February Monthly Mini

 I just love my mini this month! Happy and scrappy! 

 My Betsy Chutchian “circle” quilt has been on hold until the latest line (Mary Ann’s Gift) of charm packs arrives. You can read about the “mother” quilt (here). Or, I can just tell you that it is on hold because I need 10 more fabrics to complete the circle applique blocks in order for this to be a true “charm” (every fabric is different) quilt.

 I had over 200 pieces leftover from the circle cutouts that looked like this. 

So, I simply cut triangles until I had enough to make this sweet little quilt. I ended up with 80 half square triangle (so that is 160 different fabrics).

 The border fabric is one of my favorite prints (I know, I have a lot of favorites) and it was all I could do to leave it plain. In fact, I was so surprised that I liked it this way, that I have decided to call it, “Look Ma, no corner blocks!”.

 Now what to do with the remaining pile of leftovers.

I kept half and sent half to an unsuspecting friend who I know will do something superb with them. Mine are already thinking about what to become for next month’s mini.

We’ve picked up a few new mini makers, so grab a cup of tea and click away! Remember it is a short month so if they haven't posted their mini yet (or even if they have decided to skip a month) come back with a second cuppa!

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Nancy (Joy For Grace)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Tazzie (Tazzie Quilts)

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)

Cecile and Corinne's Sampler Sew-a-long

 Finally finished a few of the applique blocks. I simply drew flowers that have graced the Whitman’s Sampler boxes over the years. I took a lot of liberties! 

 This one was really fun.

I wanted to applique a tiny circle of yellow in the center so I cut out a circle from this “sunny” fabric.

When I applique a circle that finishes about ¼” like this one, I applique it onto the background fabric “before” I cut the larger circle.

This way it is easy to “center” the inner circle. 

 The minimum for the challenge is 8 pieced and 8 appliqued blocks – all different patterns. I’m still in the planning stage as far as layout, but I think I have finally decided that “8 is enough”! 

 I wouldn’t mind doing a few more applique blocks, but that means making more pieced blocks and it was quite a challenge for me to come up with 8 different baskets.

 So… on to the layout and then the quilting. I really enjoy this sew-a-long challenge every year.

 Click (here) to see all the creative sampler blocks on Cecile and Corinne’s Facebook page. Enjoy the day!

New Baby Quilt

 I finally made it over to my sister’s to deliver this for her newest grandson. A simple, yet satisfying one patch. 

 I didn’t know he was going to be a boy until he was born, but I think this one fits the bill for a little man. Don’t you just love that center panel? Wouldn’t every child want a ride in these cars? 

 And, of course my signature cowboy fabric on the back. This fabric is at least 15 years old but it never goes out of style (for me). 

 And speaking of old… I picked this gem up the last time I was at Cyndi’s (Busy Thimble). She had integrated some marvelous “oldies but goodies” from her half yard cuts in the “larder”. I used the last piece of this years ago so it was nice to have it back in the fold (no pun intended). 

She also passed these to me (2" x 6" strips) while I was there. We like to trade strips whenever we are cutting quantities of larger strips. I was thrilled that they fit perfectly in this Betsy Chutchian “Frivols” tin. Now I can make something expressly with these little beauties. 

 Hope your day is filled with fun scraps!

Cecile and Corinne's - Sampler sew-a-long

 I’m having fun with my baskets for Cecile (Patchwork Inspirations) and Corinne’s “Sampler” sew-a-long. 

 Six more baskets brings my “pieced block” total to 8. This is the minimum number for the challenge and the way things are going around here, I just may stick to that number if I’m going to meet the deadline.

 As much as I LOVE the Olympics, all those events really take a toll. I am suffering from sleep deprivation. I have particularly enjoyed the curling this time. It is a good thing our closest curling arena is an hour away or….

 The applique blocks are next and I’m looking forward to them. Applique is always easier than piecing for me and I can do it while watching TV!

 Please do take a peek at all the creative sampler blocks on Cecile and Corinne’s Facebook page (here). Enjoy the day!

Fidget Quilt

 Last month I received an e-mail from Carol Y. in Virginia asking me if I would like a box of scraps that she had accumulated over the years. Now, I have absolutely no business acquiring one more scrid of fabric, but she was so nice, how could I say no? (wink!!). And what a box it was - full to the brim!

 It arrived on a Thursday which is the day we have our grandsons. The 4 year old and I had the best time sorting through the colorful scraps. He picked out some larger pieces to use as blankets for his “stuffies”. I picked out what I fancied and put the remainder in a smaller box to take to my meeting this month. They will be used to make quilts for the community.

We got an “urgent need” notice from our local hospital for “fidget” quilts for the Alzheimer’s unit. I grabbed a few pieces from my “keepers” pile and made this little piece. 

The cat is stuffed and fits into a little pocket.

The little Matryoska owl fabric was so cute. I stuffed this one and I have enough to make several more.

The pretty pansy fabric surrounds an elastic so they can pull it back and forth. These are fun to make and as long as things are safely secured to the piece it is really “anything goes”.  I hope to make a few more this weekend.

 My friends Janet (RogueQuilts) and Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors) also received scraps from Carol. Click on their links to see what fun things they came up with.

 Thanks a million Carol! Your scraps are well traveled and very much appreciated!

January Monthly Mini - Blizzard update

NOTE: Due to the weekend blizzard over the weekend, our internet was out until today. It wasn't the 20 plus inches of snow but rather the 50 MPH wind gusts that did us in. I apologize for not updating links and comments until today, but I promise I will get to all of you eventually. I have already seen some great minis!! Do let me know if I have somehow missed someone. 

 At Christmas, my friend Cyndi (Busy Thimble) sent me some delightful “Dutch” fabrics by Christopher Wilson Tate. They are unbelievably delicious. I drooled over them for days before I dared cut into a few of them to use as stones in my “Bird’s Nest Soup” border. 

my favorite green! 

 As I was playing with them, I recalled that years ago I had purchased a package of Dutch print squares from Den Haan and Wagonmakers. I think it was at the Vermont Quilt Festival, but my memory of quilt shows is so faded, I just can’t remember.

So, I dug them out and mixed them in with Cyndi’s gift and voila! I used an old Judie Rothermel cheater square as my center. 

I auditioned a few different borders and possible corner blocks, but decided that I liked it au naturel.

I bound it with a large print toile in keeping with the chintz like feel. 

I’m calling it “Dutch Delight”. Thanks Cyndi!

 Let’s see how the arctic temperatures have spurred our fellow mini makers.

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)

Sew-a-long with Cecile and Corinne

 I am once again participating in Cecile (Patchwork Inspirations) and Corinne’s annual sew-a-long. This year’s theme is “Sampler Quilts”. The rules are that it has to be 50% pieced and 50% appliqued and you need to make a minimum of 16 blocks.

Now the first thing that comes to mind when I hear “sampler” is of course, “Whitman’s Sampler”. In fact, most things in my life relate to food of come sort and especially chocolate! I researched the boxes and found that I was in pretty good company! 

 I started playing around and found that the appliqued blocks would be simple florals based on the flowers on the sampler boxes. The pieced blocks posed more of a challenge. I fiddled around for days trying to get my pieced blocks to look like cross stitch. Since I wanted my blocks to be small (5” finished), I couldn’t settle on anything that would look right with the appliques.

So... my pieced blocks will be different baskets.

Sort of like a basket of candy. Well, that was my thought anyway. I've only pieced a few but I think they will work out fine – if I don’t eat them first, that yellow is so delicious! It is a vintage feedsack and I have just enough for 8 pieced and 8 appliqued blocks. I haven't decided on orientation or layout yet. At any rate, I am having fun and that is what it is all about!

 You can visit their Facebook page (here) to see all the wonderful creations. People are so clever!