Autumn Roads Oversized Lap Quilt

Update:  This quilt has sold!! 

Here is a peek at a quilt I have for sale in my Etsy shop, Busy Hands Quilts!  Stop on over and find a gift for yourself or a friend today! 

A close-up of the stipple quilting done on my 1896 Singer long-arm quilting machine.

Linking to:
Sumos Sweet Stuff

Fit For A Princess Quilt in Progress

As a wedding gift for some young friends getting married next month, I have begun a Fit For a Princess quilt.  It is a very simple quilt pattern to sew yet looks striking when put together.  You can find the tutorial over at Sew Mama Sew.  The tutorial shows how to cut fat quarters into 8" and 4" squares and uses 20 FQs for an over-sized lap quilt.

Back in March I posted here about some new fabric I had purchased.  I used the FQs in the two right-hand columns in the picture in that post.  Very modern, slightly weird fabrics that I never buy, but I was looking for modern that day.  It was fun to open up the little FQ rolls and see the fabrics in all their beauty and weirdness uniqueness!  Many different colors and styles, a lot of chaos, and just a tiny bit of matching here and there, but not everywhere.  I dove in and cut ... and sewed.




8" squares with 4"corner squares sewn on with two seams for extra half-square triangles for another project.  My new walking foot was great for this, and the squares stayed put - no need to trim the blocks up!

Then cut apart.



Pressed open.

 

Chaos.  No other word for it than chaos.  This is the random layout the tutorial suggests.  I kinda majorly cringed when I saw it on the design wall and wondered ... what.have.I.done???  The budget says ... use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without ... and there is no alternative to buying other fabrics.  So, experimenting I go.


Ahh, much better ... but still very, ahem, weird.  The matching corner triangles are arranged to join together and create a bit more cohesion to the quilt top, if that is possible with this mix of fabrics.  There are nine bow-tie blocks {blocks that have two matching large squares set opposite each other}, and I am contemplating putting them together.  I'll decide after I get the squares sewn into blocks. 

Hopefully Mrs. Long-Arm Singer {and her operator} will decide to get their act together and work properly because this quilt is too big to quilt on my regular machine.

ETA:  This quilt, after a year-and-a-half in the closet, was restored and took on a completely different look!  You can see it HERE!

Linking to:
Nifty Thrifty Things
Between Naps on the Porch
Organize With Sandy
Made By You Monday
Don't Waste Your Homemaking
Home Stories A to Z
Handmade Tuesdays
Quiltstory
WIP Wednesdays

Star Struck Baby Quilt

Star Struck Baby Quilt for sale at Busy Hands Quilts!

Linking to:
Chic On A Shoestring
Our Journey To A Simpler Life
Saturday Spotlight

Quilts For My Sister, My Friend

In a previous post, I shared that my sister picked out fabric for me to make her a few quilts for her living room.  They're done!  There are three table toppers, 20" and less, and one piano bench cover.  All made out of 8 fat quarters, 1-1/2 yards of brown Bella solid, and white muslin for backings.


Hanging on the design wall

Liberated wedding ring quilt block - tutorial at Little Miss Shabby

My favorite - fun circles!  I'm getting a circle cutter after this project - you'll definitely see more circle quilts from me!  The circles are quilted in a freehand round manner with brown thread, and the white background is quilted in freehand stipple with yellow thread.  I didn't have a matching green thread, so I chose yellow instead so it'd show up more and enhance the background.

Piano bench cover with 3 layers of batting - hmm, much cuter in real life than this picture.



Back of the piano bench cover

Enjoy, sister!  I Love You!

If you'd like a handmade quilt in one of these patterns Contact Me !

Linking to:
Made By You Monday
Organize With Sandy
Don't Waste Your Homemaking
Market Yourself Monday
Nifty Thrifty Things
Homemaker By Choice
Chic On A Shoestring
Home Stories A to Z
Handmade Tuesdays at Ladybug Blessings
Our Simple Country Life
QuiltStory
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Reasons to Skip the Housework
Take A Look Tuesday
WIP Wednesday
Fireflies and Jelly Beans

My Sewing Room

Someone had a birthday, and this is what she got!

Mr. Hearts made a thread rack.  Just what I asked for!

A bobbin winder to save wear and tear on my old Bernina 830 sewing machine!  Great way to use a 50% off coupon at JoAnn Fabric!

An ironing board cover with gridlines - only a quilter would understand this!

And my all-time favorite gift ...

a walking foot!! 

This feeds the top layer in a quilt through at the same rate as the bottom layer, thus preventing fabric shifting and puckers.  I've already finished a quilt with her and wondered why ever did I wait so long to ask for one?

All those new quilting items called for a cleanout and re-do of my sewing area, so that was yesterday's project!  Here she is all cleaned up.  I am not about to show you a before picture ... it ... was ... bad.  I moved the two desks further apart because there wasn't enough room to use my serger at one table and the sewing machine at the other; the chair kept bumping my machines.  Also, there is now room to sew with a friend.  A friend and I have reserved Friday afternoons for sewing bees!  Such fun!  Can't wait to begin toward the end of the summer!  {Sometimes I think I was born 130 years late ... until I remember how much work they did back then just to survive.}  And yes, the ironing board is always up ... why put it away when there is always a project on it, and I use it everyday!

This desk was rescued from Craigslist for a whopping $0.00.  Mr. Hearts refinished the cork top.  Her top is 90" long x 36" deep!  The two ends fold down.  I keep them up, of course!  She has a pull-out ironing board and a pull-up sewing machine tray.  I don't use them because they seem rather small scale {silly} for someone who quilts and/or sews all.the.time...like ev.er.y.day.  Those are Works In Progress.  Only 3, really.  Ah, yes, one pile has four quilts on it, but they're all for the same person, so they count as one project.  I refuse to put them away.  And those are Millie's crafts projects stored in the lower left cubby.

I turn around and sew at this machine on this beautiful desk.  One thing I learned through a year of unemployment is that I really can handle an ugly sewing table - at least I've got one - and one that I don't have to put away everyday!

Have you figured out what room in the house this is all in?  Hmm???  Would you believe this is in the Master Bedroom?  In a house we built ourselves?  Yep, sure 'nuf!  Good thing we built this room very big because there is no other place in the house to put my sewing stuff.  Not sure what we were thinking ?? because I sewed a lot back then, too.  But no complaints here!!  I have an awesome sewing room with two large windows and lots of light!  Love it! It's my favorite room in the house!

And ... did you know that it gets hard to explain to a 15-year-old son how I could possibly be only 28?

Linking to:

Busy Hands Quilts Etsy Store Update

These quilts have sold in my Etsy store!  A prayer answered in one day!

And I've listed a few more for really cheap prices! 



This quilt has sold!!

Click on a picture to view my Etsy store!