Remember all the strips of fabrics leftover from projects you worked on for years? I have a drawer full of strips of different widths, just waiting to be part of a quilt. Two-and-a-half inch lone strip beauties, remnants of bindings, leftover borders... It is all in there. Every time I cut strips from yardage of fabrics, I almost hear screams coming from that drawer: "I am already cut to size! Don't I go well with those fabrics? Use me now!" Well, here is our chance to engage into major … [Read more...] about Strip-easy: Quilt Challenge!
Quilting with Corduroy? Delightful surprise!
Last week I was super busy being a grandma to a wonderful little boy whom I only see every once in a while. To make up for lack of time in the quilt room, I read quilt books and added projects to my list. This one book really surprised me. Who knew we could use corduroy when piecing quilts? I had seen corduroy on clothing, of course, and bags. But quilts... what a wonderful idea! Uncommonly Corduroy by Stephanie Dunphy (Martingale) definitely stretched my imagination. Corduroy, a ridged form … [Read more...] about Quilting with Corduroy? Delightful surprise!
Knitting a scarf: love the colors!
Aren't these colors amazing? The yarn can be a bit tricky to work with, but I am loving its texture. I found a simple pattern at Ravelry as I wanted to draw attention to the colors and not so much the stitching. Both sides are identical, which is perfect for a scarf. Since all I have to do is "k, YO, k2 tog" until I reach the desired length, I might even try learning to knit without looking at the needles! My eyes would REALLY appreciate the break. Here are the specs: Yarn: Red Heart … [Read more...] about Knitting a scarf: love the colors!
“Quilt as desired”: here’s help!
When a quilt top is finished, the next step is to figure out how to quilt it. I have been quilting my own projects for almost 10 years, often deciding on quilting motifs just as I am placing the quilt sandwich in my Bernina. However, I have never taken a course on what to consider when choosing quilting motifs, relying instead on my instincts. That is why I was so excited when I received for review the book "501 Quilting Motifs - Designs for Hand or Machine Quilting" from the editors of … [Read more...] about “Quilt as desired”: here’s help!
Embroidering blocks for a quilt
Two more blocks finished for my grandson's quilt. I started embroidering them in January 2013, and my grandson turns one next week! Ai, ai, ai... Yep, it is all about Noah's ark, which I am embroidering now. I will add sashing and borders, but it will not be ready by Monday. You can find the other blocks I embroidered here, here, here, here, and here. I only have three more to go. The pre-printed blocks only had the animals so I added grass, water, and other elements to enhance them, unless … [Read more...] about Embroidering blocks for a quilt
Spring wall hanging
Hey, it is sunny here today! It is quite possible that Spring weather is here to stay... This clear day is putting me in the mood for playing with colors, speaking of which - how do you like my latest wall hanging? The colorful border has all the hues I chose for the hexie flowers, and it brightens the whole thing up. I love attaching the hexies with a zigzag stitch using contrasting color. I used monofilament to quilt the grey background (can you tell I was craving jelly beans as I was … [Read more...] about Spring wall hanging