Stars & Stripes Table Mat

I’ve completed this patriotic table mat in time to enjoy it for a week or so.

The center section is inspired by a painted wood plaque that I saw online somewhere (that I cannot find now to give credit).  I made the design using half square triangles.

From there I gave it borders using more half square triangles.  Then strips of fabric around the outside border.  24” X 24”

I quilted the mat with star shapes.

The stars are all die cut in two sizes then raw edge appliqued.

Hooray for the red, white and blue!

Happy Independence Day, America!

Man Quilt

Another man quilt.

The request is black and red...again.  This time I felt like that meant and no other color.  But I get to choose the backings.

I thought I would just use the “sticks” design.  They were inspired by a photo on Pinterest https://pin.it/4kbQMYB

I wanted them on a larger scale.

But just the sticks was too blah.  I decided some economy blocks thrown into the mix gave it more interest.

When the top was all together I took notice of the backside and the variety of the red fabric wrongsides.  I find all those light colored backings on the red fabrics rather fascinating.

Once again, no froofroo for these men of mine.



I thought while making it that I wasn’t liking it too much.  Man stuff can be boring.

But I do like it very much in the end.

It looks kind of like it could be a game board.

Just need some large game pieces and a set of rules.



 It’s quite different from any quilt design I’ve made so far.

It measures 75” X 63”

Off it goes to the man.

 

Postcards From Scraps

I’m linking my scrappy postcards to The Joyful Quilter’s blog for her May 2022 Table Scraps Challenge. https://thejoyfulquilter.blogspot.com/p/2022-table-scraps-challenge.html  

Scraps are perfect for making postcards.  Especially when they are scraps that you really hate to toss out.  But I did toss these scraps out at first.  

I’m working on a quilt using a bundle of Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements called Abandoned2.  It was hard to not keep these pieces...until it finally dawned on me that I could make postcards with them!  I immediately took a break from the two quilts I’m working on, pulled these scraps from the trash and made some postcards for my Tim Holtz grunge loving friends.

As well as a gift tag.



The desire to sew postcard is in full force right now.

I thought I’d try using the painter’s drop cloth as a postcard base.  It works out really well.  Of course serging the edges helps a great deal.  This fabric has a great texture.  I pulled out my scrap bin and just cut shapes with scissors and stitched them down to create a flower.

Oh, look Joy, there’s a square in this one! **snicker**

I think I might like creating a colorful garden of flowers. I certainly have the scraps to do just that.

And then I got started on that garden...

I wish everyone a happy mail day!

A Table Quilt

The leftover blocks from my grandson’s quilt became my first table quilt.

I was lazy with the math figuring but that turned out to be a happy okay.

I laid out the blocks to allow for sashing to help get it to the size I need.

I then cut sashing pieces to sew between the blocks.

I then measured and cut incorrectly for the outside border.  But that was good because I like the additional red border.  Time to get it quilted.

The red outside border mean’t that I could use up some more scraps by making a scrappy binding from the black and white fabrics.

(Chain piecing the binding)

This is NOT a table quilt that I would have chosen to make and it’s rather an odd duck color choice as well.  But as an everyday table protection, it works.  I only cover the table when we use it for a meal anyway.

To make this table quilt reversible, I used a green print with gold metallic splatters that can be used at Christmas time or St. Patrick’s Day.

                   

Now I’m looking forward to making more table quilts.

April went along like so...

Black and Red Quilt

A black and red quilt with white thrown in for good measure.  For a man, so no froofroo stuff.

The no froofroo is not quite as easy as it might seem.  For me that meant no flowery prints.

The design is an easy one to cut and sew.

    

I sewed long strips then cut them into 10” squares.

Arranging the squares with the red strips in alternating positions.

It felt as though it was missing something that would give it some pizzaz.

My favorite black and white stripe to the rescue!  I just trimmed a strip off the edge of random blocks to add the stripe and still keep the block the same 10” size.

Just what it needed.



So on to the quilting.

I pulled the red fabrics back out to cut and sew a scrappy binding.  

(I have a small, silly collection of dog ears)

It looks good and was a great way to use up the small pieces of yardage that were left after cutting the block strips.

And it’s a quilt!

Measuring 57” X 76”

The backing is a red grunge fabric (forgot to get that photo).

It’s fun when the breeze sneaks up to give a quilt a little flight.



I have some squares leftover.

They are not going into the scrap bin, they will become the next project...

Bunny Zip Pouch

Etsy is full of fun and cute paper piecing patterns.

This bunny pattern found at Bubble Stitch, looks more complicated than it actually is.  I then tossed in a fabric color change.  The pattern is designed as a two color (brown and white) rabbit.  

I managed to get one section off a bit without noticing it, but I’m lettin’ that s**t go.  You know, the galloping horse and all.

I’ve made it into a zip pouch that measures 8.25” X 7.25”

My very good friend likes bunnies.

And bunnies like carrots.

The carrot pattern is found at Sugaridoo.

My friend also loves purple.

The bunny pattern was made at the 6” block size and the carrot was reduced to 75% of the original pattern size.

Seagull Drop Cloth Pillow

I found this seagull quilt block pattern on Etsy by Nadia Ridgeway of ellisandhiggs.com

When I printed the purchased pattern download and saw the bazillion little fabric pieces I would need to cut, I had the idea to change it into a paper piecing pattern...which I did.

A ways back in time, Selina of Selina Quilts blog, sent me a drop cloth.  She had made a tote and it inspired me to make something with it (that did not happen.....yet).  Last week I pulled out the drop cloth to try it out as a base fabric for a pillow.

I found a great little strip of selvedge dots in my selvedge stash to add into the sand.

Now it was time to begin the pillow cover construction.  I started with putting the zipper in the back piece(s).  The cloth can wiggle some, but it was the raveling that just about ended it for me.  I wasn’t even sure I would finish making the pillow cover.  But as I worked, I learned that as soon as I cut a piece or strip to sew, I immediately took it to the serger and serged all the edges.  Once I did that it was great to sew with.

It has a great texture for the pillow and a more organic look to it than if it were made completely from cotton quilting fabrics.  There are interesting imperfections that appear occasionally throughout the cloth.  I added another selvedge strip to the back for interest.  The fabric the selvedge came from was called World Maps.  Seagulls are all over the world so it fit.

Then I added my little signature tag and a made with love charm to the zipper pull.

The pillow is a 14” square form and has gone to live near the Pacific Ocean.

He’s the quietest seagull I’ve ever met.  I never once heard a peep out of him but I could hear the piercing keow of his relatives in my head all the while making him.

Altered File Folders

The only paper crafting I have been doing lately is altering plain manila file folders.  What fun they have been for playing with Distress Spray Stains and Distress Oxide Sprays!  The results are unpredictable.

This was my first batch.  The original photos have disappeared from my iPad, so I’m not able to show them individually.  However, they can be seen on my Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbAsz76ulXf/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

These were my second batch.

Individually...

    

I devised a system to make the tabs replaceable so if the contents of the folder changes, the description tab can also be changed without marring the original folder tab.

This is the most recent folder I’ve altered.

    

These folders make filing a whole lot more fun!