Quilt Suspension and FMQ

I have quilted quite a few large quilts with my domestic sewing machines and am thankful for the nice table I purchased several years ago.  The sewing machine drops down so the bed of the machine is level with the table top.  

Maneuvering a large quilt on the table and through the machine throat is a bit tricky but can be done.  This does tend to slow down the process of quilting due to stopping and rearranging the quilt in order to move to new areas to quilt.  I have heard of several ways to reduce the drag made by the quilt and recently watched a video online.  Patsy Thompson Designs.com offers for sale a system using bungie cords and clamps to raise up the bulk of the quilt.  According to her the system works well and makes moving the quilt under the needle easier.  

The first thing I did was show the video to my husband and ask him to make one for me.  He's really inventive and able to put together a lot of creative things.  But as I thought about it some more, I had an idea of a way to achieve the same effect.  I dug out the Dritz Quilter's Floor Frame from under the bed and "borrowed" some of the parts.   I already had some clamps and binder rings.  My husband gave me the small bungie cords I needed.  After making the frame, which fits well on my quilt table, I added the binder rings over the cross pvc pipe.  The bungie cord hooks attach to the binder rings and the opposite end hooks fit perfectly into the little holes in the clamp handles.  

 

  My test run on my FMQ practice quilt went well.  Elevating the quilt really does reduce the drag and makes it easier to move the quilt around as I quilt.  Re-positioning the clamps on the quilt every so often takes a little time, but so far I think its a more efficient method than rearranging the bulk of the quilt every few minutes.

 

 

The nice thing about my suspension contraption is that I can easily dismantle it and store it away when not needed. 

 

Here's a few pics of the quilting I have been doing on this practice quilt. 

I'm using yellow thread on the top and white in the bobbin.  The quilting shows better on the solid back. 

 

About this practice quilt.......I am obsessed with learning how to free-motion quilt.  I watch videos almost every day.  I have dozens of practice quilt sandwiches ranging in size from 6-inches square to 24-inches square.  

 

Several years ago I made this top and, because I never really liked it, I stuck it up high on the top shelf and forgot about it.  When I was looking for fabric and batting to make more practice sandwiches, I spotted this quilt.  I had previously sandwiched and spray basted the batting and backing to the top so it was ready to be quilted.  Now I have a very large practice piece to work on.

 

I am quilting this rather densely and using pebbles for filler in between the larger elements.  Whenever I see a new quilt stitching design to try I have a practice piece all ready to go under the needle.

Thanks for stopping by.   Happy Quilting!

   ~Diane

 

  

FMQ...“Bears In The Air” baby quilt

A while back I was given some baby quilt panels one of which is a Daisy Kingdom print of some teddy bears in a hot air balloon.  I matched this panel up with some dinosaur flannel because of both pieces have the primary red, blue, yellow, and green colors. 

After sandwiching these up with some 80/20 cotton low loft batting, I tried a new basting technique.  I did use spray baste to keep the layer secure while I added machine basting. 

First I marked the approximate centerlines (vertical and horizontal) and then I proceeded to stitch those lines with a very long basting stitch and my free-motion foot.  I set my stitch length to 6, but I made it even longer by lowering the presser foot, taking a stitch, bringing up the needle, lifting the presser foot, and then moving the fabric.  I stitched this way about every 1/2- to 1-inch.  After a bit I got into a rhythm and was grateful for my new sewing machine knee-lift feature which raises and lowers the presser foot.  I spaced the stitching rows/columns about 6-inches apart.  The only thing that I would say negatively about this technique is that occasionally as I was free-motion quilting the basting thread would get caught in the presser foot.  In that case, I would stop and cut the basting thread and continue on with my quilting.


For the most part I used Coats & Clark 100% cotton 50wt thread for quilting with Presencia 60wt 3-ply cotton in the bobbin.  I have tried to use other brands of 60wt but they tend to fray or break perhaps because they are only 2-ply.   I also used various brands of colored thread, whatever I had on hand, to quilt the outlines around the balloons and ribbons.  I was concerned that if I used white it would show where two colors meet. 

Another first for me was the diagonal cross-hatching I did in the quilt interior.  At first I made the lines 2-inches apart, but later added the intermediate lines to make the spacing 1-inch.  I like the smaller hatch much better. 









For the interior border area I made my own design using hearts and ribbons which I marked using a Frixion pen.  When I quilted only a single line for these features it seemed dull so I added a second echo line about 1/16 to 1/8 inch away.  That made the ribbons and hearts stand out more.  I love how the Frixion pen markings just disappear when heat from the iron is applied. 






In the outside borders I quilted a simple hearts and loops design and tried not to get the quilting too dense.  I was concerned that some areas of the quilt would been heavily quilted and others very sparsely. 

At the moment I have four baby quilts that are done except for the binding.  It’s funny, I’m enjoying seeing them hanging around together so much that I keep putting off the final step of adding the binding.  Each quilt has it binding all cut and pressed and ready to be applied.  I think I’ll just leave them there to admire a while longer......or I could finish them and hang them back up.  These will be donated in July.    

I'm linking up with FMQ Project Link Up over at The Free Motion Quilting Project.

Happy Quilting!
       ~Diane

FMQ ... Ahoy Baby quilt

A while back I was given several flannel pieces each measuring about 38" x 48".  I intend to use them as backings for the donation baby quilts I'm making.  Then another friend gave me a lot of fabric which she scored for free at an estate sale.  In that batch of fabric were nine baby quilt panels which I promptly washed and then matched up with flannel backings.  I'm hoping to get all of these small quilts completed by end of summer.

The first quilt, which I named "Ahoy" was a bit small so I added a 4-inch borders all around to the original panel.  I like all the really bright colors of this panel which has Paddington Bear sailing around in his boat.  

This week I assembled the backing, batting (Soft & Crafty 80/20 low loft), and panel.  Since there are no seams in the panel itself, I stitched the outline of the major areas using The Bottom Line  60 wt poly in the bobbin and So Fine 50 wt poly for the top thread.  For the interior of the panel I simply stitched the outline of the major elements.  

When it came time to quilt the borders I used my new Frixion pen to mark the waves, boats, clouds, and a sun in each corner.  I used matching gold thread for the stitching.  The markings disappeared when I applied heat from my iron.  

    

This quilt came together so easily that I almost immediately started on the next one.  Perhaps I will get all these baby panel quilts done before summer starts.  

Thanks for stopping by.   I'm linked up with FMQ Fridays over at The Free Motion Quilting Project.  

         Happy Quilting,

                 ~Diane

FMQ...Scrappy Baby Asterisk quilt

This week I was able to get the quilting completed on the Scrappy Baby Asterisk quilt.  Yeah!  

This baby quilt top has been sitting in my "To Quilt" pile for a couple of months.  I used leftover scraps from previous baby quilts. 

 Although you probably can't see it clearly, I used the white bubble fabric I got a while back for the sashing and outer border.  

 This is the third ? asterisk baby quilt I've made.  The pattern evolved from a Craftsy.com block of the month from 2012.  I've found that this is a good pattern to use up scrap bits.

Here's a pic of the completed top.

I used pins for basting the quilt sandwich together.  My preferred method is to use spray baste and then heat set it with an iron.  

But this time I followed Cindy Needham's technique of tensioning the quilt back and that worked really well...for the backing.  I did get some shifting with the top which showed up in lots of ripples when I did my ditching to secure all the layers.  Perhaps I didn't have my tensions set correctly with my walking foot.  

At any rate, I picked out all the stitching I had done, which took me the better part of a day.  After that I set my maching stitch to "baste" (6mm) and only stitched down the center of the sashing.

Then I stitched around each triangle using my quilting foot instead.  Yes, I had to go really slow to get a straight line, but I was glad I did and pleased with the results.  

I began with quilting flowers in each quadrant.
Later I decided that they needed more emphasis so I went back and echoed each flower.

I had a lot of fun making the bubbles in the sashing.  I didn't want to overquilt that area so I did a single column with larger bubbles in the intersections.

For the outer border I did a simple accordian style wavy line.  It was hard not to try to make straignt lines with equal spacing in between, but I forced myself to go "Organic".





"Organic" is my new mantra this season in my quilting journey.  I define this concept as:  not structured, not perfect.   

I'm linked up with FMQ Project Link-up over at The Free-Motion Quilting Project.  

Thanks for stopping by.            Happy Quilting!
                 ~Diane

Free-Motion Quilting....03 January, 2014

For Christmas I treated myself to a few more Craftsy.com online classes.  I love the Craftsy platform which allows you to watch the instructional videos at your own pace, as often as you want.  I enjoy reading all the questions posted by students as well as the responses by the instructors.  

One of my new classes is "Design It, Quilt It" taught by Cindy Needham.  I've taken several quilting and sewing classes and Cindy is my favorite instructor by far.  She shares a wealth of knowledge and expertise in a way that is not overwhelming.  I appreciate all her insights and personal suggestions.  But most of all she encourages and inspires me to go fire up the machine, experiment and "make it my own".  If you ever have opportunity to take a class from Cindy I highly recommend you jump at the chance.  She's an awesome teacher.

I put together a quilt sandwich of a couple pieces of tea-dyed muslin and some Warm and Natural cotton batting.  The first picture is my swirls and curls practice as I experimented with machine speed, looking for that perfect combination of speed and fabric movement to achieve a consistent stitch length.  I added a bit of grid work and a small feather before launching into the "S" curves.  

We were supposed to stitch a feather/teardrop shape and then subdivide it with an "S" curve shape or two.  Next we were to fill in the smaller area with "S" curves.  They end up looking a lot like skinny fern leaves.  As suggested, I added a spine of circles between the areas and around the outside.  I had never done "S" curves as a filler before and it took a little getting used to.

In the next section of practice I drew grid lines (my ruler's width) and filled the spaces with repetitive lines.  This piece is small enough that I could turn the piece to get straighter lines.  I find it difficult to stitch a straight line when moving the fabric horizontally (side to side).   I also tried some diagonal lines and square spirals.

After doing a column of circles, I experimented with more "S".  I changed direction and added a bud shape in the middle.  The end result is a row of flowers (like tulips) that I could use in a sashing or border area. Then I made a large feather.  After stitching the feathers on the left side of the stem I echoed each feather on the outside as I worked my way back down to the bottom of the stem.  I like the result.  The feathers stand out more than they do without the echoing.  

I also did another column of circles without drawing guidelines.  That's probably the reason why the sizes vary so much.  But I did like the echo lines I put next to the circles.  

Another new-to-me fill is the cathedral windows grid.  First I stitched my 1" square grid then added the arches.  I'm calling them pedals because, when you finish, they look like flower pedals that touch each other with little pillows in between.  In the center portion I subdivided the area between the pedals which made it lie really flat.  Last of all, I switched to a thinner, darker shade of thread to do the scribbling between the pedals.  I had some thread breakage issues until I got the tension set properly.  The scribbling makes the pedals pop and adds some shadow effect.  There are still some more grid styles I'd like to try.....1/2-inch and 1/4-inch diagonal grids for example.  

Well, that's what I've been doing over my holiday vacation.  Be sure to stop over at The Free-Motion Quilting Project for more links to free-motion quilting.  

Thanks for stopping by today.  Happy Quilting!
         ~Diane

Free-Motion quilting practice

Back in early October I free-motion quilted a flower basket applique piece.  My intention is to make a sewing machine cover.  Over the past week or so I've been working on quilting the Baby Blocks baby quilt and came to the point of indecision about how to quilt the outer border area.  The second side of the sewing machine cover has become my test ground for possible border designs.  I'd like to do something that I haven't done on any previous projects.

The width of the border for the baby quilt will be 2-inches, so I divided my practice piece with vertical stitching lines and began to fill in those areas.  I find that, like a writer trying to overcome writer's block, it's best to just jump in and begin.

My favorite design is the one with the circles and scallops.  For this pic, I used white paper to isolate the design from the others because I don't like the design I stitched to the right of it.  In future I will probably draw some pencil lines as guides for the scallops to keep them more uniform.  I really like how the little circles turned out.  Not bad for a design on the fly, first attempt.

    
Even with this practice sample I'm not sure what border design I will stitch on the baby quilt.  It's a boy quilt so feathers and flower designs are not on my radar.

I'm linked up with FMQ Friday over at the Free-Motion Quilting Project.  Be sure to head over there to see what other's have been quilting lately.  

         Happy Quilting,
              ~Diane

FMQ Baby Blocks quilt

It seems like it's taking me forever to get this baby quilt finished.  Progress has been made this past week and I'm happy with my design choices.

This is also my first attempt at free-hand quilting text.  I wanted the blocks to look like the real thing, so I angled the letters and used a pencil to draw the lines on the quilt.  Some of my stitching got a little too dense, but I'm not going to pick them out and do it all over.

I believe this is the first quilt I've quilted without using my walking foot.....not even once!  My goal was to do all the quilting using only my embroidery foot.  That means that my sewing speed has been greatly reduced.  I've found that it is possible to stitch a straight line but the trick is to go slowly.  Most of the time I use the foot as a guide to achieve a 1/4-inch echo.  There were some areas that my lines got a little wonky so I occasionally used a pencil to mark where I needed to go.

For the most part I used white Coats & Clark 100% cotton 50wt thread, top and bobbin.  But when it came time to stitch inside the tumblers, I switched to Gutermann's Invisible thread so my misses wouldn't be as noticeable.  I still used the white cotton in the bobbin.

This was the first time I've used Quilter's 80/20 low loft (up to 3/16 inch) batting.  The package states the recommended quilting distance to be 2" - 4" so I felt I could get away with just outline stitching inside the larger blocks.

For me, looking at the stitching on the back side is almost as pleasing as the front.  Periodically I flip the project over and inspect how things look back there just to make sure I didn't miss any areas or outlines.

 


Next up is deciding on a border stitching design.  I put together a test sandwich so I can audition ideas.  Here's what I've come up with so far.  Oops...the pic is upside down!  Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, this is one idea I had.  I'm looking for designs that allow me to travel down the border with little or no re-positioning of the entire quilt.  I had enough of that when I was doing the interior of the quilt.  Also I want to restrict some of the motion because my machine (always blame it on the machine) tends to make bad stitches when I move in a circular motion toward the left and upward.  I guess if it were a map, then my problems happen when I move into the northwest quadrant.  It's probably me, but I've tried slowing down and adjusting tensions with the same results.  I figure it's just best to find a design that works with me instead of against me.

Well, that's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit The Free Motion Quilting Project blog for links to other quilting project blog posts.

Happy Quilting,
    ~Diane

Got It Done–October 2013

Here is my list of goals for October:

1.  Piecing the Scrappy Asterisk baby quilt.

2. Quilting the Scrappy Asterisk baby quilt

– Not even started.

3.  Knitting October washcloth.

 
Another fun washcloth knitting experience.  If you want more information about this project, check out my previous blog post Here.

4.  Piecing Craftsy BOM. 

This month the blocks are flying geese and half-square triangles to use as fillers in assembling the sampler quilt.  I am not creating a sampler from the blocks I made so I passed on this month’s exercise.  I did, however, work on two other Craftsy BOM items from previous months.
I did free-motion quilting on my applique Flower Basket block. 








I also turned my Tumbling Blocks block into a baby quilt by designing and piecing a border of smaller blocks.  For more information about this, check out my previous blog posts, Here and Here.   The quilting is partially done.




There are several other quilty projects I worked on this past month.  For example, a friend donated flannel pieces, enough to make 10 boy and 10 girl baby quilt backs.  Then I was given a whole bunch of fabric from an estate sale.  In that box of goodies was 9 baby quilt fabric panels, most of which were from Daisy Kingdom.  I spent the better part of a day washing and ironing the fabrics and matching up the panels with flannel for the backs.  So now I'm ready to make donation baby quilts as soon as I get the batting.


Thanks for stopping by.  I'm participating in the Getting It Done challenge over at Patchwork Times.

Happy Crafting,
     ~Diane

Free-Motion Quilting - Baby Blocks quilt

I had made it a goal to get this baby quilt quilted this week.  Unfortunately, I still don't have a clear vision of the quilting design.

After stitching in the ditch around the outside (between the yellow and the blue borders), I echoed the blocks at 1/4" away.  I really liked how it made the blocks pop off the surface of the quilt and give a 3D effect.  Because the angles are different between the center blocks group and the border blocks I can't just continue the diamond shapes I created in the border area.  At any rate, I know that I'll come up with a solution...soon.  Invisible thread will be my choice for stitching inside the colored blocks.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Be sure to visit The Free Motion Quilting Project blog for links to other free-motion quilting posts.  There are some really talented quilters out there in blogland.

Happy Quilting!
      ~Diane

Free Motion Quilting - Flower Basket

Today I worked on quilting the flower basket block from Craftsy.com BOM class.  This will probably be a sewing machine cover sometime in the future.

For the backing I chose some old Christmas fabric I bought several years ago.  I made another thrifty choice for the batting.  Deep in my batting bin is some leftover fusible that I've had for at least seven years.  It kept staring at me every time I'd paw through the bin and now it has a home.

I used Superior Threads So Fine #50 in the bobbin and for the background quilting and an 80/12 topstitching needle.  For the colored threads I used whatever I could find in my stash that best matched the area I was quilting.

 It's projects like this that challenge me to be more creative in my quilt stitching designs.

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm linked up with FMQ Friday over at The Free-Motion Quilting Project.

               Happy Quilting!

                               ~Diane

Free-Motion Quilting–August 29, 2013

Back in March of this year I completed piecing the top of a baby quilt, “9-Patch Posies”.  This flimsy sat in the WIP pile for several months but has now moved to the top of the stack.

Quilting these swirls is a first for me.  I’ve practiced a few times but this is the first time I’ve actually stitched them on a quilt.  Things are going well so far and I’m liking the outcome.  All my quilting is done by me on my domestic machine so there are some quilt patterns that I just am not able to accomplish.

I have to say that deciding on the quilt stitching is one of the most difficult choices to make – at lease for me.  Picking blocks, colors, and fabric is fun; but when it comes to the actual quilting, I tend to stumble a lot.  All the choices I’ve made up to this point have created a certain “look” and “feel” and I want to be careful and deliberate in choosing a stitch pattern that contributes to that “look” and doesn’t distract or work against it.

How do you choose your quilt stitching patterns? 

I'm linked to the Free Motion Quilting blog.  Check it out!

Have a great quilting day and thanks for stopping by.
   ~Diane

Free Motion Friday - Mar 22, 2013

Yeah!  The quilt, "Bittersweet" is all quilted.  She still needs binding, but the hard part is all done.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I quilted the circle with feathers in the "X" blocks.  Then I quilted in the ditch around all the squares in the 16-patch blocks.   The final quilting in the border is a simple echoed feather design.  When I worked on the boarder I did not make the stem first and regretted it later.  In future, I plan to create the stem and then add the feathers.

I tried to keep track of the time it took me to quilt this project.  The final tally was 15.75 hours.  I did a lot of starting and stopping as well as twisting and turning of the fabric to get it into place so I could stitch.

Oh how I would love to have a machine with a larger arm.  On a recent trip to the sewing machine store I drooled over all the great machines on display.  I could get a bigger machine if I really wanted one, but I don't know where I'd set it up.  I love the cabinet I bought when I got my Ellure (which is what I use to do my machine quilting).  So, for the time being, I'll make due with what I have.  Perhaps I'll reduce the size of my future projects so that they are more manageable.

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Quilting!

          ~Diane

WIP Wednesday - Quilting "Bittersweet"

At the beginning of the year I set an ambitious goal for myself:  piece together a scrap quilt and a baby quilt each month.  The following month I plan to do the quilting on those two projects as well as piece another scrap quilt and baby quilt.  Whew!  Things are going good so far.

I've dedicated this week to doing the quilting on "Bittersweet" which was a mystery quilt that I made from a large variety of scrap fabrics.  I blogged about making this quilt here and here.  Besides selecting the fabrics for a quilt project I find it hard to decide on the stitching pattern to use.

Normally I use quilt basting spray to secure my quilt sandwich but I ran out so I simply used safety pins.  The pins tend to get in my way as I sew but I was deliberate in where I placed them.  Once that was done, it was off to the machine for stitching.  First step was to stitch in the ditch, outlining the basic 8-inch blocks and get those pins out.  I did leave the pins in place that secure the outer edges of the quilt.

The next step was to make a tracing template for the design I'm quilting in the "X" blocks.  Last year, during the SewCalGal FMQ2012 Challenge, expert quilter Don Linn taught us how to make a template using an embroidery hoop and fine mesh tulle fabric. This technique worked well for this stage of my project.

So, after about four hours of sewing I have completed the ditching and nine of the "X" blocks.  This is the first time I've ever kept track of my quilting time and I'm curious just how long it really takes me.

I have another eleven "X" blocks to go and then it's on to the 16-patch blocks.  At this point I still have no idea how I will quilt those blocks.  I'm open for suggestions if you have any.

I'm linked up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

Thanks for visiting and Happy Quilting,
         ~Diane

FMQ Practice Panel #2, Zippered Pouch

While trying to decided how to use the first free motion quilting practice panel, I discovered that I had used the identical blue fabric when test quilting a flower I was considering using in a baby quilt.  I had used white thread on the blue fabric so I could clearly tell if my tension setting were correct.  The more I looked at that flower panel it became apparent to me that it had to be part of the new project.  I didn’t change the thread colors in my machine, I just went with the royal blue.


First off, I outlined the white stitching which made the flowers and loops seem to rise above the surface.  Then I stitched several different fill patterns, including those pebbles from the first panel….but not so many this time.  I have to say that I actually had fun making this panel. 
About half way through the stitching, I took measurements of the first panel and then outlined the second panel so that the two would end up being the same size and proceeded to complete the stitching on the second panel. 

After trimming both panels to identical sizes I dug through my zipper stash and found one that was close in color.  To connect the two panels at the bottom seam, I added a small strip of fabric and top stitched it down similar to the method used to connect quilt-as-you-go pieces.  I also added a narrow piece of fabric at the top edge of both panels so I would not have all the bulk of the batting to contend with while inserting the zipper. 

I chose not make a lining for this pouch, but now I’m thinking that I probably should have. 

When I figure out what fabric I want to use for a lining, I plan to turn the bag inside out and hand-stitch it along the top.  Since this will be a utility pouch it isn't really necessary to line it, but it would hide the raw edges of the fabric and batting along the sides and bottom seam. 



The shapes and design of the first panel make me think of a jeans back pocket so this became the pouch “back” (although no one will know but me).

I had a good time with this project and think that I would like to make some more.  Perhaps I will be more thoughtful when I pick fabrics for my stitching test panels. 

The final measurement for this zippered pouch is 9” x 9” square.

Free Motion Friday - Practice panel

This is a panel I have set up to practice my free-motion quilting.  It's hard for me to take perfectly good fabric and batting just to make a practice sandwich.  I have to have a plan. And the plan for this panel is to incorporate it into a zippered pouch or bag.

Deciding on a quilting design is challenging to me.  It seems that when I sit down with a quilt in front of me, my brain goes blank.  I conclude that I need to practice more.

I used a royal blue 100% polyester thread on the top and a light blue for the bobbin.  When I flipped it over to check my stitching, I liked the look of the back as much as the front.

I have a diamond project in the works for the future so I traced a couple of them to establish a shape to begin with.  This was my first attempt at quilting a pebble pattern.  I found it a bit tedious for me; but this is a good filler if you want a really flat outcome like for place mats or handbags.

I'm linked up with FMQ Fridays over that the Free Motion Quilting Project.  Check it out!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting,
      ~Diane

Free Motion Quilting - Baby's First Spring

Compared to the Log Cabin Throw this baby quilt has been a breeze to quilt on my domestic machine.  My guess is that it's about 1/3 smaller.  I used Warm & Natural cotton batting and flannel backing.  As usual I had a hard time deciding how to quilt this.  I settled on making a flower in the center of the large squares and then I did a wavy line outlining the square.  Then I continued with that style and did more exaggerated wavy lines in the frames and sashing.

This pic of the back shows the quilting much better.

I'm linked up with FMQ Friday at the Free Motion Quilting Project blog.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting!
          ~Diane

Got It Done–Feb 2013

I'm happy to report that I got all my February Getting It Done list accomplished.....with the exception of those darn gray socks.  In the end, I decided to postpone making them.  

Here's a listing of my project finishes I did this past month...

February Washcloth

I enjoy simple knitting projects and I'm hoping to make a new one each month. 

This month I made the Hostess Gift Dishcloth which is a free pattern offered by Lily on their website. 

The knit pattern is a 10-stitch repeat and relatively easy to master.  This pattern would also be a good choice for a knitted scarf.

Craftsy BOM – February 2013

Participating in a BOM project is a perfect way for me to expand my quilting experience and skills.  

This block is called “Spring Blooms” and highlights the technique of using partial seams to attach patches to the center square.

This was an easy block to make and I will likely use it in future scrappy quilts.  

February Scrap Quilt Top

Each month I'd like to make a scrap quilt.

“Grannie’s Scraps” is the name I gave this quilt top which measures 58” x 67”.  

The interior of the quilt is comprised of 20 granny square blocks (aka “Arbor Window” block in EQ7 library).  The pieced border blocks are called square-in-a-square or diamond-in-square.  

Purple Baby Trip Quilt

My goal was to quilt and bind this fun baby quilt.  The finished size is 41” x 41”.  I used bright prints with a mix of solids (mostly purple and yellow).  The backing is yellow flannel and Warm & Natural cotton batting so it’s nice and cuddly.  For the quilting, I did a simple wavy line in the interior and then a double stipple in the border area.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 Log Cabin Throw

I made this quilt top last month and wanted to get it quilted and add the binding this month.  

This finished quilt measures 60" x 72".  I used Warm & Natural cotton batting.  For the quilting I did a square spiral following the log shapes in each block, outlined the flying geese in the border and did a flowing feather pattern in the outer border.  I blogged about my free-motion quilting on this project last week and included some close-up pics.

Getting It Done - March 2013 

Here is my list of project goals I hope accomplish during March.  

I'm participating in Judy's "Getting It Done" challenge for 2013.  On the last day of each month post a list of about four quilt-related tasks that we want to accomplish during the following month.  I have expanded my list to include some knitting and sewing projects as well.  I must say that this has helped me keep on track and finish things that I otherwise would have put off.  Be sure to visit Patchwork Times blog for links to what others have on their Getting It Done lists.

Thanks for stopping by.............Happy Quilting, Sewing, Knitting, and Crafting!!!

     ~Diane