Sew Organized

 Look how Sew Organized you can be!

Is this not the cutest tool organizer ever?!

It's called Sew Organized

It's a nice space saver right next to my machine for everyday sewing.  But how great it will be for travel sewing!... to a friend's house or to retreat.

Am I the last to learn of this awesome sewing helper?  Did you already know about it?

I didn't think about it in time...I stitched this up according to the directions.  I definitely would have added a pocket(s) to the back.  Especially for travel sewing.  I could hand stitch a pocket to the back, but I doubt that will happen.  I'm good with this cutie the way it is.

Red Snowball Pillow

 National Quilting Day was March 15th.

I joined fellow quilters gathered together for a day of sewing and a delicious pot luck lunch. 

This red and white snowball pillow was my sewing project for the day.

(It was finished over the next few days at home.)

There were four extra blocks that landed on the back of the pillow.

 This pillow has a zipper on one side.

The 20.5" pillow was one of a pair of store purchased pillows that I wanted to change the coverings for.  I was surprised when I took it apart that there wasn't a pillow "form" inside.  Just the stuffing, that was holding itself together well enough that I could make a form cover for the stuffing before stuffing it into its new outer covering.

The second pillow will probably be next years project.  

Hashtag Quilt

 Red and White Hashtag Quilt

In an effort to continue to use fabrics from my stash, it was time for a red and white quilt.  The pattern is Hashtag by Cluck Cluck Sew.

I always think a quilt will use up some stash, but it seems it really doesn't use up much at all.

However, I did get through several small pieces of whites and off whites to tidy up that stash drawer a bit.

  As I was sewing the many squares and rectangles together, I did a double glance at one of the white fabrics.  I realized I did NOT mean to cut that piece up... well, too late now.

The surprise in this quilt is that some of the small white fabric pieces glow-in-the-dark when the lights are turned off!

Actually, it's kind of a fun surprise.

This throw quilt measures 58" X 72.5"

Yellow and Gray Quilt

 Stash fabric is getting used!  Yay!

This quilt began with the gray grunge fabric.....because it wouldn't play well with other attempts to include it.

The gray then chose yellow to go with it.  Nice choice.  I've been wanting to make a yellow quilt.

I'm sure there is a pattern for this design, but I didn't use a pattern, so I wouldn't know the name of this design.  I "think" someone mentioned something like Falling Something or other.

During the process though, it really needed something for oomph.  Hence the black and white stripe.  Always a favorite choice of mine.

This quilt measures 74" X 56"

It brings thoughts of warm weather to come.  I can't wait!

Ill try again...

Hocus Pocus Quilt

I gave up blogging because I could not figure out how to get my photos to show up within the post.  But now I'm ready to try a different way to access and post photos....

In the meantime I've recorded and posted my sewing and paper crafting makes on my Instagram (annies_musings).

My most recent quilt finish is this Hocus Pocus pattern designed by Margot Languedoc Designs.

I changed some details of the pattern to reflect my own style for this quilt.

For me, I wanted the pumpkins to look more real and more patchy.  I first added some subtle pinwheels to some of the pumpkins.  I then added small pieces of fabrics over the top of the original piecing and raw edge appliqued them to the pumpkins.

I also changed the small star blocks into sunflowers and gave them stems.  I think the sunflowers each need a leaf, but they aren't getting one.  Maybe in the future at some point, but for now I just needed to be finished with this quilt.  (I do not have UFOs)

Lets talk about the BIRD!  I stitched that pumpkin first to see how the bird would work out.  I'm so not disappointed.  He's my favorite part of this quilt.  

You probably can't see it, but his little eye is a stitched heart.

This is my only quilt that I did not quilt myself.  I only enjoy straight line quilting and I was at a loss for how I would quilt this design.  

The quilting was done by Mickey in her shop, Sew Many Pieces, Hubertus, WI.  She stitched a pumpkin design using monofilament thread.

I had the quilt finished before Thanksgiving, but you have to get in line for longarm quilting by an outside source.  I'm okay with that.  I'm all ready for Fall of 2025!

Printed Fabric Scrap Quilt

After beginning this text fabric art quilt in 2012,

You can read about it’s making here

and finishing it in 2018, 

I’ve had lots of ink jet printed text fabric pieces still lingering in a small storage drawer. 

It is time to make them more useful.

I scanned scrapbook papers and purchased printed works from the internet then printed them onto fabric with my ink jet printer.

Inspiration for this project came from a birthday gift magazine titled “UPPERCASE”. Paper crafted projects are often my inspiration for fabric projects. 

I cut the printed fabrics into squares.

I stitched a 1/4” sashing between the squares. 

This small quilt measures 39” X 51”

Just the right size for a car quilt.

The border and binding fabrics are purchased (not ink jet printed).

Yes, of course there are still scraps of these printed fabric pieces.

I decided a car quilt needs a car pillow.

I cut squares at 1-1/2” and tacked them to a foundation fabric and just quilted the piece with raw edges. 

I used a 14” pillow form. 

A piece of Tim Holtz fabric on the back. 

If you’re riding with me and you get tired, you’re all set for a comfy snooze.

Baby Twister Quilt

My stash held this lonely “Totally Tropical” charm squares pack. It has been quite some time since I’ve made a Twister Tool project.  I had in mind a baby quilt.  (Maybe someday my friend will be a Grandmother).

So I laid out the squares and stitched them together.

And added the borders.

Then cut and twisted the little squares.  The piece started out measuring 35” X 32”. After sewing the twisted pieces together, it then measured 25” X 22”.  (I cut my borders larger than was necessary, so those are approximate measurements). The layout is always a surprise…it never looks the same after the squares are all twisted together.  

The quilt top still needed to be larger, so I then made border twister strips and corner blocks. 

All the fabrics for this quilt came from my stash.  Including the batting. Yay, another stash buster!

This quilt finishes at 39” X 42”

Now we wait for a baby.

April AlphaTable Scraps Challenge

The Alpha Challenge letters for April are

Y and/or N

This year long challenge is hosted by The Joyful Quilter

My postcard for the letter N is everyone’s favorite Neighbor, Nosey Nellie. 

Next I took advantage of the letter Y to make a couple more Yule postcards to send out come Christmas time.

I used current favorite patterns for postcard making by Bloomin’ Minds. As usual, I have reduced the pattern designs to fit a 4” X 6” postcard size. 

Happy mail day!

March Alpha Table Scraps Challenge

The Alpha Table Scraps Challenge letters for March are 

B and/or U

This challenge is hosted by

The Joyful Quilter

Well, the letter B was an easy one for my postcards.

Bird

Bee

(the bee is from the pattern but the flower is from my imagination)

Bunny

U took a bit of thought to avoid an umbrella.

This is Uncle Floyd and he is an Uber driver.

As always, I’ve reduced the Bloomin’ Minds patterns to fit a postcard size (except for the bee, he happened to be the perfect size right off the pattern).

Dark Squares Scrap Quilt

My previous scrap quilt was made with all the fun bright scrap squares I cut. Now I had a lot of dark squares left. 

Dark Squares Quilt

I had one yard of this colorful print that could be sashing.

I began sewing the squares to sashing strips.

Then cut them apart to sew them all together. 

I wasn’t coming up with any good ideas to make this small pieced section into a larger throw quilt, so I decided it would be a lap quilt. It measures 52” X 43”

I let it sit on my design wall for weeks…..not liking it much. Funny how a thing like that grows on you and changes your mind.  

It was fun quilting it once I decided how I wanted to do that.  The length for the quilting was simple, just stitching from one end to the other.  

 To quilt across, I stitched across a square then turned the quilt at an angle to either stitch up or down to get to the next square to stitch across and then repeat going from one side of the quilt to the other. 

Except for the outside border, every fabric (including batting scraps stitched together) came from my stash.  How good it always feels to lighten the stash load!