Taking Time to Play --- Minutes for Me!

I have said it before, we need to take time to play and anyway what else would a quilter do on a Saturday?

I received a gift card for Christmas and I decided to use it for some fun stuff!

I bought 3 yards of fabric, a new scissors, and 2 paper punches (2 inch size).

Here's the beautiful fabric. I will use it for something fun! Of course, it is BLUE!

I cut several of each from an assortment of colors.

These will be fun to play with my grandson. 

I have been making fabric hexies for an I Spy Game to use with his I Spy Quilt that I made him last year for his 2nd birthday.

I have seen live Skype visits where he plays the matching game and I watched a video of him playing with his cousins, but I can not wait to see him play in real life when I visit him.

These are the ones I sent this week.  I can't wait til they arrive. I am sure he will love them. I had to make them in larger sizes so the item would fit on the hexie.

I really had fun with the cardstock hexagons.

Through Skype and when we are together, we can play color and counting games. My grandson speaks Dutch and English. I can also learn some words in Dutch. Like colors and numbers. This will be fun!

I made a card to mail to him next week.  I will fill the card with circles and hexagons. 

My daughter can write the words in Dutch for him and for me!

Take some time to play ..... Minutes for Me!

Enjoy your day!

Marcia

This is the link that takes you to the Fiskars Extra Large Squeeze Punches.  
There are a variety of punches.... I want them all!

Summer His and Hers Placemats

This week, we were to be inspired to create a quilt by a season or all four seasons.  I selected summer.

I made "His and Hers Placemats" for our camper kitchen table.  The fishing one is for my husband and the blue coneflowers are for me. I can't wait til it is summer again. 

I made a third one for our grandson as he will be spending some time with us at the camper this summer.

I selected a dark brown fabric for the borders for all three of them. I plan to make more before summer.  For this week's quilt challenge I created the "His and Hers Placemats".

I quilted the borders with Wiggle Line Quilting on all three placemats.  I quilted with a small meandering quilting in the main rectangle and the three side squares.

I selected a tan and brown print for the back of all three of them.

I quilted with a dark brown quilting thread on the brown borders and blue and the blue fabric and a cream for the fish and kids fabric,

I had fun taking a few photos with my pretty blue plates.

Then I pulled out a square plate, that I think looked pretty cool on the fish placemat or the His Placemat.

I finished each placemat with a different embroidery stitch on the binding.  A flowery one for mine and a tiny stretch stitch for my husband's placemat and a zigzag stitch on the placemat for my grandson. 

I am teaching a binding class tomorrow in Richland Center, Wisconsin. I call the class:  "All Machine Embroidery Stitched Binding with perfect Mitered Corners".  I will take the placemats as examples for the class on Saturday, along with all my other quilted samples.

Here's how I made my placemats:

Main Fabric: 
        one 11" X 10" rectangle (the 11" side will be horizontal)
        and three 3" X 3" squares

Dark Brown Border fabric:
        two  3" X 1 1/2" strips
        one  10" X 1 1/2" strip
        two  2 1/2" X 14 3/4" strips  (Top and bottom border)
        two  2 1/2" X 19 1/4" strips  (side borders)

The last four border strips can be made longer and wider to make a larger placemat.

Stitch it together in the order of the photos.

I am linking up for Project Quilting over at Kim's Blog - Persimon Dreams for Project Quilting.  Hop over and check out all the quilts for this week's Quilt Challenge.

Another fun Quilt Challenge!

Enjoy your evening!

Marcia

If Confetti Grew on Trees....

.... I would wish for you, 

that your "Confetti Tree" was full of confetti 

for all of your celebrations!

Here's how I made my raw edge applique quilt.

I pressed/ironed Lite Heat and Bond on the backside of the fabrics.
I cut the fabric into tiny squares --- 3/4 inch.

Let them cool and peel off the paper from the Lite Heat and Bond.

Made a trunk of the tree with the greenish fabric.

Press/iron the pieces in place on the black fabric.

I used 2 layers of batting - Hobbs 80/20 (Cotton/Poly) Batting on the bottom and Hobbs Washable Wool Batting as the top layer.

I quilted on the black fabric with a dark grey quilting thread with overall Paisley Swirl Quilting.

I selected Bermuda Blue for all the tree parts.

I stitched in Marcia and 2016 by the tree trunk.

I machine stitched on solid black fabric for the binding.

Another fun quilt created for the first Project Quilting Challenge for Season 7.

My finished quilt measures 18" by 24".

I named it " If Confetti Grew on Trees"

I create and quilt in Boscobel, Wisconsin.

I am linking up with all the other entries for this week's Quilt Challenge at Persimon Dreams - Project Quilting.

I am sponsoring 2 prizes for each of the Quilt Challenges again this year.  I have been sponsoring since Season 2. Check out the list of prizes HERE.

Thanks Kim (Project Quilting) for inspiring quilters all over the world!  Hop over and check out all the beautiful quilts created in only ONE week! It is amazing!

Enjoy your day and may your "Confetti Tree" always be full of confetti for all of your celebrations!

Marcia

366 Mini Bow Tie Quilt Block Challenge

Are you doing the Bow Tie Challenge?  I am.

You make one Bow Tie Quilt Block a day.  There are 366 days in 2016. Or you can make 7 blocks in one day for the week.  Whatever works for you.  You can make them any size.

There is a facebook group for posting photos of your Bow Tie Quilt Blocks.  Bow Tie Challenge Group.  Just ask to join.

I am going to make mine 4 1/2" Quilt Blocks.  At least the first ones.  I plan to use scraps from quilts I have made over the years and quilts I will be making this year.

Here's how I made mine:

Bow Tie fabric:  
2 1/2" squares and 1 1/2" squares - 2 of each.

Background fabric: 
2 1/2" squares - 2
I am using an assortment of creams and whites and tans.

Stitch the centers of the bow tie first and trim away the excess. See photo.

Press/iron.

Stitch as shown in photo.

Open and then stitch as shown in photos.

Open and press/iron.

I made them both on Saturday, January 2nd. I needed to make 2.

I pinned them on a bulletin board to help me remember to make one each day.

I have been cutting creams, whites, and tan fabrics for a while to get ready.  

Yesterday, I cut the blue pieces for the Bow Tie fabric for today, but I did not sew it together.  I will sew two of them on Monday.

This is going to be fun!

I invite you to join in on the fun too!

Marcia

Bow Tie Challenge Group