Granddaughter's Wedding Gift

Recently I attended the wedding of one of my granddaughters. I worked on a quilt that I thought she

would like, since she likes romantic things.  This one had muted color and vintage doilies.  I was

very pleased with how it turned out and immediately got orders for two more of them!  Whew!

Although it is beautiful, I think that I am most proud of the free motion quilting I did on this one!

I have never before done an all free motion quilt!  It's not perfect, but was an accomplishment for me!

Whatca' think?

New quilt!

Remember that box of new fabrics that I got (told about in my last post)? With this cute Acorn Park--Aw Nuts fabric by Winthur Sempliner for Connecting Threads. 

 Squirrels and nuts and leaves in awesome colors!  

 
I couldn't resist!  Instead of finishing my UFO's, I started a new quilt with a new technique.  A technique that I have never tried before. 

It's a simple nine patch block that is then cut and re-arranged!  It eliminates the need to cut individual small pieces in three different sizes. 


Start by making a basic nine patch using charm squares (5 inch square).  I used the charm squares and interspersed them with a light yellow fabric--also cut into 5 inch squares.  After you have your block sewn, (no picture) then you cut it up!  First, cut in half (my block is lying on my ironing board--the silver background):

Then in half again, the other way:

After than, you re-arrange the smaller blocks into a pleasing arrangement: 

I then sewed all my nine patch blocks back together into the new arrangement, but adding a lattice strip about 1 inch wide (cut 1.5 inches for seam allowance) to fill the cut spaces and keep my colored patches from touching each other. 

After that I used larger lattice strips to separate each block. You can use whatever size you prefer.  The finished quilt top will look something like this (although this is not a good picture.  The yellow fabric is light and looks as if it has a pattern in this picture.  You can see the darker bedspread fabric slightly through the light yellow.  When quilted, the light color filling will make it look more like the solid yellow that it should be!)

This technique made quick work of the quilt top.  I can't wait to quilt it!

Whatca think? 

Quilt Show Rap-up

I was recently entered in the Old Aurora Colony Museum's annual quilt show that ran from October 14th thru Oct 23rd.   It was fun to show my quilt, (which will also be displayed at the upcoming New Hope Marketplace in my booth).  There were lots of antique quilts and a couple of Amish quilts from Berlin Ohio and, of course, the handiwork of many of our local quilters.  Although I didn't take many pictures,  I do have these two:

My favorite of the show, since the smallest of the pieces in the quilt are about dime size!  Wow! What an awesome piece of work--keeping all that straight!

This one that has great applique. My youngest daughter is enjoyinng it!

And then there is my quilt in a 'not-so-great picture' of me sitting in front of it. Just don't look at me--Enjoy the quilt!  :)  I just needed another opportunity to show it off! :)

OK, quilt show done, on to other projects!

Moving? . . . Not!

For those of you who know me, I was scheduled to move from our little apartment into a house last week, but the purchase deal fell through when the sellers backed out at the last minute--literally!  I was so disappointed!  It was a cute little house right next door to where my oldest son would be living. (He was the proposed buyer of the two houses.)

embroidered little house with scrap fabric flower beds

After more than ten years, I would have been moving into a house again!  I had purchased a few new furniture items (still in my storage) in anticipation of the closing!   I was so excited to live in the "little house"!

Anyway, in the mean-time, I became fascinated, or should I say obsessed,  with little houses in several craft venues--quilts, ornaments, pillows, watercolor, etc.  My Pinterest category "Houses" is packed with ideas!  If you are interested, here is the link:

https://www.pinterest.com/thepinkgrammy/houses/

One of my Pinterest 'saves' was a picture of a little house wall quilt that was advertising a class.  You could sign up and make the quilt in the class.  Obviously, I couldn't physically be at this class (the only option) so I did my own quilt adapting the idea from one picture!  I love hand embroidery and collages!  I save scraps of ribbon, fabrics and all sorts of buttons, so this was a perfect project for me! I finished it in early September.

Un-be-known to me at the time of making my little quilt, an opportunity was brewing.  In the end of August, I received an application to be in a quilt show in which I had participated in 2010.  The Old Aurora Colony Annual Quilt Show -- It will be their 44th year and the theme just happened to be:

"Home at Last" 

An Aurora Sampler

Boy! Was I surprised and excited!  I finished my little wall hanging quickly and entered it, of course!  

The Show is in October--the 14th thru the 23rd, if you are local.  More info is on this site (Be sure to check out their fascinating history!):

www.AuroraColony.org

Here's a couple more pictures of my beauty: 

I will keep you updated with the progress of the show and my little house quilt!  (Also will share some of my other "little house" creations later in the week.)