Crazy mini for Bloggers Quilt Festival

Crazy mini, 12 by 12 inches

machine pieced and quilted

I dug into the solid scraps to put together this crazy-pieced mini.

It was part of a challenge over at 15 minutes play.

I'm entering it into the miniature category at Bloggers Quilt Festival.

The crazy piecing section measures about 4 by 6 inches

and features about 50 little bits.

Click on the photo to see how small they actually are.

I used a heavy black thread to quilt this section.

I includes some tiny half square triangles

made from the trimming bits of binding,

and machine quilted feathers in the large space.

Here's the back, using a Kaffe stripe.

I bound it with green and a bit of yellow.

I like the juxtaposition between the crazy centre and the calmness of the feathers,

the grey and the bright green

and the idea of using the tiniest bits for a little quilt.

Thanks for stopping by!

I Spy Houses for Blogger's Quilt Festival

Welcome to the Neighbourhood!

machine pieced and quilted

40 by 40 inches

I'm entering this recent finish in the baby quilt category

of the Fall 2013 Blogger's Quilt Festival.
I know this will be a repeat for my regular readers.

Here you can see the outline and free motion quilting

on the flannel back.

Each house has fun elements peeking out of them

and I tried to use different fabrics for each house.

I even used scrappy greens for the binding.

I included some fun elements, like a sewing room

complete with measuring tapes, zippers,

and a sleepy cat.

And of course the Sesame Street gang wanted to join in the fun

As well as a laundry line of colourful undies

and some fun flip flops.

Scrappy Dresdens for Blogger's Quilt Festival

Scrappy Dresdens, 43 by 60 inches

machine pieced, machine and hand quilted

 

My entry is a long-time quilt in process and used my own scraps

and fabrics sent to me by blogging friends.

I had made Dresdens in three sizes, some round, some pointed,

and didn't want to put them on squares, and then into a quilt.

 

So I went with a random approach, scattering them on the front of quilt,

and even cutting some of them so they moved off the edge.

 

 I appliqued the Dresdens  by machine onto a quilt sandwich

with yellow on the front, and grey on the back,

quilting and appliquing in one go.

 

I hand appliqued the centre circles,

and used as many prints as possible,

on the theory that more is more

(and that the yellow background would calm it down.)

 

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I also used perle cotton in big stitches to outline the shapes and provide more texture

on both sides.

The stitching shows up on the grey back with peppermint insert

so it's a two-sided quilt.

 

It's destined to be a Christmas gift for friends,

but I'm happy to share it with you here first.

 

I'm linking up with Amy at Blogger's Quilt Festival.

 

 

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Anything Goes string quilt for Bloggers Quilt Festival

Anything Goes

56 by 64 inches

Machine pieced and quilted

Made by members of String Thing Along blog

This is a late entry to the Bloggers Quilt Festival,

but I thought it was important I get it in.

A bunch of us at the String Thing Along blog

challenged ourselves to make 8.5 inch string blocks

using our wildest and un-matchiest fabrics.

The only rule was to use a black strip in the middle.

Participants sent them to me and I put them together

for a donation quilt,

backing it with black fleece.

I've decided to donate this to Katie Cares Foundation, in honour of 14-year-old Katie who died on the weekend. She was diagnosed with cancer at 13, and started a foundation to help other kids with cancer in her community of Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. My nieces were friends with Katie and the weekend before she died, my nieces put on a yard sale and raised $1,300 for the foundation.

Together, some of us made a great quilt, and we're going to bring some comfort to a child with cancer.
I had hoped to give it to Katie, but  that was not to be.

Thanks for visiting!

A dozen roses for BQF

A Dozen Roses for Maria, 33 by 40 inches

machine pieced and quilted

I'm a late entry into the fall Bloggers Quilt Festival

but I've been seeing all the other wonderful quilts out there

and I wanted to share this one.

I made these roses inspired by Andrea when we took an online class/challenge

with Tonya Ricucci in 2008

Andrea was making a bed of roses quilt for her sister's wedding

from free-pieced roses

and I decided to use up some passed along scraps to try some roses myself.

I made a bunch of roses and then didn't know how to join them.

Fast forward to January, 2011 when I had an inspiration

and joined the roses using a curved piecing technique.

I had intended to give this lap-sized blanket to an elderly friend who loves flowers

but she died from cancer the weekend I finished it.

So for now, I'm keeping it, to remind myself  of my good friend Maria.

Thanks for visiting and take a look at all the other great quilts linked up at Amy's blog.

Quilt festival meets scrappy exchange

Scrappy hearts and stars, 32 by 32, machine pieced and quilted

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I've seen many beautiful quilts out there in the festival, and I'm offering this little baby blanket as my contribution. It's made entirely from someone else's scraps and its an example of how much fun it is to play with little bits and pieces from another quilter's stash. Lisa hand appliqued the hearts on the green background and included them in a scrap swap we just did, along with lots of strips and scraps of feedsack reproductions. I pieced the blocks and the piano key border, used some pass-along white flannel as the batting and some pink on the back and machine quilted it simply, so a premature baby in my local children's hospital could have her own blankie. It's easy to be generous with my quilts when others are generous with their fabrics.