Migration Across the Land

 I have mentioned before that I belong to an

online quilting bee with 12 quilters from around the country. 

Each month one of us is Queen Bee and we ask the other

Bee Mates to make blocks of our choosing.

 

My month was May this year.

I found this block using different size Flying Geese  

and knew this would be my block.

 

I asked for the geese to be made from bright, fun fabrics

with a black and white geese thrown in, too. 

I asked for the sky to be made with white on white or gray fabrics.

 

Boy, did my Bee Mates come through!

 

 

 

 

 

The variety of fabrics in this quilt is unbelievable.

There are a couple of repeats in individual blocks,

but, aside from the sky fabrics, I don't think

there are any other repeats.

 

 

 

 

 

I never would have made all of these geese with this

much variety.

 

 

 

 

And there are some super fun fussy cut geese, too!

 

 I had planned on making the quilt bigger and had cut the pieces

to make more blocks.

Then, as I was getting ready to assemble these blocks,

I realized I had cut the pieces to the finished size!

Needless to say, a few swear words may have been said.

I made one more block and called it finished.

It's a little narrower than I would like,

but it will make a good couch quilt.

 

 

The free pattern for this 16 1/2" block can be found here. 

 

The backing fabric has been ordered and then it will get quilted.

 

Being a part of this Bee is SEW much fun!!

 

Happy Quilting! 

Binding Scraps

 After binding a quilt, if there is any left-over binding 

I put it in a bin in one of my cabinets.

Well, this bin was overflowing.

I couldn't fit any more binding pieces in it and

pieces were on the shelf around the bin.

 

My plan was to use these scraps for scrappy binding,

but that rarely seemed to happen.

The other day I had an idea to use the binding scraps

to make a scrappy quilt.

 

Out came the bin and I started sewing strip sets.

Once they were all sewn and pressed,

I cut them into squares.

I have enough squares for one larger quilt

and two smaller quilts!

 

 

 

 

 

I cut my binding 2 1/4" wide, so these squares will be 8 3/4" square when finished.

This larger quilt will be donated to the group that delivers quilts to the

Veterans Hospital.

 

 

 

It shouldn't take long to sew these all together

and then quilt it.

 

Once this larger once is finished,

I'll make the two smaller ones

and donate those as well.

 

 

Happy Quilting! 

 

Provence and Orange Kiss

 Back in December,

my favorite aunt died.

She was my mom's sister and the 

last of her generation.

She was also a quilter.

 

In June, I went to Michigan for her

memorial service.

While I was there, her husband

asked me to go through her stash

and take whatever I wanted.

She didn't have a huge stash,

but had some beautiful fabrics.

 

One of the things she had was

blocks made from fabrics they had 

bought on a trip to France.

 I don't know what she had intended

with these blocks,

but I was able to sew them together into

this little quilt.

 

 

 

 

 

This little quilt is 33x40ish" and will go to my daughter.

She can use it as a table topper or a small wall hanging.

 

 This piece that I used for the backing also came from France. 

I was glad I was able to use most of it for the backing and binding.

 

 

In addition to finishing this little quilt,

I quilted and finished Orange Crush.

 

 

 

 

 

I posted earlier that these blocks were left-over from another quilt.

I had planned on one layout for the original quilt,

but changed my mind and ended up with 9 extra blocks.

 

 

 

 

While quilting this one, I practiced some ruler work.

Since the quilt was small, it wasn't too cumbersome

to move under the needle. 

 

 

This little quilt has already been donated.

 

Happy Quilting! 

Diamond Delights is Finishe!!

 After at least 10 years,

Diamond Delights is a finished quilt

and I could not be happier with it.

 

 After cutting all of the pieces for this quilt years ago,

I realized I had made a big mistake.

Into a box it went... banished for years.

 

Back in January I decided it needed to be finished

or thrown away.

I started piecing the blocks and loved how it was 

coming together.

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer at Peaceful Hill Quilting

worked her magic with the long arm

and binding was sewn onto it last week.

 

 

 

 

These colors are so rich and vibrant and just seem to glow.

 

 

 

 

 

They are all Kaffe Fassett shot cottons and stripes,

making this quilt so soft.

I doubt many of these are still available today

since it lingered in the box for so long.

 

 

 

The backing is a Kaffe stripe, too.

 

The thing I learned from this process is unless one sees the pattern,

the mistake is not evident at all.

As several have said... I made it my own!

 

Happy Quilting! 

 

 

Plaidy Cake Quilt

 I needed to make a quilt for someone whose tastes

in fabrics are not like mine at all.

The pattern was decided upon,

the layer cakes were purchased and

background fabric was found.

 

The pattern in "Plaidy Cake" by Cluck Cluck Sew.

It's an easy pattern to make and I love the look.

The fabric line was "Old School" and the background fabric

is a gray/blue.

 

The cutting began.

The first couple of blocks were made and

I HATED them.

UGH!!

 

I decided to keep working and see what happened.

 

 

 

 

 

Thankfully, once all of the blocks were made and sewn together,

I don't hate the quilt.

It is not my taste at all, but I do think it looks kind of cool.

 

 

 

 

 

It has an industrial vibe to it, which is kind of fun. 

 

 

It took a while to get the layout where I wanted it

and it's now at my quilter's.

I forgot to take a photo of the backing I made.

There were a number of 10" squares leftover, 

so I pieced those into the backing along with some yardage.

 

Once it's back from the quilter's,

I'll get it bound and it will be ready for gifting.

 

Happy Quilting! 

Kadrian's Quilt

 One of my niece's had a baby back in May.

I had started his baby quilt,

but then lost my quilting mojo.

Thankfully, it returned and it's now a finished quilt.

We had a family reunion this past weekend

and I was able to deliver it to them then.

 

 

 

 

 

This pattern is "Shortie" by Barbara Persing

and was machine appliqued.

Unfortunately, right before I was leaving

I realized I hadn't taken a photo.

There wasn't time to press the wrinkles out of the top,

but I did get its photo.

 

 

 

 

 

These two giraffes are so cute and were fun

to put together. 

 

 

This little quilt should keep him warm for years to come.

 

 

Happy Quilting! 

Annual Patriotic Table Runner

 For years I have been making my siblings a

Patriotic table runner or topper and giving them

on July 4th.

 

This year I went back and forth about what design to use...

started one design and immediately knew it would take

waaayyy too long to make it, so went back to the

drawing board. 

 

Then, I saw this block on The Colorful Fabriholic's blog. 

Jan calls it Scrappy Serendipity. 

This block was fun to make and came together quickly.

I was able to get the four runners done and quilted in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm very pleased with how these turned out.

 

 

 

 

This block may have to be used to make a Veteran's quilt

in the not too distant future.

 

 

 

 

There is something about red, white and blue quilts

that just touches my heart.

 

 

Happy Birthday, America!! 

 

Happy July!

 Boy, I have really fallen off the blogging wagon this year!

In addition, I have NOT been in a sewing mood for a couple of months,

but I think the mood has returned.

I'd like to think I'll get more regular about blogging,

but we shall see.

I do post more on IG these days and my handle is

@monasuequilts.

 

There have been a couple of finishes in my Hidey Hole.

This little quilt was made from left over

HST's that had been in a bag for years

just waiting to be used.

All of the fabrics came from my stash.

WOOHOO!!

 

 

 

 

 

This little quilt will be donated.

 

 

This next one isn't a favorite, but it will keep someone warm.

I love the Kaffe shell fabric,

but it was difficult to find fabrics to coordinate with it.

This is one of those 3 yard quilt patterns

and went together very quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

This, too, will be donated.

 

 

The last little quilt was made from left-over blocks

from a baby quilt I made a couple of months ago.

I had planned on using one lay out and decided to

put the blocks on point, so didn't use them all.

 

 

 

 

 

I just love this plaid fabric I found for the narrow border.

It will be used for the backing, too.

 

 

 This bright and happy quilt is waiting to be quilted and

will then be donated, too.

 

 

Happy Quilting! 

Finished Marlowe Quilt

 This baby quilt for Marlowe has been

finished and patiently waiting it's delivery.

I still need to wash it, which will be done today.

 

 

 

 

 

I ended up quilting this in a grid pattern.

Nothing else was coming to me and it needed

to be finished!

 

 

 

 

There are so many fun little fabrics in here.

It's like a mini I-spy quilt.

 

 Marlowe's mom is an artist,

so I thought this backing fabric was fun.

I had to add a bit to make it big enough

and like the green with it.

 

This will be delivered this weekend

and I'll get to meet little Marlowe!

 

 

Happy Quilting! 

Baby Quilt for Marlowe

 Last December my mom's last sibling died.

My aunt was a beautiful quilter and stitcher.

 A few months before she died,

she found out she was going to be a great-grandmother.

Unfortunately,  she had leukemia and knew it was unlikely

she would live to see this new one born.

 

Before she died, she asked if I would make the baby a quilt.

She was too sick to even begin one herself.

You know I said "Of course!".

 

This baby's mama is very artistic and loves color.

Out came my box of 2 1/2" squares,

which had gotten quite full,

and this quilt was made.

 

 

 

 

 

I was inspired by the quilt "Pixel Paths" and had fun

sewing the colorful squares together.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a bit of an I-spy quilt

with mushrooms, hearts, birds, Snoopy, strawberries, fish, etc.

spread throughout the quilt.

 

 

 

 

I am making the backing today and will get this quilted.

It will be delivered in June when we go to Michigan for

my aunt's memorial service.

 

I really miss her.

 

Happy Quilting!

 

You Are My Sunshine is Finished

 A friend from church is going to be a

grandmother for the first time any day now.

I am meeting her for lunch tomorrow

and wanted to get this quilt finished

to give to her when we meet.

 

"You Are My Sunshine"

 

 

 

 

 

I took the advice of those who commented on my last post

and set these "Twirl" blocks on point and did not add sashing.

 

 

 

 

 

I love the pinwheels formed by the HST's in the corners of the blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

All of the yellows and oranges sure make for a cheerful quilt.

 

My friend doesn't know if her grandbaby will be a boy or girl,

so I thought this would be a good quilt for either.

 

 

Happy Quilting!

 

You Are My Sunshine

 It's been a minute or two since I have been here.

For two months or so, not much was going on in my

Hidey Hole for various reasons.

My days were busy with many other things

and I kind of lost my sewing mojo.

Also, I was helping a friend recover some outdoor cushions

and that took WAAAYYY longer than I anticipated.

I learned a valuable lesson, though...

I will NEVER reupholster things as a career.

 

A little over a week ago I did start playing with some

quilting fabric again.

A friend at church is becoming a grandmother for the first time

and she needs a baby quilt.

The gender is unknown, so I pulled out my yellows and oranges.

 

This quilt will be called
"You Are My Sunshine".

 

 

 

 

A couple of days were spent making HST's.  

 

 

 

Then the block construction began.

 

This block is called "Twirl"

by Fran Gulick

and can be found here. 

 

 

 

 

 

This first layout is with the oranges and yellows forming 

diamonds in each color. 

 

 

 

This layout alternates the direction of the orange and yellow fabrics.

 

 

This one has them set on point... obviously.

I am really leaning toward this layout, but I need

to find a fabric for the setting triangles.

I can make more blocks for the triangles,

but I'm not sure I want that.

It may be too busy.

I'm also debating on whether or not I need sashing.

If so, what color? 

 

It feels good to be back at it,

but things will be put on pause again.

There are dresses to be made for the littles!

 

Happy Quilting!

 

Brick Wall #2 Finish

 It's so nice when a pile of forgotten parts is found

and quickly become a new quilt.

Several years ago I made this Brick Wall quilt

and had bricks left over.

When I found the pile recently, I had to add a few

low volume bricks to complete this quilt top.

Now it is quilted and ready for donation.

 

 

 

 

 

This was quilted using a very quick and easy design.

I don't know what it's called,

but I'll call it Swirls on a String.

 

 

 

The sashing strips were cut at 1".

 

 

 

 

January started out slow for me since I had

Carpal Tunnel release surgery done,

but ended up being a good month with three finishes!

 

 

Happy Quilting!

 

Broad Strokes Veterans Quilt

I just finished my first Veterans quilt for 2025.

 

 

This quilt is not my normal color palette or my normal style of quilt,

but it went together very quickly and really shows off this

gorgeous Kaffe leaf fabric.

The pattern is called "Broad Strokes" from the book 

3-yard Quilts on the Double.

I bought the book a couple of years ago,

thinking it would be good for fast and easy donation quilts.

 

 

 

This leaf print had been in my stash for quite some time and I

really wanted to use it. 

The yellow polka dot and the green floral were also in my stash

and paired nicely with the leaf print.

 

 

 

This took no time to cut and was super easy to piece.

I think it makes a striking quilt!

 

The coloring is off in this photo. The yellow background is

the same yellow as the polka dot on the front.

I was happy to find this perfect background fabric

 in the clearance section at my local quilt shop.

 

This will be delivered to the group who makes and collects

quilts to donate to our local Veterans hospital.

It's a small token of thanks to those who have given so much.

 

 

Happy Quilting!

Another Canyon Dance

 There are certain patterns and quilt designs that I am really drawn to.

One of them is "Canyon Dance".

It's an old pattern and it looks like the designer is going out of business.

I bought a set of templates when I first made the pattern and

it made cutting the pieces so much easier.

 

One day I was looking at my stash and decided to pull some batiks

to make another one of these quilts.

 

 

Here is the result:

 

 

 

 

 

It is a wild and crazy quilt and I love it.

Sewing these curves is not difficult at all

and the blocks are trimmed at the end.

 

 

 

Hopefully, this one will be quilted soon and will be donated.

Mindless sewing at it's best!

Happy Quilting!

Sampler Quilt Finish

 I have to say,

I'm not a fan of making sampler quilts,

but for some reason I decided to use

a jelly roll and a fat quarter bundle

and make a bunch of sampler blocks 

at quilt camp in the fall of 2023.

Then the blocks sat... forgotten in my cabinet.

I pulled them out last fall and sewed them into a top.

Then this past week I quilted it and now have a finished quilt!

 

 

 

 

I don't remember what the fabric line of the jelly roll was,

but the fat quarter bundle was Tula Pinks dots and stripes. 

They played so nicely together!

 

 

 

After my carpal tunnel release a couple of weeks ago,

I had trouble cutting, but could sew.

I have been watching videos on quilting swirls

and practiced along the outside borders of the quilt.

I need more practice, but it's coming along!

 

 

I love the backing fabric I found on clearance

and there was just enough for this quilt!

It's ready to be donated.

Happy Quilting!