Quilting is more fun than Housework...

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Pain and Agony - ALYoF March Goal

As "painful" as it is going to be, I am hoping to quilt up another Sunbonnet Sue quilt top for my March A Lovely Year of Finishes Goal. This top has been waiting for my attention since 2007. I have the backing, I have the batting and I even have the binding all prepared and ready to sew on. I just really have an aversion to the Sunbonnet Sue block so finishing all these quilts up have been a bit tough. I did complete a red and black one made from the inherited family blocks last month and I am just going to work through the pain of finishing up this blue one.

When I got this one out of the closet to photograph it, the sashing fabric I chose really annoyed me. It reads as a stripe and I cut it rather crookedly. Certainly not the quality of work I do today!

I still have one more quilt to go but at this point it is just a stack of blocks and fabric. The final one is going to be all purple and green Sunbonnets. Then I get the "joy" of sharing all 8 of the Sunbonnet Sue quilts I finished with family members. I know they all love Sunbonnet Sue quilts as much as I do!

See what goals other bloggers are setting for themselves this month. You can check out all the links at both Fiber of All Sorts and Sew Bittersweet Designs.

But I bet they won't be having as much fun as me!

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Monday, March 2, 2015

Irish Chain Twist QAL - Twist on the Traditional

This week's assignment for Melissa's Irish Chain Twist Quilt-A-Long was a bit of chain sewing and then sub-cutting into units. As I am going a bit more scrappy than the instructions, it probably took me more time to get everything sewn together. But the assignment was easily achieved in an afternoon. Yep, I am still keeping up!

Last week I finished up my Improv X blocks so this week we start to work on the patchwork blocks. For these blocks, I am using up some purple 30"s prints. I had just enough scrap fabric to squeak out enough units.

As a reminder, I am only making the baby quilt. Here is the finished layout. I will be using 30"s prints in peach, lavender and green. I am anxious to see how they work with the design!

Are you enjoying any Quilt-A-Longs right now? Share in the comments what you are working on!

Linking up:

Freshly Pieced

Sew Fresh Quilts

My Quilt Infatuation

Happy Quilting

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Oh Scrap! : Orphan Blocks

I use and talk about scraps all the time. But the little treasures that don't get mentioned much are the extra or orphan blocks that are leftover when I finish a project. There are a number of quilters who believe these have no value and just clutter up a sewing room. Some even toss them....Gasp!

I think they are little gems and I save them to use in future projects.

I even have a special box (okay, a Mickey Mouse suitcase) that I store all of mine in. I keep any and all pieced blocks (even test blocks or blocks I made that did not come out to the correct size).

I keep HSTs, 4 patches and QSTs in their own separate plastic bags so they are easy to find. The rest of the blocks I just store flat within the case.

Then, when I need to make a quick gift, I can look through these treasures, pull some blocks and voila...the project is already half finished!

Such was the case in this table topper I just finished. These were some triangles left over from a Ballerina quilt (Jaybird Designs). I simply sewed them up, added some borders and in less than an hour, it was ready to quilt.

And a few more past projects from orphan blocks...

Turning leftover blocks into potholders are a great idea for holiday or hostess gifts. Orphan blocks are also a great starting point for snack mats and bags.

And I still enjoy every day the orphan block sampler I made from a number of leftover blocks.

So don't give up on those leftover pieced blocks. Just like those bits of scrap fabric, you can work them into great projects too.

Now it is time to share what you have been making with your scraps. Here are the details for linking up your projects:

This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do!

If you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps. And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

An InLinkz Link-up

Patchwork Times

Freemotion by the River

Quilt Story

Blossom Heart Quilts
Lily's Quilts (Fresh Sewing Day)