March Challenge results

March was a very busy....and productive ... month.

.. My UFO #5 that Judy pulled was a pile of red selvage blocks. it became this.

.. My leather challenge was this...

.. Then I quilted one for my sister

.. Quilted another UFO out of the to-be-quilted cabinet ... an embroidery sampler

.. Embroidered vintage sewing blocks for my sister. there were 9 of them i think

..Another UFO out of the to-be-quilted cabinet was this blue and white called HSTeria IV

.. My friend, Vicki, shared a little laundry day quilt that she had made....so i had to try one, too. mine is appliqued with faux leather. It's 16" square and the little quilt on the line....also leather...can be removed.

.. Then, I made a quilt for my dog from some scraps I had.

.. Another one in the to-be-quilted cabinet is called Toss Up.  it is a quilt along from Australia.

.. I appliqued the block for March from Buttermilk Basin. this is the last of the Spring row.

.. And pieced the block for March from Ricky Tims

.. I did manage to piece another few blocks for the red and black leather quilt.

..  And, along with all that, i managed to start a few new things. haha    One simple quilt with 2 1/2" squares is called Mitosis.

.. Another new startup project is this background....that will have a mermaid in that empty space.

I think that is all. haha   I made myself tired....i need a nap.

I am still cutting up leather jackets and coats.....actually am down to just 3 more to do. got to get back into the leather quilting.

I had to take the embroidery machine in for some TLC and probably a couple of parts. So, there won't be any embroidery happening for a couple weeks. but, once it comes back home, look out.

Hope your March was productive.... if not.....there is always April.

Bring it on!

Toss Up ... from Australia

OK...more HSTs....don't say a word. haha   thank god for Thangles is all i can say.

This came about back in December of 2016.....in an Australian Quilt Along. The instructions were to make many, many HSTs.....then, the final instructions were to just piece them all together....willy nilly.  So, if you are looking for a pattern here, forget it.

My sad story is....this fabric line ... called He Loves Me....came out several years ago. I bought massive amounts of it because i loved it at the time. I mean, dozens and dozens of yards of it. ( I still have some left).  At the same time, I also bought 3 quilt patterns to make awesome quilts from this fabric. you know where this is going, right....i never made one. single. one. of. those. quilts.  sigh!!  the patterns are long gone to the thrift store... at least i didn't cut out pieces at the time. So, here i am, years later....using up these fabrics.

It is 52x60"

I just love this panto...by Karen Thompson, called Curvy Weave. I believe it was shared here by Kim. 

Back....same fabric line

Top thread was Glide gold...bobbin was a blue from Superior called Highlights. i had never used it before and it was great...no problems.

HSTeria IV ... blue and white

Back a couple years ago, VIcki Welsh did a HST challenge. I really don't like to piece HSTs...but i do like a good challenge.  this is my 4th HST quilt in this challenge....there might be more, i don't really remember.  a lot of Thangles were harmed in the making of these quilts. haha

It's been in the to-be-quilted cabinet since December 10, 2014.  it is 70" square....kinda.  haha

The blocks are churn dash, but sometimes are hard to distinguish. putting them together without sashing makes a different kind of pattern.

The back is a dark navy that i bought online from someone getting rid of stuff. There was yards and yards of it for a ridiculous price. there was fading where it was folded, but i just turned it over and used the other side....problem solved. gotta use up all that old stuff.

Threads used were Glide Sand for the top...it looks like gold to me. and So Fine Orchid for the bobbin. the backing is so dark, that the orchid looks like white on it.

Embroidery Sampler

This sampler has been in the to-be-quilted cabinet since February 20, 2016.... only a bit over a year. 

I don't know what I will do with it, but i like it.  i guess you could make a quilt of just one type block, in different color ways, depending on what you like or for a holiday. it is 45x55".

I like that seashell

You could make a child's quilt with the bear and hearts

A dog could get a bone quilt

The woodland creatures could make a guy quilt

The back was a piece of muslin. batting was warm and natural pieces left over from other quilts.

I am using up cones of thread. The top was done in Glide bright white. The bobbin used up 2 partial cones of off whites and some of a white...all in Bottom Line.  I don't like having cones of thread with just a bit on it. you're never sure if it is enough to finish a quilt, so i like these small quilts that i can use up those ends of cones.

Scrappy, patchwork quilt .... for my dog

The scrap tubs are full again....time to purge.  normally, i spend days cutting scraps into usable strips and squares. but this time i had a brilliant idea to just use them as is.

I pulled out the blue box and decided Breezy needed a blue quilt.  i had a piece of fuzzy upholstery in the stash...36x58. and some fat batting scraps.... sounds like a plan. i loaded the backing and batting. ... i didn't want to quilt straight onto the batting. so i put a piece of muslin down first. then just laid pieces down and quilted around them. and quilted them down as i went with a scribble design. the first day i got this much done.

I finished it up today. it doesn't even look like anything came out of the scrap box. maybe i'd just be better off to throw it all out and start over. haha   i have enough scraps to make everyone on MQR a dog blanket for their dog. sigh!!

Here it is all finished up. I quilted it with bright neon yellow thread...so used leftover binding strips in yellow also. 

all the edges are raw, so there will be some raveling when it gets thrown in the washer. it will just make it fluffier. haha

Here is the back.

Breezy is laying on it now .... i guess she likes it. she didn't even sniff it first. haha

Laundry Day

Thanks to VIcki .... who showed her laundry day quilt ... i had to make my own. it was too cute to pass up.

I used faux leathers on mine..... from purses cut up. When I was collecting leather, i ventured from jackets and coats to purses. ... and i did find many leather purses.  but.... there are amazing colors in faux leathers.... made in china.... so, i got them, too. i just use them in things that won't get laundered. It is about 16" square.

The little detached string quilt is also faux leathers

I used a fat piece of batting i had laying around....and it worked just fine. I didn't even use a leather needle on this piece.

Back was a piece from the stash.

I used threads to match the colors. all Glide. bottom thread was silver in Bottom Line.

Vicki said she was going to make several mini quilts for hers, so she could change with the seasons...i think i will just stop at this one. but, who knows..... i reserve the right to change my mind. haha

When I started cutting up the purses, i was throwing out the handles.... and giving my son the metal stuff. lately, i have looked at the handles and thought....'i wonder if i could use those for hanging small quilts'.  haha    so, i now have a tub of handles. i might use one of these to fashion a hanger for this piece.

Shades of Purple...in leather

Who knew there were different shades of purple in leather. haha  This is 46x58...and a bit heavy, because of the leather.

Each block has 3 pieces of leather...all the rest is cotton.

I sewed the leather pieces down with a variegated thread.

When I was sewing it together, all the pieces looked purple....there was no sunshine that day and the studio was not bright. when i quilted it .... some of the pieces look green. but the back of them look dark purple.  who knows.

I wanted to quilt them with the same thread, but the longarm wasn't feelin' it. so the leather pieces are quilted down with Glide Orchid on the top and Bottom Line gold in the bobbin. I just sewed lines across the leather pieces.

The background of the blocks was quilted in Glide Jade Green with a light brown Bottom Line in the bobbin. I had run out of the gold, so just switched to brown.

I had trouble getting a good pic of the back...i used a dark navy. 

And...the threads

It's not a large quilt....small couch size....but the good thing is it can be thrown in the washer. the leather pieces are sewed down well and will survive. i haven't tried to put leather in the dryer yet.