Second Chances Quilt: Friendship Stars

I really like hand-me-down projects. They introduce an element of mystery and challenge my skills and assumptions.

The bag held a pile of friendship stars. Some had names written on the seam allowance, leading me to believe they were part of a long-ago block exchange. Some spin one way, and some another. Maybe that is what held the original maker back?

They finish at 6″ square, so, to make something of a usable size, something would need to be added. Sashing is an easy go-to. But, what color? Not white. Not cream. Not black. None of them worked. Oddly, as I dug through my stash of solids, this dark green stood out. Interesting, but not overwhelming.

The quilt is still small (34″ square), but there is a baby out there somewhere that will be warmed because the work of many hands is finally a finished quilt.

ps–Looking at it now, I think I would extend the sashing around the outside, still keeping the binding the same color. More balance. And a few more inches.

Spring Intensive: Sewing Again!

Spring Intensives are coming up in May. What are Intensives? At the school where I teach, the week before Christmas and the last week of school in the Spring, students don’t attend regular classes. (Honestly, what really gets done in classes at that time?) Rather, each student selects from a menu of classes and attends that one course for the entire week. After the success of last year, I am offering SEWING once again. How does an English Teacher get to teach sewing. Well, it is officially “Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension.” Doesn’t that sound like sewing to you?!

If you want to see some of what happened last year, you can check in HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

This year we will only have three days, so I am modifying the projects some. On schedule this time are…

coasters

bookmarks

hot pad

basket

tote bag

notebook cover.

That should keep us busy.

Again, an appeal: If you have leftover precut squares (5″ or 10″), or fat quarters, that you would like to be rid of, we would use them for these student projects. I am not asking for free, but would pay for them and shipping if we can make a deal. You can leave a comment or email me. Thank you so much for considering us.

Ice Cream Sandwich Quilt COMPLETE (And Mini Tutorial)

This quilt started as an experiment with fat quarters. I had seen a few similar quilts and wanted to give it a try.

This version uses 9 fat quarters. Three prints and 6 solids. The quilt finishes at 40″ x 48″. Each block has a center cut at 4-1/2″ x 4-1/2″, some plain squares, and some created as hourglass blocks made of two squares starting at 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″. The outside of the blocks is two rectangles 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ and two rectangles 2-1/2″ x 8-1/2″.

It went together quickly and is finished and delivered to a neighbor as a spring surprise. She seemed very pleased.

I acknowledge that the instructions aren’t a lot to go by. Feel free to ask questions. Enjoy!

General Conference = Binding Time

If you enjoy the Joyful Sabbath posts that appear weekly on this blog, consider joining me (and many others) for General Conference this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. Two days of music, inspiration, learning and peace.

More information available HERE. All are welcome.

One way I prepare for Conference is by having quilts to bind. It helps my mind focus on the messages for me as my busy hands prepare quilts for donation. Everyone wins!

Expect several posts in the near future with details about each quilt. Enjoy!

Mad Dash Quilt COMPLETE

Any quilt with 100 blocks is going to take a while, and this one did.

But, it was worth it! Every block uses a unique fabric for the “dash” and a unique fabric for the center. The backgrounds and sashings have some duplication, but all came from the scrap boxes. These blocks are based on 2-1/2″ squares, and the borders started at 1-1/2″, giving 7″( finished) blocks.

I love the alternating borders around each block.

And the pieced (not perfectly, but fun) sashing.

A tutorial for the block, in ANY SIZE coming soon. So, dust off that box of random squares, and get ready!

Recap: National Quilting Day

Saturday the weather here was not out-doorsy type weather…high, gusty wind all day. Oh, YAY! I don’t even need to make up an excuse to spend a little more time than usual indoors quilting.

First, I finished the top of a new Second Chances quilt I call “Have a (Few) Hearts.” Yes, it was inspired by the three applique heart blocks that were gifted to me. More information coming on that one soon.

And, there were tiny pieces left that didn’t want to be trashed. They became this improv log cabin-ish pin cushion.

And, another Windspinner block for the Big Diehl quilt. This makes six (out of 25 planned).

While all that was going on, my leader-ender project (a Film at Five quilt based on 1-1/2″ squares) made progress, too. This is 50 (out of 220) sashing strips. Good thing I am not in a hurry.

Some non-quilty things also got done, practical things for the house. Husband is feeling better every day and wanted to work on a project he started right before the surgery in January: a remodel of the closet in the downstairs bedroom. I’ll share pictures of that when we get there.

All in all it was a great day! Hooray for quilting!

“Life is less a quest than a quilt. We find meaning, love, and prosperity through the process of stitching together our bold attempts to help others find their own way in their lives. The relationships we weave become an exquisite and endless pattern.” ― Keith Ferrazzi