Sew Many Strips and Scrappy Finishes

I had this quilt waiting to be quilted from my last basting party.  It was the last one left and sat for a few months.  I finally quilted it last weekend and got it finished during the week.  The center star blocks were from a swap many years ago.  The hostess designed the block and sent us background fabric.  I have never been into random scrappy quilts, although I like lots of fabrics in a quilt, just controlled scrappy!  This quilt is shown on my daughter's queen bed with my grandmother's treadle in the background.

One block showing the twisting I did to use up more fabric and make the quilt bigger.

Last year American Patchwork and Magazine had a sew along for this quilt called Sew Many Strips.  I love the bright cheery colors I picked.  There are a LOT of pieces in this quilt, since each unit finishes at 1" X 2".  I got the quilt top done last year and set it aside like I usually do!  This weekend I opened my quilt top cupboard and it jumped out.  I had backing for it and got it pin basted, quilted and bound in two days.  I even hand stitched the binding.  I just did swirly texture quilting on my home machine.

center closeup

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Earlier I made more shop samples for my friend's shop called Your Best Friend's Quilt Shop

This uses a large panel with small panels and a border print.

This one was already in half hexis when she sent it to me.  She used two colorways for a one block wonder and is sending me border fabric so I haven't mailed it back yet.

If all this wasn't enough I machine quilted a HUGE quilt for a friend of a friend.  It was a simple quilt panels and large borders, but I custom quilted it.  I thought I was quilting a lap quilt when I agreed!

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Sew Many Strips Quilt

I finally finished piecing the top for my Sew Many Strips quilt.  It was a long project, since it is all made with 1 1/2" strips and the quilt finishes at 86 X 102.  The top is heavy with all those seams!  My normal colors of choice are purple and turquoise, but I had a lot of Bonnie and Camille fabric and decided to use them minus the navy.  I had fabric from a few collections and I wanted them to play nicely together.

Just FYI, it is not a good idea to try to take outdoor pictures in the wind!  It's also interesting how all the coloring is of the quilt in different lighting!

Sew Many Strips

I put the quilt back up on my design wall last night and snapped the above picture.  I got home from work today and my dog followed me downstairs.  I turned around and saw this!  I snapped the picture then got her off the quilt!

Here are a few outdoor pics of the quilt top!

The field behind has garbanzo beans growing.

My favorite picture taking spot in our woods.

I am in a small group and we are making wallhangings or pillows in a birthday exchange.  The person I was given requested a wallhanging but I had no idea of her color likes!  I was also in a half square triangle challenge and we had to use at least 40 fabrics.  I decided to combine the two projects into one.  I took the clematis flower applique from the book Flower Show Quilts, but designed the background.  The wallhanging measures 16 X 20 and yes there are actually 41 fabrics in the quilt counting the yellow flower centers!

 I LOVE purple iris!  I am not a flower gardener and have a lot of work to do on this section.  It's a slope between my garage and driveway.  Don't look at the weeds! 

Linking up with Design Wall Monday

I am here and still quilting!

I haven't posted for awhile, mostly because I was working on gift projects and I couldn't show pictures!  Part of it was just laziness though and busy with lots going on.  I have gone on a retreat, two quilt shows and done yardwork along with working full time.  I guess I do have some excuses!
I still have two projects I can't post, but the recipients should have them by next week!

This is the last of the samples I made for my friend's shop.  Yes, I used the same pattern with lots of panels.  She provided all the fabrics.

I went to a retreat at a new to us retreat house.  I was with 8 friends.  We were in a farmhouse across the road from St. Gertrude's Monastery. I walked around the grounds a couple of times. 

This photo is in the backyard of the farmhouse.  I love the big old barn!  The bookcase quilt is a gift quilt I made for my late son's roommates.  He was a groomsman in their wedding almost 8 years ago.  The husband commissioned me to make this for his wife for her birhtday/mother's day.  He said she loves to read and loves shades of blue.  See below for other pictures.

I took this photo on one of the beds.

 Excuse the wonky photo.  I embroidered lots of things on different light colored books.  Their names, names of their three kids, wedding date, genres of books, etc.  I had a lot of fun learning my new Brother Innovis Quilt Club series sewing machine!

I finally have all the blocks assembled for my Sew Many Strips quilt from American Patchwork and Quilting.  I am working on piecing borders, although I don't have the blocks sewn together into a top yet.  This will be a queen size quilt made of 1 1/2 strips so it is taking a long time!  That is a LOT of sewing.  The blocks finish at 8" and have 32 pieces in them.  Thank heavens for strip piecing!

I captured some apple blossoms in my back yard.  The apple trees are VERY old.  We live on an old homestead site, but built a new house in the mid 90's.  I look forward to showing the other projects I have finished soon!  Plus I started a couple other projects at quilt retreat!

Linking to Design Wall Monday.  Check it out!

Piecing and Piecing

Things are the usual crazy busy here!  I have had some distractions, but have managed to piece a bit.  I went to a retreat a couple weeks ago and worked on a couple projects.  Neither of them are done, but that's the story of my life! 

This is a quilt I am working on for my brother.  It needs borders.  It was a kit I purchased with my brother in mind and I'm finally getting to it.  I worked on it at the retreat.

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I saw the American Patchwork and Quilting magazine with the pattern Sew Many Strips.  I cut out hundreds of 1.5" strips and pieced them at the retreat and started making blocks.  These are NOT my normal colors at all.   Most of these are Bonnie and Camille fabrics, except I added other low volume backgrounds.  I only have 27 blocks left to make and then the pieced border.  I have no idea what I am going to do with it when I am done though!

I pieced three more tops for my friend's shop.  I couldn't get great pictures, but here they are.  Lots of work with panels.

My younger daughter came to visit and brought the twins!  They are 16 months old now.  My older daughter will be here later today with my other two grandkids!  Spring break!

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.