Inspiration

Question....do you plan your quilts?  Or, do they just happen?

Mine mostly just happen.  I get a lot of ideas from Pinterest, from magazines such as Quiltmaker Magazine  (I especially LOVE their 100 Blocks magazine published twice a year.  One of these days I'm going to make every block in one of those magazines.) and Quilters Newsletter .

I also like a website called 24 Blocks (which you can "like" on Facebook.)  What I like about 24 Blocks is they feature quilts made by the likes of you and me....who quilt for love and fun (not necessarily for $$.)  (I've had two of my quilts featured on 24 Blocks.  See my post for Feb 18, 2015.)

Just this morning I saw a quilt on 24 Blocks and I actually have made that same pattern!  (It was one of my very first quilts and frankly mine was not very good.)

Here is my version of this same quilt.

Cat Adoption Team Fund Raiser 2010
Even though it wasn't very good, in my opinion,
it did sell for $450!  I was thrilled! (So was Cat Adoption Team.
See my previous posts for Whisker Wonderland.)

I saw this quilt on this same website a couple days ago.

Storm At Sea
from 24 Blocks.com

I actually did an internet search for "Storm at Sea quilt pattern" and found THIS and THIS.  Click the links, check 'em out.  What I liked about this pattern was there were so many variations.  You need to click the links and check out all the different variations.

That's all for today....Happy sewing.

Our Quilting Heritage

There have been quilters since dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Saw this on Facebook this morning.  Gave me a smile, but one of the comments actually made me laugh out loud!

Have you ever thought about your quilting (or sewing) heritage?  I remember my great-grandmother making quilts.

We called her "MaMoo" (Taken about 1970 or '71)

She had a big quilt frame that was suspended from the dining room ceiling when there was a quilt to be quilted (by hand) or tied.  (Not sure where it was the rest of the time...I suspect it was something that was assembled as needed.)  I would sit under the frame and listen to my great-grandmother and her friends gossip as they sat around the frame and quilted.

She made "functional" quilts.  They were on our beds.  She made them from whatever fabric she had on hand, including (but not limited to) old work shirts.   I'm not sure where she got her fabric.  There were always boxes and boxes of fabric in her sewing room.  She did not go to the fabric store and buy it, that's for sure.  She would let me dig through the boxes and pull out pieces to play with.

She made a quilt for each of us kids.  I thought the one she made for me when I was a little girl was ugly (I'm ashamed to say now).  It was gray and brown and it looked like old work shirts. 

A fun story featuring that particular quilt, however.  It was just wide enough to fit in the back of our station wagon when the seats were down.  Looked something like this one....

My dad would put all five of us kids in the back of the station wagon, way at the back by the window, sitting on the quilt.  He'd RACE up to a stop sign and push hard on the brakes.  We'd go flying toward the back of the front seat...bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.... what fun... (you can be sure my mom wasn't around when he did this!)  Something we safety-conscious parents would never do now.  What I wouldn't give to have that quilt back.

I make quilts for my grandsons...and my nieces and nephews... and grand nieces and grand nephews ... and friends.  I hope they have as many fun memories with those quilts as I have had remembering my great-grandmother's quilts.

Doing My Duty For God and My Daughter's Charity

In the previous post, I wrote about the Cat Adoption Team and their upcoming Whisker Wonderland.  My daughter, Ana, has been volunteering at CAT for a long time.  She asked me to make some knitting bags and fabric baskets for the event.












 Here is my contribution:

For links to Fabric Basket tutorials, see previous post
http://quiltedq.blogspot.ca/2015/07/takin-break.html

If you are in the Portland, Oregon area and want to purchase these, or any of the many other wonderful things they will have available (along with good food and good people and a live auction) OR  if you love cats and kittens....plan to attend
Cat Adoption Team's Whisker Wonderland.
(and say "Hi" to my daughter)

Love You, Honey

What a face!

Takin a Break

I'm taking a bit of a break from my Christmas Quilts because my daughter asked me to make fabric baskets and totes for the Cat Adoption Team's (CAT) fund raiser in November, Whisker Wonderland.
(As a side note...this is a great organization.  My daughter has volunteered there for about 10 years, I think.)

http://catadoptionteam.org/

Here are a couple I made for Ana.  She knits so I  made one for home and one for toting around.

They're fast, they're easy and they satisfy the need to sew without thinking too hard.

Here are some helpful links to fabric basket patterns and tutorials:

http://radcrafter.com/2011/11/fabric-organizer-bin-aka-diaper-caddy-sewing-tutorial-and-free-pattern-download/

http://creativeideasforyou.blogspot.com/2010/11/baskets-and-handbags-patterns-and.html (scroll down)

Same Link as above






I'll make 6 total, two of each pattern and get them off to her by the end of the week.  If you are in the Pacific Northwest....look up Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, OR.  And, say "Hi" to my daughter when you go pick out your new kitty.... :-)

What's On your Design Wall?

I'm so excited... I have been working for months on my "Christmas Quilts."
I decided to choose one branch of the family each year and make quilts for them all for Christmas.
This year, I chose my baby sister, who lives in Kentucky.  (She is my favorite, but don't tell anyone.)

Every-other Christmas she has all three of her children, and their families, home for Christmas.  2015 is her year.  So, I am making quilts for the kids (3) and their kids (total of 3).

I am making good progress.... have one done (except the binding) ... have one at the quilter (see previous post) ... have one on the design wall (making progress on it--I'll post a pic later, doesn't look like much right now) and now it is time to plan quilt number 4. (And, actually I'm only making 4....one child already received a wedding quilt 2 years ago and a baby quilt earlier this year...she'll get a table runner.)

Here is the back story....my name is Charlotte... my nephew is Wilbur (sister's oldest)...
how funny is that!!!

Joy did not plan that based on the book... Wilbur is a "junior."  But, fate does play it's tricks so of course Wilbur LOVES pigs...so, of course, my quilt for him will have a pig focus.










Here is my problem.... I've collected some fabrics, but I don't know what to do with them.

I NEED IDEAS!!

Various sizes

Four Corners?

Great Focus Piece

Pigs in a Blanket for the backing

I just don't know what to do with these... help!!

Happy With The Result

I blogged a couple of times about becoming an expert at ripping out seams....completely "un-sewing" an entire quilt top! It was wonky.  It was ugly. I was just not happy with it.  See June 1 and June 9.  I must confess, I did entertain for a wee moment the thought of just not completing this quilt.  I didn't think I would ever really like it.

But, I persevered; took it all apart and put it all back together again.
And now it is ready to take to the quilter.

Missouri Quilt Star Skateboard Quilt
Follow this link

I am so happy with the result!
Even the Newbie gets it....Good for you, Kathy.

So, let this be an encouragement to you...stick with it.  And, if there is something about your quilt you don't like...rip it apart and do it over.  You'll be so happy you did.

Post Long Weekend

....So, how'd ya do....

My "oldest Babe" and I did manage to get in some sewing time... he made pillow cases.

And, he is quite proud of himself!

Pillow cases are fast, fun and they give you a sense of accomplishment.  The method we used can be found in the Missouri Star Quilt Company Tutorials.  After the "oldest Babe" sewed the basic seams, I finished them with French seams.  HERE is the same pillow case method but showing you how to do French Seams.  If you have a "young one" who wants to learn to sew, here is a link to my Pinterest board about teaching kids to sew.

I think he might be ready to try a rag quilt.

Sewing Bliss

We are coming up on a 3-day holiday.  Mine will be filled with:

* Sewing
* Food
* Sewing
* Friends
* Sewing
* More Food
* Fireworks
* Community Parade
* My "Babes"
and
* Sewing

So Looking forward to it!

Isn't This Sweet?

More Accurate

Brand, Spankin New Month...

...Oh the Possibilities!

What is on your ToDo list this month?

Mine?

* Finish the Skateboard quilt and get to the quilter.
* Start new quilt or work on a UFO?
* Go to the gym 3 X a week... for sure, this time...
* Re organize my fabric stash.(I have an offer of help... :-)  )
* Clean out the refrigerator....really, I will.
* I need a baby quilt... ??? (deciding if I will actually do this, or pretend I didn't notice the new baby.)
* Oops, almost forgot the tee shirt quilt I need for my nephew's graduation.

Time to get busy....

Oh, one more thing.... because it is the start of a new month you might want to check out the on-line shop hop.  Fabshop Hop  You could win another sewing machine!