Log Cabin Table Runner

This is a table runner that I made using upholstery sample scraps that were left over from making valences for the windows at my daughters house (She is doing the lodge look at her house).
I made 7 log cabin blocks and cut 3 of them in half diagonally. I used the one's that I cut in half to set the others on point. When it came time for finishing, I had to do the quilting on the machine since upholstery fabric is just too thick to quilt through by hand. It has one layer of batting, and is backed with a pant weight twill fabric. I think it turned out nice. I will use it for dinners when all the family gets together and there is a lot of food on the table. The thickness of the table runner will protect my table from any damage.

Lone Star Baby Quilt

I think this is my favorite quilt design. This one happens to be a baby quilt that I made to enter in the Boone County Fair, but it will ultimately go to my Granddaughter Lucy. The theme for her nursery is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. What better way to illustrate that than diamond shapes put together to form a star. I tried to pick colors that are present in flames so it would look like a flaming star. It is quilted by hand, and I made the binding out of the same colors as the star cut on the bias.
When I was a kid I used to watch my Grandma quilt. She had a quilting frame that my Grandpa made for her out of 2x4's that he split and it was held up with tomato cages that he also built. I grew up thinking that you had to have a frame to quilt. Since I didn't have one, or the room to put one up, I had resigned myself to thinking I couldn't quilt by hand. Then one day (I think it was in 1998) I say an episode of Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson where she talked about lap quilting and the techniques of hand quilting. It was like a light bulb came on over my head. I got some scrap pieces of fabric and batting, layered them together and started practicing her techniques. OK, at first I was terrible, but it didn't take long before I got the hang of it. I made only small projects at first, and gradually worked my way up to larger and larger ones. The first Queen sized quilt I finished by hand was my chicken quilt that took over 2 years (half of that time was spent embroidering the chickens). With practice I got a lot faster and now I can complete a King sized quilt from start to finish in about 45 days. I know a lot of people don't want to invest that much time into a single project, but the feeling of accomplishment you get when you are finally finished is out of this world. Thanks to Alex Anderson, where ever you are.

Clown Fish Baby Quilt

For this quilt, I cut nine 12 inch squares of white fabric. I drew the templates for the fish from looking at a coloring book that one of my Grand kids left here. Of course they aren't meant to look like actual species of fish so imagination is the only limit. I had quite a few scraps of brightly colored polka-dot fabric to make the fish. After appliqueing the fish, I embroidered around the edges to give more definition to the details. I also embroidered their eyes, mouth, fish hooks and worms.

I sewed the blocks together, and used a small bowl to mark and cut scallops around the outside edges. Then I appliqued it to the top of the background fabric. The background fabric shows thru just enough to make it look like water. On the white portion, I quilted in wavy lines, and on the background I mimicked the scalloped edge.

Mother Goose Baby Quilt

Old Mother Goose, when she decided to wander, would ride through the air on the back of a Gander

This is my version of Mother Goose. I saw an old iron on transfer (I think from Aunt Martha's Transfers) on EBay that said it was first printed in the 50's. Well, they wanted $16.00 for it and I didn't want to pay that so I enlarged the image on the screen so I could see the details, and drew one that I could turn into a applique pattern.

After getting all the pieces appliqued in place, I used embroidery thread to fill in the details such as the facial features on Mother Goose and the Gander, the hand details, the waives on the skirt and the wings of the Gander.

Her hair is loose wool that I carded myself and felted in place with a felting needle.

The ribbon on the hat, at her neck, and around the gander's neck is silk ribbon.

I tried to applique the shoes and socks, but the pieces were just too small for these big clumsy fingers of mine, so I wound up doing them totally in embroidery.

I cut clouds out of blue and white in various sizes. To give the picture some dimension, I placed the smaller clouds in the background underneath the top layer of fabric, and the larger clouds in the foreground appliqued in place.

I used the edge of a plate to make the scalloped edge of the border fabric.

I quilted wavy lines, closer together in the background and slightly further apart in the foreground to make it look like she was flying in the jet stream.

Brown bagging in style

Everyone is trying to save money these days and taking a lunch from home is one way to do that. This is a lunch bag that I made totally out of scrap upholstery fabric and left over pieces of fabric that I made some curtains out of.
I used the upholstery scraps and made two log cabin blocks set on point for the front and back. The sides and bottom are corduroy. The inside is lined with green plaid, and I used the same fabric to make two matching napkins. I crocheted around the edge of the napkins to make it look nice. I made the bag large enough to hold two Glad sandwich containers and two drinks.
Since it was made with scraps, it didn't cost me anything to make and no one will ever pick up my lunch by mistake.

Rooster Wall Hanging

The pattern for this rooster is from FIBER MOSAICS. the patterns name is COOK-A-DOODLE. I got mine from Jo-Anne Fabrics, but they can be purchased at www.fibermosaics.com for $8.00. The pattern suggest that you use fusible web to do the applique, but I always hand quilt, and it is very difficult to quilt thru fusible web so I use butcher paper.

First, I drew all the pattern pieces on the butcher paper and cut them out. Then I decided which colors to use for each piece from my scrap bag. Iron the pattern pieces with the waxy side down to the wrong side of the fabric scraps, leaving at least 1/4 inch seam allowance around each piece (I also numbered the feathers on the butcher paper so I would know what order to place them on the bird). Cut them out always remembering the seam allowance, also, there are a lot of curvy edges, don't try to go in and out, just cut in a line below the bottom of the points and clip in to the curve. That last sentence will make more since to you when you actually start doing it.

The background square is approximately 17". Use the diagram from the pattern to place the pieces on the background square one at a time with butcher paper down and right side facing up. Put a few pins in to hold it in position and use the needle turn method to applique. Turn it over and cut the background fabric away on the inside of the piece you just attached. Pull the butcher paper off, and go to the next piece. After you get the hang of it, it doesn't take very long. I did the whole Rooster in one evening watching TV. Sew on borders mitering the corners. Layer with backing facing down, batting, and Rooster facing up.

I use safety pins to hold all the pieces together. The rule of thumb is to place the safety pins close enough together that you cant put your hand on it without touching at least two pins. To me this means about 3 inches apart. Then start quilting. I hand quilt, but you could use a sewing machine if you prefer. I quilted around every piece and both sides of the inside border. I didn't do any quilting on the background because this is just a wall hanging. If it were to be a quilt, quilting should be about 2 inches apart. More latter on making the binding and hanger.