AUGUST FAT QUARTER QUILT ALONG BLOCKS

I am a little surprised that I have continued to get the last eight months of a monthly block of the month complete.  I usually give up and move on after three or four months.  Short attention span I think!  These little guys have become sort of addictive.  I will have to purchase some red fabric for September and the following couple months.  I am fresh out of red fabrics.  I am repeating some of the white backgrounds, although I said they would be different each month as well.  White fabric purchases just isn't as exciting as red. 

Four of the six are done, but the other two block parts are cut and put together to complete the last two blocks of the six for this month.

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BABY QUILT STASHING

I just cleaned out most of my 1930's fabric stash.  While working on a charity quilt to rid myself of some of the huge stash of them I discovered two prints that were very pretty and I had over a yard of each and in fact almost two yards.  Some of it went into the charity quilt, but they were so pretty I thought I would make a baby quilt.  I don't usually need baby quilts as my daughters and all their friends are well into their 40's and 50's and babies are no longer a happening thing around here for us.  However once and a while I do get a request for one, so I have taken to stashing a couple for just in case occurrences. 

A simple pattern but so pretty.  Love it!  It is just 42 by 48 inches a perfect size for me to quilt myself.  Now it is just waiting for a baby I guess.  

Confessions of a Fabric Addict
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CHARITY QUILTS GALORE

I finally managed to get one of my stash busting 1800's charity quilt tops done.  I mention a few posts ago that I had finally decided a huge bin of 1800's fabrics had to go.  Once this one was done I have sort of fallen in love with it.  It really doesn't look so 1800's does it?

This one is also going  for charity.  It is the last of my Cotton and Steel fabrics.  I have made several quilts and runner from this line and I was finally done with it.  I actually sent some of it to my VBF Brooke and still ended up with an awful lot of leftovers.  

This one I made more for boys or men.  Most charity quilts we make and give are girly.  I had lots of browns in the 1800's bin so used them in this very simple 5 inch squares.

And of course the finished 1930's quilt top finished at last.  Yes there are still more cut out and another done, but no photos of it yet.  It has been a marathon this past week, but I still need another run at the remaining ones all cut out.  

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IRON AGAINST RUNNER

Here is the culprit!  It is only about 2 years old.  It started leaking several months ago, so I empty the water out of it when I turn it off.  It started spitting so I cleaned it with vinegar.  I have always used distilled water in it, but recently was told to use drinking water in it.      I guess I did something wrong because its final crime was to spit brown water spots all over a runner that I had been quilting and was only 3/4 of the way complete.  

There was nothing to do but wash the runner, still 1/4 of the way unquilted.  I treated it with stain spray, Oxi Stain liquid, and Blue Dawn.  I did manage to get the stains out.  I tossed it into the washer on delicate and hung it to dry.  The stains came out. 
I pulled out an old iron, no steam this time, just Best Press and was able to iron it nice and flat and it actually ended up looking like it had never been wash.  I was able to finish quilting my circles on it.  

I have just purchased a new Rowenta Pro Master.  I am reading the directions really carefully.  Believe me the directions are lengthy and specific, since the silly thing ended up costing $80 and that was with a 20% off coupon I am going to follow these maintenance directions perfectly.  Lesson learned.  

It is all finished now, no brown spots and not looking the worse for the whole experience. 

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Busy Hands Quilts

BIRTHDAY ZIPPY BAGS

My youngest grandson is having a birthday next week.  I have come to the conclusion that cards are just a waste of time and money with children.  I have taken to putting their gifts into zippy bags made with some special theme fabric and giving them money instead.  

This boy loves sharks, this shark fabric was a perfect fabric to make his bag in.  Mom said could I make it big enough to put a book into it.  Great idea, I am headed to Barnes and Noble for a shark book of some sort. 

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Silly Mama Quilts

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Mid Week Maker

1930's FABRICS SCRAP ALONG

A week or two ago I decided after reorganizing my fabric stash that some fabric collections had to go.  Its out of control, and many fabric lines have not been touched for several years.  So I started with my 1800's and now have moved on to my 1930's.  

Ok, yes this is a big mess.  I did sort it all in the beginning by color, but as you can see that sort went by the wayside quickly as I started making blocks for a quilt.  

I found this pattern in Fat Quarter Style that makes up a 12 inch block.  Some of my prints had less than a fat quarter, but enough to cut at least one or two of the pieces in the blocks.  

So I started cutting and making color groups.  Silly but I might need to buy just a little bit of the orange and peach colors to help out with my stash and complete my idea.  

Row one is finished.  I am not adding shashings.  These blocks are 12 inches square finished, so with a layout of 5 blocks each row and 5 rows I get a 60 by 60 inch quilt top.  I will just layout colors mixed in each row and be done with it.  And hopefully done with the 1930's fabric stash.  If not then I guess I will be making another smaller baby quilt with what is left.  I need a baby quilt made up to keep for just in case occasions anyway.  

Crazy Mom Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

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JULY FAT QUARTER BLOCK QUILT ALONG

I finally started my July Fat Quarter Block Quilt Along.  These little guys are sort of an odd pinwheel.  They go together easily too.  
Three more to go and they are all cut out and ready to start.  

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Mid Week Makers

GONZO FINISHED

Yes, Gonzo is finally finished.  I can't wait to quilt it.

I did cheat on the third row from the bottom and instead of doing some sort of triangle I just did two strips.  I'm telling myself that I did that to give the eye a rest from all the other activity in the piece.    I thought that sounded more creative than I just didn't feel like making up another triangle block. 

Crazy Mom Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Busy Hands Quilts

CURVED PIECING

Another just finished table runner is leaving me today as a belated birthday gift for a past co-worker. Figured I had better get busy making some more. 

I dug this pattern out of my pattern stash.  I probably have had it for several years, but it looked too complicated with those curves to bother with.  However, I was fresh out of runner ideas so decided to give it a try.  

It had these paper templates.  I preferred to be able to use a template edge to draw the curves unto my fabric.  I took them down to the Federal Express Store and they laminated them.  This laminate is much heavier than template material we quilters can purchase.  These templates are almost thick enough to use a small rotary cutter along the edge like a ruler.  Great idea to keep in mind.

Well here it is ready to spray baster.  It was super easy.  The curves are not sewn together the small left side is laid a quarter of an inch over the larger right side.  Sewn down and the stitches covered with a 1/2 inch bias strip.  So Easy!

I used this strip fabric.  I love stripes cut on the bias.  I will use this same bias cut fabric to bind it with.  The large template above is the curve the ends of the runner will be cut.  I think I might pull some of my other forgotten fabric stashes out and try this one again.  

Time to link up with:

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