A few doll quilts to share with you today.  You know I love getting to open those packages and enjoy the special work that comes from Mrs. Claus.



From Connecticut came 4 of the sweetest doll quilts.
       Quiltlady is a member of the HGTV Message Board online.   She used a darling pale lavender backing on all of these quilts.  The variety of prints is just wonderful, each one quite special.   Thank you, Jeanne, Quiltlady from CT for being a Mrs. Claus.

  How about these cute fairies?   They are sprinkling fairy dust and sweet dreams along their way.
This doll quilt comes from Shelia at Cooksewandtravel.  

 

   Shelia referred to this as the blue doll quilt because of the binding I think.  She used a colorful mix of prints of many colors, yet the binding makes all the blue tones pop.  Just a little lesson in color  ;)  ...... and what borders and binding can do for our quilts.   that you, Shelia, for continuing to be a support and Mrs. Claus from NC.










I just love all of these.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus!

Don't forget to view and vote for you favorite at the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side.

Hopefully we are on the road and missing the bad storms.  
Happy stitching.

Dual projects in wood and fiber

    

Note the resemblance between the photos.  Only now I realize my "saw blades" are going in reverse......:(   Too late now!

 
   This is referred to as a carcass in wood shop worker terms.   This project is lying on its side, with the base in the foreground.  Seven panels cut and assembled so far.   This other side looks the same so far......

   Four of the six blocks assembled so far.  I have a dozen of the main blocks to do.  The remaining sections border the full blocks.
     So you know what my project is, what do you think Sir Old Man is up to?


Don't forget the Blogger's Quilt Festival going on at Amy's Creative Side.  Nominations for your favorite quilt are being taken right now.  Enjoy the quilts and projects, and then vote for your favorite overall.  
Happy stitching.

Blogger's Quilt Festival --Part 2

 Welcome to the Blogger's Quilt Festival, and my part 2!

My second entry is Loose Change, a fun scrap quilt that is throw size.  Why did I call it Loose Change.....all the scraps used in this one came from saved 5" squares or nickels.  I rarely buy pre-cut fabrics, but I do clean up my scraps by cutting them into sizes a la Bonnie Hunter.  My 5 " square box was over flowing, so it was time to stitch them into something.  

    This is the block design I developed.  Two 4-patch units and  two HST units equal one block.  The key is to keep the values distinct.....dark verses light.     I work a lot with value, and my scrap quilts are no exception in that.    This block has a lot of possibilities and many layouts are possible.  For this version I chose to use a simple layout of block to block. 

 My thought process for the finish:

    When it came time to quilt this one, I knew I wanted something a little different than my usual swirl.  I loved the diagonal lines I saw with this layout.   That became a clue as to how to quilt it.  I have spent the last year learning to free motion quilt feathers, so that was one option I considered.  Yet  I finally decided it needed a more open style.  Decision made....stitch a long vine with fern shaped leaves and a few curls thrown in...and accentuate the diagonal.

  Loose Change:
      Finished size is 52" by 67".
      Techniques used:  4 patch, HST,   color value
      Machine pieced and quilted by me.
      Category  is Scrap Quilt.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the festival.  Happy stitching.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Part 1

  Welcome to the Blogger's Quilt Festival for Spring 2013.  Big thanks to Amy for her hard work in organizing and hosting this feast for the eyes.

     I have shared this before, but it is one of my favorite creations.  I wake up each morning and delight in the play of colors in this color wash quilt.
I wanted sunrise and sunset, shadows and light, soft grass and falling waters.  Depending on my mood or viewing angle, I see it all in this quilt, which I call Wonder of Color.











   It began with a packet of  200 squares purchased from the queen of color, Exuberant Color.  Her packet gave me a vital starting point.....I ended up adding 240 squares from my own stash.  Amazingly,  I discovered only 4 duplicate fabrics in all of these squares.    I sorted the squares by value, and played for days on the design wall until I got it just right.  

   The design was the work, and the sewing a breeze.  I used fusible interfacing as a base to keep everything in line and in place for sewing the rows.  Here's the post where I shared my technique on this.  

  I spent a few weeks debating on the quilting, and in the end decided simple is best.  Straight vertical lines on each side of the seam  line let the color and fabrics do the work.  

 Wonder of Color finished size is 34" by 46". 

 Category entered in is ROYGBIV--color wheel.  

 Techniques used---color wash and value,  fusible    interfacing
Machine pieced and quilted  by me.

  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy  all the entries in the festival.  Happy stitching.

Just a fun project --with update

   I loved how this one turned out!  From a pile of trimmings came this snack mat---bigger than a mug rug really.   I stitched lots of rows on it..... random rows spaced from 1/8" to 3/8" apart....with a variegated thread.  That way I can be sure those slivers are not going anywhere.  The batiks are tightly woven and probably would not fray that much anyway.   I used a large print with butterflies on the back.

   Sir Old Man thought it looked like a landscape.  I love the texture and  I think I need to make another one to have a pair!
Update to this post:
   I was asked for specific details on this, so here is my "recipe" for this snack mat.

• Batting cut 9 1/2" by 12 1/2"
• Fusible Heat and Bond Lite cut to exact size of batting 9 1/2" by 12 1/2"
• Fuse the heat and bond to the batting.  Remove the paper and save  to use for pressing sheet. 
• Lay strings and slivers of batiks across the batting.  The fusible provides a tacky surface to hold them in place.  Cover the entire surface of the batting in this way.
• Fuse the stings to the batting.  Use the paper from the fusible as a pressing sheet---save your iron from getting messy.  
• Cut backing fabric--slightly larger than the fused batting.
• Quilt row after row of parallel lines.  I did not try to be exact, and varied my width slightly with each row of stitches.  Row vary from 1/8" to 1/4" to 3/8" apart.  I used a heavier quilting thread that was variegated in color.  
• Trim sides after quilting.  Attach binding of your choice.  I used a narrow zig zag to finish off the binding on the front.  Done! 

Saw blades and Southern favorites

   One afternoon devoted to assembly, pressing and trimming, and I have all the saw blades sections pieced for the buzz saw!  Yay!!!  Now the fun of playing with the colors can begin.    I had been taking my time with these and I was beginning to get bored.  And boredom leads to UFOs, so I went all out and got it done.

   

I ended up with a pile of tiny strips from the batik strips from the jelly roll stacks.  I thought a little fun would be in order.  Or maybe I am just a bit insane for playing with these.......:)   Nothing is sewn, just fused so far.  I had a piece of batting that was about 9 by 12 inches that already had fusible applied to it.  So I merely laid out the slivers and bits on it, covered with pressing sheet and fused them down.  I will add a backing and do lots of straight line quilting to hold everything down.  I've seen Wanda at Exuberantcolor do this and hers always look so neat.  

   I'm beginning to plan for our trip to Michigan next week.  I made a run to the grocery store for 2 special requests.    What would you expect a pair raised in the South to miss the most?  

  Cheerwine and Duke's Mayo, of course!  We took cases of Cheerwine---nothing else like it--- to Deana when she was in Philly, and now we will deliver them to Michigan.  And Trey is in withdrawal without Duke's for his sandwiches.  It is distinctive and actually made about 5 miles from here.   Nothing like bringing a little taste of home with you.  

   We are traveling Interstate 75 most of the way.....any special places we should plan on stopping to see or great places to eat?  I would appreciate some tips thru Kentucky and Ohio.  

   I had almost forgotten about the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Amy has a short post about the new categories and changes she has made for entries.    So check it out and line up your entry.  

Happy stitching.

A trio of doll quilts

  A few weeks ago I was contacted by Amy, who was interested in making a doll quilt for the Get your Mrs. Claus On project.  She read about this project on Vroomansquilts blog.   Thank you, Sharon :) !!
And this week, a box arrived with a trio of doll quilts.
 







  So bear with me, as I  have to show each one alone.  Colorful balloons and blue sky decorate this one.

   Simple and sweet butterflies on this one make me smile.

   This one  was over the top.....a watercolor style Trip Around the World.   How wonderful!

   Actually, all three are wonderful and so special.  Amy's note expressed her thanks for being able to participate and having  a way to give back.  Amy chose to represent the states of New York, Hawaii, and Alaska.  Thank you for being a Mrs. Claus.
   I am so glad to be along for the ride and get to see each and every gift from quilters all over the country.  I am rarely at a loss for words.......I really don't know how to express my appreciation and let you all know how touched I am.  Thank you.

A big hug to all the Mrs. Claus the world over.....a special Happy Mother's Day to you all for spreading your love.  To all enjoy your special day.  Happy stitching.