16 Patch Blocks

This weekend I was busy cutting fabric strips for a new quilt I'm starting.



I am making 16 patch blocks that will finish at 12".  Each block will have two different fabrics: one white background with blue, green, or black, and one orange, pink, or red print.



I'm using several Denyse Schmidt prints, Summersville, and other prints from my stash.



Selecting fabric and color combinations is my absolute favorite part of quilting.  So I'm having lots of fun selecting strips from my stack when I start each new block.



5 blocks down, 67 to go!

Playing Tetris - Week 2

I am playing along with Melissa's Tetris Quilt-a-long at Happy Quilting.

It's so much fun putting these together.  Instead of using white for the background, I am using black with a few owls mixed in.



My regular sewing machine is getting serviced this week, so I pieced this using my Singer 301.  It's super nice to have a backup machine, and I really enjoy being able to use my grandma's old Singer.

Here is my completed block for Week 2:


  

Granny squares for the night stand

I made two granny square blocks back in February after seeing Jolene's granny square quilt block tutorial at Blue Elephant Stitches.



I didn't  want to waste the background fabric, so I used setting triangles instead of squares.



These blocks are so fun to make, and a good way to use a variety of fabrics.  I wanted to make a queen size quilt out of these, but then the blocks got put away and I didn't get around to making any more.

When we got a new nightstand, I decided these would make a great table topper.  All I had to do was make one more block, and I'd be able to enjoy them right away!



Another bonus, was this made for a good small project to practice free motion quilting.  I tried stippling for the first time.  Up close the quilting isn't great, but it has a very nice overall effect, so I'm quite pleased with it.



And now I have a happy night stand!

Scrappy Pot Holders

I love scraps!  And I love sewing little scraps together without having a plan.



I have been sewing a couple years, and so far I seem to use scraps almost as quickly as I accumulate them.  I've used my scraps to make several potholders.  Here is a pair I made as a housewarming gift for my aunt.




They might be a little big for potholders, but they are super handy for setting hot dishes on the table or counter.  I used a layer of Insul-Bright with a layer of cotton batting.  I love the texture the quilting adds with these two thick layers.



I created the triangle one using a new equilateral triangle ruler.  I need more practice with the triangles, because I found it to be very tricky to get my points to line up with all those bias edges.



I especially like the colors in this one.  It looks so perfect with my mug, that I tempted to keep it myself!  I guess that just means I might have to make another similar one for myself.
 

Sock Monkey bed and blanket

I got a bunch of great sewing time this weekend! I planned to sew a gift for a new baby in the family. Earlier this year I found these cute sock monkeys on sale at Target. I already had a lot of left over sock monkey fabric from a quilt I had made for my son, and when I saw these cute little monkeys I just had to buy several! I knew I’d be able to make something to go with them for gifts.



My original idea was to make a little pillow, with a pocket for the monkey.  That would require buying or making a pillow form though.  So instead the idea morphed into a sort of quillow, that would make a cute little bed for the monkey.



This was the perfect little project for my first attempt at free motion quilting.  I really enjoyed doing the quilting.  I just meandered in a loopy pattern over the whole thing.  I want to attempt this on a larger quilt, but I think it will be terribly difficult on my machine that has limited harp space.







Instead of just making one for the new baby, I ended up making two more for my kids. The quilting got a little easier with each one I did.



I now have 6 monkeys left that need beds!