WIP Wednesday - My Twelve Step Quilt Program

Hello everyone, my name is Ann and I am addicted to collecting fabric.  I don't just keep adding to my stash but I can't seem to throw any scraps away and it is totally getting out of hand so I started my own 12 step program.

Step one:  find a scrap quilt pattern that I could quickly and easily put together. So I started at one of my favorite blogs Bonnie Hunter at quiltville.com.  She has so many beautiful patterns to use up those pesky old bits and pieces of fabric and one called Geese on a String using paper foundations caught my eye.

Geese on a String by Bonnie Hunter

Step Two:  gather up all those scraps of fabric I planned to use.  I have a hard time randomly using fabrics of different colors, I find my self trying to keep the colors balanced and end up losing the whole concept of "scrap" quilting.  Because of this I decided to keep it in the brown, gold and orange color scheme, which I had plenty of.  I know it is Spring so tossing in the bright orange fabrics seems to really brighten up my color scheme.

Step Three:  find paper I could use for the foundations.  I first started with tracing paper but quickly switched to using up old phone book pages cut to size.

Step Four:  start sewing.  I have set aside 20 to 30 minutes a day to create at least 5 squares that will be cut in half on the diagonal to create the triangles needed for the flying geese.  This is what I have so far.

Step Five:  I chose a gold toned fabric for the triangle wings and when they are finished they will be combined with strips of the yellow and orange floral fabric 

I can only hope that I will not fall off my wagon and continue on to finish up the next 7 steps of my self imposed program.  I will let you know next week how it goes on the wagon down the road on "life in the craft lane". 

Works in Progress Wednesday - Scrap Quilting

I have been working on this twin size scrap quilt for almost a year and finally got the top finished last weekend.  I have been slowly getting it quilted and today it is done and ready to take off the frame.

I created fabric by piecing random fabrics of all sizes into 12 inch finished squares.  The squares are set on point with lattice strips and cornerstones and I found this really fun multi-colored fabric to use as a border for such a colorful quilt.

Now to trim off the excess and get the binding on so it can be added to my Etsy shop inventory tomorrow.

Check out the other Quiltsy Team bloggers and see what they are doing today at our team blog, Wips and WhatNot.

Celebration of Quilts

National Quilting Day is fast approaching so I will take this week to feature  the Etsy Quiltsy Team and their beautiful creations. Quilts come in all shapes and sizes and can represent many things to many people....

Quilting is no longer just your grandma's traditional bed quilts.

Quilts can convey a sentiment:

Peace Dove by Quiltie

In this piece the quilter combines both hand embroidery and machine embroidery to create a lovely 12 X 14.25 wall hanging.

They can represent a religion, a culture, an expression of faith:

Shabbat Challah Cover/ Wall Hanging and Chai ("Life") Wall hanging by Sieberdesigns

Sieber Designs uses machine appliqued Hebrew lettering and accents her flowers with a sparkle of beading.  She has machine pieced and machine quilted her designs. 

Inspiring Bird Art Quilt Wall Hanging by Artfully Sew

Artfully Sew uses hand dyed fabrics and wax pastels in her original designs.  She accents her work with hand embroidery and machine pieces and machine quilts her creations.

They can be entertaining and fun for both boys and girls:

On the Go Checkers Roll by Jensport       

In this original design Jensport has pieced a  variety of blue fabrics and a solid white and used her sewing skills to add a zipper pocket to secure all those wooden checkers pieces.  The board is machine quilted in what is called a cross hatch design and with the binding she has added string ties to keep it nicely rolled for easy carry or storage.

Quilted Paper Dolls by Kim's Crafty Apple

Kims Crafty Apple makes these whimsical little "paper" dolls that so many of us remember from our childhood.  The dolls are quilted in an outline stitch to frame the "dolls" and secure the layers of fabric and batting.  There is also a pocket on the backside to store the clothing pieces.  She as also added string ties along the binding to secure it closed and make it a great carry along item.

They can be used to document history:

Family Tree Wall Hanging by SuzyQQuilts

In this piece SuzyQQuilts has used machine applique to attach leaves and tree trunk to the quilt background.  The leaves contain names and birthdates of family members making this a family heirloom piece.  This is a custom order item from her shop that can be ordered with your choice of border color.

and they can bring comfort after the loss of a loved one.

Memory Quilt by Quilting Frenzy

This piece is one of my own designs that was created for a customer after the death of her father.  My customer supplied me with 3 large shopping bags of flannel shirts that had belonged to her father and this is one of the two designs I put together for her.  It is machine pieced, machine appliqued and machine quilted.  I offer this as a custom order in my Etsy shop and the quilt can take on a totally different look depending on the type and color of garments used. 

Quilters of the Etsy Quiltsy Team have taken their craft to a new level and they have filled their shops with items that are perfect for anyone and for any occassion.  They recreate traditional or reinterpret designs, create unique designs of their own and work with customers to produce one of a kind items.  The Quiltsy Team members are professional individuals that create items of the highest quality and workmanship and you can not go wrong when you purchase items from anyone on this team.

For more items by this group search Etsy sellers for "quiltsy team" or check out tomorrow's blog for more featured quilters.