Quiltpiecer

I started this quilt in February when I joined The Road to Spring quilt-along with Randi at i have to say .  And, I FINALLY finished it this week! I just love these fabric collections from Maywood Studio and from South Sea Imports designed by Robyn Pandolph.  The prints really do say SPRING! The quilt top was fast and easy , especially since I used my handy-dandy Shape Cut from June Tailor.  I machine-quilted it with an all-over swirl design and tacked down the binding by hand. I still need to put a label on it as I forgot to put one on before I quilted it.  But I’m so glad this quilt is finished, and I am really lovin’ it! I will be linking up again with Amy's Sew and Tell Fridays.  Don’t forget to check out what everyone else has been up to! Happy quilting!

A few weeks ago I signed up for the second round of the Potholder Swap over at Amy’s During Quiet Time . These are the potholders I made to send to my swap partner.  I made them using an instruction book I received from my swap partner Jeannie.  It is "101 Fun-to-Quilt Potholders" by Trice Boerens and has ideas for all sorts of occasions. I also included this set of 4 coasters, using the same fabric as the potholders.  I created a tutorial that shows you how to make these fun, easy coasters.  Just click here to make your own! I also used some of the leftover fabric to trim a dish towel.  So, these are being sent off today, and I hope my swap partner likes them.  If you’d like to see what everyone else is making, you can take a look here at Flickr . Happy quilting!

These fold-and-turn coasters are SO easy and fun to make!  I first saw this pattern in 2002 at a guild meeting, and the instructions were handwritten.  There were no pictures … only hand drawings.  Well, we’ve come a long way in 8 years! I made this set of 4 coasters to include with the potholders I made for Amy’s Potholder Pass #2 . These coasters were made with five 5-inch cotton squares and one 5-inch flannel square.  These can also be made in other sizes as long as the squares are equal in size.  Suggested square sizes range from 4-1/2” to 6” … your choice.  You may also use one 5-inch batting square, but I found batting was a tad too thick.  But, again, your choice. Instructions: (1) Y ou will choose three different fabrics.  Two fabrics will be used for the top of the coaster and one will be used for the bottom (backing).  I chose the light blue for the bottom: (2) Cut fabric to the desired square size.  I used 5” squares. (3) Lay flannel (or batting) squ

I FINALLY finished my yellow and black Camp Sloanie quilt from February!  I machine-quilted it with an all-over swirl design and tacked down the binding by hand. This yellow and black color combo is out of my comfort zone, as I’m not particularly partial to yellow.  My favorite colors are fall colors … warm browns, gold tones, reds, dark greens, etc.   Even so, I really like my yellow-black quilt! I found this really cute fabric that has a black background with yellow and white birdies, and I also found the yellow fabric with little black flowers to match: I had a few leftover blocks, and there’s no better way to use them than to include them in the backing.   And, a  quilt is not really finished until it has its label.   I am really bad about putting labels on my quilts.  My BQFFs are always getting on me for this!   So I made the label on my computer, using instructions from The Crafty Gemini: I then attached my label to the backing BEFORE I quilted the top.

Week 3 pinwheel blocks for Rachel's quilt-along Week 2 pinwheel blocks (above) Week 1 pinwheel blocks (above).  That’s s ix done and 10 to go! Some of the fat quarters I’ll be using are from California Dreamin' by Jenean Morrison for Westminster Fibers.  I love this line, and I can’t wait to see how this pinwheel quilt turns out! Happy quilting!

This past Tuesday I visited with my friend Mary and her quilting group, The Atherton Quilters.  I had so much fun that day and everyone was so friendly that I decided to officially join the group! Here they are (above) with the Quilts of Valor they made at their January retreat. You can see Mary with her red, white, and blue quilt top in the center of the group in the picture.  She’ll take it to the Sew Vac in Long Beach where it will be quilted by a volunteer longarm quilter and finished into a beautiful quilt for a veteran or service member.  Every Thursday afternoon, volunteers meet at the store to cut, sew and press QOVs. Volunteers receive one free admission ticket to Disneyland (!) as part of Disney’s “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” program.  How awesome is that!  Especially since it’s over $70 for one admission ticket … how many folks can afford that in today’s economy?   So I’ll be joining Mary this week.  It should be fun!     I previously blogged about Mary a

Week 2 pinwheel blocks for Rachel's quilt-along .  These are SO easy and fun to make!  They are 12.5” unfinished, and there will be 16 blocks total.  Four done and 12 to go! Happy quilting!

Time to get started on my second string quilt.  These are a “bunch” of strings/strips that I’ve had for years … some of them are leftover from previous projects and some were cut from fat quarters.  Most of them (if not all) are novelty prints with a patriotic theme.  I am SO glad that I am finally going to put them into a quilt … clearing out the old to make room for the new! I’ll use recycled dryer sheets for the foundation, but I haven’t decided on a design.  I may use a white string in the middle with red strings on one side and blue on the other.  Or I may use sashing and cornerstones as Kaaren @ The Painted Quilt did in her quilt here . I’m posting this on Stacie’s It’s a String Thing Challenge ; and I’m also participating in Stephanie’s No Strings Attached challenge . Happy quilting!

I know, I know … I said I wasn’t going to buy any more fabric until I finished some UFO’s, but I *needed* to buy some backing and binding fabric to finish a couple UFO’s.  So yesterday I went to my favorite fabric store and found a 1-yard remnant that is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s by David Textiles and was only $1.98!  I’m thinking of making a small table topper with it. I also found an ADORABLE print by Darlene Zimmerman … red is my favorite color!  It was also $1.98/yard so I splurged and bought two yards.  I'm not sure what to do with it, but I couldn’t pass it up.  Did I say that M & L Fabrics (in Anaheim, CA) is my favorite fabric store?  If you live ANYWHERE in Southern California, it is well worth the trip.  This is a superstore of fabrics.  They have every kind of fabric print and the material selection is huge, including last season’s designer fabrics.  The prices are very reasonable and affordable, ranging from $1.98 for flatfolds up to $8.95 for y