Sew Sunshine

"old red barn" Improv using orphan hst blocks  37"x34" It is finished! I will say I usually never have trouble with binding but I cut it too narrow and paid for it in a bit of wonky at the corners but the best part it is done. I didn't think I was going to make it since this is the last day of the month.  I actually really like how the orphan blocks worked into the piece with some other blocks I made.  It is a reminder of my old farm place when I was younger with a big red barn and windmill next to it. We had a silo too but it was blue not read but I wanted to keep my color palette. If you don't see a barn, silo and windmill that is okay. Never know where my mind travels but I do like the composition itself.  Here is the link for the original  POST You too can join the One Monthly goal challenge at  Elm Street Quilts  just click on over and get ready for Feb.  Used up some stash fabric in keeping with the black and white th...

In the spirit of not putting too much pressure on myself I decided to join  One monthly goal  at Elm Street Quilts. Basically you pick one thing to finish this month and blog about it and link to party. Then at the end of the month you link your finished blog post. One item. That works for me.  I am going to start with a simple project I started in Nov at my lqg sew day.  We brought some orphan blocks and we sewed and cut and sewed and cut and made something else. I think this is pretty fun so I am going to run with it. 

Just in time for my lqg meeting challenge....I have a little finish! Our guild challenge was called "That's MODern" and we had to draw a Modern element or aesthetic out of a bag and make a 16" square black and white quilt with a pop of color.  I drew "Texture"..........say what??  The first thing I thought of was all the wonderful quilting I have been seeing lately. But I am not a talent for quilting and my sewing room is a big heaping pile since the remodel project started months ago.   Recently the MQG had a webinar by Rebecca Bryan from  Bryan House Quilts  and bits from her book Modern Triangle Quilts.  She talked about modern aesthetic and graphic design. So that got me excited. Here is what I came up with.  "Text-ure" 16" square Modern element = Texture black white and pop of color  I wanted to make sure everyone knew what my element was so I wrote out an improv word. :) Emphasis on 'text' since I love tex...

    Mini quilted trees happened today.    I have many many orphan quilt blocks that were pattern samples my mom made when she was trying blocks out.  Most of her blocks are from a picture then she makes a grid and cuts out cardboard templates.  Many times the block didn't come out exactly as she wanted.  She would fold up the block with the templates and label an envelope with the block name or idea.  I inherited boxes of these.     I decided to try this sort of unattractive rust color block as a sample and randomly quilted it.  Once it was quilted I drew tree shapes on the block not caring where they fell really. I took matching thread and stitched over my drawing several times then cut them out.  I really like the way the cuts took on sort of a wonky appearance but like it was meant to be.  I dug out moms button box and added the button to the top and tied a string to make in to ornaments.   While ...

  I did it! I completed the top for the DYO Sampler from SewMamaSew Summer SAL designed by Sarah from Sarah Quilts HERE . I followed quite a bit of her block size layouts because I had quite a few orphan blocks that fit those sizes.  This top is made up of some orphan blocks from the 2012 Craftsy BOM and some old blocks I learned how to make from my mom. Other blocks are just scrap pieces I put together in an improv way.  I tried to get the balance of colors to play across the quilt top. Not sure I succeeded....BUT,I did use a lot of scraps and blocks. However, like most scrap projects, I still have lots of scraps from this.   sigh.......     My goal for June was to get the top done and maybe the backing. I have a couple leftover blocks for the back that I will work into the scrappy back.  I have to wait for a bit to tackle the back because this is so much bigger than I thought it would be. It is going to be a monster for...

....And that is saying something! :P I have to let you all know I am just glad to be saying or showing anything at all. I have been so blah lately. Too many things going on and not enough going right or what have you. I hope this is the start of something good!! I have wanted to do the DYO Sampler quilt posted by Sarah Schraw @Sarahquilts to SewMamaSew Summer sew along HERE . I used Sarah's layout because I already had some orphan blocks in mind and they fit into a couple of her size places. I also dug into my scraps and found strips and bits to piece together for more scrap blocks that fit pretty easy. It is hectic and I like it. I am just so (sew) happy to get through some scraps and use up these orphans. Super old orphan - school house block. I found it in an old sewing box I had and thought I could make it work in with my others. I don't even think they are cotton fabrics in that block???  I am pretty sure, if memory serves, that my mom was trying ...

I have been reading some of the blogs about the "backside" of quilts. I am kind of proud of some of my backs now, but at the time I was making them I really didn't think too much about them. I am linking up with Katie at  Swim, Bike, Quilt . Here are a few of my backs that I think are kind of interesting.  This is the back to the mini quilt in my header above. There was a lecture at our guild meeting about improv piecing to make your own fabric so I used some of my scraps from the front to make the stip of fabric on the back. Love it!  This is the back of my Scrappy Lone Star, called Lucky Star blogged HERE.  This is the back of my One Fish Two Fish quilt blogged HERE  One block left over to make a nice accent block on the back blogged HERE One of my favorite backs was because of the last collaboration of sewing/quilting with my Mom. We put together blocks for a Bournoigne Surrounded quilt. Her sewing was smaller than mine so her two fi...