Dragons, rectangles, selvages and AccuQuilt

The Charmed Dragons top got quilted yesterday and i put the binding on today.

This used up 99 charms (5" squares) and several yards of the dragon fabric for sashing and border. adding the backing and binding and i used almost 9 yards here. great stash busting.

All the charms had gold going through them so i used gold Glide thread on the top and black So Fine on the bottom.

I'm glad i had enough of this Asian fabric for the back. it just seemed to go together. it was a favorite piece of mine but it finally had to get used. what good does it do when we just save our favorite fabrics? except we get to look at them a lot. i would take it out and want to use it...but couldn't cut it up. so now i am happy....it is in one piece for the backing and that is better.

The other top that i quilted yesterday was this one. i call it Rectangles Make Squares.  how simple is this pattern. .... put 2 rectangles together to make a square....put them in rows....switching direction every time....viola'    a quilt top.

I vaugely remember picking these fabrics out and piecing them together....it's been a long time. finally it got quilted.

It's mainly red and greens but it seems to go well together.

The backing is something that has been around for a while, too. i had to sew 3 pieces together to make it work.  but that took 3.5 more yards out of the stash. i'm getting a bit creative in using up fabric and have decided backs don't have to match fronts.

Although the idea has been a long time coming...LOL....i am using my fabric also as foundations for selvage quilts. you never see the foundation but i would rather use old fabric and get rid of it than to use new muslin. i can put that muslin to a better use for backings. i am so determined to get rid of old fabric...i am on a mission.

Today i cut up 7.25 yards of various blue fabrics .... making 10" blocks....to use as a base for a selvage quilt. i'm making one out of Karen Griska's book Quilts From the Selvage Edge. i love that book....i have made several of her quilts.

And i had to order an AccuQuilt die today for a diamond. i found a very cool contemporary pattern from Mary Johnson.... http://www.maryquilts.com/   it has diamond blocks and rail fence blocks and i'm gonna make it. LOL   in fact, gonna go cut some strips of fabrics right now.

See you later.

Stashbusting efforts

Here's my first attempt to bust 200 more yards from my stash this year.

I call this Charmed Dragons .... i used 3.75 yards on this top.

There are 99 charms (5" squares) and a couple yards of the dragon fabric. Easy Peasy and quick to boot. you cut some charms in half and put some rows together and put your background fabric as sashing and borders. this turned out 60x80".  yeah, i know...it's not pressed yet....but i wanted to show you anyway.

Here's a close up

All the charms are Asian fabrics with some gold going through it.

This pattern came from Elizabeth Hartman at www.ohfransson.com   go check her out....great stuff.

Gotta go find what else i can whip up quickly. the pile 'to be quilted' is getting a tad taller. LOL

Stashbusting Report #2

I used up 3 more yards of my stash. yeah!!!  while cleaning out the studio the other day i came across these little applique embroidered animals that i had done ages ago. there were 10 of them. don't know why i stopped at 10. 12 would have been better for a baby quilt...well wasn't going to embroider 2 more. so i used some black and white kid faces fabric and cut 2 more blocks.

then found some wild floral print with bold kid like colors along with fabrics to match in purple, green, orange, pink and yellow. i put a little 1" border around each animal and sewed them together. since i used the black and white kid faces print in 2 blocks, i put a small 1/2" border with some black and white print and then the wild floral for the last border. it came out to 38"x50" and i think that is the perfect size.

i used most of the rest of the fabrics to piece a backing for it.

and this little lovely will be the binding.

so, 3 more yards gone easy as pie. i believe this will be saved for a friend in Texas who is having a baby in May.

of course, now it goes in the 'to be quilted' pile. but, i am working on that, too. LOL

4 yards down; 96 to go.  now...what's next....hhhmmmm.  did you bust any of your stash today?