A Splendid Sampler Quilt

Last year, I heard about The Splendid Sampler quilt-along, and had intentions of joining the group, but never was able to get started. This year, though, I'm going to give it a try. There are 1-2 blocks per week, with options to add bonus blocks from time to time. By this time next year, I should have at least 52 blocks completed, maybe more! I purchased the book on Amazon and it contains patterns for 100 different blocks. Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson pick a couple of blocks for each week from their book.

This year's projects began a couple of weeks ago and so far, I'm on track! Hooray! I am using fabrics from my under-the-bed stash, along with a few more prints to round out the collection.

Here is block number one, "Hearts A'Flutter."

Block number two is called "Wings". I'm not wild about my fabric selections on this particular block, and the corners don't meet too well, but I am hoping that I will like it better when it is among all the other ones. If not, I can always go back and make another one.

Block number 3 is called "+ Love".  I like its simplicity.

From time to time, patterns for bonus blocks are posted. These are optional and there in case you want to mix things up a bit or need more blocks for your particular project.  This first one is called "A Little Friendship". Again, I have a lot to learn about making everything line up correctly, but eventually I will get it.

Here's a quick little bonus block I did this morning.

My favorite block so far has been "Early Bird". I got really confused at first because there were so many pieces and so few directions. The directions in the book called for paper piecing and I had not idea what that was. I ended up throwing away my first attempt.

The creator of the block, Joan Ford, posted some alternate directions using traditional quilting techniques, so I gave it another try with much more success.

Yesterday, I decided to go back and try my hand at paper piecing to make the block "Mini Glory"I watched a short video about it first and then jumped right in. It is challenging, but I kind of loved the process.  Basically, you stitch together all of the pieces on the back of a piece of paper that has the pattern printed. Doing it like this creates sharp accurate lines, which are very satisfying!

The four corners of the block used this method and then were stitched to other squares to complete the block.  It got a little wonky when I stitched it to the other pieces, and I'm not wild about my fabric choices (too busy), but the paper piecing itself worked out great!

Stay tuned to see as I post from time to time about my progress. At this point, I'm not sure exactly how they will all come together, but I am thinking about using a white border around each block will be a nice way to frame them since they have so much color within.

Nook

Several of my friends and family members received new e-readers for Christmas gifts this year. They were definitely a hot item among adults this Christmas! I don't seem to make much time for reading these days, (although I always enjoy it when I do take the time) but the cool factor of these e-readers has gotten me quite interested in them myself. I can't justify the purchase with the minimal reading I do, but my crafting skills kicked into gear and I made something special for Valine. She received the Nook Color and commented that she needed to get a cover for it soon. Sooo . . . with the help of Berritt over at Birdiful Stitches (love that name), I whipped one up Tuesday evening. Her downloadable pattern was great---clear instructions, along with pictures made it easy to stitch together. And, she made adjustments for various brands of e-readers as well as the iPad.

Although I don't have a Nook to slip inside for the picture, but I like the layout of this cover. On the left, is a pocket to carry the reader in, as well as 2 smaller pockets for cords and such. On the right, are corners which hold the Nook in place while you read.

I used some of my favorite Kaffe Fassett fabric, along with scraps from various projects and added some free-motion quilting to the outside.

I even added one of the fabric rosettes that are so popular right now, with a vintage button from my grandmother's stash.

By the time you read this, I will have given to Valine---hope she likes it!!

Callie, Don't Peek!!!!

Last year, Callie's birthday was kind of lost in the medical emergency involving my daddy. While I had plans to make her something special, and even had made a good start, the need to be at the hospital every free moment for weeks on end meant that I never got to complete the project.

This year, however, I am determined to get it done and present it to her next week. She went with me to a fabric shop a year or so ago and we discovered that she was really drawn to graphic patterns and circles in particular. I should have known this considering that Kandinsky is one of her favorite artists and she chose this painting of Concentric Circles for her dorm room a few years back.

I knew that I wanted this project to be colorful and have some graphic shapes in it, so I chose this free pattern from Moda to be the basis of my project. As I gathered the patterned fabrics, I made sure to choose some that were circles and other geometric shapes. I really liked this fabric I found at Hancock's last year---it looks so happy and carefree to me. I decided to use it for a narrow border around the whole thing and for the back.And I started sewing! 

Some of the stitches are kind of "wonky", but I finally finished and I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I hope Callie likes it, too--her birthday is this week, so I'll show you the finished product after I give it to her . . . .just in case she's peeking.

Hope Squared

These fun fabrics from Joann's . . . . . . led to this simple quilt for Craft Hope Project #5. May each child that receives receives one, be comforted and warmed by the love and caring of strangers.

Craft Hope Project #5

Craft Hope has posted their latest project and I can't wait to get started. This project will benefit Margaret's Hope Chest, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Margaret's Hope Chest works to provide "hope and comfort to those in need". Through Craft Hope, the goal is to provide homemade quilts to every homeless child in their school system during the Christmas season. They're calling this project "Hope Squared" because of the squares that will be used in the project. Sounds like fun to me---can't wait to begin!

The Good News

I teach a Sunday School class at my church for special needs adults. Years ago, my mother taught such a class for about 15 years, but as changes occurred in the church and in society, inclusion in other classes seemed to be the right thing to do and the class disbanded. In recent years, the need seemed to be there again---there were several adult members of the church with no class to attend and I felt that I was being called to meet that need. So a couple of years ago, the Good News Class was reinstated. We started small, with only 2-3 people there each week, but in the past few months the class has grown. At one time the class was just for those with disabilities, but now there is a variety of people and personalities in the class, which makes the hour we spend together each week very interesting.

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about what the "Good News" actually means. I asked each person to draw their interpretation of that using fabric crayons and I ironed each onto a white fabric square. Now, I am busy constructing a special wall hanging to display their thoughts. Here's a sneak preview:

Quilt Festival

While checking out some of my favorite blogs, I ran across Sew Take A Hike's entry in the online Quilt Festival. Her Fruit Salad quilt is wonderful!---I love the colors and the shapes of her squares. My first real attempt at quilting was last summer. I ordered a couple of Anna Maria Horner charm packs and put together this quilt. While the colors don't really match my house, I LOVE the fabrics and since it is my first quilt, I decided to keep it. Perhaps one of these days I'll redecorate a room to match it! :-)

I've made a couple gift quilts since then, and have one "in the works". As soon as I can get this office/guest room under control I want to get back to working on it. In the meantime, I'm going to go throw my turquoise quilt into the wash to get that crinkly goodness!!

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie . . .

This morning, I needed to get some house cleaning done, so I decided to focus on straightening up the living room and the kitchen (the rooms seen by visitors). I began by mapping and sweeping and then putting away some laundry that was stacked on the couch. As I opened my linen armoire to put away a couple of pillowcases, I was reminded how messy it was in there and how so many of those linens could probably be given away. So, I began taking them all out and as I did that, I sorted them into different stacks. Sheets to keep, sheets to give away, blankets, etc., etc.






Stacked under a bunch of sheets were quilts that belonged to my mother. Some she'd made herself, such as these:




















And others were made by her ancestors:There were quilt tops made many years ago by her grandmother














and this Crazy Quilt top that was made by the lady who lived next door to us when I was a little girl. It IS crazy, but isn't it wonderful!!!






Near the bottom of the stack were a few baby blankets, sheets and quilts. Of course, looking through those brought back more than a few memories, but I was able to part with some. I found the Easter quilts that Momo made for the girls when they were young. (those little animals are all attached with velcro so that they can be taken off and played with)











. . . . and a pile of autographed pillowcases from a number of slumber parties. (by the way, I don't think Callie still feels quite the same passion for Beanie Babies).

Seeing all the quilts and linens reminded me that I needed to take some pictures before I put them all back in. And of course, after taking a few photographs, I knew that I needed to post them to my blog. Being on the computer, I chatted online with my daughter, which reminded me that I was really supposed to be cleaning house. Alas, back to work I go . . .

P. S. To clear up something my daughter asked me---I didn't give away ANY of the wonderful quilts, etc. ---only old sheet sets, old blankets and old crib sheets.