Gridster Pumpkin Patch Top Finished

 I've mentioned before that I belong to a Quilting Bee

made up of 12 women from around the country.

Each month one of us is Queen Bee.

Last year my month was November and

I asked the other bee mates to make a pumpkin block

I had altered a bit using a pattern 

by Dodi Poulson for Landauer Publishers.

It was a free pattern, but I asked permission to use it for this.

Well, my bee mates outdid themselves with their blocks.

I asked them to have fun making the pumpkins

and they came up with some beauties!

Over the last few days I free motion stitched the stems onto 

each block, trimmed them down and played with sashing fabrics.

The top is now completed and I could not be happier with it.

 

 

 

Look at this pumpkin patch!

Aren't they all so fun?

 

 

 

 

My original plan was to use a bright fall leaves fabric

for the sashing and borders,

but it really took away from the pumpkins.

This fabric has been in my stash since before I had

a stash... before I started quilting in 2002!

I was going to make a tablecloth with it and never did.

 

 

 

 

 

The creativeness of my bee mates just amazed me.

The quilt was going to have more blocks,

but this is large enough!

I have three more blocks that I made

and will use those for something else.

 

 

 

 

 

Backing fabric has been ordered and once it's here

I'll send it off to be quilted.

 

 

 

 

 

These vines were fun to sew!

 

Fall is not my favorite season,

but it will be much prettier now that I have this quilt to use.

 

I'm linking to "Confessions of a Fabric Addict" today.

 

 

Happy Quilting!

Two Picnic Quilts

 Back in the fall I was playing around with some fabrics that

had been in my stash for a while.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to make, so I began

cutting and sewing half square triangles.

After playing with the two different colorways on my design wall,

I came up with these two quilts.

They are now quilted and ready for warmer weather and picnics!

 

 

 

You know this one is my favorite because of the turquoise!

 

 

 

 

The colors in the quilt below are washed out in the photo.

The greens are much brighter in person.

 

 

 

 

 

It's amazing how many design layouts one can do with a bunch

of half square triangles!

 

 

 

 

 

The backing fabric I used has been hanging out in my stash

for quite some time, too.

It's fun for the backing on two picnic quilts!!

 

 

 

 

 

These are my first two finishes for 2023.

Hopefully there will be many more!

 

Happy Quilting!

Scrap Quilt top from Pineapple Fabrics is Finished

 I have been feeling under the weather and have had no energy,

but after a couple of days on an antibiotic,

the desire to sew has returned.

 

The blocks I started making with the scraps from my

Pineapple quilt are all sewn together

and borders have been added.

 

 

 

 

 

These colors just make my heart sing. 

They remind me of the ocean... sea glass... water of many types.

 

 

 

There is more blue in this border fabric than the photo shows.

And the quilt is even.  (I had to stand on a stool to get the whole thing

in the photo.)

 

 

 

 

 

I was thinking it would be a baby quilt, but it's too big.

Once it's quilted, it will tell me where it's supposed to live.

 

 

In addition to finishing this top, I've added some birds to my flock.

 

 

 

 

 

These go together so quickly and are so fun to make.

They are a Block Lotto pattern that is free on line.

 

 

I'm not sure how many I'll make, but I will keep adding to 

the flock until I sense that I have enough.

 

 

Happy Quilting!

 

More Squirrel Blocks Made

 My Pineapple Quilt has been mailed off to

Rebecca Grace and I cannot wait to see what

she does from her end.  She really works magic on my quilts.

While straightening my Hidey Hole the other day,

I began to put away the scraps from this quilt

and they said "NO WAY!".

Of course, I had to listen.

 

 

 

This is where I am today.

I may add sashing in between the big blocks,

but I'll decide once all of the pieces are made.

 

 

 

 

 

I see a HST's that need to be moved! 

Playing with these scraps just makes me smile.

 

 

 

 

The last of the nine patches are laid out and ready to sew. 

This may end up being a baby quilt.... 

a big baby quilt, though.

A niece is due in April and this quilt could be

used for a boy or girl, in my opinion.

In the evenings, I've been doing a little

needle-turn applique.

It's been a while since I've done any of this

and the rust needed to be knocked off, for sure.

Here is the first block.

The pattern has that purple petal hanging down like that,

but I'm not sure it's going to stay like it is.

This pattern is called Fields of Flora

and can be found here.

 

 

Happy Quilting! 

Distraction!

 This is what I get for trying to clean my Hidey Hole!

 

 

 

These scraps would not let me put them away!

So.... another quilt was started instead of cleaning.

Distractions can be fun!

 

 

 

In addition,

the January blocks for the Gridster Queen Bee were made

and mailed off to her.

This Bear Paw quilt is going to be fun!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Quilting!