My Quilts #274: Bouillabaisse Quilt 2021

 

This quilt has been a long time in the making.  I started the top in September 2009 and worked on it off-and-on, until I finished it in July 2010.  It took me another 11 years to finally get the quilt finished!

I made my first bouillabaisse quilt in 2003 when I took a class at my local quilt shop. This one is my second bouillabaisse quilt and I had so many issues with it that by the last few blocks, I couldn't care less if anything matched.  I was just glad to get the top pieced.  But now that it's finally quilted, I don't see any "issues" and I love it!

It has twenty blocks and each block is 20-1/2 inches and has a 6-1/2 inch border. I quilted it with an all-over design of meandering loops which was pretty easy and fun to do.

The pieced backing is made from 100% cotton bed sheets, and the batting is Warm & Natural.  The quilt measures 82" x 103" and the pattern is by Pie In The Sky Quilts.

DECEMBER 2021

My Quilts #273: Dandy Star Stash Buster Quilt 2021

Dandy Star Stash Buster Quilt

 I started this quilt back in July when I decided to do the stash buster challenge by Border Creek Station.  The challenge is to make at least one block a week so by the end of the year you'll have enough blocks to make a quilt.  Anyone who finishes at least 52 blocks will have their name entered into a drawing for "an amazing gift".

 My original plan was to make 56 blocks with a simple 7x8 setting, but I was inspired to add a ribbon inner border by a quilt I saw online.  After I started working on the twisted ribbon border, I realized I would need more Dandy Star blocks and ended up making 11 more, for a total of 67 blocks.

 

 Each Dandy Star block is 9 inches and, except for the backing, the entire top was made from scraps and yardage in my stash. This is the second top I quilted on my Moxie and did a free-hand overall flower motif.  No prior practice so it's not perfect, but it's all okay.

The backing has a peppermint candy print and I also used this same print for the binding.  The batting is my favorite Warm & Natural, and the quilt measures 72" x 90".

December 2021

My Quilts #272: Y2K Wedding Rings Quilt 2021

 

I finally finished my Y2K quilt that I started back in September.  I used 3" squares that I swapped in 2000 to make the 50 Wedding Rings blocks.  This is the fourth quilt I've made with charm squares I swapped for the millennium.

I enjoyed looking at the different fabric choices from 20 years ago and reading the short biographies that were included with the signature squares.  I received charms from quilters in Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, Maine, Maryland, Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Illinois.  I also received a few from international swappers in Canada, Hong Kong, and Cuba.

I used 49 blocks for the front in a 7x7 setting and used the 50th block in the backing.

I pieced the backing with fabric that is printed with the year 2000 and Y2K that I've had for as long as I've had these squares.  I finally can put it to good use!

This is the first quilt I quilted using my Moxie longarm.  I don't have the ability to use pantographs so I did a simple edge-to-edge freehand scroll. I love it but definitely need more practice!  I used Warm & Natural batting which is my favorite.  And because I wanted to use up all the Y2K 2000 fabric, I used the leftover strips for the scrappy binding.

The quilt measures 86" x 86" which barely fits on my 8 ft. Moxie frame.

December 2021

My Quilts #271: Grassy Creek Mystery Quilt 2021

This is Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek Mystery quilt which she released in November 2020.  This is Bonnie's 18th mystery quilt and my second Quiltville mystery quilt.  

I worked on the top sporadically so it took me a year to complete.  I was determined to finish this quilt before Bonnie released the first clue of her new 2021 mystery quilt which is always the day after Thanksgiving.  

I never would have thought this color gray combo would work but I love it.  I'm not one with enough vision to come up with my own color scheme but I trust Bonnie's color sense and always stick with her colors.

The backing is a new sheet printed with green and gray leaves which I thought was perfect for this quilt.  I used a gray binding which I sewed on by machine.  I used Warm and Natural batting and quilted it with a simple scroll edge-to-edge pantograph.  The quilt measures 92" x 92".

November 2021

My Quilts #270: Stella's Batik Star 2021

This quilt was 13 years in the making - my second oldest UFO.  In 2008, DD was living in Texas when she made this quilt top.  When I visited her in 2009, she asked me to quilt it for her since it was so big and I had a quilting frame. I gladly agreed and brought it back to California with me.  I am happy to say that I FINALLY finished quilting and binding my daughter's Batik Star quilt.

I put it aside as I dealt with other priorities.  But as the years flew by, the thought of finishing this quilt kept nagging at me.  It wasn't until 2013 that I ordered the black batting with the sincere intention of getting this quilt finished.  Well, the years kept flying by and before I knew it, we were celebrating the new year of 2021.

I used Quilters Dream Poly batting and did an overall design with a light blue color thread.  It took me 6 days to quilt it and then 2 days to bind it.  The quilt measures 88" x 92".

My daughter loves horses and now lives in Kentucky where she is involved with the equestrian community. The backing with an all-over print of wild horses is perfect.

September 2021

My Quilts #269: Quilt of Valor Wall Hanging 2021

I started this Quilt of Valor (QOV) after my dear friend Cindy asked me to make it for her husband, a Vietnam War veteran.  I have gifted her a few quilts over the years and I know she values and appreciates the quilts I give her so I was very happy to oblige.

I quilted it with an allover E2E star quilting design from Urban Elementz.  This is my first panel quilt and I was worried the quilting design would detract from the beautiful eagle print.  I used a light blue thread and am happy to see that it blends in beautifully.

I used a patriotic print for the backing and also added a sleeve for use as a wall hanging.  It measures 42" x 57".

He was very happy to receive it and said he will always treasure it.  To Joe, thank you for your service.  

September 2021

My Quilts #268: Dr. Seuss Warm Wishes 2021

 

This Dr. Seuss Warm Wishes quilt is the second charity quilt from the pile of tops I made back in February.

I used an E2E quilt design called Picket that reminds me of spacemen. The backing is a colorful crayon print with a red with white polka dot binding.

The quilt measures 39" x 49" and it'll be donated to Quilts For Kids or Project Linus.

September 2021