I pieced French Country Life in early 2013. I collect toile fabrics but can’t bare to cut them up for piecing. Plus they are so busy it is hard to work larger pieces of them into a quilt. So I decided to be “brave” and just cut up a piece of toile to go in this quilt. Many of the yellow and blue fabrics of the nine patches are reproductions of historic prints. Combined with the toile, I thought it…
Back in 2020, I was curious about doing something for a quilt in rectangles. Years ago, I saw a nine-patch quilt from rectangles instead of squares. Ok, not really what I was looking for, but the idea of rectangles stayed in the back of my mind. So, this is how I ended up with Harvest Bounty. I still had scraps galore and a stash to work out of. So, one day in July 2020, I started cutting 4″ x 7″…
Do you need a fun, fast, and simple project or gift item? My granddaughter’s eighth birthday is next week. She loves helping in the kitchen. I decided to use some cute fabrics from my stash and make her a couple aprons. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to make the birthday aprons. Those of you who know me personally know that I absolutely hate making any clothing item. Yes, I can make clothing, but that doesn’t mean I like to…
What do you do for a wedding gift for a cousin who waited forever while finding the right guy and has a complete house already?? Make a wedding quilt of course!! This wedding quilt was simple and personal and super easy to make. Cousin and hubby like to do road trips on the motorcycle, so that was the theme I went with. It’s not like they got a duplicate of this. They loved it. Finished size: 70″ square. For this…
Sometimes in my travels, I find quilts in unexpected places. Such is the occurrence of rest stop quilts in Iowa. There was no expectation of quilts in the rest stop on I-80 near Davenport, Iowa. All of these photos were taken inside this rest stop. Many years ago, a woman in the quilt guild was raving about a book discussing how quilts were used as signals for the Underground Railroad. My first thought was why has this never been discussed…
One of my goals for this year is to finish binding and tagging 9 quilts that need just that. Well, this quilt is the second one completed, and I am doing a happy dance! This Flock of Christmas Geese is an easy project to make. This simple wall hanging was made over a weekend in April 2021, and machine quilted in November 2021. Then it stayed in a pile of UFOs waiting on binding and a tag. Making a Flock…
Over the years I have learned all kinds of ways to utilize strips of fabric. I tend to use 2.5″ wide strips and keep several plastic organizer totes full of them. But sometimes it is fun to use a different size. This Easy Courthouse Steps mini quilt is made of 1.5″ purple and orange cotton strips. I did not add borders. This small quilt is 22.5″ x 29.25″ finished. All cotton fabric scraps and a left-over piece of poly batting….
Here in central Indiana autumn has arrived. Temps have been much cooler in the last two weeks. Farmers are busy harvesting corn and soybeans. Leaves are turning from green into glorious autumn colors. Our first frost of the season is predicted for this week. And the wood stove has been going in the evenings. A great time for settling in and doing autumn quilting in rural Indiana. I have spent the last few evenings reading other quilt blogs, enjoying their…
Do you need a quick and easy project to decorate for fall? It could not get simpler than this Autumn Table Runner. Table runners are great projects for trying out a new pattern or technique. The size and small number of needed blocks makes them perfect for beginner quilters too. And it is a great way to try out color combinations, and machine vs. hand quilting. Autumn is my favorite season. I love the colors, the weather, and the activities…
We were so poor growing up, and my mom hated to sew. I don’t remember ever using anything for a doll quilt around my “babies” but old worn-out towels. However, I do have special memories of a doll quilt my mom kept safe and gave me as an adult. This is a brief story of my yo-yo doll quilt memories. Apparently, these quilts were popular during the 1920’s to 1940’s. They were portable, could be used for scraps, only required…
