Color Challenge #15 - Lime Green!

My favorite color! (just ask my family...) As a result, I had plenty of lime scraps - didn't have to cut any strips from my stash, nor did I have to purchase any fabric for this challenge.

Perfect evening: 15 Minutes lime green scrap play + Big Bang ( + white wine - out of picture!) = happy me!

Lime green "made" fabric - who could pick a favorite from these lovelies? Certainly not I! I love them all!

Lime block - love the aqua/lime print for the "X", don't you? I've shown the block on one of my favorite sewing tools - my rolly chair! I sew some seams, roll over to press, then roll back for more sewing. Better watch out when I'm "on a roll"!

Lime green block - last color challenge coming up this week!

NEW'BEE Fun 9-Patches for Cathy

This month is the last in my online bee block exchange over at 15 Minutes Play. Cathy has requested a wonky 9-patch. Here's how to make it:

Create "made" fabric in any color of your choice, approx. 10" square. I used lime greens. Cut a 9-1/2" square; set aside.

Create "made" fabric of neutrals - whites, off-whites, beiges - same as above, approx. 10" square. Cut a 9-1/2" square. Layer the two squares, one on top of the other, both right sides up. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

Cut through both layers, twice up and down, and twice across, creating 9 sections. Separate the pieces, so you end up with two blocks, a positive and a negative.

The seams won't match, but that is not important. Assemble the blocks; press.

Ta-da! Two finished blocks! I hope Cathy likes them!

NEW'BEE Block for April

I enjoyed creating the lime green made fabric, and the hot pink made fabric - this is my bee block for April (over at 15 Minutes Play). The resulting block is on its way to my bee buddy, Janet, in Yukon Territory, Canada!

NEW'BEE Block for January

This is the January block for my online bee at 15 Minute Play, called NEW'BEE. This block was designed/requested by Katherine. We were to create made fabric in whites, black with white prints, and two contrasting bright colors. Her instructions were very clear and easy - you can see them here.

I'm enjoying a wonderful, three-day weekend of sewing sewing sewing!

Happy New Year to all!

Red, Camo, and Blue

Victoria, over at 15 Minutes Play, invited members to complete a 12" block using camo fabric for part of the block. Victoria had been commissioned to make a quilt from a soldier's old uniforms, and was then making a Quilt of Valor (to be presented to another soldier) from the remaining camo fabric.

She asked us to use Red, Blue, and the camo fabric. She gave me two types of camo, a lighter, more tan print, and a darker, green print. Victoria asked us to also use made fabric for at least part of the block. I made red fabric, dark blue fabric, and light blue fabric, all from my scraps.

I used a paper piecing pattern by Carol Doak, which I found for free online. The pattern is called Cross My Heart Block, and you can find it here.

Finished block - ta da! This took way longer than anticipated! Does that ever happen to you?

I'm a NEW'BEE Player!

Isn't the quilt below just lovely??? I spied this picture out in blogland, after the Sisters, Oregon, quilt show (where this pic was taken). NOTE TO SELF: MUST attend this show someday! I LOVE the combination of piecing and applique, in combination with my favorite colors! Plus, the use of grays in the background gives it a fresh look. Sort of a new twist on a traditional idea.

So - an idea was born! I am a member of an online bee block exchange group, the NEW'BEE Players, over at 15 minutes play (see the icon on my side bar). We get to ask for a block from our 11 fellow bee players, and I got to be first! We describe what type block we want, and how to make it, then wait for lovely packages to arrive in the mail. See my post here.

My inspiration quilt: Growing Up, by Wendy Williams. You can see her website here. I asked her permission to use the photo (always the right thing to do), and she graciously agreed.

To make my requested 9-patch block: Using scraps of all one color group (I used oranges), "make fabric" (a la Victoria over at 15 minutes play) to measure around 12" square. See the quilt photo above for color choices: I will be using pinks, fuscias, blues, greens, purples, and oranges. No tomato reds, yellows, blacks, or whites. From the piece of made fabric, cut 5 squares at 3" x 3".

Then, from a different color, cut 4 squares at 3" x 3". This fabric should contrast with the first, and also from the color choices listed above. It may be a print, or something like the batik shown, preferably not a solid.

Arrange the squares to form a 9-patch block. Sew the horizontal rows together, pressing seams to the darker fabric. Sew the 3 rows together, and press to finish.


Finished 9-patch block, ta da! I can't wait to see the blocks that arrive in my mailbox! And I am also looking forward to a year with these bee ladies, making a new block for one of them each month. Fun stuff!

12 x 12 Swap Finished!

I never used to save scraps. I DID, however, save smallish pieces, and fold them neatly and stack on my shelf - pieces smaller than a fat quarter, I would nicely fold and put away. But extra strips or scraps from a project? I would stash them in a bag under my sewing table, and give to a friend when the bag got full. No more! Blogging has changed this! I am a regular follower of "15 Minutes Play", a very fun (and addictive) blog which encourages creativity and play, using SCRAPS! and I am hooked!!!

Recently, Victoria (the blog's writer) offered a 12" square mini quilt swap, "something from nothing" - using only scraps. I signed up instantly! She paired me with another quilter, who will receive my quilt. Another quilter will make a mini for me! We may post our progress, but we are not to divulge the recepient until that lucky person opens her mail and finds her quilt gift. The names were given out on April 8th, and the quilts are to be mailed by May 16th. I just finished my quilt recently.

I started with my MANY bins and baskets of scraps, and a design idea for my quilt. One of the main focuses of the 15 minute blog, and something I wanted to include in my quilt, is to "make fabric". We use our scraps, piecing them together any which way, until a usable size is achieved. Victoria actually has an excellent tutorial on the website.

I wanted to make flying geese, so I started by making fabric for the geese. My background was to be made of lime green fabrics (my favorite color). I made the geese of red, purple, and orange scraps. Some of these fabrics are old!

This shows my progress in piecing my flying geese. I drew the curved shape on phone book paper with a sharpie, which shows through to the back side - an essential element of paper piecing. Starting at the bottom/wide end, I placed fabric for a goose, then some gold "sky", first on one side. Stitch from the back side, so you can see the line, flip, and press. Then add the other sky piece and repeat. You're on your way! The gold batik is leftover from Christmas projects! (see previous posts about Emily's tree skirt and stocking) I'm sure this is old fabric, too! The red print is a very old Alexander Henry that still looks smashing!

After piecing the curved geese, I pieced the large lime background sections, adding a few errant geese - you know those you see, trying to catch up with the others! Then came the challenging but not-really-that-hard part of fitting the geese to the background. I traced the curve onto the green section, cut, added matching hash marks, and then pinned like crazy. It was sort of like setting in a sleeve. I used to sew all of my own clothes - in another life - but I'm good at it! :)

Finished quilt top, ta da!

Then I layered with wool batt (yummy, creates lovely dimension, and nice drape), quilted it, added an orange flap edge insert, and bound with the red print. After sewing a label on the back, it's ready to "fly" to its new home! Fun project!