Sew Sunshine

  So excited that Kim over at  Persimon Dreams is hosting Project Quilting again this year. It was so fun last year and I accomplished a lot.  This year I had so many ideas for this first Challenge. I wanted to do something more arty but when it came down to it I really need to make lap or baby size quilts for some of the charities I contribute to. I am sure I will do something more artsy before the challenge is over but for today I am going with a version of a scrap quilt.  The Challenge is "String Along with Me" I used the same strip quilt as you go as I did in a quilt I made last Oct following Maureen Cracknell and her Herringbone QAYG quilt tutorial.  This was is called Scrappy II  it is 43 x 45. All scrap strings, scrap batting pieces and scrap binding. It might not be very creative but my scrap box is looking so much better!  (notice the fun fabric I found for the back...lovely dotty diamonds!) Simple quilting since each strip was quilted right to

It has been a strange week. I got really motivated to get going on things in some challenges I have been in. I knew the Memorial weekend was coming up but that I would have time after to have a nice month of finishes at the end. Wrong! I totally forgot about the  Persimon Dreams  "My Favorite Block Quilt Along" which is due May 25th.    I made 12 of the 20 blocks. Two of them I made twice so I figured why not go for a finish. One of my blocks is not exactly what it was supposed to be ...it was a paper pieced fiasco but the others turned out pretty well. I have 13 blocks on the front and one of my favs on the back.  Close up of my spiral quilting. I now know there is a wrong way to spiral. Let's hope I remember that for next time. :) I am happy for the finish! I think it turned out pretty cute. 

  Here it is ...the Final Challenge. I don't know how to even go about telling Kim over at  Persimon Dreams  how much I have enjoyed participating in her Project Quilting this season. It has helped me get back into quilting and sewing which I was not sure I was even going to do again.  Last year in the spring, my Mom got sick and we ended up having to move her to a nursing care facility. She was 93 and lived by herself in a house across the road from our old farm.  Mom passed away and we buried her the day before her 94th birthday in the fall.  I learned almost everything I know about sewing from her and we shared a love of quilts.  When I saw the Project Quilting challenge I felt I had to give it a go.  The challenges were just fun and no pressure on judging or even finishing.  My mom loved the t.v. show Project Runway and I think secretly wished she could do something like that. I just thought it would be a great tribute to her to participate and hopefully she has followed alon

  This was a busy week. At first I felt like I was not getting anything done. One goal was to complete another charity quilt with my Craftsy BOM from 2012.  I made myself get some out and just go for it.  Pretty busy but it is 6 more blocks used!!! yeah Then I put together my last 4 blocks from the  Modern BOM 2 Block #1 blocks. This one I will call "In and Out". I had to spiral quilt this one too because it was just so fun!! Then....while I was in a finishing mode I got out a couple small pieces that were from my moms stash. I thought the little girl print, which I think is a Daisy Kingdom print, works well in these little flannel backed preemie quilts for  Lincoln Quilts for Kids . I started planning what I want to do for the final  Project Quilting  challenge. :) and then there is my husband, Matt. He ran a 10k Saturday morning (when it was about 32 degrees F). He finshed 3rd in his age group....YES!!!  (he is in the white

Emily at  Mommy's Nap Time  has this weeks question up and ready.  First I can't believe it is Thursday and almost the end of the month..wow! Okay the Question for today :  If you were a quilt block which one would you be? Yikes! I have no idea. I have been getting back into quilting only recently. So I am not sure what it is or what represents me the most...yet! I plan on trying many many things. I know some people know exactly what they like and they do it and do it often and are successful. I want to try it all and then weed out what I enjoy. With that said...recently I tried pieced circles. So fun.  They turned out great and I loved doing them.  I think that I am more than that though. I love scrappy piecing right now too.  This is a charity quilt I made from scraps I made into a disappearing nine patch. I love the randomness of it.  And not so random but the precise work involved in piecing this Burgoyne Surrounded that my mother and I worked on last sprin

Well here it is the final challenge for Project Quilting Season 4 sponsored by Persimon Dreams .  The last few weeks have really been something.  There has been lots of learning and experimenting AND lots of emotions.  Okay this challenge is "Hooray for Spring". Wide open and just about anything goes.   My quilt this week is sort of a quilt mash-up.  I received a letter from my sister in law containing and article about a man who makes these fabulous quilts with one block.   They are a kaleidoscope like block made from laying the repeat of the fabric print on top of each other and then you cut through enough layers to make a block.   I had some floral fabric and decided to try a few to see what would happen.  Fun!  I decided this looked like spring so I was going to see where this would go.   "You are a Seed" All the flower hexi shaped blocks are from one piece of fabric.  I have been hoarding the lovely little girl panel designed by Cori Dontini. I love

  Today is WIP over at  Freshly Pieced  and I have been working on a few things.  More progress on last weeks green half-hexi quilt top. I put borders of a sort on but now it looks more traditional so not sure if I like it.  Then onto this weeks  Project Quilting  Challenge. This is the 6th and last challenge. The theme is "Hooray for Spring". I have something in the works but it is only midweek and I might change my mind. My sister in law sent me an article about a man who makes these huge one block wonder quilts. I never thought I wanted to do one but I had some fabric and thought I might try and see what it looked like all kaleidoscopey. Fun that is what it is. We will have to see.  Linking up with  Freshly Pieced

Wow! Another challenge -  Project Quilting -5 This one was called "Print Publications" page 28 My magazine stash consists of my moms collection of Quilt magazines. I didn't realize how hard it would be to come up with something from a Quilt magazine for a quilt but it really was....too many ideas in fact! My page 28 was from Quilter's Newsletter 2000.    The article is called "Heart and Soul" and it is a challenge in itself for people to come up with wearable art with the theme Heart and Soul. Well ???  In quilting, I feel my Heart and Soul goes back to the beginnings. I learned from my Mom and she believed in quilting, first, to be utilitarian. She used every scrap and item of clothing that was good enough to cut up into a quilt to create warmth and comfort for her family. Later she bought fabrics and created quilts she felt were to keep and used for special occasions.  I started my project thinking I would use scraps. Somehow I wanted to inco

 Sew Thinky Thursday again! Emily has a new question. Don't forget to check out her blog  Mommy's Nap Time  to see her adventures at Quiltcon!!! Here's our question for this week: Tell us about your sewing friends. Have your fabric tastes changed by having friends who like to sew? Do you like the same things or are you completely opposite? I think my fabric taste changes just about every day. I have favorites and if I pile all my fabric in one place I would see that I have way more of some colors than another but I feel like a seed in a giant seed pod. I have been starting to stretch and grow in several directions. I have always liked crafty things and dabbling in this and that. I am sure you have heard the saying "jack of all trades but master of none" ...that is me.  I love being around all the new blogging friends since I started my blog. I feel everyday is a learning experience.  I see a quilt-a-long and I want to do that but before the minut