2nd FINISH FOR 2019!

I finished this lap size donation quilt a few days ago, so I thought I would show you.  I cut the 2 1/2" squares years ago and had some of them sewn into 4 patches.  Then, I finally got them out and put this together randomly.  I love scrappy quilts.

I quilted it with swirly circles and for the border I used the braided wheat design by Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt.  It took me a while around the border to get it pretty good.

This last picture shows the border up close in a better section of it.  I won't show you the first section and I probably should have practiced it more before I started quilting it on the quilt.  

I also used a blanket stitch to stitch down the binding.  A friend at my quilt guild does that and I thought it looked pretty good.  With this blue/white design, you can barely see the blanket stitching any way.  Actually, I don't mind sewing the binding down by hand - it's more relaxing.  But, the main thing is that it is DONE!

DONATION QUILT FINISHED

This is a small quilt that I got out of a "FREE" box at a garage sale.  It was already quilted in the ditch.  I finished quilting it and now it is bound and finished!  Wow!  that was easy!!  It's pretty small, but will do as a lap quilt - 38" x 38".

TWO FINISHES!

I had a little spare time, so I put together a small donation quilt with some squares that were available at my quilters' guild.  I decided not to put batting inside it because I used flannel for the backing and thought this would be a good summer quilt.

I also took the easy way out and turned it instead of binding it.  Then I quilted with Xs across the blocks and used a fancy stitch for the edges.  It didn't take too long and I hope someone will like it.

Here's my finished brown/pink basket wall hanging measuring at 38" wide x 48" long.

Close up of some blocks so you can see the quilting better.

The sashing was quilted with a very easy stitch which you can see in the pink between the brown triangles.

I'm going to hang this at a memory care facility that has asked our guild to loan quilts to help decorate the walls in their new facility.  We will go their after our next meeting and take some wall hangings for them, which we will leave for as long or as short a time as we wish.

Friday I'm going on a weekend retreat for the ladies at my church.  We're going to Lincoln City, OR on the beautiful Pacific coast.  It will probably rain a lot, but hopefully we can get out to walk on the beach a little.  I'll take a few pictures to post.  

A NEW BIRD HOUSE AND OTHER STUFF

Yesterday I happened to go past a community sale and I saw this cute teapot bird house for $3!   Here it is hanging in the tree right outside our bedroom window.  I can see it from the sewing studio window also!  

I hope someone likes it.

Darlene at Quilt Shop Gal has a Creative Goodness Linky Party every Friday and since today is Friday I will link this post to it to show what I have been working on.   I recently won this book in a drawing because I had linked something to her linky party in the past.

These are a couple patterns in the book that I really like.

This is a donation quilt that is ready to go except for hand sewing the binding to the back.  It may have to wait as my Doctor said I should give the hand a rest for a while.

Two more small quilts, doll quilt and scrappy table topper that need the binding sewn to the back.

 I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

A DONATION QUILT FINISH

First, I have two Dear Jane blocks to show you.  Both of these were easy paper pieced blocks.

C-1

 My first triangle!  I may have to redo it because my iron left some marks on it.  I cleaned the iron, but not the block yet.  Maybe it will come out.

BR-1

I love to make string quilts for donation to Children's Hospital.  This time I made a rainbow one and I like how it turned out.  This is the one that I quilted on the long arm machine on Saturday and now it is bound and ready to go.  This time I completed the binding with the sewing machine and it turned out fine.  The quilts we make are given to the patients and they get to keep them, so I hope some sick girl will like this one.

Here's a couple close-up pictures of the quilting and the corner folded back over the backing so you can see it.  I got the wild backing fabric a couple years ago at a garage sale and I already backed one quilt with it.  It is used up now.

We're having beautiful weather here in Texas and my irises are budding!

TWO WINS AND DONATION QUILT FINISHED

Last March at the Dallas Quilt Show, I saw an adorable pattern.  It had three items in it, one of which was this butterfly case.

You can use it as a scissors case...

Or a glasses case...

It was kind of fun to make and I gave one to my sister for her birthday.

I finished the teen aged boys donation quilt just in time to take it to my guild meeting Monday night.
The top was made from men's shirts and the border, backing and binding was some fabric that I bought at a thrift shop and it looks like men's shirting fabric.  I love it when I find "deals!"

The color is better in the picture above but this shows the border quilting better.

The plaid square on the top right is the pocket from a shirt.  I didn't quilt over it in case whoever gets this quilt wants to use the pocket.  It even has a section to put a pen.

We always have door prizes at my guild meetings and this month I won fabric!  There is 1 yd of the top fabric,  1/2 yd of the blue fabric with the buttons on it and fat quarters of the cup/saucer and tea pot fabrics.

I especially love this blue and yellow fabric.

This is really pretty also.

Now to figure out something to make out of these.

The guild meeting was a lucky meeting for me also because I won the "President's Challenge!!"  The guild president challenged us to make a two color quilt, which I had already planned to do.  So I made sure I got it finished for this meeting.  There was even a judge to award the ribbons.  There were about 15 or so entries and they were all gorgeous quilts.  If you want to see my quilt, you will need to go to my "secret" blog because I don't want certain people to see it yet.  You will need my permission to see that blog, so let me know if you are interested.

Thanks for visiting!

CAUGHT UP ON BASKETS

I totally caught up on my baskets for a few days until I get the next group in the mail!  

I decided to get busy and quilt the Ohio Star donation quilt made out of men's shirts.  This quilt will be for a teen aged boy.

I did a cinnamon roll in each square of the stars.  I saw this type of quilting in one of Kim Diehl's books.

In the inner border made out of brick size blocks, I tried some different quilting designs from the book, Free Motion Quilting by Angela Walters.  She has some really good "modern" designs for filling in areas.  It doesn't have to be a modern quilt, but I probably wouldn't use some of these on a CW type quilt.

I have found a lot of good ideas in Angela's book.  The swirl that I used in the outer border is a lot easier than it looks and she has great diagrams on how to do it.  Once I get the binding sewn down, I'll take another picture of the whole quilt so you can see that border better.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I have finished 24 Ohio Star blocks that I will use to make a donation quilt for children's hospital.  It will be for a teen-aged boy and is made out of men's shirt fabric.  I took pictures of two lay-outs and want your opinion.  The first one is must mixed up and the second one has diagonal rows of the same color blocks.  I'm leaning towards the second one.

The blocks measure 9" finished so without sashing, this part will measure 36" x 54".  I will be adding a border to bring the size up to the requested size, which is large enough to cover the bed but not hang over (because of the side rails).  Do you think I should add a narrow sashing also?  I kind of like the blocks right next to each other.

I don't know what fabric I will use for the border, but it would have to be darker.  I'll wait until I get home to see what I have on hand.  Out of sight - out of mind!

I hope there is a boy who won't mind the pink looking fabric.  It is actually kind of a coral color and white weave, but looks like pink at a distance.

This is our last week with DS/DIL and then we will spend a few days in Sisters and a few days with BIL/SIL - then return to Texas.  We're looking forward to going home, but have had a wonderful trip and good times with family.

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July and that it isn't too hot!

BOOK REVIEW AND DONATION QUILT

The second book in "The Daughters of Caleb Bender" series by Dale Cramer.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for writing a review and posting it on my blog.  I had read the first book in the series, so I was very happy to be able to review the second book.  The intriguing thing about this series is that it is inspired by actual events!  In fact, it was part of the author's family that went to Mexico to live due to persecution of the Amish in the United States during the 1920s.

I couldn't put this book down!  The story is compelling when the Bender family experiences disease, bandit attacks and death.  The fifth daughter, Miriam, wonders if she will be able to find an Amish husband in Mexico, but then several other families join them.  Will she fall in love with the son of one of those families?  I don't want to give the story away, but I do recommend it to you.

I just finished quilting a donation quilt on my new sewing machine!  It was great!

This is the backing.  Kind of wild!  I purchased this fabric at a garage sale in Illinois last summer for $1.00 - and that's for 5 yards!  The seller said it was from Africa and I was kind of afraid it would bleed a lot, but it didn't, so that is good.

I hope someone at the children's hospital likes it.