Charm Quilt - Scraps to the Max

About two summers ago (maybe it was three) I decided it would be a great idea to go through my scraps and cut out whole quilts.  (one of my children used to like to do this with a pair of scissors and paper.  We called it 'making little ones out of big ones').  So, I went through each box of scraps and made little ones out of big ones.

I cut out a whole quilt's worth of squares to make into Flying Geese.  That is - a whole quilt.  Made out of Flying Geese.  Mostly bright colors.  No white.

I cut out pairs of fabrics to make square-within-a-square patches.  I think they will turn out to be 6-inch squares.

I cut out JUST blue and white squares. Then I cut 1-inch strips of those fabrics, too. . . anticipating making what will look like a blue-argyle quilt.

I cut strips to make this nine-patch quilt. . . and actually finished it in one summer!

AND I cut out equilateral triangles.  One out of every fabric.  Just one.  I had always wanted to make a charm quilt.  The idea is to make a quilt where none of the fabrics are repeated.

I've spent a few nights  (well, weeks) in the hospital with my daughter over the last few years.  After going through all these scraps, I had something to do while we sat for hours.  I put the fabrics into groups of four to make larger triangles. Then, when I had a little time at home, I would sew the sets of four together.

Then I was ready to put the triangles into larger blocks - diamonds.  I invited my oldest daughter and a few friends over.  We paired up triangle sets to make diamonds, and placed them . . . well . . . so they looked good.

We had triangles EVERYWHERE!

But soon I had a plan and started sewing diagonal rows.

I love this quilt!!  

 

This neutral is one of my favorite blocks - the bottom four fabrics just look so good together!!

My goal: Quilt this baby.  

For the Scrap Attack Challenge

at Stitched in Color.

On the road to finishing things in 2012!!

CathyH

Quilt of Valor

My Administrative Assistant (for my One math class) (Algebra 2) has a son in the Marine Corps.  In a COLD place... and his Mom wants to send him a hug and some warmth.

Sounds like a quilt to me.

So, the ladies in our Quilting Bee made patriotic blocks - and I helped get them into a quilt.  'Mom' will tell you that she will NEVER set blocks on point again - but it was not really that hard (once we figured out that 3 or 4 of the squares were not the same size square as the others).

Today three of us finished the binding.  

 In keeping with a patriotic theme, our lovely Bee Quilter added this

 flag to the center of the quilt as she quilted it.

Soon it will be shipped away to a far-off place.  Wrapped up in that package are prayers and hugs, warmth and encouragement for that young man...  For that young man we remember from his beginning, and are pleased and proud of what God has made him to be today.

Arrive safely, little quilt.  Deliver our love.

CathyH

Grinch in January

You may remember a Grinch quilt I helped design-as-you-go. Well, my friend got the last borders on it and was headed to our Bee's (long arm?  I'm not good with names of machines) quilter.  She brought it by for me to see before the quilting began.  I plan to get photos of the FINISH, but wanted to post pictures of SOMETHING!!!

We designed this around the pictures of the Grinch - adding frames as seemed appropriate, with a sense of it all floating in the white snow.  The background is a white-on-white that includes white snowflakes.  This is a pretty good picture of the distribution of fabrics and colors. We had to put it on the floor and take an angled shot because I'm not yet supposed to climb ladders and things like that.

 Here is another over-all shot.

This photo shows the outside borders that have row of Whos from Whoville and a great Grinchmas Banner. 

These two photos show the fun Suessed-out squares she put near the corners.

I can't wait to see it after it's quilted!!

CathyH

Bread

When we were first married a friend gave me a WONDERFUL recipe for whole wheat bread.  Before Children (BC?) I would bake bread each week.  With four kids - well - that did not always work out.

So I taught the KIDS how to bake bread.  (Homeschool)  (School at Home) (In the kitchen) (often in our pajamas)  I made them READ the book how to use the machine.  They all still like to cook. Some of them would say in spite of homeschool!

But today - no kids at home.  So my husband and I are back to 2 fresh loaves just for us.

Wish you were here.

CathyH

Excuses! Excuses!

Yes.  I plan on participating in the UFO challenge at Patchwork Times.





I even have the added accountability of being participant #140.

But then I had to get rid of gall stones.  "A bag of rocks" the surgeon said.

The UFO to be completed in January is #5.  As you can see on my list, #5 is a T-Shirt quilt that is pieced, but needs to be quilted.  I'm thinking that is NOT going to happen before the end of January due to

Excuse #1 - The quilt is SO HEAVY

Excuse #2 - Layering the thing involves bending

Excuse #3 - The upper-torso twisting quilting it will involve

My goal, however is to finish UFO #5  AND whatever February's UFO will be by the end of February.  Then I will be caught up.

And - some of my other PriorityProjects may get finished, also.

You might yet be impressed.
Cathy H

Even my Squirrels collect Fabric!

Sitting at my kitchen table, finishing my morning coffee, I look out in the yard and there is a squirrel harvesting fabric out of my garden!!  I tried to get a picture of it - but the camera would not zoom in close enough.



In this picture you can just barely make out a wisp of fuzz in front of the squirrel - and actually in its hands.  We placed landscape fabric between the rocks and the dirt so all the dirt in my flower bed would not sift through the rocks and end up on the grass.  This squirrel has found a few strands of the fabric - and is pulling threads off of it that are yards long!

 She (probably a she - she's making something out of fabric!!) then winds it in a ball as you can see in this second photo.  

Even the squirrels at my house collect fabric!!

CathyH

2011 in Pictures

Just a few photos to sum up some accomplishments for 2011

 

Technicolor Dreamcoat

I did accomplish SOME sewing through December. I just couldn't show it because (it was a secret) (for Christmas presents).

One such project was a Christmas Tree Ornament for my son-in-law. He performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat this fall at a local community theater. He was Joseph. He wore the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

My daughter did the lights for the production and heard the songs over and over again (multitudes upon multitudes of times). One song is evidently repeated two or three times with multiple repetitions. It lists the colors in this amazing coat... and served as the pattern for construction of the Christmas Ornament.

"It was red and yellow and green and brown

and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and white and pink and orange and blue"

If you look closely,

you can see the colors in the order on the coat as they appear in the song.

Red and yellow and green and brown

on the front side to the right as you look at the coat.

Scarlet and black and ochre on the sleeve to the right .

On the back, now, notice, left to right, the colors:

Peach (You can just barely see it at the top of the sleeve on the left)

And ruby and olive (the rest of that sleeve)

and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver (see the silver sliver on the right sleeve?)

and rose and azure (on the sleeve)

Then back to the front:

and lemon (You can just barely see this from the front view, left sleeve)

and russet and grey and purple (left sleeve)

and white and pink and orange

And blue"

What is the difference between red and scarlet and ruby and crimson?

Or the difference between brown and fawn and chocolate and russet?

Or lilac and mauve and rose and pink?

This was my color challenge of 2011.

The story of Joseph was also my challenge for 2011. You can find this story in the book of Genesis in chapters 37 to 50. This story chronicles the life of a young boy sold into slavery by 10 of his brothers. God established Joseph as a leader in Egypt and, years later, his brothers come to him for food. 

 This is what it says in Genesis 50:20, 

"You intended to harm me, 

but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, 

the saving of many lives." 

 We don't really know why certain things happen in our lives, but we can look at the way God acted in Joseph's life. For many years he was a slave in a foreign country. Things did not seem to be going well. But God sent Joseph ahead to Egypt so that all his brothers and their families might have food in the midst of famine. It wasn't only about Joseph. It was about what God will do in the lives of His people. God intended it for good. Because God is good.

CathyH

2012 UFO Challenge

Judy Laquidara at Patchwork Times is hosting a UFO Challenge for 2012. The idea is to make a list of 12 Un Finished Objects that need to be FINISHED. Each month Judy (randomly) picks a number and that is the Object that gets finished that month. FINISHED. I want to try to FINISH these. (Some of these are listed/pictured in my "Unfinished Projects" tab.)

Here is my (proposed) list:

1. Texas Star Christmas wall hanging (2006)

2. Table Runner Remnant Quilt

3. Red and White blocks from Christmas Exchange

4. Batik BOM blocks

5. Gymnastics T-Shirt quilt quilted

6. I Spy

7. Birthday blocks (2003?)

8. Homespun 4-patches

9. Pink & Blue Sampler Quilt

10. Fall wall hanging

11. Watercolor blocks - Table topper?

12. Double Wedding Ring Table topper.

Aside from this challenge: this is my priority list for getting other projects done:

#1 Daughter's coat Finished 1/29/12  See it HERE

#2 Husband's quilt (Bow Tie with old ties and old dress shirts)

#3 T-Shirt Quilt

#4 Charm Quilt

#5 Rainbow Snowballs (2003)

Whew. I can't wait

Cathy H