Sunday, January 30, 2011

Small quilt on queen bed

I didn't intend for this to be a bed quilt, but a good size lap quilt.  I don't even know if it will stay here or move on to Louisville with the kids.  But, I am very, very fond of it.  It measures about 68 x78.  I put another quilt underneath that has a white border and a binding of navy.  Of course, the cream colored bed skirt would look better if it was navy, red, or even white.  Did I tell you I love this quilt?  Lol, I do.  I washed and dried it and it seems so snuggly.
The other shirt quilt is the one draped across my grandmother's trunk.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Finished!

I used another shirt to make the binding and quilted it with the pantograph, "Happy Times."

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My Rule

Typically I spend 12 hours a day working/commuting, so I have a rule that says, "Don't sew on nights when you have to go to work the next day."  I am such a night person that I could easily end up sewing until midnight and not even realize it.  Getting up at 4:45 am  would then be so hard on this night person.

But tonight, I just couldn't help it.  I am in love with this quilt top.  To me, it says...tradition.... prairie.... homemade....and Elijah.  I am enthralled with making something useful and/or beautiful out of normal "throwaway" items such as old worn-out, out-grown, shirts.

So here is another picture of the #2 Shirt Quilt.  I've got four rows put together.  Only have four more to do, then it is ready for the borders and the quilting machine.  I want to have it ready by Friday to go pick the fabric for the border and backing. I love the way the plaids are kind of skewed, I love the buttery softness of some of the well worn fabric, I love the mixed up mess of different plaids, stripes, and the one lone solid fabric.....it is just so.......traditional.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Jackpot

I took Bonnie Hunter's lead, and visited the Goodwill store.  100% cotton, name brand, woven shirts $1 each!  I bought 9 and feel like I've hit the jackpot.  That is at least 18 yards of great fabric for scrappy quilts.  I want to be more intentional and thrifty in 2011.  I easily spend > $100 on most gift quilts I make.  I am going to do my best to only make quilts this year using my scraps, unless it is just for something extra special!

Same Shirts, second quilt

I still have so much fabric left from the shirts, I am trying to do another quilt using (again) a Bonnie Hunter pattern - you can get this free from her website, www.quiltville.com.  It is called "Bricks and Stepping Stones".  Even the small 4-patch blocks are made from Elijah's favorite pale teal colored shirt and a gray one he didn't wear much.  The other pieces are cut into bricks 3 1/2 x 6 1/2.  Here are the blocks so far just laid out together. I only lack four more then I will be ready to sew them in rows.


Elijah and Katie were home for a quick visit (he preached yesterday morning). I think they liked the shirt quilt.  He left it here because I am thinking of entering it in the Pigeon Forge quilt show.  I think I am going to like this one too.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

2 down

Finished the second leftover wall hanging.  I like the little blue binding; too bad I didn't have enough of it to bind both of them.

One down, one to go

Just finished this one.  Here is also a picture of the back.  I used all leftovers on this.  Custom quilted using "Mother Goose" thread.  My favorite thread, seems to go with almost everything.  I am still not very good at custom work, but with the help of the Pajama Quilter and some other books I've got, I keep trying.


Friday, January 14, 2011

Leftovers

I decided to use some leftover blocks and make two wallhanging/table quilts.  Yes, there were a lot of leftover blocks.  These were from a project that started out being a bed quilt, but ended up being a lap quilt.  One of these is going in my office at work.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Snowed in

As you can see we received about 5 inches of snow.  My work was cancelled yesterday and I decided not to try to come off my big hill today.  I am about to get cabin fever.....but I have used the time to finish the shirt quilt for my son.  I love the way it turned out.  I quilted it using a pantograph called Spilt Paint.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Shirt Quilt

I started with about 18 shirts.  I finished this quilt (all except the outer border is from the shirts), have enough 2 1/2 in strips to do another one, have more than enough 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 "bricks" to make Bonnie Hunter's "Bricks and Stepping Stones" quilt, plus a ton of extra 2 1/2 inch blocks to make another quilt!  Unbelievable how much material is in one large/extra large shirt.  This pattern is also one from Bonnie Hunter.  It is called Strip Twist.
This one is about 62 x 78 inches.  I used some denim for the outer border and mom gave me some blue chambray to use for the backing.  I am thinking about stitching in one of the pockets from a pair of Levi's on the back....just something a little unique.

If you look closely, you can see some of the shirt labels I included in the strips - Arizona, Ben Sherman, Faded Glory, Duck Head; most were casual shirts.  The red was a Pierre Cardin dress shirt.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Updating

I am trying to update the looks of my blog.  Bear with me!

Back on the shirt quilt

I finally got back doing a bit on the shirt quilt.  I hope Elijah likes it.  Not sure yet how big I will make it.  It is amazing how much material you can get from a shirt, but it takes a long time to cut one up into strips.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Last day off

Well, today has been the last day off for me and the holidays.  Heading back to work tomorrow.  I think I am ready.  I've been home two weeks.  I think that is the most I've been off work in 25 years when I was off with a C-Section!  Had my family from Oklahoma here for a week; I've made two quilts, cleaned out my vanity, my medicine cabinet, and the linen closet, took a load to Goodwill, and finished a very long book (Unbroken by Laura Hillenbran - excellent!), started and almost finished another book (The Silver Sword by Angela Hunt), and started an exercise program on the Wii Fit.  It has been a good two weeks.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Bear Country

Finished the quilting using the pantograph, Leaf Litter.  Just need to put the binding on.  Then, I really need to get back on piecing the quilt made from Elijah's shirts.