Quiltpiecer

Last year my niece Lisa expressed an interest in learning how to quilt.  Of course, I was excited to have another quilter in the family, someone I can share my love of quilting.  She loves to crochet and has created some beautiful afghans so I know she has the creative gene. Her birthday was 2 weeks ago and she asked for quilting lessons as her gift. So I spent this past weekend at her home and we had our own "quilting retreat".  I provided all the supplies and equipment, including a simple Singer machine I gifted her.  The picture above is her finished top. This was a great accomplishment since she had not touched a sewing machine since she was 7 years old.  It was such a very long time ago that she didn't remember much.  She was a quick learner and I am so proud of her.  Of course, I am thrilled to spend this time with her. UPDATE 3/9/20 :   I spent the past Friday and Saturday with my niece again and taught her how to quilt her...

I just love scrappy quilts!  When I saw this "Just Because" scrappy quilt pattern in the Fons & Porter Scrap Quilts (Spring 2015) magazine, I knew I had to make it.    Even though I haven't finished my Dr. Seuss quilt, I jumped right into working on this scrappy quilt. I've already made about 20 blocks and they are so much fun to make. The magazine pattern shows a queen size which requires 255 blocks.  But it also has directions for a smaller throw-size quilt which takes only 80 blocks.    My original plan is to make the throw-size quilt, but I love making these blocks and may go for the queen size.  I just hope my quilt looks as good and colorful as the one in the magazine.  Until next time ... Remember, the best things in life are quilted!

This past Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14, DS#1 left for Vietnam for a few months.  I am excited for him but sad to see him leave and sure do miss him. His visa is for 3 months but he's not sure what he'll do when that time comes.  Sigh...he's following his heart and I am happy for him. We're aware of a deadly virus hitting some Asian countries.  For a week before his trip, DS#1 had been on a mission to find N95 masks but these were as hard to find as a needle in a haystack.  Fortunately, a good friend gave him a box of masks to take.  DS#1 and I waiting in line for customs.  I managed to quickly take this picture before he had time to react. Maybe we'll visit with him in a month or two.  That would be a great adventure for us.  UPDATE 4/20/20:  DS#1 is still in Vietnam and he is doing just fine.  And, no we did not go visit because of this darn pandemic.  His Visa has been extended and he is working for a US co...

Aside from quilting, one of the things I enjoy doing is sourcing for my eBay business.  I found this vintage quilt top on one of my sourcing trips to the Goodwill outlet. It's obviously damaged and very poorly constructed, but I just couldn't leave it behind.  It cost about $2 so I brought it home. I'm guessing it's from the 1950s and was machine pieced, but the seams are huge and there are puckers throughout.  Obviously, pieces were cut by hand without the benefit of the tools we have today. Who was the maker?  Was she elderly who struggled with the piecing?  Or was she a young girl just learning how to quilt?  They obviously used whatever scraps they had one hand. And, what is the story with the burnt hole?  Was it caused by a cigarette?  Or was it burned by an iron?  Oh, the stories this quilt top could tell if it could only speak! I found this small vintage Snail Trail quilt on another sour...

I've been working on this Dr. Seuss quilt the past few days.  As I was trying to figure out the layout, I discovered that I actually did not have enough sashing strips and cornerstones.   I kept miscalculating the number of strips I needed so  I had to dig into my limited dark blue stash several times so t he sashing strips are scrappy.  But I finally figured it out! The top has 42 blocks in a 6 x 7 layout.  Now all I need to do is sew it all together.  I decided not to add a border and will bind it in the same "Sam I Am" red fabric in the Sawtooth stars.  Can't wait to get it finished! And, earlier today, I added the inner border to my Frolic Mystery quilt top. Not a lot of progress, but little by little I'll get it finished. Until next time, happy quilting!