First and Most Recent Quilts

My friend Laura West Kong has started Quilt Bloggers Collective on Facebook, and today she decided to offer a "seed" for August. I just had to give this one a try. She says, "August Blog Seed: write a post featuring your first quilt and your last quilt. Its quick, fun, and interesting. Takes two photos and a paragraph or two about how your quilt making has evolved over the years."


This faded and out-of-focus photo is of the very first quilt  I ever made. It's from 2009.

I was a cross-stitcher who decided to learn to sew and make quilts. I took a class at JoAnn on how to use a sewing machine, and then got some books from Barnes & Noble to teach myself about quilting. I was afraid of triangles at first, so my first few quilts are squares and rectangles.  But here's the thing - I didn't know about pinning to match seams!  So my quilts from back then are wonky, with mismatched seams. I have 4 like that.  Also, I didn't know how to quilt, so this first one is tied. The next couple quilts I tried quilting in the ditch, and wasn't really satisfied with that.


I spent the next couple of years making miniature quilts and paper-piecing. I participated in online mini-quilt swaps, and grew tired of that because I really had no use for them.  I have a couple of drawers full of mini-quilts and don't know what to do with them.  I tired of paper-piecing, as well - but will paper-piece occasionally if I have to.

My passion now is piecing and using up scraps. I'm in two guilds, and both of them have community service programs which take donated quilts and give them to shelters, veterans, sick children, etc.  I have a few friends in the guilds, Laura included, who take my tops and do the quilting - most of them also provide the batting and sometimes even the backing - then I put bindings on them and turn them in.  I've made quite a few personal quilts - for family - and have several places and friends who will quilt them for a fee.  But my community service quilts are all "scrappy."  I use EVERYTHING - pieces even as small as 1" x 1.5".  I'm known as the "scrappy lady" at my guild, and at every meeting, someone will hand me a bag of scraps. I cut them into strips and squares, and use a variety of patterns to turn all those scraps into tops. Sometimes I'll use Kim Brackett's Scrap-Basket books, sometimes I'll use a Bonnie Hunter (Quiltville) pattern.  But there are times I'll design my own.   This one below is the most recent quilt I've finished.  I took a regular Ohio Star and elongated it - I did this on graph paper.  Then I used a concept from a designer/author named Karen Combs, called split 9-patches. 

This quilt is made up of 2.5" squares and HSTs that are first sewed into 9-patches.  Some are all neutral or all scrappy, and some are split like a giant HST between neutral and scrappy.  If you look at the quilt, you can see that the top row is made up of two all-neutral 9-patches and six split 9-patches. The sandwiching and quilting was done by Cathy Kreter, and I will be donating this one to community service at our guild. All of the squares and HSTs are from donated fabric, and I got the border fabric on sale for $5 a yard at a shop in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.

5 Quilts Finished

This one is for my guild's community service project.  It's made from 2.5" scrap squares, and was quilted by Judee Koda, a gal in my guild. 

 This one is called Pink Charlotte - it's from the book Three Times the Charm.  I used a charm pack.
 Jessica Cook quilted this one for me. It's a gift for my great-niece Cadence.

 This is made from 2.5" scrap squares, and all I did was design a star and then elongate it. Jessica Cook quilted it, and it's for community service.

 This was my very oldest ever UFO - the second quilt I ever made.  It was back when I hadn't learned about pinning to match seams, but it's good enough for community service.  Jessica did the quilting.

This one is called Town Square, and it's from the book Scrap Basket Sensations by Kim Brackett. It was quilted by Cathy Kreter, and is for community service.

A little of this and that

I haven't posted for a month - but have been super busy cranking out tops and blocks!  And earlier this week, I dropped off four tops to be quilted - so when those come back, I'll have four completed quilts to share. Here are some things I've been working on lately:

Spools blocks for guild BOM

"Boomers" - made for September Block Lotto

 The above block is a double four-patch. Bonnie Hunter made an entire quilt in greens and tans with this block here. I decided it would be a great way to use up my 1.5" squares.  (Bonnie's uses 2" squares for the smallest pieces; I used 1.5")

Here are four of the double-four patch blocks laid out. 

This top is called "Flower Boxes," from the book Scrap Basket Sensations. I donated it to my guild. 

Crayon Box block - October Block Swap Adventure - for Charlene

Crayon Box Block - October Block Swap Adventure - for Charlene

October blocks for Sew Bee Wonky

Stash Bee Hive #4 October blocks for Christy

Chaos Star - Lucky Stars BOM - October

Remember when I asked about this block?  I made it with solid corners, and decided to call it Boxed Star.

Before I left on the trip, I made up a bunch of "kits," all the components for a bunch of these blocks. I was able to really cut into a pile of 2" strips, along with a bunch of neutrals for the 3.5" squares.

Last week I finished all the blocks, and sewed 25 of them together into a nice top. I added a 3.5" border, and now have a nice lap-sized top to donate to my guild's community service program!

I finished some quilts before vacation

We're leaving the 16th for Colorado, so I wanted to take some completed quilts and tops to the guild meeting today. 

First, I tied and bound three of the scrap-busting split 9-patch quilts. Each one is made with 2" squares and HSTs.

I also finished a pink one, but forgot to take a picture.  All four of these were donated to our community service program.

Next, I donated this top to our Home of the Brave project.  Cathy and I talked about how there was a need for quilts for older little girls - too often the children's quilts are pretty "young."  This one will be nice for an older little girl who has lost her father/mother in combat.  It's a paper-pieced pattern I adapted from one I found in an old quilting magazine - I can't remember which one.

It's just a top, but Cathy will quilt it and someone else will bind it before it's presented.

Lastly, I finished our upholstery challenge.  A few weeks ago I asked for advice as to where I should place the buttons - and the consensus was on the "cornerstones" and not the blocks.  I think this turned out really, really cute!

Assorted blocks and quilts to show:

Ribbon Star for Sue S - Stash Bee

Mini Quilt and gifts from Teresa in Scotland for STUD (Swap Till You Drop)

Mini from Teresa in Scotland

Hatch and Windows quilt top

The Hatch and Windows is a top I made as part of the MysteryQuilts4Military Yahoo Group. About 80% of the fabric was given to me by a friend. I added only some black. The top has been donated to my guild's community service program.

Completed quilt for Home of the Brave Quilt Project

received from Maureen C - Quilters' Board Monthly Bee

Bloggers' BOM - Month 8 - Triangle Squares

"Another Star" from Sue S in Australia for Block Swap Adventure

May blocks for Lynn for Stash Bee

Storm at Sea for Sami - Block Swap Adventure

Pieceful Kwilter SAL 2012 - Part 3, Step 1 - Pregnant Star

Pieceful Kwilter SAL 2012 - Part 3, Step 2 - Pinwheels

6 Hot-Crossed 9 Patches in plaid - the April blocks for Block Lotto

So yes, I've been very busy - though I could have even been busier!  About a month ago, we decided that we needed a little extra cash since we wanted to go to Colorado for the late summer and early fall, AND go to our son's wedding in New York in October. So, I'm subbing with the district from which I just retired, and I try to get 2 or 3 days a week. I miss my swimming and water aerobics, but I really need to do this. I now cherish those days I'm not subbing, and spend them in my sewing room.

First string top

Remember these?

I've had those 5 1/2" string blocks sitting in my closet - I made them 3 years ago. Yesterday and today I put some of them together, and ended up with this top. I had a bunch of 2 1/2" strips that I used as a border - needed to use them up.

This will go to my guild's community service program, where someone else will sandwich it, quilt it, and give it to whomever they give their donated quilts to.


I still have several dozen already-completed blocks, and five gallon-sized zip bags full of strings, so I guess I need to get crackin' and make some more!

Two Bonnie Hunter tops for charity

Orca Bay - but in green, brown, blue, and neutral

Christmas Lights - with the easy-to-spot turned block

I like scrappy quilts, as they help me use up the scraps that seem to multiply constantly. I did the Orca Bay mystery, but since I had so many greens and browns, I used those colors instead of red and black that Bonnie used.    Christmas Lights was a mystery in three consecutive issues of Quiltmaker magazine.

Our guild has a thriving community service component, and I was able to donate both of these tops. Susan will get them quilted and bound, and they'll find happy homes.

Bonnie is showing numerous versions of Orca Bay on her website.