Quiltpiecer

I started my quilting journey way back in 1999 as we were getting ready for the end of the second millennium.  Being a new quilter, I was caught up in the Y2K charm swaps and participated in several swaps between 1999 and 2000.  Four, as a matter of fact, and 21  years later, I finally completed my fourth Y2K quilt.  I thought I'd do a little show-and-tell going back to my first one from 2000.  1. Mock Log Cabin - finished June 2000 - made from 3-inch charm squares - the quilt measures 80" x 96" - gifted to my DD. 2. William's Charm Quilt - finished July 2004 - made from 2,000 squares that were originally 3" but I trimmed them down to 2-1/2".  I gifted this quilt to a co-worker. 3. Y2K Charm Quilt - started in 2006 and finished December 2020 - made from 2-1/2" squares.  There are 2,000 charms plus signature squares.  The quilt measures 86" x 105" and is currently on my bed. 4. Y2K Wedding Rings Quilt - finished December 2021  - last bu...

Y2K Wedding Rings Quilt #272 Size: 86" square Started 8/31/21 - Finished 12/8/21 Woo hoo!  I'm doing a happy dance because I finally  finished my Y2K quilt, which I started back in September. I used 3" squares that I swapped in 2000 to make the 50 Wedding Rings blocks.  I am so glad I did not have to cut out those 2,000 squares, which was a big time saver. I really enjoyed looking at the different fabric choices from 20 years ago and reading the short biographies that were included with the signature squares.  I received charms from quilters in Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, Maine, Maryland, Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Illinois.  I also received a few from international swappers in Canada, Hong Kong, and Cuba.   I used 49 blocks for the front in a 7x7 setting and used the 50th block in the backing. I pieced the backing with fabric that is printed with the year 2000 and Y2K that I've ...

Once I finished sewing all the Y2K blocks, I went to work on my Unity quilt.  I posted about the Pinwheel Star blocks a couple weeks ago and they have now been added to the top.  I still have a few more rounds to go, including flying geese, more pinwheels, and more stars.  Seeing as we are already in December, I'm pretty sure I won't be finishing this top before the end of the year. The picture above shows my Y2K blocks in a 7x7 layout (unsewn), using 49 blocks on the front.  The 50th block will be on the back.  Since I received duplicate charms in the swap, my Y2K quilt is not a true charm quilt but it still has 2,000 pieces to make it a Y2K quilt.   With only 5 weeks left in the year, I hope I can finish quilting this top plus my Coriander Christmas and Handy Dandy Stashbuster tops. If you'd like to see more quilting goodness and see what others are up to, please visit the following which I'm linking up to:   Oh Scrap! @ Quilting Is ...

  I buckled down this past weekend and finished the last of the 14 Wedding Rings blocks for a total of 50 blocks made with 2,000 charms. I'm still not sure about the setting/design, but I will be so glad to finish this quilt. I'm sure you are as bored as I am of seeing these over the past several weeks.  As I've done in previous posts, I'm summarizing the bio that came with each set of charms. From Beverly C-B. in Florida:  ...Our daughter...just had their first child Pauline Rose...This quilt is for her...my husband and I have owned our own business selling fingernail art supplies. During this time I have also been making custom baby room sets...most of the quilts I have made in the past have been for custom order and have been appliqued with a specific theme.  I have been sewing and quilting since I was 12 years old when my grandmother taught me to make my own clothes. From Deedee R. in Minnesota: ...I am married to a dairy farmer...and have 3 children...I wen...

I see light at the end of the tunnel!  36 blocks completed and only 14 more to go.  Let's see how many I can finish by next WIP Wednesday. The charms in the top 2 blocks came from Bonnie P. in Alabama: ...I have only been quilting about four years but I have been quilt crazy since I was a teenager...I have helped my mother cut about 30 quilt tops over the last few years.  I am presently making three Y2K quilts, one for each of my daughters.  A few of my goals are to make a beautiful Baltimore Album quilt, a Dear Jane quilt, and hand quilt a quilt I have completely designed myself... The charms in the bottom 2 blocks came from Marge B. in Wisconsin: One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting around the kitchen table learning how to crochet and embroider from my grandmothers...you name it, I've done it...what I've enjoyed the most is my quilting.  My first quilt is a jewel tone geometric quilt which is still in my U.F.O. pile.  I will finish it some day...

Four more blocks completed for my Y2K quilt.  I thought I'd be able to complete more than 4 blocks a week as they really don't take that long but before I know it another week has gone by.  I'm also working on my Unity quilt but I may put it aside so I can get finish my Y2K blocks.  The end of the year is just around the corner! The charms in the top 2 blocks are from Margaret M.S. in Wisconsin: ...I made my first quilt in the late 1960s and off and on as the need arose...I retired from work in the fall of 1996 and now devote all my free time to quilting.  I have a 22' x 24' sewing studio which is home to my longarm quilting machine...I was bitten very hard by the Y2K quilt bug and have swapped enough packets of charms to make 18 Y2K quilts [WOW!]... I completed six of these quilts for our six children...[and] have swapped enough...charms to make Y2K quilts for the grandchildren for Christmas 2000. The bottom 2 blocks are from Jodie T. in Michigan: ...I started quil...

  Progress continues on my Y2K quilt with four more blocks. The charms in the top 2 blocks are from Marlene F. in Hong Kong: ...I am just an ordinary everyday person.  I have traveled to parts of Europe and Asia.  My birthplace is Scotland, and I'm an Australian national temporarily living in Hong Kong.  My hobbies include quilting. The bottom 2 blocks are from Shirley B. in Texas.  She did not include a siggy square but did include her bio: ...I have lived here [a small town in Texas] for the last 15 years...I started quilting about 19 years ago while I was in Germany.  There was a family who lived down the street and she did a lot of this and I learned a little from her.  I liked the way the material goes together and forms different designs.  So, I ventured out a little and decided to start making my own designs.  It has been wonderful...A Quilter from Texas And I continue to work on my Unity quilt.  These star blocks are for the 3rd ...

Again, neither swapper included a biography but the top two blocks are from Althea F. in New York and the bottom two are from Marge B. in Wisconsin. Blocks #21 through #24 completed and I'm halfway done ...yea!   And, I'm also happy to say that I found the name of my Y2K block:  "Wedding Rings". After searching Google and my collection of half a dozen  books on quilt blocks, I found it in both the  1001 Patchwork Designs (1982)  and the 5500 Quilt Block Designs .   And, now that I had a name, I went back to Google and found two sites that offer free patterns.  Just click on the picture to link to each site.   Fabric 406.com Scissortail Quilting If you'd like to see more quilting goodness and see what others are up to, please visit the following which I'm linking up to:   Monday Making  @ Love Laugh Quilt Design Wall Monday  @ Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Oh Scrap!  @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework Until...

Another set of four Y2K blocks completed! Neither swapper included a biography but the top two blocks are from Lisa B-B. in Maryland and the bottom two are from Margaret S. in Wisconsin. Thank you for your visits and comments on my previous post  re: my Y2K blocks.  There were a couple of questions that I replied to in the comments but I'd like to also answer them in this post. First, I don't know the name of this block, although I call it my Y2K block.  I was inspired by a photo of a quilt I found online and I was able to copy the block from the picture.  I would  like to know the name of this block as I'm sure it must have one.  I found the Roundabout block online which is similar, but I'm going to do more research to try to find the exact one. I explained a little bit on how I make each block in this post  but basically, I place a "darker" and a "lighter" charm together then stitch diagonally from corner to corner.  I then cut 1/4" from the s...

  It's been over a week since I've done any sewing, but today I managed to finish these 4 blocks.  The charms in the top 2 blocks are from Anita R-L in Virginia, and she did not include a bio in her squishy. The charms in the bottom two blocks are from Gloria H. in Maine:  ...I have been married for 28 years...and have 4 super children...I worked at the local bank for 2 years after we got married; then we bought the Western Auto Store...we operated it for 20 years...I don't know how long I've been quilting; but when I started, there were only 2 magazines available...I am completely self-taught and now I'm teaching friends and co-workers.  They call me The Quilt Lady.  I love it. Woo hoo, 16 completed blocks!  Only 34 more to go, LOL.  I truly enjoy making these blocks and like how this is turning out.  But I'm at a loss on the final setting since I'll end up with 50 blocks.  Neither a 6x8 or 7x7 setting really works for all 50 blocks.  I...

I'm still chugging along on my Y2K quilt.  I'm not sure what happened to these next two charm sets.  The top squishy set had two signature charms but no bio.  The bottom set didn't have a signature charm but did have a bio.  It just happened that I had an extra loose siggy square so I added it to one of the blocks.  I've kept all the squishy sets in a plastic bin which was put away for the past 20 years so who knows what happened here. Top two signature squares from Darla Hamilton in California and Greg Hamilton in Canada.  I think I can safely assume Darla and Greg are related and perhaps they were nice enough to send the 2nd siggy from Canada since international siggy squares were sought after. The bottom siggy square is from Beth M. also in Canada.  This little square was floating around the bin, footloose and fancy-free.  It could have been part of the 2nd or 3rd quilt I made and it somehow found its way to this bin. The charms in the bottom t...