My Quilt Parade

Finished Size: 82" x 103"  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 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 is my second bouillabaisse quilt, and the pattern is by Pie In The Sky Quilts .   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! This quilt has twenty blocks, each measuring 20-1/2 inches. The border is 6-1/2 inches wide. I quilted it with an all-over design of meandering loops, which was fun and easy. The pieced backing is made from 100% cotton bed sheets, and the batting is Warm & Natural. It is part of my personal collection. DECEMBER 2021

Finished Size: 72" x 90"   I started this quilt in July when I decided to do the S tash Buster Challenge  by  Border Creek Station .   The challenge is to make at least one block a week and 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 in 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 to work on the twisted ribbon border, I realized I would need more Dandy Star blocks and made 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 ok...

  Finished Size: 86" square 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 ...

Finished Size:  92" square 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. November 2021

Finished Size: 89" x 92" 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. My daughter loves horses and now lives in Kentucky where ...

Finished Size: 42" x 57" I was asked to make this Quilt of Valor by my dear friend Cindy. Her husband is a Vietnam War veteran, and I know she treasures 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. He was very happy to receive it and said he will always treasure it.  September 2021

  Finished Size:  39" x 49" This Dr. Seuss Warm Wishes quilt is the second charity quilt from a stack of tops I made in February. I used an E2E quilt design called Picket that reminds me of spacemen. The backing is a colorful crayon print and the binding is a red with white polka dot print. September 2021 Donated June 2022

Finished Size: 50" x 62" My first charity quilt finished in 2021 which I started in February.  The pattern is Warm Wishes,  and it is one of my favorite patterns for kids' quilts. I love the main fabric with the planets and heavenly bodies. I did an overall quilting design called Picket, which I think looks like spacemen or aliens, and I found this perfect backing with the constellations. I used polyester batting and attached the binding by machine which I do for all of my kids' quilts.  The quilt is larger than the baby quilts I usually donate.  I think this size is much better for an older child. August 2021 Donated  in June 2022

Simple Hearts is a free pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew that I started back in February after seeing Sharon Holland's quilt (below). I fell in love with her fabric choices and wanted to make something similar using fabrics from my stash.  I did not use traditional red and am really happy with the fabrics I used. I quilted it with an overall hearts and loops design and used a polyester batting.   The backing is from my stash and has a pretty floral print.  It's a small quilt measuring 33" x 35", a nice size for a small wall hanging or table topper. July 2021 Update:    In August 2023, I gave this quilt to my granddaughter Emily. She was on her way to Seattle and stopped to stay overnight with her Tia Connie and cousin Lisa. Before leaving, she came by for a short visit, and I was able to give Emily the quilt.

Finished Size: 49" square Chains of Love is a free pattern by Jedi Craft Girl that I started in February. I used red and pink fabrics from my stash and quilted it with an overall hearts and loops design.  This is a quick and easy design that I've used on many of my heart quilts. The back is a pretty pink floral design with a light lilac background, and I used a Heirloom cotton batting.  The quilt is the size of a wall hanging and has a hanging sleeve. It has been added to my personal collection. July 2021

Finished Size: 49" x 59" I finished the quilt top in January, but then put it aside to work on another quilt. Then we started working on our landscaping, and quilting was put on hold.  When my two BFFs and I agreed to meet for breakfast for the first time in over a year, I pulled this top from the UFO pile and quickly finished it the night before to gift to Cindy as a belated February birthday gift. I am very happy with the finish and she loves her quilt! March 2021

My first finished quilts for 2021! Each mini quilt measures 26" square with four heart blocks, and each has a different backing. I used batting scraps to make these mini quilts. I quilted each in a grid with straight stitch-in-the-ditch and outlined each heart. I gifted two of these quilts to my granddaughters.  T hey were shipped to Tennessee and Kentucky and have been received.  I gifted the third one to my BFF Brenda for Valentine's Day.  My DGD Katie in Kentucky sent me this picture of her mini heart quilt hanging on her "special" wall.  I sure do miss her! Read more about this quilt  here . February 2021