Project Quilting 13.6: Flying Geese

 

Oh what a fun ride this season of Project Quilting has been! 

I participated in each of the 6 challenges and loved each one.

Thank you to Kim Lapacek at Persimon Dreams for hosting this 

inspiring challenge for us each year. 

This final theme we were to incorporate at least 5 Flying Geese blocks into a finished project.

I've had a table runner in mind for quite a while that fits this "goose" bill. 

Switchback Trail is a free pattern from Sharon Holland Designs.

One of the elderly ladies I care for is having a birthday this coming week, so I kept her in mind as I chose fabrics. 

I also kept her in mind with prayers and loving thoughts as I stitched!

I'm hoping Mary will love her new table runner!

Most of my fabric stash is bright, colorful and on the modern side.

I had this one FQ bundle that is more subdued, so I chose 6 fabrics from it. 

Sewing the Flying Geese blocks using Sharon Holland's tutorial was fun and easy.

Trimming them is always a pain in the arse.

Making blocks with 2 Flying Geese snuggled up together.

Getting the blocks lined up just right and ready to sew together.

Sharon's instructions uses all of these blocks to make a 72" runner.

I know Mary's table isn't that long, so I used only half of the blocks.

The other half now is at the top of my WIP/UFO pile. 

Sigh.

Simple quilting in the ditch.

Decisions, decisions on binding fabrics!

Measuring 18" x 36" and complete with 24 Flying Geese blocks.

Absolutely "Handmade with love".

Linking up with:

PQ 13.6 Flying Geese

Inquiring Quilter's Wednesday Wait Loss

Project Quilting 13.5: Rhythm & Repetition

 

The PQ challenge this week was to incorporate a sense of rhythm and repetition into a project. It took a few days to let this idea simmer in me. 

I ended up going down the inspirational rabbit hole called Pinterest.

I had pinned a table runner from Bear Creek Quilting called Spring Table Runner 

that would do the trick. It uses all HST blocks and are paired with a dark/light combination.

Once the blocks are arranged, the colors line up diagonally.

The only change I made to the pattern was to cut my 

HST blocks to 3" rather than the called for 2.5".

I chose a fat eighth bundle I've had in my stash forever, 

called Grand Canal by Kate Spain.

Making the blocks was fun and easy!

Getting them sewn together was fun too! 

Not a single corner was cut off. 

For once.

Can you see the rhythm and repetition? 

Choosing a border is never easy. Love that peach color?

Yeah, me too. But I didn't have enough for the length.

Pea Green won out!

Simple straight line quilting in-the-ditch along all seams 

supplied just the right look.

Getting that binding on just right.

I added a small enamel label that says "handmade" to the corner. 

It fits perfectly on our bedroom dresser at 12" x 33.5".

I just love it! This pattern was so easy and fun to make, I know I'll be using it again. 

Thank you, Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams for creating these challenges!

Linking up:

Project Quilting 13.5

Inquiring Quilter Wednesday Wait Loss

RSC July: Dark Blue and Table Scraps Challenge

 

In May, I jumped on the Dresden train and I got hooked! I feel like a kid at the fair whose parents can't get her off the pony! Making a Dresden Plate block had been on my to-do list for so many years. Now I've got 6 pieces to prove that I've accomplished this task and can move on. 

Well, maybe. 

This  piece was made from a charm pack I had in my stash. Even though the traditional Dresden Plate uses just 2 fabrics with alternating blades, I like to break the rules and use 5 different fabrics. 

Call me a rebel.

Stitching down the ends before adding the center circle. 

This one block wonder is truly scrappy with what I could find in my stash. 

It fits perfectly on the small table in our sitting room. 

And this is the smallest topper that is made of medium blue scraps. 

The stand is an antique piece from a church in town. 

My brother gave it to us as a wedding gift almost 38 years ago. 

Both the pillar and Dresden topper is being modeled by 

Miss Sophie who turned 8 this month! 💜

Linking up with: 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ So Scrappy

Table Scraps Challenge @ The Joyful Quilter

RSC April (blue) and Table Scraps Challenge

 

This Iowa girl is blogging from Tennessee tonight! We came down Wednesday to spend a few days in the Smoky Mountains and catch some warmer weather. Even though we're 11 hours further south, the weather turned and it's colder here than back home! Oh well. 

We've visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park a few times and were "hunting" for bears. We were lucky enough to see black bears 4 different times! The last sighting was last night. As we were driving,  I saw a mama and her 2 cubs...it caused quite the "bear jam" on the road with about 20 cars stopping to ooh and aww. That was really a jackpot sighting!

No worries about being too close. My husband has a fancy camera that allows him to get close ups. Mama Bear was keeping a close eye on her babes and the on-lookers!

Back to quilting....

This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color was light/bright blue. My scraps did not contain much of either, so I had to drag my pitiful self off to the fabric shop to purchase some blues!

I had seen a pretty table runner pattern on line that inspired me to make one using blues and a bit of yellow. If that's cheating, don't chew my head off. 

I started with pieces of fabric 3" x 5" and randomly-for-the-most-part sewed them together into rows and then sewed the rows together. Above, I'm checking out the fabric for the border. (It's not your beer goggles causing the blurring, but my poor camera skills.)

The border is on and the sandwich is made! Ready for quilting!

An all-over meandering did the trick nicely. I need to remember to meander all on the same day as I could see one day I was much looser than the next! 

My little bunny family loves it! The yellow binding was the perfect touch. 

As I'm not a blue lover, so I twisted the arm of my sweet friend's daughter to see if she would like to give this to her mom for Mother's Day. She jumped at the chance and when I get back, I'll embroider a label for the back. 

Another blue project I made this month was a bib for Jack! 

He's the 4th grandchild of my high school best friend who now lives in Rochester, Minnesota.

Linking up with: 

Scrap Happy Saturday (SoScrappy RSC)

Table Scraps Challenge (The Joyful Quilter)

RSC January 2021 Pink! and Table Scraps Challenge

I was overjoyed to see that pink was the chosen color for January's Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) ...such a pretty, happy color to start off the year! 

It's also perfect to use for a Valentine's table runner.

I saw this block called "Be Mine" on the Perkins Dry Goods blog. 

I loved it the moment I  saw it. 

I made 3 blocks (12.5" x 12.5" each) and added a sashing on each side of the middle one.

I chose a loop and heart motif as I free-motion quilted. 

I'm getting more comfortable with my FMQ !

I really enjoyed using up some of my pretty pink scraps to make 

this runner for Valentine's Day.

Joy at The Joyful Quilter has started a new link up this month called

Table Scraps. Please consider adding a project to join the fun. 

Linking up with: 

So Scrappy RSC January

The Joyful Quilter Table Scraps Challenge January

 

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

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