Never Again!

This is a minature quilt that I just finished today. It measures twenty inches by twenty inches. I got the pattern out of a book called Minature to Masterpiece by Nancy Johnson-Srebro. The blocks name is "Never Again" after making it I fully understand why. It took me about a month to make it. I had to build up courage to continue, so there were days I just put it on the bottom of my things to do list.
I learned a lot making it and with the amount of seams I didn't hand quilt it, but instead did a spiral circle out of the center using a decorative stitch on my machine. I'm not much of a machine quilter, just not very good at it, but on this piece I can say it was the easiest part of the project.
Hats off to Nancy, she seemed to have mastered this block. It is featured on the cover of the book as a completed full size quilt with nine different versions of this block, plus a pieced diamond border. As for me, love challenges but once is enough, too many other quilt patterns on my list, but I will enjoy looking at this piece as I add it to the collection on my sewing studio wall.

Fluttering Butterflies!

This is a miniature that I just finished last night. It measures 10x12 inches and was pieced conventionally.  The butterfly blocks measure two inches. It was fun to make!

Organization complete

Well, I have finally completed the final phase of organizing my sewing studio.  It is amazing what you can get done when you are organized. I found myself, always looking for my little nippers and seam ripper while sewing. My other pet peeve is having to vacuum up the threads that fall all over the place. This little pin cushion organizer has solved all my problems, and the great thing about it is an also be moved to the arm of the sofa when I stitch in the evening.
The pattern and pdf pattern was a freebie on line from Elizabeth Hartman and Sew Moma Sew!

Jacob's Ladder

I recently started following Bonnie Hunter on Quiltville.com. She is the quilting expert on scrap quilts which are my favorite. I have been saving scraps since I started quilting and this June, I spent two weeks sorting thru my Rubbermaid tote. I started cutting up everything into 2 inch blocks so I could make a scrappy double irish chain.
The fun a part of scrap quilting is not worrying about colors matching and or having enough fabric to finish a quilt, because as with Mother Nature everything goes.  It is basically more about value than color, that is a dark next to a light and of course there are medium values that sometimes act as darks and sometimes as lights, depending on what they are next to.  They are the very thing if you ask me that gives a scrap quilt its personality.

I made a split nine patch last year, but it didn't even put a dent into my scraps. This made me decide I needed to tackle this rubbermaid tote with some vigor. At the end of the two weeks I had over 1600 2 inch blocks. Then I refolded my stash of fabric and came across some florals that I have had for years and I never knew what to do with them. In fact, they were added to an internet order by the seller. Well back to bonnie she found a Jacob's Ladder quilt in Florida antique store that was done in a bright yellow and floral fabrics. Of course, that was a perfect solution for my florals, since I don't have any yellow solid I used some green that I had.

Zinnas

It is amazing how mother nature just throws colors together. I am really enjoying these simple to grow flowers this year. It gets very hot here in the summer and it is really refreshing to enjoy them.

Noah's Ark

A year or so ago, I found this BOM online from designer Lynette Anderson of Australia. I finally got it put together in this mini wall hanging. Overall, it measures 22x14.5 inches. I throughly enjoyed embroidering the animals. Her drawings are wonderful and whimsical.