Mini Autumn Table Topper

 

I really didn't need a new table topper. 

You know how it is when you see something you like, you just have to make it? 

That's my trouble with reading blogs...so many ideas and so little time!

This time I saw the Little Leaves block and wall hanging project on Temecula Quilt Company's blog. 

I thought I'd like to make a mini wall hanging for my front door. 

But once I made a few little leaves blocks, I wanted to make more!

So I made nine 3" blocks. They were a bit fiddly, but SO darned cute!

I sewed them together and added a coordinating border. 

I also added a colored stack of the leaf fabrics to each side to make the piece wider. 

Straight line quilting was all it needed.

This little guy was no longer going to hang on my front door. 

I wouldn't be able to admire it if it was facing outside!

So it found its way to the small table in our sitting room. 

Of course, we had to have matching coasters too!

It was completed just a week before Thanksgiving, which was good timing. 

Tomorrow (or the next day or maybe next week), the turkeys and pumpkins and fall quilted projects will be put away. 

All to be replaced with sparkly Christmas things!

Table topper measures: 10" x 15"

Coasters: 4" square

Linking up with....

Handmade Monday

mmm Quilts dreami #46

Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

A Modern Table Runner

It all started with this:

I came across a big tub of college textbooks in our capped garage. The moment I opened the lid, I knew they were mine. Children's Literature, Teaching Math in Elementary Grades, Roget's Thesaurus...all were nearly 35 years old! Time to go, right? I cut off the hard covers and bindings and threw the insides in the recycle bin. But at the very bottom lay the little book of lens papers. Likely from my freshman semester of Biology and dissecting frogs, pig hearts, and building fruit fly farms. Not one of the lens papers had been used...all 50 sheets were intact. 

They, too, went into the recycle bin. But soon came out!

I knew I could put them to use. I'd seen scraps sewn onto long strips of calculator paper. I didn't have any calculator paper, but Lord knows I have scraps and now I had lens paper! Plus, this paper is so much thinner that regular paper, so I didn't have to worry as much with my needle dulling. 

I  had no project in mind, but I just enjoyed gathering like colors to make blocks, that when trimmed, were about 4" x 6".  Mindless sewing is just the best, isn't it?

On the left are the blocks before tearing off the backing (lens) papers. The right photo is after I had them all sewn together and trimmed. 

Deciding this would make a great layout for a table runner, I kept the sashing simple. 

I used Kona Snow for the sashing and binding. 

I was very  tempted to use a striped fabric for the binding, 

but it pulled the attention away from the center blocks. 

I'm SO glad I went with the Kona Snow binding...it's perfect!

I followed Debbie Jeske's tutorial for organic straight line quilting. 

I love Debbie's style and tutorials at A Quilter's Table blog.

Her tutorial made this quilting fun, easy and so modern!

I used 6 different thread colors to create interest in this wavy technique. 

I will definitely use it again!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up with:

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

MMMQuilts

Inquiring Quilter Wednesday Wait Loss

Powered By Quilting

Meadow Mist

Free Motion Mavericks

Sarah Goer Quilts

Quilt Fabrications

RSC October: Yellow! (the finale)

 

October's RSC color ends on a happy note with yellow! 

I worked with a teacher for a few years whose favorite color was yellow. 

She loved it because it always brought happiness.

 How many things in life are yellow and make you feel happy? 

Sunshine, bananas, lemons, baby chicks, daffodils, mac and cheese,

 mustard, corn on the cob...all make me happy!

So my last 2 rows of the quilt bring happiness. 

It'll bring even more happiness once I get it quilted and bound! 

That'll be a job for a bitterly cold afternoon in the next few months.

    

9 months of RSC rows!

My scrap bins seem to be no less full ...how's that happen?

My wonderful helper!

He makes me happy too!  💜

Linking up to:

So Scrappy blog

Celebrating National Jelly Roll Day!

 

Today I finished my jelly roll quilt!

I started this Ridiculously Easy Jelly Roll quilt back in June. 

That's when the top looked like this below.

Knowing what I know now, I should've kept it the original size.

But I was intimidated by it. I thought I'd never be able to get it quilted on my own.

So I cut off one of the set of strips from both the top and bottom. 

One of the strips I added to the backing. 

I used a simple meander stitch to free-motion the layers together. 

Using this stitch was much easier than I had thought and went very quickly.

It was during this time when I wished it was still full size.

Oh well! Next time!

     

    

I used most of the Moda Savannah jelly roll I had on hand, 

and also a good chunk of a solid black jelly roll too. 

There were also light coral colored strips in the Savannah collection, but it felt a bit girly

to include those since this would be going to my someday-son-in-law.

I added a label to the back corner.

And here is Jordan receiving his quilt on his 30th birthday!

He's kinda shy, but he loved it!

The Ridiculously Easy Jelly Roll Quilt pattern is available here at Michelle Cain's blog 

From Bolt to Beauty. It is a freebie! It's also available on her link tree on Instagram. 

I hope you found some time today to sew with a jelly roll!

I have a few more in my stash that still need a project.

Linking up with:

sumoftheirstories Handmade Monday

Wait Loss Wednesday Inquiring Quilter

Midweek Makers Quiltfabrication

RSC September 2020: Red

 Red brings joy!

I remember being a kid and most girls my age would say red was their favorite color. 

Then there was me who would love purple.

I liked being different with a little bit of that "oooh" factor.

Still, red is such a pretty color.

It's the color of most apples.

The color of most hearts.

It's Santa's pants!

Often times, it's the color of my hair, only not THAT red!

My fabric stash holds many reds, so this month was not a problem making my 9-patch blocks. 

My only issue was adding this vibrant color onto the end next to August's purple rows.

It didn't jive with me.  Too much brightness at one end. 

It bothered me that the March aqua and April light blue rows melded together. 

Enter the handy seam ripper.

Notice above how the middle rows almost look alike?

Were there any "rules" (self-imposed or otherwise) that said these colors had to be sewn in order? I think not!

So the 2 rows were separated and put on opposite ends.

I'm much happier now with this alignment. 

I hope you are all healthy and safe!

Linking up with: 

So Scrappy blog

RSC August 2020: Purple!

 

It took all of 8 months, but finally my favorite color was chosen for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge! Oh, how I love purple! 

• my very first quilt I made while in college was a simple patchwork quilt of purple fabrics. Backed with a lavender bed sheet and batted with a blanket!
• my bridesmaids all wore a varying shade of purple in their taffeta dresses, along with purple flowers...way back in '83!
• all of my classrooms throughout the years were predominantly decorated in purple...there was no question what color I loved when my students arrived!
• my laundry room is painted in a deep eggplant color...no one cares since I'm the only  one who uses it!
• I also have one wall of my sewing room painted in a happy shade of violet.

24 more 9-patch blocks to add onto this quickly-growing quilt top!

This past week, I also made 4 blocks from the Moda Blockheads3 offered by Brigitte Heitland at Zenchicmoda. There was and is much controversy over the original designer for this block.

 It got ugly on Instagram. 

I stayed out of it.

I just enjoyed making these curvy-licious blocks and look forward to making more!

Linking up with:

So Scrappy

RSC July 2020: Dark Blue

Dark Blue was the chosen color for July's RSC.

Because my great friend loves blue of all  shades, I made a gift for her. 

My 9-patch quilt that has all the other RSC shades in it didn't need any more blue!

I pulled these fat quarters from my stash. Not all were dark blue, but they looked good together. In my mind, anyway.

I had to add the music fabric since she is a retired vocal music teacher.

32 years of teaching kids Do-Re-Mi!

It's a wonder she has any hair left on her pretty head. 

I had previously made this and stitched it together, but totally scrapped it. 

I didn't like it one bit. 

For several years, I've carried a small lunch placemat in my bag when I substitute teach. 

Eating lunch on the tables in the break room can be messy as teacher scurry

 in and out in 20 minute shifts. 

I've always felt better laying my lunch out on a quilted pad and washing it later. 

I wanted to make my friend one too. 

We not only substitute teach, but also take painting jobs on the side. 

Sometimes we eat our lunch on the floor, so a lunch pad is quite handy! 

  

I made the binding using one of those self-binding techniques of 

just folding over the backing and squaring up the corners. 

It turned out nicely! 

Now, wherever my friend eats her lunch

...whether sitting on a paint can or on a table in a school...

she will have a sweet lunch mat to remind her how much she is loved! 

Linking up with:

So Scrappy Blog

RSC June 2020: Pink!

June's RSC color pick had me tickled pink!

I have plenty of pinks in my stash to get this challenge done 

and it was pure pleasure!

I'm not sure what kind of tree these blossoms were on in early May, 

but I took a photo because of the gorgeous pinks.  

The opened blossoms smelled luscious!

Another 24  9-patch blocks completed and added onto the 

dark green rows from May's RSC. 

The pinks seems to give a bit of cheer to the greens, don't they?

This quilt is going to be a BIG one with 4 more double rows added on. 

What was I thinking???

I'm getting this posted just in the nick of time before the second half of 2020 begins tomorrow! 

I'm sure hoping and praying this next half is a better one. 

Linking up to: 

So Scrappy