April Monthly mini and book review

Perhaps it is good that we have had such cold and nasty weather this Spring as we have been sequestered at home. I think we are all happy to see this month end. 

My April mini comes with a book review. Pam Buda’s new book, “Vintage Treasures” is loaded with wonderful mini quilts and I highly recommend it.

Some may remember that I made each of the 12 projects in her last book, “Vintage Patchwork”. I may not make every little quilt in this one, but when I saw this,

“Olde Postage”, I knew it would be my next monthly mini. I think I will call mine, "Stamp Out Corona"!

The center squares finish at ½”. I cannot believe that Pam hand quilted hers!

I was not that patient, but I love how it came out. In order for my center to lie really flat, I gave it the book press for a few days before going on to the outer border. You can't see it, but it is under the weight of all those books! Love this method. 

Thanks Pam, for another inspiring book.

Grab a cup of tea and visit all the other mini makers. I know we have all been busy making masks and gowns, so if I have missed anyone, please let me know.

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)
Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestone and Elusive Ancestors)
Kathy (Kathy's Quilts)
Sandy (My Material Creations) 
Janet (Rogue Quilts)
Barb (Fun with Barb)
Cathy (Big Lake Quilter)
Julie (Julie K Quilts)
Randy (Barrister's Block)

I will leave you with my first sighting of Mayflowers. They smell so wonderful. They are a ground flower so it is harder to enjoy their scent as I age. Getting down to sniff is fine, it's the getting back up after a long hike that takes its toll! Such a wonderful and encouraging sign of Spring! 

Keep Calm and Quilt On!

I think we are all tired of making masks at this point. It seems as soon as I finish a batch, I get another request. I hear myself singing from “Fiddler on the Roof”, Maskmaker, maskmaker, make me a mask!

But, one cannot live making masks alone so here are a few more projects that kept me busy while emptying my thread spools. Eight and counting! 

I have even played thread roulette a few times. I won this time!

 

I have nearly emptied my “feeder quilt” box. My brother gave me this sweet tin years ago and I keep my current feeder quilt pieces in it. Time for more cutting! 

Ever since I started sewing, I have kept a “feeder piece” under my presser foot. It is something I learned from my childhood friend and neighbor. If you simply run a scrap (approx. ¾”) through your machine, it keeps you from wasting thread and before the days of automatic needle down, it saved me from having to re-thread in the event that the needle was on its way “up”. 

One day in my teens I figured out that if I could keep a few squares cut up beside my machine, I could actually make 2 quilts at a time! I have been doing it ever since. Bonnie Hunter has written a few books on her method of doing this and a lot of my friends now do it too. I still keep a dish of smaller feeder pieces for when I am in a hurry and just want to run something quickly under the foot. 

I repaired a few of my grandson's favorite shirts. As with many children with autism, he likes to chew on his shirts and many had some significant holes. I simply attached some ultra suede patches with not only covers the holes, but strengthens the color as well. My daughter in law thinks I should market this idea. We will see how it lasts first. 

My Mom is enjoying her new quilt made with Lori Lee Triplett’s panel and lots of my “feeder quilt” 4 patches. I miss being able to visit, but we are blessed to have a sister who is taking great care of her. 

We have a great need locally for veteran’s quilts. I participated in Kevin’s (Kevin the Quilter) “Simply Sensational Summer Scrap Quilt” mystery last summer and this is as far as I got…

 So, rather than make one big quilt, I divided up the blocks and made 2 quilts and perhaps have enough leftover to work into a third!  

I made a block with Sue Watters' pattern for Quiltmania. They will be assembling quilts to donate to first responders and health care workers during the pandemic. You can learn about it (here). 

I’ve been working on my Cassandra’s Circle blocks and now the center block is quilted and bound. Yes, I am doing this in the potholder method after all. 

I am almost finished with my April mini and will post it at the end of the month. My Humble Quilts “Doll quilt swap” was mailed out last week and I will post that when Lori does the link up in May. I must say I had a hard time letting it go, but have had a lovely note from the recipient and she likes it as much as I do. Win, win!

It is amazing how something so tiny can create such havoc! All the sacrifices and changes in our daily routines have made me realize how lucky I am.

I am grateful for all the health care workers, grocery workers, garbage workers, postal and shipping workers and others who have made our lives safer and easier. And, I am to thankful all who practice social distancing!

I hope you are all safe and healthy and have had some added free time to quilt.

Rest in Peace dear Di

Di Ford Hall will always be in my heart. She was one of my favorite quilt and fabric designers, but what drew me to her initially was her compassion and love for her animals. I was never fortunate enough to meet Di in person, but I followed her on the internet and witnessed her loving attention to her horses and all animals. My heart goes out to her family and friends.

I made this little mini with one of my favorite Di fabrics this week.

I will donate it to our next auction in her memory. Rest in Peace.

Mask making

I’m late to the mask making party. A mere 2 weeks ago, authorities (at least locally) were saying how plain cotton masks were of no use in protecting against Covid-19. Now that the theory is “any port in a storm”, I am on a mission to create as many as I can. I rarely use batiks, but since the thread count is so high, I dug out the remnants of the 200 napkins I made for my daughter's wedding. Happy to see these pieces will now be used. I sent the first 3 to my children in Florida. Many of my non quilting friends have asked me for them so I don’t think I will have any problem keeping myself busy! I used every spare shoe lace I had in the house and now I have to actually make the strings – time consuming, but manageable.

To keep from going mask crazy, I have alternated my time with more fun sewing. I finally finished my Bea and Cecile quilt-a-long star quilt. I just felt is was blah without the applique. The bird by itself just wasn’t cutting it either so I added a little vine and spring tulip to the bottom. Now I love it! I am calling it "Distelfink". 

The backing was a glorious piece I bought on the sale (I mean real sale - like $1.00 per yard) table in the gift shop of the New England Quilt Museum. So happy to have found a perfect use for it. The close up is a better representation of the color. 

I’ve been working on my little doll quilt for the Humble Quilts swap too. No photos until we all link up, but I am loving it. Hope I can let it go at the end of the month!

Stay strong and quilt on!