Lots of Projects...

Coronavirus Quarantine is presenting oodles of time to work on projects. 

First up is the sixth step of the Scrap Dance Mystery, to assemble 12 blocks. I had one oops, as you can see in the picture...

In two weeks the final step will be posted, using the HSTs, background, and remaining colored squares.  I am curious about the layout!

On to working on more quilts for the disabled kids going to camp. Someone donated this small flimsy with a cat focus fabric. I had no idea how to make it bigger or what kind of colors to use. 

Digging through my stash, I came across this southwest-themed border fabric. It was used on a church quilt in 2009; there was a lot of fabric leftover. It caught my eye because the colors look so much like the colors in the cat flimsy.

So I added a containment border in teal and then added the final border. Yes, I fussy cut the fabric and then mitered the corners. I enjoy that kind of challenge! 

Another donation was a bag with 12 sampler blocks made in batik fabric, as well as yardage of multicolored-pastel batik that had all the colors of the blocks. I used that for sashing. Now it needed a border. Nothing from my stash or the stash of my friend could match this. I felt it needed a teal border. So I went to Joann Fabrics.

I waited outside in a line for an hour and a half. When I got inside the store, I was shocked at the empty shelves in the quilt fabric section. There were very few batiks, but there was one teal that I thought was just right! It was worth the wait, for the quilt shines!

I found these in the donation bin. It was easy to see how to make this into a quick quilt.

Sew the two pieces together, trim to the correct size, add two borders, and here is the finished quilt. I think it is so sweet; it looks like something a grama would make in her little white cottage!

One last project. I am making quilt kits; I am hoping women in my guild will step up and take a kit to assemble a very simple row quilt for the kids camp. Two are superheros, two are fire engines, and one is a fun cartoon of a bear riding a bicycle.

Linking up today with

https://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/2020/05/monday-making-quilt-parade.html

Dinosaur Quilt!

A couple of years ago I made a shirt for my daughter out of dinosaur fabric. She loves that shirt! I had leftover fabric that I discovered while sorting my fabric stash. I knew it could become a cute quilt for the special needs kid's camp. 

Using the colors in the fabric, I chose some blender fabrics (fabrics that read as a solid from a distance, generally tone-on-tone; they add to the quilt without distracting from the main fabric or pattern). I cut the dinosaur fabric into 8" squares, then added 3" borders around each square. 

I squared each block down to 12.5", then assembled. I think it turned out really cute, and I'm sure there will be at least one dinosaur lover at camp!

Linking up with https://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2020/04/can-i-get-whoop-whoop-productive-week.html

Many Projects in Process!

I completed the fifth step of the Twist Mystery Quilt-along. Very simple, to sew the four-patches together with a background square in between. I am so curious to see what we will be doing with these!

This is my sewing table. There are many projects in process. I see at least 6 different quilt projects represented here! It looks like a tremendous mess, but everything is in piles and there is no confusion. Not yet.

I am making small quilts for a camp that hosts special needs children in the summer. Each camper goes home with a quilt. My quilt guild is dedicated to helping with the need; as keeper of orphan blocks (donated blocks that have no purpose for the maker), I am having a lot of fun picking through the bin and designing ways to use the blocks.

One bag had these twelve batik blocks, plus some batik that matches the colors. Last night I sewed them together with sashing. It is small, 37" x 48"; I will add 4" borders to bring it up to the requested size of 48" x 60". 

Stay tuned for more children's quilts!

Twist Quilt Along Update

I was working on the third clue of the mystery quilt sew along, to sew half square triangles. Got them done, but then discovered I messed up...

I sewed the 4.5" squares instead of the 5" squares. Good think I had not cut them apart yet. That would have been disaster. Hello ripper.

Fortunately I have this handy dandy sewing tool that gets taped to my sewing table. It makes quick and easy work of sewing squares on the diagonal.

I had the 5" squares done in no time; I cut them apart, ironed them, then squared them up.

I also finished the fourth step, which was to sew the pieces from the second step into 4 patches. I put them up on the wall because the colors are so cheerful!

Now I must wait until April 17, when the fifth step is released. 

Here is the link to the quiltalong...

https://frommycarolinahome.com/category/2020-scrap-dance-twist/

Shelter-in-place Quilting

Who knew that the coronavirus would send me back to blogging! I've spent the first week not getting much accomplished.

I am hoping this will help me finish some projects. But first I am starting a new one. There are many sew-alongs online, and this one captured my fancy.

Carole is hosting this quilt-along at https://frommycarolinahome.com/category/2020-scrap-dance-twist/. She started in January and she posts once a month. The steps are very easy. 

I've chosen to use the leftover fabrics from Tula Pink's line Flutterby from 2008. I made a tuffet back then...

I have kept the leftovers in a bag stored away ever since. I have just enough to make this Twist mystery quilt. Today I cut the fabrics. 

I am a couple months behind, but the first two steps are very easy and I will be caught up in no time.