Show and Tell Saturday --- A Busy Week of Projects to Share!

During Project Quilting Season, I seem to get a ton of quilted projects finished.  Not just the six quilted projects.  I also finish up UFO's. During the off week, I straighten up things in my quilt room so I am ready for the next challenge. I am so inspired to sew and quilt that I just keep finishing projects one after another.

I found a small square quilted table topper/large hot pad, that I quilted about 8 years ago.  All it needed was binding.

My daughter and my Mom and I, together made a baby quilt for a friend of my daughter's and there was one block leftover and I quilted it - Yes --- 8 years ago! But I finished the binding this week!

The flip side.

Up Close to my quilting -- 8 years ago -- I was really into loops, hearts, stars, and swirls. It was a great whimsical overall quilting.

The fabric I used for the binding is a vintage feedsack fabric. I selected the zig zag embroidery stitching for the binding, that way it would be tight and secure making it more durable for using it and washing it.

These are some little bowls that my daughter bought when she was home the last time.  They did not fit in her suitcase.  I plan to pack them in my bag, when I go over to visit them.

I think she will like them with the little vintage looking table topper. Plus having a table topper from the fabrics as a memory of the baby quilt we made for her friend. I am sure she has fond memories of the three of us making the quilt together.  It was a Square in a Square Pattern.  I stitched, my Mom did the pressing and I taught my daughter how to use the ruler and the rotary cutter and she cut the pieces.  She had never used a rotary cutter before so the cuts where not accurate and it was an adventure for me trying to stitch pieces together, that were not lining up.  We did a lot of laughing that day!  Three generations working on one quilt! I will have to search for the photos of the baby quilt --- some day!

On Saturday, after I finished uploading the photos for Project Quilting of my Strings of Sunshine Table Topper, I made a table runner using the scraps.  Click here for the Sunday's Scraps post about the table runner I made from the scraps.

On Sunday afternoon, I set the table with the topper and the table runner.

My husband questioned, "Where's the food?"  He thinks, he is so funny, when he says this.  He knows the answer, "I quilt better than I cook!"

In November, I started a scrappy Blue Dresden Plate Block.  I only made the sections.

I found time this week to finish the block. 
I pressed the seams open to reduce a little bulk.

I gave it a good press with spray starch and turned under the raw edges in the center.

I did not worry if some of the seams didn't intersect evenly.  It's scrappy!

I love it! Looks great on the dinning room table --- just like that.

Then I placed it on my quilted tablecloth. Love it against the blue too!

I will use this block in my blue quilt from last year's "My Favorite Block Quilt Along". There is a link in the sidebar to my Blue Quilt Posts. I added two photos as some of the blocks aren't in this one. See the next one too.

I think my Blue Scrappy Dresden Plate Block will be a perfect addition to this quilt. When will I finish this quilt?  Who knows?  I may make a few more blocks!

I do like the Dresden Plate Block on my quilted table cloth.  I definitely need to use a blue background fabric for it.

And last but not least, I finished my 37 Sunflower Star Blocks for a facebook Quilt Block Swap.

I had a year to make them.  I started them last year and worked on the parts of the star points. Each section has three parts and there are 8 sections. That's 24 pieces for the star points. I stitched them free form and then each section had to be squared up. Originally, I was going to have a pieced center block. It had about 40 tiny rectangles.  They were taking too long. I decided to switch it to a print fabric and I love it.   

They are all squared up and ready to mail.

I have been dragging my feet on sharing a tutorial for the block, as it is "free form" block.  I need to figure out how to explain the "how to"!  Because it is free form it can be made any size that you would like.  I made some of the blocks 10 1/2" and some of them 12 1/2" and some of them 12". I have lots of photos of the process. I may just do an all photo tutorial with only a few words.

How does that sound? Any ideas?

That is what I accomplished during my free time this week - before and after work - in small segments of time. Sometimes only 15 minutes and other times an hour or so.

Enjoy your weekend!
Marcia

Getting Up Close With My Quilting -- Crazee Zigging

I finished the binding on the Hot Peppers Table Topper.

I free style quilted the table topper with a Crazee Zig Zag intersecting at each corner.  I chose a blue thread to stitch one direction and the red thread to stitch the other direction and the intersect.

You can see how the Crazee Zigging Quilting intersects on the back side of the quilt.

It is already to serve a meal with hot sauce and hot peppers!

Enjoy your day!
Marcia
Here is the post about "How to create a Scattered Checkered Pattern Quilt".

How to Create a Scattered Checkered Pattern

Using a Fat Quarter Fabric Set I created a simple table runner and table topper with a scattered pattern.

I created a scattered checkered pattern using a simple method to scatter the squares.

Choose a printed fabric and 3 Quilter's Blenders fat quarters.

Orange, Yellow, and Blue (Fat Quarters) and Hot Peppers Print 29" X 19".  This Fabric Set is available by email - While Supplies last.  
Super Sale Only $6.50 plus shipping (US $5.20 - Flat Rate Envelope- too heavy to weigh - but more than one set will fit in the Envelope for the $5.20) Marcia@craftysewing.com.  
You can also hop over to the Facebook Fabric Destash Page and bid or buy other colorful fat quarter fabric sets. Request to join the Destash Page -- It is free to list fabrics and you can bid and buy all you want!

Let's get started:

Press the fat quarters and the print.
  
Lay them on top of each other and cut the strips all at once.  Cut the strips 3 inches wide.  You should be able to get six 3 inch strips across the 18 inch side of the fat quarter.  Then length of the strips will be 21 inches long. If your fat quarters are not 18 inches -- then make your strips just a little less than 3 inches -- like 2 7/8" or even 2 3/4"  --- just as long as you make them all the same width and later when you make the cross cut you need to make it 2 7/8" instead of 3".

Randomly sew the strips together --- do not make a pattern or sew them in any order. First in sets of 2 and then 4 and then 6 and then 8.  

Press the strips and then you are ready to cross cut the strips at 3" wide or 2 7/8".  

Randomly sew the strips together --- sometimes I even lay them out and flip them around to see how it looks before I sew.  You may have to stagger them or even take a square off on the end to make them line up.  It is OK to have two colors together, but it it bothers you move them around.

Remember the print was larger than a fat quarter.  You could use two prints and you could use more than three quilter's blenders.  More colors - more scattered!

Another fun project that is simple and easy to make!

You could add borders to the runner and the topper to make them larger.

Remember to take time to play!
Marcia

Hodgepodge Patchwork Continues Playing with Charms - Part Two

The Twisted Charm Quilt Block is now available as a Downloadable PDF for only $1.00 at Craftsy.com.
Click Here for the direct Link to the pattern.


Click here for Part One. and then come back.

I pressed/iron all the four patches. The photo shows you how I cut it.  I placed the pens in the corners to show you where I lined up the four patch to cut an 8 inch block.  

Just make sure all four corners are on the block and a somewhat even amount from each corner of the original square - about an inch and half in from the corner.  But this does not need to be exact, because we are not going to match up any seams. Rotary cut these two sides.

 Flip around. Line up to cut the 8 inch block.

Rotary cut the other two sides.

I placed the cut offs along each side so you can see how it was cut.  This creates a Twisted Charm Block.

Then I started to lay them out to form all sorts of patterns. First I tried a pattern with all the prints in the bottom right corners.  I mixed the blocks around to scatter the colors too.

With the 56 charms, you will end up with two extra squares.  I can make one more block by adding 4 more charms or just not use them.

I tried a scrambled pattern. I liked this one!

And then a pattern where I grouped the prints together.

Then I switched the prints to the top left corners and mixed up some of the colors.

And another grouping of prints together. I like this one too! This would look cool if it was a larger quilt, then the patterns would repeat.

I tried grouping some of the colors, but I didn't like this pattern.

Then I decided to sew them together all in a row with the print on the bottom right corner and just scattered the colors.

It made a nice long table runner or a cedar chest/trunk topper.  I have a cedar chest in my living room in front of my sofa.  This would make a nice bright topper for it.

The Twisted Charm Blocks are 8 inches wide. If I used it as a table runner is would be about 15 1/2 inches wide by about 53 inches long.

I had fun playing with the charms and making the Twisted Charm Blocks. Try it, you'll like it!

Enjoy!

Marcia