My Quilts #260: Square Dance Stash Buster 2020

 

I stumbled upon the 2020 Stash Buster Challenge by the Border Creek Station in January on Facebook.  The challenge was to make 52 Square Dance Blocks by end of the year to be entered into a drawing.

But other things and other quilts took priority and before long, the yearend was only 5 weeks away.  Time to get on the ball!

I'd made a couple yellow and blue quilts in the past years and had some leftover yellow floral fat quarters.  It was time to use them up, and this stash buster was perfect.

I used a cotton blend sheet with a pretty floral print as the backing and used a lightweight polyester batting.  I quilted it with an edge-to-edge floral pantograph.

Each block is 8" finished and there are 64 blocks with a 7 x 8 layout.  I did one simple outer border that finishes at 1-3/4".  

The quilt measures 56" x 64".

Read more about this quilt here.

December 2020

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12/22/20

I did a quick drop-off to gift the quilt to my friend.  (Yes, I wore my mask and kept a social distance as she stayed on her outdoor patio while I stayed on the walkway.) She's a great friend and an amazing person.  Even though she's battling cancer, she cares for her 4 grandchildren while their mom, a single parent, works as a nurse during this pandemic.  Everyday heroes and angels.

My Quilts #259: Single Wedding Ring 2020

 

I made this Crown of Thorns (aka Single Wedding Ring) quilt for a long-time friend who got married in June and then celebrated her birthday in October.  The COVID19 pandemic has kept us apart and unable to participate in any special events.  So, I wanted to do something to let her know I was thinking of her on her special day. 

I love the collection of pretty floral fabrics which I've had for a few years. 

The backing is a pretty floral design which is actually a bedsheet.  I used lightweight polyester batting, and I quilted it with an edge-to-edge heart pantograph.  I think it's all perfect.

The quilt measures 64" x 78".  

Read more about this quilt here.

December 2020

My Quilts #258: Bobby Dazzler Lap Quilt 2020

 

This is a Bobby Dazzler Quilt kit that I started in September finished this month.

The pattern is Pressed for Time Quiltworks (c) 2007 by Mary Hubka.

I think I really love everything about this quilt: the star blocks, the colors, the fabrics.  They're all so pretty.

I quilted it with an E2E loopy heart design.

The backing is a beautiful all-over design of pink roses which I thought was perfect for this quilt.

I forgot to lower the needle bar and quilted a whole row before I realized it and had loose threads on the bottom.  I had to pick the loose stitches and then did FMQ on my regular machine.  I'm glad it was only one row and not a big quilt.

The batting is a lightweight poly-fil and the quilt measures 46" x 58".  I haven't decided if I'm gifting it so I'm adding this one to my personal collection ... for now, anyway.😃 

Read more about this quilt here.

December 2020

My Quilts #257: Charming Christmas Quilt 2020

 

I made this quilt to replace one that I started in 2010.  Regrettably, I sold that top before I completed the quilt.  So I decided to make another one to keep. I'm naming my quilt "Charming Christmas" because it is made with 5" charm squares.

The pattern is a Charm Pack Quilt Along by Freckled Whimsy which I found online. The original design uses 25 Jacob Ladder blocks but I decided to make my quilt smaller with only 20 blocks.  All the fabric, except for the binding, is from my stash collected over the past couple of years.

I pieced the backing with Christmas fabrics from my stash and leftover 4-patch units from the top.  I did a bias binding so the stripes would be diagonal and sewed it on by machine.  I quilted it with an edge-to-edge pantograph named Picket by Golden Threads.  And, I used lightweight polyester batting.  The quilt measures 56" x 68".

Read more about this quilt here.

November 2020

My Quilts #256: Floral Lucky Stars 2020

I made this quilt for the daughter of a very dear friend.  She said she likes pink and red and would love a floral quilt.   Perfect because I've had the prettiest Moda floral fabrics in my stash since 2010!

The pattern is Lucky Stars from Atkinson Designs, and it's one of my favorite designs.  It's fairly easy and goes pretty quickly.  

The backing is reddish-pink paisley that complements the red and pink overall color scheme of the top.  I also used the same fabric for the binding which is sewn by machine.

I quilted it with a simple loopy heart E2E pantograph which is a fast and easy design that goes well with this pattern.  And, I used lightweight polyester batting.

The quilt measures 57" x 69" ~ a nice size to wrap herself in love with her children.

Read more about this quilt here.

November 2020

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12/22/20

UPDATE: I finally gifted this quilt to my friend's daughter.  I dropped it off with my friend so I did not see DD when she got the quilt.  But she did text this picture later that evening to thank me.  Love the smile.

My Quilts #255: Frolic Mystery Quilt 2020

This is Bonnie Hunter's Frolic Mystery quilt which she released in November 2019.  But I didn't start it until January 2020 and finally finished it this November.

I believe this is Bonnie's 17th mystery quilt but my first time doing a mystery quilt.  It was definitely a challenge but I love the design.  I especially like the pieced border, and I think it was well worth the extra effort.

I love the print on the backing fabric with the beautiful peacocks, and the pink and blue colors are perfect.  The print is by artist Lisa Audit @ Wild Apple by David Textiles.  I used this same fabric for the binding, which I sewed on by machine.

I used a Warm and Natural batting and quilted it with a simple scroll edge-to-edge pantograph.  This quilt measures 82" square and is a perfect coverlet for my queen-size bed.

Read more about this quilt here.

November 2020

My Quilts #254: Appalachian Autumn 2020

 

The pattern for this quilt is Appalachian Autumn by Bonnie Hunter.  I started this quilt in September when she released the pattern.  When I saw it, I just knew I had to make it.

The centers of the leaves are string-pieced and so fast and easy to make.  I love the pieced border.  It's a bit more work but I think it's well worth the extra effort. 

I used an oak leaf edge-to-edge pantograph from Golden Threads.  Still not perfect but I'm pretty happy with the results.

The quilt measures 52" square and I used the same fabric for backing that I used on the autumn wall hanging I made for my granddaughter Emily.  The batting is Warm and Natural.

Read more about this quilt here.

October 2020

My Quilts #253: Halloween No-Point Stars 2020

I was inspired to make this quilt when I saw the one below on Instagram.

By Lauri Springer on IG

I'm a sucker for Halloween quilts and knew I had to make my own quilt when I realized the No-Point Stars pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew was free.

The quilt measures 50" x 56" and I used a black-and-white toile fabric which is actually a curtain.  I also used a polyester snow-blanket for the batting.  I quilted it with a simple grid using a straight stitch-in-the-ditch.

I love the colors and fabrics ... the spiders, the black cats, the skeletons ... there is even fabric with owls and flies.  The stars were so easy to make and it went together quickly.

Read more about this quilt here.

October 2020

My Quilts #252: Dia De Los Muertos Charity Quilt 2020

 

I'm always on the lookout for fast and easy patterns for my kids' charity quilts.  And, when I saw this quilt, I was inspired to try to make my own.  It not only looked fast and easy to make, but it also used fabric with a Dia De Los Muertos print similar to one in my stash.

I searched for a pattern but didn't find one so I created my own. But I have not been 100% happy with my top since I saw it on my design wall.  I think the printed squares are too small which I cut at 4.5".  Now that I see it displayed I'm thinking the squares should be larger, maybe 5.5". I'll have to go back to the drawing board for the next one.

This is the first quilt ever that I quilted using an edge-to-edge pantograph.  I got the nerve to try after watching a YouTube video.  It's not perfect but now that it's quilted, I feel much better about my Dia De Los Muertos charity quilt.

The quilt measures 42" x 52".  It has a polka dot sheet for the backing, and I used a low-loft polyester batting.  I'm adding it to the donation pile for Project Linus.

Read more about this quilt here.

OCTOBER 2020

My Quilts #251: Happy Halloween Scrappy Stars 2020

These star blocks were another recent discovery.  I made them way back in 2015 when I started a quilt for my granddaughter, which I finally finished last year. For some reason, I made 40 blocks but only used 26 for DGD's quilt.  So I had 14 leftover star blocks and decided to make a small quilt or wall hanging for myself.

I love the stars and colors.  I quilted this on my regular Bernina machine with diagonal straight stitching and stitch-in-the-ditch along the stars and sashing. 

The backing is a mish-mash of 2 extra blocks and leftover Halloween fabric.  The batting is pieced from Warm and Natural remnants. And, I attached a sleeve to the top so I can display it next month.  The wall hanging measures 41" x 51".

Read more about this quilt here.

September 2020

My Quilts #250: Dr. Seuss Kids Quilt 2020

I actually started this quilt in 2016 when I planned to make it for DGD#3. I cut out the center squares and made the star blocks, then for whatever reason, I put them away.  I was happy to re-discover them!

I did not use a pattern for this layout but this simple design has 6" squares and sawtooth star blocks with sashing and cornerstones.  It has a narrow border because I decided it didn't really need an additional wider border.

The quilt measures 47" x 56" and I quilted it on my Bernina with stitch-in-the-ditch, straight stitching, and outline stitching.  The batting is pieced from Warm and Natural remnants.  The backing has an overall multi-color "Peace Sign" design.

DGD#3 is no longer into Dr. Seuss so this cute quilt will be donated to Project Linus.

Read more about this quilt here.

September 2020
 

My Quilts #249: Halloween Warm Wishes 2020

 

I started this top back in May or June then put it aside, but with Halloween only a couple of months away, I thought it was time to finish it.  The pattern is Warm Wishes by Atkinson Designs.  The strip colors are light orange, purple, and lime green which complement the Dia De Los Muertos print on the center blocks.  I quilted it with stitch-in-the-ditch along the rows and columns and criss-cross diagonal quilting.

The backing is a simple white and lime green zig zag.  I used remnant pieces that I sewed together for the batting.  The quilt measures 60" square so it's a generous lap-size.  It's going in the pile of quilts for Project Linus waiting for the time when the organization is ready for donations.

Read more about this quilt here.

September 2020

My Quilts #248: Emily's Fall Wall Hanging 2020

 

Last year, before my granddaughter Emily left for Georgia, she told me she really liked my fall wall hanging because fall is her favorite season. I decided that I would make one like it for her.  I was happy that I still had some of the same fabrics to use in her quilt.  I think I actually like hers better!

I love the backing with the beautiful fall colors!

And a quilt is not really complete until the label is on!

The quilt measures 58" square, and the batting is pieced from different leftover batting remnants.  There are 121 five-inch patches in an 11 x 11 grid.

Emily now lives in Georgia so I had to mail the quilt to her.  I hope it was what she expected and that she loves it as much as I do.

Read more about this quilt here.

August 2020

My Quilts #246-#247: Jungle Animals & Butterflies 2020

My daughter made these two similar quilt tops over five years ago for her two girls, who are now young women.  She thought the prints with jungle animals and butterflies were too juvenile for them and told me to donate the quilts to a kids' charity.  But now that they are finished, I think we should hang on to them. Maybe someday her daughters will have their own little girls who would love a quilt made by their grandmother and great-grandmother.

The tops are a simple design of 5 x 8 rows of alternating squares that finish at 7-1/2 inches.  The orange one has top and bottom borders with squares-on-point. I quilted them with FMQ on my Mega Quilter with an allover design of flowers, hearts, and loops. I used a natural cotton batting with a pink twin-size sheet for the backing on one. The quilts measure 51" x 65" and 56" x 82".

Read more about this quilt here.

August 2020

My Quilts #245: Quilts For Kids Kit 2020

This is the third and last quilt kit I've completed for Touch of Comfort Quilts for Kids. This was a kit my daughter ordered in 2015 but never started.  I accidentally stumbled upon it in 2019 and decided to finish it myself.

I quilted it with FMQ on my short-arm Mega Quilter and used an all-over hearts and loops design. It's not perfect but it gets the job done. I used a fluffy polyester batting which gives it a textured look.  The quilt measures 36" x 41" and I'm pretty happy with it.  I hope the recipient will be happy with it too.

Read more about this quilt here.

August 2020

My Quilts #243-#244: Quilts For Kids 2020

Warm Wishes Pattern

These charity kids' quilts are the last two from the 2009 stack of quilt tops.  The patterns for both quilts is Warm Wishes from Quiltmaker magazine 2000.  This is one of my all-time favorite patterns.  They each measure 36" x 47".  They were quilted on my short-arm Mega Quilt with an all-over squiggle and loop design.

This is the original stack of 11 quilts from 2009.

And here are the 7 finished quilts today, minus the 4 that were gifted.  Ten+ years in the making but better late than never!

Read more about these quilts here.

July 2020