Daffodil Quilt

Hello friends

Looks like spring is starting to arrive here in California. A few blossoms are showing up in my little garden and I thought I’ll share with you this spring inspired quilt.

It all started with me trying to use some fabric (which I believe is vintage) that was given to my by a friend a few years ago when she was clearing out her mom’s sewing room. They are lovely prints, but I had not found the perfect project for them… until now. For this quilt I decided to use all the greens in that stash and complemented them with a yellow/mustard fabric I had in my stash. I really love this color combination; reminds me a field of daffodils in the spring. For the backing I used a soft flannels with the cutest mushroom print that happened to coordinate perfectly. I love when the perfect fabric combinations happen like that; totally by change and without much planning.

The pattern for this quilt is a simple nine patch block using the same yellow fabric for the center of each block to add a bit of cohesion. For the quilting I use straight lines vertical and horizontal grind and some diagonal lines as well. I love this quit so much and I’m already working on the next one from this vintage stash :)

Until next time

Martha

West Virginia Quilt

Hello friends

Feels like this year is going by really fast. I want to share with you mi first quilt finish for 2025. This quilt is a quilt commission I received in January. Such a fun quilt to make; I don’t usually use patterns for the quilts that I make. So the opportunity of creating a custom quilt with a specific pattern was a welcome challenge. The West Virginia Quilt pattern is from The Quilted Tulip a lovely pattern shop on Etsy. I think the pattern is fabulous and very clever how it creates the map of the state of West Virginia by using color value on the fabric choices.

Per the customer’s request all the color fabric used on this quilt are fabric scraps from my friend at Thistle Hill Pet Treats (she makes beautiful pet bandanas and kindly shares them with me).

Great project to start the year I think.

Until next time

Martha

Dresden Cushion

As the year comes to an end I wanted to share with you my last finished project of the year. I made this scrappy dresden cushion cover for a dear friend: she makes beautiful pet bandanas and share with me some of her fabric scraps. Every piece of fabric she sends me is beautiful and feeds my inspiration for more scrappy projects.

I just love how this cushion cover turned out! I decided to use Essex Linen in olive color as the background fabric and I think it is the perfect compliment for the scrappiness of the dresden blades. This is only the second dresden I’ve ever made and now I’m wondering why it took me so long to make another one. They are so fun to make and they are perfect scrappy project. I’m definitely making more.

I have so many ideas for more scrappy projects and quilts for the upcoming year; can’t wait to get started. In the meantime, wishing you a happy new year.

Until next time.

Martha

Lattice Quilt

Hello there!

I finished this lovely quilt a few weeks ago and finally got to photograph it. This quilt began a as stack of layer cake cuts gifted to me by a dear friend. She had sent the fabric in the mail: and as I was opening the package containing the fabric I was chatting to my husband and I said -oh this fabric is lovely! I wonder what should I make with it? to which he quickly replied: “you should make me a quilt!” -He rarely asks for a quilt of his own, so I quickly began thinking of a pattern. I wanted to showcase the prints and create a somewhat sleek design; thus a settled for a lattice design. I decided to use a contrasting fabric and I love the sort of 3D effect that it gives.

To create the blocks I used the “slice and insert” method usually used for improv quilting but I tried to be precise with the piecing (and lots of pinning). It was easy and really fast to create the blocks and not paper piecing need.

For the quilting I used a straight line pattern 1 inch apart. I’m really happy how it turned out and my husband has been using since I gave it to him (I think he likes it too :))

Until next time!

Martha

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