Look What I found!

 I Love this quilt !!  I saw it on Facebook, the Scrappy Girls Club page.  It looks so fresh and clean, but whimsical.

Each of 9-patch squares is 1.5 inches....that is pretty small.

 

The creator, in her post,  said it took her 18 months.  But I like it so much.  Looks like a good leaders and enders.

Same quilt pattern--different fabric choice! 

This one looks like a completely different quilt pattern! 
It reminds me of blue dishes, comforting.

I did an internet search for "Jack's Chain" and found so many examples and tutorials.  It would not be possible to post links to ALL the examples and tutorials I found.  Here is one, Carpe Lanam.  Looks helpful.

What can I say...I just like it!  I just might have to add it to my list for 2022 (Along with the Ice Cream Quilt.)

UPDATE:  I've been thinking about "Dishes" since I posted this.  (I really like bowls.)

There IS a quilt pattern called Broken Dishes. Click HERE

Dawn of First Light Designs wrote of the Pickle Dish Quilt.  Click HERE 

I found a quilt pattern simply called Dishes.  Click HERE

Inspiration Comes in Spurts

It is two weeks into a new year and all of a sudden I feel energized!  Maybe it is is because I have finished Storm At Sea
(it goes to the LAQ today.) Or, maybe because I'm getting used to being home ALONE, ALL THE TIME.  Who knows....

Lately I've been motivated to sew, but instead of sewing I am searching the internet for free quilt patterns
(like I don't have enough patterns!)  Even so, I thought I'd share some of my finds with you.

With an eye on what I already have and what to use up
A few years ago I was given a Jelly Roll as a gift.  Beautiful fabrics (nothing like the picture below.)
I was saving it for a special quilt.  But, as with so many other pieces of beautiful fabric, it was put in a cupboard and forgotten.

With the new year comes the annual cleaning-out-of-all-the-Studio cupboards. Lost treasures are found!

 

 

 

Yesterday I watched this video and LOVED her idea.

Tea Time by Jordan Fabrics.  The pattern is free and she makes it look soooooo easy!  Click HERE.

Not long ago my baby sister whined "Everyone has a quilt but me. (sad face here)"  Her birthday is in April (happy face here).

Next on the docket
(any clue what I've been watching to on YouTube while I sew?)

 

 

Tilda Friends.  I saw this quilt posted on FB just this morning.  I really like bright, white backgrounds; I really like scrappy; and I really like using up all my scraps with a free pattern.  Enter Duck Quilt. WIN, Win, win!!! 

If you like a country flavor, this is the site for you.  There are some adorable, free, patterns on this site and not everything is a quilt.

Someone is selling a quilt made from this pattern on Etsy. 
Very cute!  And, I like her choice of background fabric. 

 

 

 

 Just plain fun

 

 

I saw this wall hanging on the FB page Scrappy Girls Club. 
I do not think there is a pattern, but if you're in the mood to just sit down and sew, wouldn't this be fun?

 

 

 

 

  

 

Finally for the advanced in the group
Dancing Ribbons by Cindy Round Richards.

Get the free pattern HERE on the American Quilting Society (AQS) site and don't forget the coloring chart.

Read the How To at My Patchworld.

I love this but I don't think I'm up for the challenge....

 

 

 

The last Word 
Just to mention some sites for free patterns.  These are in no particular order and there are many more.

Bonnie Hunter especially if you like scrappy.  Also, she usually has an annual mystery, quilt-along.
For the person who likes modern quilts, Spruce Crafts.
I could spend some time on the Art Gallery Fabrics website...two thumbs up!
If you don't have anything better to do of an evening....start HERE....many, many sites for free patterns!! 

WARNING: looking for free patterns is like falling into a black hole, it goes on forever.  And it is addictive!

De-Nesting

 
Every expectant mother gets to the stage toward the end of her 40 weeks where she just feels the need to get the nursery ready.
It's called "The Nesting Instinct."



I suppose the opposite is also true.  At some point in our life we want to "De-nest."  At least that seems to be the case for me.





I continue to clean out cupboards and drawers. And that includes sewing/crafting cupboards, too.  Hard to believe, I know.

The goal was to tame the quilt/craft stuff.

BEFORE:  Lots of scraps in plastic shoe boxes.
Cut in various size squares.

AFTER:  I did keep the 5" squares.

I knew I would NEVER sew up all these squares so I posted on Facebook asking if anyone wanted some scraps (the Scrappy Girls Club.)

I ran out of scraps before I got to the bottom of the "YES" list.

Ready to take to the P.O.

BTW, the Scrappy Girls Club is a nice FB group.

This freed up space on the shelf for all the junk on my work table and in the storage cabinet that was full-to-over-flowing with little crafty doo-dads and such.  The cabinet has been purged also, with a big zip-loc bag going to the thrift store.

Before

After

My Quilting-Auntie would roll over in her grave if she knew I actually got rid of my scraps.
That was the first quilting rule she taught me .... "Keep everything, you never know when you will need it."

But, after 10 years or so of quilting I've learned that scraps have their own ecosystem and will never totally be gone. 
Like a sourdough bread starter!
(I better keep those plastic shoe boxes.  
But, then again, they are only $1 at the dollar store.)

Nyla Stoughton 1932 - 2019 - Jewels of the Universe

Welcome 2018 - The Year of the UFO*

I am associated with a number of quilting Facebook pages:  Quilt Along with Pat Sloan, Scrappy Girls Club; Panel Quilts; Thrifty Quilters .... there are tons of quilting-related Facebook pages to choose from.

It is so fun to follow these pages!  I get a lot of inspiration as well as making friends.

A consistent theme for the new year seems to be finishing up UFOs.

And if that is not enough to motivate you.... Pat Sloan is having a "UFO Challenge."

If you want to participate in Pat Sloan's challenge, click HERE.

Even though I did finish a few UFOs last year, I have more... So I think I'll jump on the UFO band wagon.  How about you?

I spent a little time this afternoon putting together my list.  They are not all quilts, but they are all sewing projects.











 So here we go! UFO completing into 2018.














*Unfinished Object