Lotus Blossom Quilt

Happy Sunday

Today I wanted to share with you a quilt a finished a few weeks ago for a dear friend, but I wanted to hold on sharing it here until she received it. Now that the quilt has safely arrived to its destination, let me share some details with you about it.

This quilt was a bit of a departure of the scrappy projects I love so much and I’ve been focused working on lately. I wanted this quilt to feel fresh and calming; and when I found a few yards of this sweet floral fabric in my stash I knew I had to somehow use it to make this quilt. After a bit of brainstorming I decided to make a flower block using the classic snowball block. For the the center of each block I wanted a some contract but not so much that it draw all of your attention to it, after auditioning a few fabrics I settled on using essex linen in olive color. And I’m so happy I did. I think the essex linen is the perfect compliment to the floral fabric.

To quilt this quilt I used the serpentine stitch on my Janome machine and I love it. I used a light pink thread (which I’ve never done before) and I’m so pleased with the results. I’m so motivated to using color threads on my quilts now. The backing I used a very soft flannel that happens to coordinate so beautifully with the yellow on the florals. So pleased with how this quilt turned out and all the lessons I learned making it.

Scrappy Quarter Log Cabin Quilt II

Hello friends

I finished another scrappy quilt. I just love making scrappy projects. It is so satisfying to see the transformation from a pile of random scraps into the most dynamic, eclectic and at times chaotic (in a good way) piece of fabric.

A while back I made another quarter log cabin quilt (you can see it here); it was such a fun process making the log cabin blocks that I wanted to make another one. However for this quilt I assembled the blocks on point and added a small border around to allow he scrappy blocks to stand out. I can’t decide which arrangement I live better. But I love both quilts so much. To quilt this quilt I venture out of my comfort zone and deviated from my go to straight line quilting and I’m so glad I did. I used the Serpentine stitch on my Janome machine and I’m totally obsessed with the texture it provides; it give is so much movement and a lovely crinkle. For the binding I found a cute vintage fabric in my stash, she selvage said it was designed in 2001 and it just picks out all the colors from the blocks.

I just can’t get enough of scrappy projects. I’m already working on a couple more. I can’t wait to share with you.

Until next time

Martha

Scrappy Lone Star Quilt

Hello friends,

Summer has been a busy time around here. Lots of work in the garden and we are in the height of peach season. Our little tree is laden with fruit, so I’ve been spending a lot of time preserving and and making jams. But every chance I get I try to do a little sewing.

I finished this quilt a fews ago, but hadn’t share it here because I made it for a friend and I wanted to wait until she received it. My friend sell all-natural dog treats and bandanas and she kindly shares the fabric scraps from the bandanas with me (she knows I love scrappy projects). So as a thank you I wanted to make her a little quilt.

Lone Star Quilts have been on my to do list for the longest time. But diamonds are intimidating I admit it. So I decided to work up the courage and finally tackle a Lone Star quilt but give it it a little twist and make it scrappy. I used Pellon light interfacing to pice the diamonds to give them more stability when piecing. I really like using that method. The interfacing is light so doesn’t create any bulk in the seams and you don’t have to be tearing it from the back as you would with paper piecing. I just love how this quilt turned out. I love the piecing process and how lovely all those prints work together to form the star.

Until next time

Martha

Blue Log Cabin Quilt

When I started quilting the first fabric designer that I discovered was Denyse Schmidt. I fell in love with all of her fabric designs. I wanted to collect all of her lines of fabric and was afraid of using them. Then, one day I worked up the courage to use some of the fabric in a quilt and I fell even more in love with the fabric. I have made several quilts using DS fabrics and I treasure each and everyone of them. A few years ago I made a log cabin quilt using this fabric (you can see it here) and I had leftover from that quilt two orphan blocks and an handful of scraps. I wasn't sure what to make with it, but as you know every little scrap of fabric is precious; so I gave myself the challenge of making a small quilt. Well, I was able to create a good size lap quilt about 60X60 inches in size. I used a lot of negative space around the blocks, with is something I love doing. I quilted it with simple straight lines (my go to quilting pattern), and I used a soft flannel for the backing for added coziness.

I just love how this quilt turned out; and to think that it I wasn’t sure I could make anything from those leftover fabric scraps. Scraps are a magical thing.

Until next time

Martha

On My Table

Hello friends

It should come as no surprise that I’m working on another scrappy project. For the past two weeks I’ve been busy sorting and cutting scraps into strips of different widths to transform them into a quilt. For the longest time I’ve had had the desire to make a spiderweb quilt. So I’m finally getting around to making one.

As you know with strips quilts there is a lot of piecing and sewing… the blocks are not particularly fast but they are fun to make. Can’t wait to piece it all together. For the first time I’m using foundation piecing using sew in Pellon. So far so good. I’ll share my thoughts when I finish piecing it and quilting it.

Until next time

Martha

Scrappy Stars Quilt

Hello friends

Here in California spring seems to be just around the corner, plants are starting grow new sprouts and and some blossoms are starting to show up in the garden. It feels so reinvigorating the start of a new season, specially spring!

As I have mentioned before, I’ve been on a quest of creating projects solely with scraps. At first it felt a bit daunting to begin… I kept questioning every fabric choice - do they look good together? Would it look to busy? - but after a few trial a realized that that is the beauty of scrappy projects: all fabrics look good together. There is a beauty on the business of all those fabrics coming together in one quilt.

I made this quilt using strips of different widths sewing them tougher and then cutting them into equilateral triangles and arranging them to form the stars. For the background fabric I chose Essex linen from Robert Kaufman (I just love adding linens to quilts). Once a finished the stars I decided to add a border to this quilt to soft of frame up the stars. I crated the border using 1.5 inch strips of various lengths. I just love how it ties everything together.

And now let me tell you about the backing: I found this lovely soft Minky fabric in the perfect yellow/ golden color with honey combs and bees embossed on it. Lovely, so I said I have to use it on this quilt. Never had used Minky on my quilts before, I didn't know what to expect. Well, let me tell you, it was a learning curb: Minky is very finicky as the back is very slippery and it doesn't stick to the batting as cotton does. Pin basting it was an ordeal as the pins hardly go through the tight weaving of the fabric. But when it is finish what a lovely feel it gives to quilt. I think in the future if I use it agin I will try spray basting to see if it easier to work with it.

I just love this quilt so much and I can’t wait to finish my next scrappy project.

Until next time

Martha

Scrappy Flying Geese Quilt

Hello friends and happy belated New Year!

It has been a while since a posted any new work on this space. But I have been busy creating and I have several new projects to share with you. Last year I decided that I needed to start managing my scraps better. And after trying different methods of sorting and storing them I came to the conclusion that they best way to manage fabric scraps is simply using them. So I I’ve been creating various quilts and other projects using solely scraps. It has been so rewarding and so much fun seeing full quilt tops emerge from scraps that at times seem forgotten at the bottom of my scraps basket. That is the case of this little quilt. A couple years ago I got a flying geese ruler set and began cutting the triangles from my scrap pile put them in a bag and forgot about them for a while. While working on another project I found them again so I decided to make them into a little lap quilt. I only had to cut a few more to complete the design and quickly I had all the pieces to put this quilt together. I love that there wasn’t so much planning; it just came together so organically. I quilted with a simple straight line pattern (probably my favorite) and I finished itwith a black and white polka dot fabric for the binding for a bit of contrast.

Until Next Tine

Martha

Scrappy Postage Stamp Quilt

For the longest time I’ve wanted to make a postage stamp quilt. I find this classic yet timeless quilt pattern to be so charming and eclectic at the same time. There are so many variations of this classic quilt that one doesn’t even know where to begin. After a while of considering different layouts I chose a checkerboard pattern alternating between prints and solid Kona Cotton.

I think a postage stamp quilt is a great to use up scraps and the variety of prints adds to its character. For this quilt I cut squares 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches. I ended up using a total of 729 squares. It was a slow process; every change I got between projects I would pick fabric from my scraps basket and cut it up into squares and set them aside in another basket. I tend to use only Kona Cotton in Snow for the background of my quilts and I keep a separate basket with all of those scraps, so it was easy to pick and cut the solid squares. Once I felt I had enough squares I began sewing. I made 9 patch blocks and then join them together. At first I had a hard time building the blocks as I was overthinking how to layout all of the different prints, but once I let go and allow the layout to be random it was a very easy and liberating process.

This quilt measures 54X54 inches and I quilted it in a simple cross hatch pattern. I just love how this quilt turned out and I’ already planning the next one.

Wishing you a wonderful week. Until next time.

Martha