Crayon Quilt Challenge

Oh my! I nearly missed posting something in May.  It has been busy. Last September, the quilt group I belong to started a crayon quilt challenge.  We actually met in person at our fearless leader's house, where we social distanced in the back yard and had dinner and show and tell.  Also, a brown paper bag was passed around and we each reached our hands in and pulled out five mystery crayons.  What we did with the crayons was make a quilt with those colors and have done by our May 2021 meeting for a big reveal.  I actually got my quilt done in February and hung on to it for the big reveal.  

Of course it is a snowball quilt with owls in the centers.  As it happens, my colors were brown, green bean green, and three different shades of blue.  I do not have much brown (yuck!) fabric and less green bean green.  So, my pal, A and I went to Joann's first, just to see what we could fine.  She found one fabric that matched one of her crayons.  I found these adorable owls; not exactly green bean green, but if you actually color with the crayons to see your colors, you can color less hard and get something a wee tad lighter.  Then we went to the quilt crossing where they were very helpful with finding us additional fabrics, so they could lighten our wallets.  I found several decent green bean greens for my quilt, along with that amazing blue I used on the corner triangles that pulled my whole quilt together.  The good news is, I did go sorting through my stash and did find some wonderful blues with greens and combination blues, so I did use some of my stash.  After this one went to my favorite long-arm quilter for quilting, I played around with eight-point stars using my left over crayon fabric colors.  I did make a second quilt out of those left-overs.  I think there is enough for two more quilts!  Will it never end?!!!

Spring Bling and an Artful Pillow

I am keeping busy with three big quilt projects, but in between I like to break and do a smaller project. I was asked to make a wall hanging/art quilt for the Nurses Week raffle coming up in May.  I put on my artsy thinking cap and dragged out some of my scraps and grew an art quilt.  Once I got the central part completed it had to rest a few days, until I could decide on the background/border treatment.  I settled on the amazing yellow fabric I bought from VFW website.  Then, I had to think about how to quilt it.  I knew I wanted to use my walking foot and do it myself.  I looked back at my "Greedy" wall-hanging for inspiration.  I stitched in the ditch on most of the center portion and continued repeating parallel lines, and took it on out into the framing area of the piece. 

The cherry blossoms where in full bloom on the tree in our front yard, so I photographed my finished work in that springy location.   Remember you can hover over the photo, then click on it to see it enlarged.  It has bunnies, sheep, bees, butterflies and so much more!

Sometimes I just want to try something I see. I get it done then, I can get back to my bigger projects.  I belong to a club called Mr. B's Preview Pack Club.   Every quarter I get a little packet from Benartex Fabrics which has a news letter called "The Fat Quarterly" and a few 5" X 5" cuts of a new fabric line.  At the end of March, I received my quarterly packet, which had instructions on how to make a 16" pillow cover with the 5" X 5" squares that were included (if you also bought some of the same fabric line for the main color and the backing).  Well,  I have a crap ton of fabric, so I used my own fabric to make this marvelous pillow.  I still have the purple squares, from Benartex, which I am sure I will use at some point.  

You sew the 5X5 squares into half-square triangles, then arrange them in rows of four, to achieve this pattern.  So you sew together sixteen half-square triangles and the pieced part is done!  It was amazingly simple. I used some of the left over fabrics from the Tile Style quilt I made last September-October, so I have gifted this pillow to the owner of the Tile Style quilt.  The top is quilted. After I quilted the top, I surged around the edges, before putting the back pieces on, so it will hold up well in the wash.  Ta-da!

Poker Run Quilt aka Horse Quilt Finally Finished!

This quilt gave me a few headaches, but I have persevered and it is complete. It is the last of the nine UFO's on my list to complete last year.  It was all done, but the binding on December 31, but I had to let it wait a bit longer, because I also had to sew 18 button eyes on it.  But it looks great.  The second one down, on the left, is Old Blue.  In March, actually, I photographed it in front of building 34, at the BVAMC, a historical site, which back in the old days was a horse barn.  It seemed appropriate.

Joe and Gayle are the quilt holders and actual quilt admirers.  If you wish to know more about this quilt, it is mentioned at least three other times on this blog, in past posts.  Or send me a comment, I would love that. 

Nine Years of Quilt Blogging

As March, 2021, closes, I realized I have been doing my quilt blog for nine years.  When I began my Gluten Free Quilter blog, I did not know where it would take me.  I actually started it, because my family members were saying I was technology challenged.  I do not have a cell phone and I would say things like, "I don't do MyFace."  I think I blended My Space and Facebook . . . oh, well.  So, I started by jumping in to designing and creating my blog.  I think it looks pretty unique for a blog, and it is totally me.  What I did not count on, is how I can go back and see what I did in years past.  It is a nice historical record of my quilting and a few other things.  

At the first part of March, I took my Husqvarna in for service and they took three weeks.  I sewed some nice drapes for the upper window in my quilt room, on my old Necchi machine.  It did a great job.  To hang my drapes I had to move a lot of fabric out of the way, to get the ladder in place.  I cleaned and folded and sorted and vacuumed and dusted, and wow!

Here is Ebony stretched out in the sun, beneath the buffet.  It has not been this clean and tidy since we moved in (2015).  Kirsten and Jane's quilt room is actually set-up on the buffet, so they have a ruffled valance in the front window, on the right, and their design wall covering the left window.  Right now, all their stuff is stacked on my big table, but will be move back shortly.  Happy 2021!

One Year Anniversary of Our Global Pandemic or What's On The Design Wall in March

My Husqvarna is in the shop for a tune-up, so I am working with my Necchi sewing machine.  It has taken about a week to get re-acquainted with it, and I think I am turning out some pretty good eight point stars.  I could be sewing buttons on horses eyes, while my machine is in the shop, but why would I want to put the final touch on a quilt and then have it done?  

Today, I received my first injection of the Moderna immunization for Covid-19.  Then I got an e-mail stating that today, March 11, 2021, is the one-year anniversary of when the World Health Organization proclaimed the pandemic.  I feel I have something to remember it by, by getting my shot on this day.  Actually, my arm is the reminder, at this point.  It is a little sore, but that is just fine.  In four more weeks I get number 2 and that is the one I am worried about.  I am going to try not to think about it and just keep sewing, just keep sewing.

I hope to get my machine back by Saturday, so I can finish working on the military uniform quilt that is on my design wall.  I did make a ton of the half-square triangles on the Necchi.  I did not sew them together yet, as I do not know how long the border will need to be, once the center part of the quilt is pieced.

One of the quilt groups I belong to sent the BoM, for April, pattern to us, so I studied it and got it all cut out and the half-square triangles and flying geese parts completed, but don't want to sew them all together until I get my Husqvarna back.  I was, naturally, looking at one of the quilts I photographed at Sisters in 2018, and decided I could make the block, with my half-square triangle and flying geese skills.  So, I gave it a try and they look amazing.  I had to make more and try different color combinations. 

Jane let me use her design wall.  I actually made 15 blocks, but I did not want to remove the cone fish, thermometer, and random "cool" scraps from the wall.  I have pulled a lot of my scraps out and have made a mess of my quilt room while waiting for my sewing machine.  I originally thought having my machine in the shop would give me an opportunity to tidy up the quilt room.  But not!  And those horses still need their button eyes sewed on.

Happy Halloween!

Just finished this jack o' lantern quilt at the end of January.   February 3rd was a gray day, here in Idaho, so I gathered up the remaining pumpkins from the front porch and took them out in the back yard.  I took a fabulous photo of this quilt.

You cannot tell that it is not October, in this chilly photo of my favorite Halloween quilt.  I have made another quilt in the same general pattern, that is currently at Phyllis' getting long-arm quilted.  This is good.  I am two quilts for two months in 2021, I doubt that I will keep up this pace, but I am having a good time so far.  I am saving this one for my daughter, who said she definitely wants it.  Sorry, Susan.

Another Texas Two-Step Quilt, But More Refined

I made about three quilts, in 2020, with this same pattern.  Once you make one, you don't need a pattern to make more.  It is really easy to remember and to do.  One of my co-workers is getting ready to retire and I decided to make them a quilt.  There are no florescent marker fabrics in this one.  It is modern, yet traditional.

I chose the gray with yellow fabric first, then rounded-up the other fabrics to go with.  The gray with yellow reminds me of antique wallpaper.  I got a little crazy and bought the dark blue with gold metallic flecks in it, but it seems to fit the antiqueness of it.  The rings remind me of cup rings on old surfaces, and the gold batik gives it an elegant look.   I am certain Kelly will really like it.  The quilting was done in dark gray thread, as a result, you do not see much of the quilting.  Click on the photo, it will enlarge, so you can see it closer.