Sew Sunshine

Our local guild had a maximalism challenge.  I wanted to play with one shape in multiple ways with bold contrast color with neutrals and bold prints. I wasn't sure one shape like the cross or plus made in a more ordered fashion could be maximalism or not but this is what I came up with. Whether it is or isn't it will be in a local art museum with other guild members entries starting next week. I love this pink color and am super happy with how it turned out. This part of that center fabric I saved just for this label and contributed to the name. 

The International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Ne. where our local guild meets joined our guild for a challenge.  They have an exhibition up based off of use of feedsack fabrics and other reused textiles.  They gave us 5 vintage quilt blocks to choose from to make something more modern but with recycled or other textiles.  I used a black and white tea towel some a shirt, a skirt and some silk lining. The block I chose was the star block. I decided to do it in a QAYG method. cutting batting to various sizes to make the star more improv.  Since it came together in a lantern shape that I love I felt it fit the bible quote from Matthew 5: 15-16 This is currently hanging with the guilds display at the IQM. 

This day was sort of a birthday wish I had that my sisters would help me sew some of my fabric up for outreach quilts. One sister thought it would be fun to give out scratch off tickets but she guessed they were duds...I won $25!! We finished 5 quilt tops that day and I went home and quilted them. One of my sisters took some blocks home too and has another top done for me. I still need to get that done but I have been dealing with a broken bone in my foot and now some realignment therapy for some toes. It sort of makes it hard to get a lot done as my sewing area is both upstairs and down.   A little bit every day.....

Catching up on some quilting posts today. I am thinking now that I am looking back at some photos that this may be a bit daunting. I have not kept up this year hardly at all.  I started making up all the panels I had in my stash for a local quilt for kids group. I have 100 labels and hope to fulfill that goal one day. I am going to just post a bunch of the quilts I have been making this summer for that group and my local church outreach. This photo is some of the U.G.L.Y (unconditionally God loves you) bed rolls our church group makes from donated textiles.  Lots of donations of denim jeans and bits of canvas makes for colorful sleeping bags. We make pillows if we don't have donated ones and we also put a bag of hygiene products wrapped up inside.  Our group has finished over 87 bed rolls so far this year. Our goal is 100. We just rescued several rolls of mattress padding from a warehouse that was getting rid of old product. The rolls are 90" wide and rolls of about 50 ya...

For some reason I found a few pics of this hand dyed quilt I made last year and realized I never posted about it.  I had a stack of hand dyed fabrics from various dye classes and decided to match them up with some lighter turmeric dyed fabric I made. All HST's made in groups of 4. This was super fun and fast to make.  Lots of trimming! I was inspired by this little arty thing I drew. The mix of colors worked pretty well. In person some of the dyes looked more muddy and I was glad this shows the contrast and how they did all work together. Leftover square sets went on the back. I decided hand quilting was best. It is big stitch. When I entered this in the county fair last year I heard the judge called it a toenail catcher. I don't get that....? I'm going to have to dig it out of storage to get the size but it was big enough to have to use my quilt hanger.  Well I know I still have some hand dyes to work with so maybe another scrappy type quilt this year.  I have to go...

I did a simple Irish chain for this weeks challenge theme for Project Quilting. I made this free pattern before and you can read all about that  HERE . I made this in a kid size mainly because I had limited neon fabrics. I have enough strips cut to make bigger but my goal was to make quilts for kids that I could donate to organizations. So in the end getting this one made this week (also I have had some kind of flu for 2 weeks) is a win! Some of these mostly black prints have been in my stash for a long time so really want to keep working on my stash.  Simple criss-cross quilting. 39"x 49" approx. Linking up with Persimon Dreams  HERE

This week the theme was Wearables. oooooo I had plans to remake a jacket. I liked the style of an old coat and when the outside was worn out I took the quilted lining out of it ..a few months ago. Sigh since that project was already started I could not do it for this weeks theme.  Instead I remembered that I had a Noodlehead bag pattern and I NEEDED a new bag!  This pattern is the Redwood tote, crossbody bag by Noodlehead.  I had some clearance HobbyLobby fabrics that all coordinated and zippers on had so went for it.  This bag has a zip and regular pocket outside and I made 3 drop in pockets inside with a big spacious inside and it has a zip top to close all.  Also adjustable strap for crossbody. It is snowing here today so didn't get great pictures but made as bright as I could.  At the last minute.... I decided to add the handle straps that the pattern calls for. I made them but didn't think I would like them. When I realized the bag is fairly deep I fig...