My Take on Yuletide Quilt.

 I knows it’s after Christmas, but I finished this right before Christmas and I am just finding time to write this post. Maybe soon, I will find time to post all the awesome finishes of the last months! 

This truly was a last minute quilt, one of those I just wanted to do.  I received this as a free pattern as part of Primitive Gatherings quilt shop Black Friday deals. I saw it advertised and purchased the wool kit that day.  Well, when it came in the mail, I thought it matched the charm pack I received of Red Barn Christmas, by sweetwater fabrics. And then the quilt had to be made!!! I ordered a layer cake to make the rest. 

When the layer cake came in, I decided to use 4 of the Charcoal gray layer cake pieces to make the background.  Then started stitching away at the wool appliqué. It honestly went together pretty quick.  

Instead of cutting down the charm squares to match the size called for in the pattern, I slightly adjusted the size of the appliqué block. Then figure out a magic number to be able to use as many squares as possible.  The quilt ended up being 13x15 charms. 

I left a spot on the right lower for the appliqué.  Then laid it on the twin bed in a guest room to make sure the Santa would end up on top. It did perfectly.  The quilt top was honestly done fast!! 

Then the quilting I decided to do a simple straight line across the quilt.  Stopping outside the appliqué.  Doing just a little Freemotion inside the Santa. 

To bind it, I used another piece of Red barn, I bought for a panel quilts binding. Glad I bought extra! 

I was sooo happy to be able to finish this quilt before Christmas.  Part of my goal for this year is finishing one for every major holiday. Honestly for myself! 

Project Quilting Round Up!!

Here is a review of all the 2021 Project Quilting challenges in Review!! 

Challenge #1- Illuminating and Ultimate Gray.  The pan atone color of the year challenge. 

Challenge #2- Fussy Cut and my smallest finish! 

Challenge #3- Virtual Vacation- I so want to take a trip out west!!

Challenge #4- The snail trail block and my modern improv piece, interpreting the old block. 

Challenge #5- You’re Crazy.  A challenge themed on crazy quilts!! So I made this awesome Jean Pocket Quilt! 

Challenge #6- Ab Intra- A Latin phrase “from within”. By far the hardest to come up with an idea. A quilt made with old embroidery blocks.  And of course some vintage material. 

     I sooo love how project quilting and his it gives me the desire to get things done.  There are Still a few scrappy challenges left from last year! So it will give me a few things to do until next year!! 

The old, the improv and the new creation!

Sadly, at least 2 years or more ago my friends neighbor handed me a bag of quilt blocks.  The blocks were all hand embroidered by her grandma.  Well, if you know me, I don’t always hop right on a project.  I have to come up with an idea and plan. Last year I finished up 1/2 the blocks into the awesome quilt below.  This year, I finished #2!!

The blocks have an amazing story.  They were originally made by Hattie Eunice Halford Mitchell who was born in 1901 and passed away in 1969. Not sure much more information on her but I did google her and saw she was born and died in Mississippi.  She hand embroidered these bear blocks.  They are amazingly cute!! 

Going with the fashion of what was possibly her time, I pulled out the little bit of 30s fabric I had.  I already decide to do a kinda 1/2 log cabin block.  I squared each up.  Most between 7-8 inches to start. Then Building each embroidered block out to 12.5 inches. In no uniform fashion.  Just in a scrappy fashion.  As many would do back in her time period. Most with the same colors as embroidered in the blocks, but a few random color 30s fabrics thrown in.  I kept each bear in the top right corner. 

I then sewed them together to form a 3x4 layout.  Wanting to make it a little larger, I added a 2.5 inner red border and 4.5 outer.  The outer fabric is actually a vintage fabric that I also used in the blocks.  

After that, I cut up vintage pillow cases to form a backing. Then quilted it with straight lines in all the strips of the blocks.  The binding is made out of a blue fabric I picked to blend with the blue in the blocks. 

After 2 years of holding on to these blocks that are at least 52 years old, they finally are completed!! This goes along with this weeks theme.  Making something out of the old, letting my gut lead me to a finish.  Honestly, I have trouble following a pattern, as my gut loves to lead the way.  And it usually works out well!  

I love how this turned out.  Saving All the vintage and adding a bit of modern!!! Now to take a trip to Pawleys Island and delivering it to a granddaughter who is as old or older then her grandmother was when she made these blocks! 

March Finishes

March for me started out well!!  Early month Quilt Retreat with my Misfit Friends!! I didn’t get as much sewing done as I wanted, but I finished one quilt and one top and had lots of fun!! Here is a collection of some of the finished projects!! I am sew proud of my girls!! 

First finish of the month was a Persimon Dreams Project Quilting Challenge of a Crazy Quilt.  Well, here’s a Crazy Jean Quilt! 

After the retreat, I finished this Pillow Cover I started last month! 2 Shamrock Pillows Done!  

Second Challenge Quilt of the month and last of the project quilting season!! 

Then I challenged myself months ago to finish my Ultimate beginner quilt. So glad to have this UFO from last year done!! 

After finishing the house Quilt too at the retreat earlier in the month,  I did a basic wavy straight line to quilt it. 

Then I said I would finish this quilt for my sewing group as a donation!! It’s a mix of some else’s blocks and someone else said they would quilt it but did not.  So here it is done!  Feels so good to say DONE! 

1- House quilt- lots of pieces and few rows. Top finished at retreat and now it’s completely Finished!!

2- Small old antique embroidery quilt- only the original blob lock and fabric pulled.  Plan to box the blocks in, maybe like a log cabin. FINISHED!!!!!

3-Harvest Road Quilt- blocks cut, a few pieces sewn together 

4-Debbie row by row- omg, so much to do

5-Rooster on board- one section done.  I think this will be a retreat quilt for this year

6- Pumpkin quilt-  fabrics pulled and all in a box

7- Pineapple place mat- needs to be put together and quilted

8- Jelly roll quilt-  undid it for a race demo in class.  Sewed a few corners and now it’s sittin a box. 

9- Moma quilt- I need to make several of these, but for 2 years,  I’ve had fabric pulled for at least one and sitting in a box. 

10- Sunflower quilt- made with my friends daughters clothes for her kids 

11- Sunflower 2- same as above

12-Sunflower 3- yep, same

13- Bow tie quilt-  I cut a bunch of scrap squared to make this and never did it. 

14- Bea Lea Jumbled Sampler-  Accuquilt quilt fit the year

15- Sewcialites- 12 blocks out of 36 blocks done

16- Ultimate beginner Sampler- FINISHED 

17- T quilt from years ago-  at least 2 blocks done.

18- Stained glass window-  lots of blocks done years old

19- animal embroidery-  needs just a few blocks. 

20- Kaffe embroidery quilt- needs borders.  Top done,  at least 2 years old

21- Yenter embroidery-  needs a few blocks finished

22- batik embroidery-  needs a few blocks finished

23- crown of thorns.  Has a few blocks cut out. Several sewn together 

24- Tree quilt- not started

25- Scrap log cabin quilt- not started

26- Selvedge aqua quilt-  some selvedge blocks done

27- string block quilt-  random sized string blocks 

28- pineapple sampler quilt- 3 blocks started. 

29- batik HST quilt- lesson from class

30- persimmon dreams block of the month

31- Pat Sloan star quilt