What tools do you use, that definitely are not quilty?

By Annemart Berendse

Do you know that feeling? That you're walking through a hardware store or a toy shop and see something that's just great for quilting? I have it all the time! It may be something stupid, it may be something handy, but you know, when it's handy, it's mine!

For instance, I have a simple door viewer in my quilt room. The size of the room does not grant the name quilt studio.;-) And the door viewer is not in the door, it´s among my quilt notions. Many people do not understand why I would have a door-viewer. Well, actually, it's simple. I use it to check contrast in quilts. As my room is not very big, and I can´t take distance from a design, I use this.

Another option to do the same is using binoculars the other way round. Or have a huge quilt studio!

What do you use that is definitely not meant for quilting?

Have fun quilting!
Annemart

Scappy, here I come

by Rose Marie Castonguay

Whenever my scrap bins start to get to the overflowing stage, it is time for a scrappy quilt and my thoughts always gravitate towards a crazy quilt. The one below was my first attempt and it was made to replace a crazy quilt that covered me during the winter when I was a child. That glorious crazy quilt had to be destroyed when our basement was flooded and the trunk it was stored in was also ruined. There was no name on that quilt and my Mom could not remember who had made it but it was from the early 1930's at least, if not earlier. This one doesn't come anywhere near to the beauty of that destroyed quilt, but at least it is mine to enjoy now.

My blue and red crazy quilt also came from overflowing bins and after it was finished, how I wished that it was bigger. This quilt just pops and it is titled Galactic Craze. When my husband saw the blocks, he said that it looked like exploding stars in one of the distant galaxies. When making my yo-yo Xmas tree quilt, the first place I went to was my scrap bins. The uglier the fabric, the better.

This close-up shows not only the yo-yo's, but the buttons and beads. My stash of buttons got reduced and that is also a good thing.

During a swap exchange, my scraps got a good work-out for this tote bag. As soon as scraps get used up, more get added .... it is a never ending battle .... but I'm not complaining.

Leftovers from previous quilts is a great starting point for another scrap quilt.

This top below is a work in progress. My scraps get raided first and then my stash. I had a lot of whites and creams and they go perfectly with this design. I don't strive to have my neutrals from the same fabric as I do find my quilts are more interesting and it makes a person stop to look and see if there is a repeat fabric.

Have a great day, eh!

Scrap quilts - my favorite!

By Janet Olmstead

I have enjoyed seeing all the scrap quilts that have been posted the last few days. I love making scrap quilts too.

This first one was my attempt at a leader/ender project. The leader/ender idea didn't work out so well as all other projects were soon pushed aside. This was the first quilt that I tried baptist fan quilting and feathers and I just love both.

This quilt was my first attempt at hand quilting. I didn't know anything, I just borrowed a hoop and got started. I used Warm and Natural batting and found it SO hard to needle. I've used silk and wool batting ever since - what a relief!

Happy Quilting!!

Twinkle,Twinkle Scrap Quilt

by Suze

Twinkle, Twinkle

I don't have many scrappy quilts that are also hand quilted - this may be the only one! It is a 12 inch round mini..every fabric(except the white background, the black points and the gold accents)  is only present twice in the quilt - once in the stars and once in the border. Hand pieced, hand quilted with gold metallic thread, batting is wool, with iridescent beads in the center of the stars , gold beads in the gold accent pieces and tiny clear beads in the star points. This was done as part of a 12x12x4 challenge in 2007.

Scrappy Mini Quilts

 I love to use my scraps to make mini quilts. I cover the walls of my sewing studio with them and they give me inspiration daily. They are a great way to try a new technique and to use up bits and pieces of scraps.

Dutch doll quilt

amish mini

Butterfly quilt

Log cabin

Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt

By Audrey Easter

I've always been very drawn to scrappy quilts, probably always will be.  I love the old, new, bright, dark, intricately pieced and yes, even the most simply pieced ones.  There is no limit to what makes a perfect scrap quilt in my eyes.  In fact, I even have a stack of books to help me learn how to make beautiful scrap quilts!  This particular quilt was made in response to a quilt show that my sister and I walked through and oohed and ahhed over the most traditional, old fashioned style of quilts ever and barely paused in front of the new, trendy styles of quilts.  We kept asking ourselves, 'why haven't we been making more of these kinds of quilts ourselves if we love them so much?'  Hmmm....  Sometimes it's a little too easy to get caught up in the latest craze isn't it?

Heartstrings scrappy

By: Glenn Dragone

I made this Heartstrings quilt for a dear friend's 40th birthday.  I love the freedom the pattern allows for fabric and color selection. I true scrappy at every turn.

More scraps

By Ann-Mari Duffy

I just love scrappy quilts, think most of my quilts are made of scraps. I buy small pieces of fabric or second-hand shirts.
Here are some of them:

This is a small one, it is sewn by machine.

This is the first large quilt I handquilted. Notice the sashing, not enough of brown fabric.

This is a top, have not decided if I will handquilt it or not.


Happy quilting

Older Scraps…

My brother Bob is 9 years younger than I, and when he graduated high school and went off to college, I was already married with two boys.  I sent him off to Michigan State University with this scrappy, hand quilted quilt, made around 1985.

I made a Spider Web strip pieced quilt – also hand quilted -  shortly after the quilt above was completed.  My youngest son gravitated towards it, and it ended up being his “snuggle under while watching television” quilt. 

He had a habit of chewing on one particular corner… and I’ve left it “as is.”  Yes, I could replace the binding.  But I like the history that it shows.  Call me crazy!

I think the nice thing about quilts made from scraps is that if all the scraps are yours, you know other projects that you’ve used those fabrics in, and it brings back so many memories. 

A few more of my scrap quilts can be seen on my blog post from yesterday. 

I hope you’ll stop by and take a peek, then go plan your next scrappy quilt!

“When Life Gives You Scraps, Make Quilts”

By: Karen Goad

That is one of my favorite sayings! I love scrap quilts and I love making them.  Almost all of my quilts are scrap quilts.  Normally I do not buy much in yardage I buy fat quarters.  As I cut into them for quilts the little bits get saved to make quilts from those leftover little bits.

Here are just some of my scrap quilts, I have lost track of how many I have!

A little pineapple square wall hanging I am currently working on – applique in progress – will be on all four sides.

Star Crazy in the process of hand quilting – half way done!

Twisted Stars, on the bed – all of the stars were made from scraps

Double Wedding Ring with applique border – all scraps once again.

Table Topper made with 2 1/2 x 5 inch scraps

A Star Charm Quilt – no two pieces are alike.

All you need to make Scrap Quilts is  an assortment of scraps and some background fabric.  Some even use scraps for the background.  One of my favorite methods is to collect up a lot white on whites – beige on white, white on beige – you get the picture – combine them for the background and you have a totally scrappy look.

The weight of scraps

I love scrappy quilts and the scrappier the better there are many quilters that I just adore due to their ability to scrap quilt, Bonnie Hunter to me is queen of scraps right now she has a great write up on scrap users systems.  It is alot of work, there is limited strip piecing itty bitty pieces, but the end product is just incredible. I have just finished a scrap mini it is the 3in  anvil pattern and the scraps are from another quilt that I have to just put boarders on called Pie in the Sky by Kim Diehl in her Simple Graces Book it is the front cover quilt. I have made this mini before but donated it to auction and vowed I would make another for myself.

 You will also see that I have added prairie points as well, these are cut 1 1/4in and folded to make the prairie points and this one I am just getting ready to quilt up

 Another Scrappy is my applique piece that I love it is from the Piece of Cake pattern Aunt Millie`s garden,it is a uniformed scrappy but still  this looks nothing like their pattern,  I wanted to use as many fabrics as possible

Boarders are waiting for me on this one too. I think there is a trend..VBG

. Another avenue so to do Swaps that is a great way to get scrap if you are stash deprived. I have a large abundance of scraps and hope to achieve a few quilts with them, I love string quilts and hope to get one done soon.  I have a few tops that are from swaps these were nine patches, they were from a swap.

This was from a swap we did I used some of the nine patches and then used other blocks that were from another swap for the alternate blocks, it is still a flimsy cause I don`t like my boarders, the them for the blocks was fall, but both quilts had the nine patches from one swap and they went a long way.

I look at these and think I better get my act in gear and start quilting these tops up!
Deb in Toronto

Geometry Blues scrappy quilt

Here's a scrappy I made a few years ago for the Maine quilts annual show.  The theme was "blueberry fields forever," and I went to my voluminous stash of blue fabrics and made this favorite traditional pattern.  Its title is (naturally) "Geometry Blues" due to my widely known math anxiety.  It's hand quilted of course, and the quilting went along very smoothly with a very nice result.  But even if it didn't, I loved doing the hand quilting, of course!

Scrappy Quilt

Tim Latimer

My favorite Quilts are scrappy. I love the Idea of using up all the leftovers...nothing goes to waste.

My favorite finished scrappy quilt is this Drunkard's Path variation (fool's Puzzle)

This was a vintage top that I purchased and hand quilted. Lots of variety in the fabrics.

Here is a picture of the quilting

I think I spent almost as much time marking this one as I did quilting it, I used a flex ruler for all the curves, and I marked as I quilted with a blue chalk pencil.

I used warm and natural batting and I love the look but it sure is not the easiest to quilt through! I don't think I would like it nearly as well if it had been made with all the same fabrics in every block, the scrappy look is a lot more spontaneous.

Happy Quilting

Tim

How to - the heramarker

By Ann-Mari Duffy

Gun from Sweden asked how to use the heramarker from my post about tools.
I have tried to find Gun on internet to respond to her question, have not found her yet.
So here is a quick tutorial on how I use it:

I make a sandwich from top, batting and backing. The heramarker is great for marking straight lines guided by a ruler.

Put ruler on top in the direction you want the quilting to go. Let the heramarker slide along edge of the ruler. You need to push down fairly hard, and make sure the ruler don`t move. I do this on my kitchentable, it is low enough to not strain my shoulders.
You should get a shiny line in the fabric now.

On this project I basted the sandwich after making the quilting lines.
Now it is easy to quilt along these lines, and there is no need to rinse or wash out any markings.

I hope you see this, Gun.


PS! This is the first time I have made a tutorial, so if anyone see some information I left out or described wrong, please feel free to correct it.

A Quilting Like

 I find that finishing a project is one of the best things I like about quilting. You hear a lot of quilters talk about their UFO's. Growing up I was taught to always finish what you start.  I started this scrappy double Irish Chain last June when I revamped my sewing room.  I spent most of the summer cutting and sewing together these blocks from all the scraps I had saved in a large Rubbermaid tote.

I started hand quilting it right after Thanksgiving.  I really think if you break down a project and set small goals anything is possible. I really like that it is finished and I can move on to a new project.

My Mother’s Quilt

by Caron Mosey


Hand quilting is something that ANYONE can do.  Anyone!


Several years ago, I had students in the fifth grade class I was teaching make their own patchwork quilt.  Not only did each student sew his or her own blocks, but we then sewed the blocks together and put the quilt in a wooden frame as a class project. They took turns quilting it when their classwork was finished until the quilt was completed.  The quilt was lovely, and it was raffled off to raise money for us to take a scientific marine voyage for several days on Lake Michigan to study marine life.


In 1989, I graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan. (I had waited to return to college to finish my degree after our youngest child had entered kindergarten.)  My mother surprised me with this quilt as a graduation present.  It was her first quilt to be hand quilted.



Here is a closer picture of her work:



While the quilting is not closely stitched, the applique work is beautiful and all hand done.



The quilt is signed on the front, “I love you, Mom.”  The back includes her embroidered name.




Not too bad for a woman who was legally blind at the time she made this.

If my mom can hand quilt,

YOU CAN HAND QUILT!