Little Tulips

 

Little Tulips (35" x 40")

I tried another Log Cabin pattern! 🌷🌷🌷

This pattern was from a book entitled Log Cabin Flower Quilts by Nancy Brenan Daniel (ISBN: 978-0881957426). I call it "Little Tulips" not because the tulips are especially small, but because I so rarely make small quilts that the size of this one is the first thing I notice when I look at it!

 

Little Tulips (detail)

 

The tulip blocks (set on point) are 8" finished. The flowers are made of thirties reproduction fabrics. I chose these because I wanted to use a gifted panel on the back, and that panel featured the same type of print.

Little Tulips (backing detail)

I wish I could have centered the panel a bit better on the back, but I had NO wiggle room! It was almost exactly the same size as the top; thus, I did what I could. I bound it in the same yellow I used as the flowers' centers.

It is tiny but colorful. It was fun to try another way of using a Log Cabin block--there will be more experiments in the future.

Happy Quilting! 😸

Donation Quilts

 I finished a new crop of quilts for donation.

Four Donation Quilts (3@ 60' x '72" and 1 @ 60" x 78")

 

I make these using 3.5" squares as Leaders and Enders. When I get a bunch (usually a couple of times each year), I put them together, and voila!--I have quilts that I sewed between the pieces of other projects.

Here are four I put together recently. As I assembled them, it was fun to see squares from scraps of fabric I used in other quilts in the past year. The squares are arranged randomly, and I used leftover binding pieces to make scrappy bindings. I apologize for the picture quality--I took them in dappled sunshine because that's what I had! 😎

This time, I had some fabrics given to me by friends or that I had in scrap boxes to put together for the backings. It was fun to combine these things into pieces large enough to back the quilts.

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

I had panels, pillow panels, borders, scrap fabric, cheater cloth, even a draught excluder panel from the UK (this was actually printed on the selvage--in the US, we sometimes call them door snakes). I love jigsaw puzzles, so I had fun deciding how to fit them together, and I think the unusual backings will be a nice surprise for the recipients.

 

I donate my quilts to Abilities First--an agency that assists individuals with developmental disabilities. You can find their website HERE.

A big thanks to the friends who gave me fabrics for backing these quilts. I tried to put them to good use.

Happy Quilting! 😸

Housedresses

I like to wear housedresses.

They are comfortable, cool, and if someone comes to the door (or I need to take out the trash!), they are modest and presentable. Don't get me wrong--if the house is cold in the winter, you will usually find me in sweatpants and a flannel shirt--but, since we heat our very small house with a large woodstove, my house is rarely cold!

Recently, I got an email about a bargain on a flat-fold bundle of quilter's calico from Marshall Dry Goods. At $1.95/yard, I decided the time had come to make some housedresses. 

Most of the pieces were about six yards in length, so I knew they would be adequate for the project. They are 100% cotton, which I wanted, and are fairly busy prints. Busy prints will show stains and mends less, and since I wear them for housework, yardwork, and cooking, this was a plus. They also remind me of the dresses my grandmother and great-grandmother wore. 😀

I used this pattern:

The design is loose and comfortable. It is an easy sewing project, and at less than $14.00 per dress, it was much less expensive than buying ready-made. I could also change the design to make it fit my own needs and wants.

I made the sleeves fuller and added more width to the skirt. I sewed in-seam pockets (reinforced so they can really be of use) rather than the outside patch pockets.

I love them! They are easy to wash and dry and are very comfortable to wear.

Apparently, I'm not the only person who enjoys wearing house dresses. There is a Facebook page for a small company called thisismyhousedress. Their designs look very much like mine.

You can learn about the history of the housedress at several different sites. This one has several pictures; this one has pictures of vintage sewing patterns; and this one has links to several different sites about the subject.

Happy Sewing! 😺

Log Cabin Finishes

I finally finished up my Log Cabin quilts. They are fun to make, and I have plans for more!

First, a very traditional brown/neutral one.

Brown Log Cabin 95" x 95"

Brown Log Cabin (center detail)

Brown Log Cabin (detail)

Brown Log Cabin (detail)

Brown Log Cabin (back and binding detail)

For this quilt I used 1.5" strips (finished at 1"). The center red square is a constant fabric which I also used as binding. The back is a brown paint stroke print with a center panel of fruit and foliage (you can just see it in the backing detail picture). I quilted it with straight lines.

The second is a curved Log Cabin in red and white.

Curved Log Cabin (67" x 88")

Curved Log Cabin (detail)

Curved Log Cabin (back and binding detail)

This one was made with 2.5" red (and white on red) strips and 1.5" white (and red on white) strips. The center is a constant, and I also used it for binding. The back is a red/white check. I started the light side of these blocks with plain white strips to make sure the contrast in the center was strong. Again, I quilted it with straight lines.

I enjoyed making both of these. The red (2.5") strips seemed very wide--I may adjust them a bit if I do another curved Log Cabin block. I really love the brown one--I think the colors turned out well.

I have another Log Cabin in progress. This one is in the Courthouse Steps variation, and it is VERY scrappy. I have plans for several more as well, so you will be seeing more Cabin construction from me!

Happy Quilting! 😸

 As I mentioned last time, in all my years of quilting, I've never made a Log Cabin quilt before.

I went very traditional with color and layout, and I am basting it for quilting today. This picture only shows a part of it--it is 96" x 96"!

 

I'll post a better picture when it is completed.

Happy Quilting! 😺

A Couple of Recent Finishes

 December was a month when I got little done but, I'm trying to make up for it.

Here are two quilts I finished so far this month.

The first is Rolling Waves (82" x 82"). The pattern is from a free, downloadable ebook available HERE. I used only two fabrics for the top (a difficult thing for this scrappy quilter!). The back is a patchwork cheater's cloth.

Rolling Waves (82" x 82")

Rolling Waves (backing and binding detail)

The quilt is hanging straight down from the fence, but the use of different sizes and shapes of blocks gives it the illusion of rolling waves. It is an easy pattern--all nine patches. The effect is achieved by their arrangement.

The second quilt is Hourglass Wreath (58" x 72") from MSQC. The tutorial is available HERE.

I used a Kaffe Fassett layer cake to make this one. I rarely buy precuts (other than fat quarters), but KF is an exception for me. I like getting lots of his different prints without having to buy yardage.

KF Hourglass Wreath (58" x 72")

KF Hourglass Wreath (backing and binding detail)

This is another beautiful, but easy pattern to make.

I'm not thrilled with mine--I think the black I chose for the background does not have enough contrast with some of the KF fabrics. I'll pay closer attention to that next time. I used every inch of the black, so I went with a paisley black for the binding. 

Right now, I'm working on a log cabin quilt. I've never made one before, and I'm enjoying it very much. I'd like to explore the pattern and variations more this year. Maybe I'll think of 2023 as my Log Cabin Year.

I'm afraid I have stalled on the BH mystery quilt--as I said earlier, December was quite the month! I'll get back to it later. I have the first clue completed.

Happy Quilting! 😸

Winter Mystery--Chilhowie--Designed by Bonnie Hunter

It is that time of year again--Mystery Time. 🎉🎊🎉  Bonnie Hunter's mystery this year is entitled Chilhowie. You can find her introductory post with colors, amounts, and any special tools needed HERE.

 

I'm planning to change up the colors a bit. Instead of purple, I have burgundy; instead of orange, I'm going with yellow/gold; and Bonnie's aqua will change to green for me. I have an inspiration photo below.

Inspiration photo for Chilhowie

I don't usually pull out fabrics until they figure in the instructions--I know I have plenty of these.

 

I often work on another project alongside the mystery. This year, I think I'll do Ditch Lilies. It uses a lot of orange, so that is one reason I changed the color in the mystery. Orange is not my favorite, but it is necessary for Ditch Lilies--their orange glows in the summer sun.

 

This image is a link to the ordering page for the quilt pattern.

 

I'm looking forward to beginning this new mystery. Each week's clue will be posted on Bonnie's blog; there is no charge or sign-up required. Save the clues each week, even if you aren't making the quilt right now. After the reveal, she will take the instructions down, and the pattern will be available for purchase.

Happy Quilting! 😸