Waxahatchi, Texas.

This quilt top was such a great find. Sometimes you see the same fabrics appear in numerous quilts but this one has such unique ones. It makes it very special. In my retirement I will have plenty of tops to quilt to keep me busy!

This photo is my most viewed photo on  Flickr 2427 views with 10 favorites and 14 comments.

I found it on Pinterest too. Most likely the reason for so many views.

In all my years of looking at quilts in books, magazines, online, I have never come across a snowball quilt made in this exact manner.

Snowball Quilt Waxahatchi #3

Originally uploaded by Q_uilted T_hrifted

Stripes

Polka Dots

I think hand stitching this pattern would be the easiest. Can you imagine manipulating those curves on a sewing machine?

Purple Roses….. Vintage fabric at it’s best

Pretty blue – this is the best blue ever!

Black and green stripes

The stripes come together to form an X

Safety pin fabric – the best

also

blogged Jan 30, 2009

Sunbonnet Sam

purchased at an antique store in northern Minnesota.

These are some of my favorite blocks

I love this quilt. It is probably the maximum my budget has ever allowed me to pay for a quilt. It was an “I gotta have!” I have passed up many a quilt at antique stores due to the price….now that I have been in Flickr I think I will carry a camera and see if I will be allowed to photograph the quilts that I see and that I am drawn to but can’t afford. I have to draw the line somewhere…but a photo…just one little photo to preserve the memory!

there is history in this quilt…to me it means this quilt NEEDED to be used and the user sewed up the layers in order to keep the back from fraying any more. It was being utilized even in its beauty. A lot of work went into making this top….a lot. This is a “Should I, Would I, Could I”. Should I take the stitches out? Would I even think of removing the back and replacing it with stronger fabric? Could I find that large of a piece of replacement backing of the same vintage? This will remain just the way it is at this time. I have many other projects I am working on. I enjoy it just the way it is!

I really like this cat fabric.

The back of this quilt is shredding. The previous owner machine sewed through all layers to prevent the back from shredding even more.

In need of repair.

 

Price Tag is still on the quilt

Originally uploaded by Q_uilted T_hrifted

Price Tag is still on the quilt

I like how many ties are in this quilt. Many tied quilts have just one tie in each corner. This one has 4 ties on each side of the block. The blue ties coordinate very well with the  blue borders. I think originally this quilt had no machine sewing on it.

Basket Signature Quilt

This is a group project from the Tuesday Quiltin’ Babes Group I belong to. We are currently at our max of 12 members. We rotate and meet in each others homes. It can get a little tight at times and often 2-3 discussions are going at the same time.

Each block has the signature of someone in the group. We all made 12 blocks and then each of us designed a basket quilt in the color scheme we wanted. I had to have this sunshine golden color. The center six blocks are a slightly lighter golden color. I intend to quilt a sunflower or a daisy in each square. I drew one out years ago and have misplaced it. I never get too excited about not finishing a quilt. I like to work on a quilt that is in the season we are in or like now…the season we are moving into. Maybe now that I have written this I will pick it up again.

We are heading into football season. 11 weekends of college football games. This would be a good lap project to work on during halftime.

I like the puffiness of the basket after it is quilted.

It is probably best you can’t see the back too well. My stitches have that folk art quality to them…not intentionally. I do need more work on my hand stitch.

PLAIDS AND STRIPES

Stripes and Plaids