Hands 2 Help Mini-Tutorial

 I love working with panels when a quick and easy quilt is needed.   But it isn't always easy to know what to do with them, especially when the panel is not a typical panel.  This quilt started out with me buying a bunch of squares that had been cut from a panel several years ago from a quilt store in Texas.   Then in the last year at a quilt store here in the Phoenix area I found this remnant panel that matched the squares I'd found in Texas.

Yup, I had to buy it so that I'd have enough full squares from the panel to make a quilt out of

The second panel I used in my quilt was actually a remnant of one of the cotton dress fabrics that has the multiple rows of elastic thread at the top.   This piece was about 34" wide and I got it for a great price.  Had it for several years and then realized that the colors were the perfect match for the panel shown above.   I took out the elastic (just a chain stitch) and then washed the fabric to tighten the holes up.

Because this is cotton it works great in a quilt, so don't be afraid to use something that is not a traditional quilt fabric.

And don't be afraid to use non-traditional panels for the basis of a quilt.  This panel is one that was meant to be made into a pillowcase that a child could color on if desired.    The panel originally was just in black & white.   I took pieces from my scrap stash of pre-fused fabric and cut pieces to fit the letters of the word 'Dream' to highlight it.   I'm still debating on whether to add a border to this top or not, so it isn't finished.

5/27/21 -- The giveaway is now closed -
For Hands-2-Help this year I'm giving away these two panels from my stash to one person.   To enter, leave a comment on this post with the number of how many panels I'm giving away and which is your favorite.  If you are an anonymous poster and want to enter the giveaway, make sure that you put a contact email in your comment.


Gratitudes:

1. For my stash which gives me lots to work with

2. For good friends who are there in times of sorrow and need.

Rose Pink Blog Hop - My Day

Welcome to my day on the Rose Pink blog hop.   This blog hop was to have one or more of the following things featured in our post - Rose/ Pink fabric, Eyeglasses, Roses, and / or Positive Words.    My project for this hop was started many years ago, and two of the 4 characteristics for the hop - pink fabric and positive words.    

This was the quilt that I chose to finish for the blog hop.   The quilt top is the result of a block hop that I was in maybe 8-10 years ago.  I participated in it with 4 quilt friends from an online quilt list that I'm a part of.   When it came time to make a starting block I decided to use a cross-stitch piece I had stitched way back when in 1990 and used it as my starting point for pulling fabrics that I sent for others to use if they wanted to use them.   

The top was put together not long after I got the blocks and then it sat in my UFO tote.   When I pulled it out, I decided that I didn't like how I had done the borders.   So the first thing I did was to take the three borders off, and then put what had been the second border back onto the quilt.

Close-up of the cross-stitch piece.   Definitely was my oldest UFO.   I'm glad to have it finally totally finished.

One of the blocks added by a friend.

Final finished quilt.   The blocks that were made by my friends include the following:

* The paper-pieced star in the top right, the star used as a label were made by Jane.

* Susan W made the checkerboard strips ad the trip around the world block
* Sue W made the wise men gifts and the embroidered verse block

* Linda L made the celtic know strip, the quarter-square and half-square triangle strips.  
I added the remainder of the blocks.  The border used the final scraps of the fabrics I had sent out for the original swap.

Final block from one of the gals was used as the label for the quilt.   Binding fabric and backing were both from my stash

Gratitudes:

1. I'm thankful that while most of my commissions at this point are handwork (cross-stitch and repair work on quilts), that I've had time to work on some of my own projects.

2. For the time that I spend in helping my dad.

ScrapHappy - May 2023

Not a lot going on this month, but did get more postcards were made this year in between projects for blog hops, both past and present.

The cross-stitch pieces came from three finished pieces I found at the second hand store.  Fabrics in these were all out of either my scraps or my string box.

Backings for the postcards (multiple of the yellow) were both scraps.  Yellow was a larger piece leftover from a FQ I'd cut into at some point.

Got this postcard started with a piece of scrappy patchwork that I'd been given at some point by a quilting friend.  Want to add some words to it, but still thinking about what to say.

These two little pincushions were made with scrap fabric and little candleholders that I'd picked up a couple of years ago in various second-hand stores.  They will end up being used as gifts at some point.

Don't forget to check out what everyone else has been doing with their scraps this month.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda, Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Gwen, Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, Edith , Nanette, Ann, 

Dawn 2, 

Carol, Preeti, Debbierose, Nóilin, Viv, Karrin,

Amo, Alissa, Lynn, Tierney, Hannah

Gratitudes:
1. For working a job where I once again have insurance and paid vacation.

2. For being able to travel to visit friends in the Dallas area.

Inspiration, Where do you find it?

 When you think about making a quilt, where do you find your inspiration?   

Occasionally that comes from what others are doing, which is how the circle blocks started.  When this happens it's likely to be the block that catches my attention, not the actual quilt / quilt layout.   

This image was one that was used for a time as the sign on image for the product that my team at work is developing.  It has been calling my name since the interface designer first showed it as part of the screen mockups'  With the way I've been making circle blocks there might actually be a possibility of me making it come to life in a quilt.

Will it come to life at some point, who knows.  Still it's very tempting to try stretching myself to make it.

Architecture has always been interesting to me.  Several buildings along my commute to the office to/from the office over at ASU in Tempe have piqued my interest.   

The side of this building is calling out for a paper-pieced block to be drawn up for a scrappy quilt.  Took me driving home by it 3 times to be able to get this picture.

3D look to the wall done with shading and materials.

Simple but striking look.

Interesting windows on this building.

Loved the interplay of triangles and shading on this building.  Lots of intriguing possibilities for a 3D look.

The built-in sun screening for this building intrigued me with block possibilities.

Shadow play along the top edge of this freeway overpass was very interesting.

Gratitudes:

1. For finally finding where I'd stuck the fabric for a set of bowl cozies needed for a wedding present.

2. For time spent with good friends.

Rose Pink Blog Hop Coming

 The Rose Pink Blog Hop is coming May 15th - May 18th.

Be sure to check out each of the blogs as they post.

MAY 15TH

Just Let Me Quilt

Selina Quilts

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

That Fabric Feeling

Days Filled With Joy

Words & Stitches

 

MAY 16TH

Sew Many Yarns

Quilt Schmilt

Podunk Pretties

Quilted Snail

Quilting Gail

Texas Quilt Gal

 

MAY 17TH

Inflorescence

Scrapdash

Karrin’s Crazy World

Beaquilter

Crazy'boutquilts

The Crafty Grammie

 

MAY 18TH

MooseStashQuilting

Just Because Quilts

Quilted Delights

Vroomans Quilts

Karen's Korner

Ms P Designs USA

Gratitudes:

1. Wonderfully warm spring weather here in AZ.

2. An upcoming visit with friends in Phoenix.

"Say What?" Blog Hop - My Day

 This month I'm participating in the "Say What?" blog hop.   The prompt we were given for this hop were as follows:

"We have all heard that our quilts speak to us, so just what are they saying?"  

Share a story or show a project or technique that you can't believe you tried.   Or post about a quilty word project.

Here are the bloggers who are posting their projects today:

Wednesday April 19

 

Quilting Gail

Voormans Quilts

Quilted Delights

The Quilted Snail (me!)

Ms P Designs USA

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Last year I had seen a tutorial posted on Instagram here Pieced Circle Tutorial for an easy way of sewing pieced circles in a quilt block.  The method looked easy, so despite the fact that I've long sworn I wouldn't do pieced curves in my quilting (pieced enough curves when I was making clothes!) - note....that was wouldn't, not couldn't....LOL, I decided to try the method in the tutorial.  These blocks were the first ones that I made with the tutorial 

I wanted to expand on the technique and decided to make one large center medallion type block for the center of the quilt with multiple circles.   This is the result of my experimenting.  And yes, the circles are pieced and overlapping.  =)

And here are the small blocks and medallion that I have made so far.   I still need more blocks, but I need to decide on what size quilt I want to make (thinking large lap quilt), and then decide on layout.

Many years ago I was in a heart block swap with a a small group of quilt friends that I was a part of at that time.   One of my dearest friends made this beautifully embroidered block for me as a part of that swap.   Unfortunately, like so many of my swap blocks this has been sitting in a tote with the other blocks I received from that swap.   With part of the challenge for this blog hop being about words in your quilting, I decided it was time to pull this out and finish it up.   

Backing for the wall-hanging was from a piece of linen sent to me by the same friend who had made the block.  Seemed appropriate to use it here.

Gratitudes:

1.  For the procedure planned for my dad has been cancelled.

2. for the great group of people that I work with.