Crafty Sewing & Quilting

Saturday, March 24, 2012

3 Winners from the St. Patty's Day Giveaway!

Welcome new followers and thank you to my current followers!

On April 1st, I will be hosting another Giveaway right here, for my blog followers, as a Thank You for reading my blog. I will again be sharing my Quilt Photo Note Cards!

Plus I am hosting a Giveaway on my Crafty Sewing Facebook Page -- see link in the side bar.

I love sharing photos of my quilting, my quilt projects, my plants, and all the things that inspire my quilting. This is one of my favorite quilts that was inspired by my container garden. It was the first bloom that appeared last summer. I took a photo and then created a quilt.

This is the photo of the first Morning Glory Bloom that was my inspiration for the quilt.

Today's prizes are the Orange Flower Note Cards for three lucky winners! The inspiration for the Note Cards came from a quilt...

Several years ago, I did some thread painting on a batik fabric with my long arm quilting machine. I had a blast stitching each flower! After taking several photos, I chose it for my quilting logo.

I took some photos with and without the flash to see what would look best. Look how it changes the colors.

I made a magazine bag, a checkbook cover, and a table topper from the thread painted piece of fabric.

It all started with me taking time to play - Minutes for Me! I thread painted on fabric at the end of my quilting day...

Thus, I created my blog and website logos and...

...My blog button

.... and then I had the Photo Quilt Note Cards printed to sell in my quilt shop and online. They are one of the most popular items on my website, second in sales to the Extra Wide Backing Fabrics.

Congrats to the three winners!

Pippa from the blog: Pippa's Patch

Richard from the blog: Richard Quilts

Lesley from the blog: Cuddle Quilter

Click on their blog names and hop over and check out their blogs! Congrats to the winners!
Thru' the Blog Hop, I found new blogs to follow too!

The Blog Hop Giveaway was hosted by Michele at Quilting Gallery.Thanks Michele!

When she hosts another one I will join in on the fun again.
Have a great weekend!
Marcia

Friday, March 23, 2012

Ziggin' and Zaggin' - Part One

I started with the left over strips from my scrappy green courthouse round quilt.

Those strips were 1 1/2" wide and I cut some more green strips 2" wide. I cut some 6" squares from a cream quilter's blenders.

I stitched the skinny strips on opposite sides first and then pressed.

I stitched the wider strips on the other two sides and pressed.

I sliced the block in half both ways - see photos.

I now have four squares with green strips on two sides from every block.
I squared all of them up at an angle to 3 1/4" square - see photos.

I started laying out the blocks and tried several different arrangements. First all going in one direction.

Then opposite directions.

Then with an extra cream block in between the blocks with the blocks placed opposite from each other.

I liked this arrangement and started sewing them together in rows.

All pressed and ready to quilt.

Oh, no! - I made too many blocks! I stitched a few more blocks together creating a different pattern.

I love the zig zag border. I will have to quilt a cool design in the center. All pressed and ready to quilt.

There are still more blocks left! I tried another pattern. I like this one too. I will have to quilt a zig zag design inbetween the blocks. I like that idea.

All pressed and ready to quilt.
I started quilting all three little quilts late this afternoon. I will share the quilted photos tomorrow.

I used a similar block design last year, when I made a baby quilt, but I used the strips as lattice strips, not to create a zig zag pattern.

This was my first project last year for project quilting. I experimented with zentangle quilting designs for the quilting. Click here to see the posts about the quilt.

Do you like the zig zag block?

There could be tons of different arrangements for the blocks. I am looking for a challenge quilt for the May for Me Celebration. This could be one of the possibilities.
Help me decide, let me know if you would want to make a small quilt using the zig zag blocks to create your own design. You would use leftover strips and scraps to make the quilt.

Thanks for your input!
Marcia