Strawberry Quilt

Thank you for stopping by today.  For those of you who have been following along, I have temporarily (or at least that is the plan) set aside my New Year’s Eve Mystery Quilt to complete one of my UFO’s.  My Strawberry Quilt is 100% complete.

I designed this quilt sometime ago. Inspiration came from a piece of wide fabric I picked up at a destash event.  When I came across it, I fell in love with it. At the time, I had no idea what I would do with it, but could not leave it behind. It has sat in my stash for a little while. I set out to make a quilt for my youngest niece, and browsing my stash remembered this piece of fabric, and built the quilt around it.

My first thought was to include it in the front, but I just could not find a pattern that I was happy with. So, I used the theme and colors as inspiration for the front.  In addition to the back, I also used it as the cornerstones. As the fabric was not was not quite long enough to cover the back, I added a little border to the top and bottom to complete the back.

For the quilting I used a combination of designs.  I began by filling the background with a large meandering free motion design.  Then switched to my walking foot to outline the strawberries and create a diagonal grid on the strawberry body.   I finished off the quilt with red binding. 

I am happy to report that it has been gifted and now back to the New Year’s Eve Mystery Quilt.  I am at the dreaded stage of pressing my HST seams open.  It is so hard for me to find the motivation to spend time at the ironing board. Since they are not going to press themselves, I guess I better get back to it. 

Happy Quilting.  

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NYE Mystery Quilt: Part 2

Progress continues on my Sparkling New Year’s Eve Mystery Quilt.  I was only able to spend one night working on it, so I set out to mark all of my half square triangles for sewing. 

I realize that this was part of the preparation step that was supposed to be done before the sew-along, but I was not able to mark any of them.  But all my squares are now marked and ready to sew.  

When I mark my HSTs, I prefer to mark all of the sew lines.  My go to supplies include a FriXion pen and my Omnigrid Marking Ruler.  The pattern recommends using Deb Tucker’s 180 Studio, Quilters Magic Wand.  I have not personally tried a Magic Wand, but it is essentially the same thing.  They are both ½ inch rulers that you are able to center diagonally on the square and mark the sewing lines, ¼ inch on both sides of the center diagonal.   

As this is not a sponsored post, and I do not receive any compensation for my opinions, here is why I opted for the Omnigrid Marking Ruler.  They are sold in a set of three in various lengths.  This allows me to use a ruler that is right for the job. The rulers are clear and the length is clearly marked in standard 1/8 inch which allows them to be used as a basic ruler when needed.  I find it a plus whenever a tool can serve multiple purposes.  Please note, there are other brands of rulers available. Regardless of which brand you choose, a ½ inch ruler will make all HSTs easier. 

The next step is to sew and cut all of my HSTs, and then the dreaded step of ironing them.  Stay tuned to see as the quilt progresses. 

Wheelchair Lap Quilt

Welcome to 2023. I’m happy to see 2022 in the rearview mirror.  It was a rough year for me personally, but I’m hopeful that this will be a better year. 

Now that the holidays are behind us, I am able to share a couple of quilts I made for gifts.  The first quilt is this super simple Wheelchair Lap Quilt. 

I made this for my mother-in-law.  She suffers from advanced dementia and is no longer mobile.  I saw one similar to this on Pinterest, and designed my own pattern.  It features a pocket to keep her hands warm. 

I used my walking foot to complete the majority of the quilting work.  I added some dense free motion stippling to the pocket for added interest. 

My MIL loved it. What do you think? 

Texas Christmas Quilt – Susannah Quilt Block

As promised, here is today’s quilt block for my Texas Christmas Quilt.  I picked up this block on my Texas Christmas Shop Hop from Kaleidoscope Quilt Shop.  This shop is located in downtown Whitesboro.  While the street view of the shop was not overly impressive, don’t let it fool you. The shop is super deep and has a wide selection of fabric and a super friendly staff.  When I go back to this shop, I need to time it better. There is a yarn shop next door that is only open from 10-2 each day, that I would love to check out as well.   

Now, back to the block. According to the pattern, this uneven 9-patch is attributed to Beth Gutcheon. Gutcheon is most known for her mystery novels, but her first two published books were actually quilting books.  I opted to use the horseshoe fabric from the Howdy Christmas collection to add a little Texas flair to the traditional block. 

Well since I have 22 more blocks to complete, I better get back to my sewing machine.  

Texas Christmas Quilt – Elfin Magic

Today’s quilt block, Elfin Magic, is now complete.  Don’t you just love this block? The little elf shoes and plaid tights are so adorable. 

While this block is not a traditional block pattern, it did come together fairly quickly. It used a couple of stitch and flip corners to create the angle pieces – I’m thankful for the designer, Lisa Paul, not using HSTs for the little fiddly bits.

My only frustration so far with Texas Christmas Quilt, is I have not been able to chain piece my work.  When I piece a top, I love to create long chains and then do all my pressing. I seem to be sewing a few pieces and then heading to the ironing board.  I must say I miss just getting in a zone with the hum of my sewing machine.

I picked up the pattern for this block of the Texas Christmas Shop Hop at Must Love Fabric in Colleyville, Texas. 

Look for another block tomorrow.