MODERN TREE BLOCKS and MOM

Amy Smart (Diary of a Quilter)

 Modern Christmas Tree Blocks
have been tugging at my heart strings...
(for many reasons)

I had been collecting fabrics for a while,
that I thought would work for my version of the quilt.

I sorted and cut the basic pieces, per Amy's tutorial (link below)



Check out how stinkin cute these blocks are!

Finally, enough blocks to get started on the design wall.

THIS is NOT the final design...just playin around.

I have an idea for a staggered layout !

Here is a link to the tutorial by Diary of a Quilter

and a look at her finished quilt.

The blocks can be made in two sizes.

3 1/2" x 4 1/4" 

or 7" x 9" (my blocks)

This is Amy's amazing 

Modern Christmas Tree Blocks quilt!

Mine is NOT finished in 2018 but it will be maybe 2020

Today my Mom would have been 104 years old.

She's been gone 12 years, but it seems like yesterday.

Cora loved to hand piece, making only utilitarian scrap quilts.

Christmas was her favorite time of the year and she

always held her Christmas dinner the Sunday before

Christmas...giving Dec 25th to her children

 to spend that day as they wanted.

This quilt will be

"Cora's Christmas Trees"

In loving memory

Cora Hess Clayton

1914 - 2006

Scrappy Trip 2018

One of my goals for 2018 is to use a lot of my scraps!
Lets be honest...I doubt I finish this in 2018!

I have been saving 2 1/2" strips for years.

My friend, Andrea Aldredge hosted a Sew Along on Instagram

for Scrappy Trip Around the World.

It got me started...but I knew I would not finish
the blocks in time to win any prizes.
My personal prize...get the blocks started!

I decided this green, small print fabric by Jenni Calo 
would be my accent fabric in each block. 
I like a little structure to my chaos. 
Sewing it in the first position of all the strip sets will 
give the eyes a place to rest...once all the blocks are done.

My 2 1/2" scrappy strip pieces were cut at 16" 

I got two from each of my "hoarded" strips.  

I also cut 2 1/2" squares and set those aside.
(those will be another project)

Scrappy Strip Sets have 6 strips.  
Except for the first "green strip"

 I randomly pulled strips from my stash to make each set.  

The hardest part of this design (for me) is

letting the scraps be scraps.

I pressed and cut my strip sets for final sewing.
See the green strip is the first strip in each set.



Once cut and sewn into the final 
trip around the world block...
The green fabric goes down the center
of the block at an angle.

I need to work on getting these all sewn and make the top.

For now they remain a very happy WIP!
They may or may not be finished in 2018
but at least the trip has begun!

THE GREAT PUMPKIN...quilt!

It's PUMPKIN season.
I only like Pumpkin Spice...in a candle...
But I do love me a pumpkin quilt.

I have saved orange, gray and white fabrics forever.

I didn't know what design I wanted to use for this quilt.
I just knew this color combo was a must.

THEN I saw the Pumpkins quilt by Cluck Cluck Sew
and the long awaited journey thru a pumpkin patch began.

Click here to purchase you copy!
There is also a mini pumpkin pattern available.
Didn't take long to cut the pattern pieces
and sewing ensued.

I took it to quilt retreat lat May as my main project.

Pattern calls for several solid pumpkins.

I had some Lotta Jansdotter that had to go in the mix.

Several strip set blocks.

You know, sew the strips into rows, cut, resew

I used the same brown for stems

the same green Grunge for the leaves.

I used two different white Grunge fabrics for the background
There were some blocks sewn with horizontal strips.

I have a mobile design wall.  Its made by Fons & Porter
and you can find them easy enough. Use the Joanne's
40% off coupon if you can.
Command Strips make it easy to hang!

Sewing the top was easy and quick
putting a pumpkiny smile on my face!

Looks good to me!

I decided to quilt this one myself.

That being said...pin basting is the hard part.

No I don't use spray basting.

My traditional roots are showing!

It's a bit larger than a lap size, but my Bernina 740

has great throat space and a dual feed walking foot!

I used a 4 length and the serpentine foot.

My 740 has a 9mm width so I set it at the widest.

 Slow and steady...start at the middle

And remember to flip the quilt horizontally on each row.

I do random widths between rows...
(I forgot to do this and has a bit of distortion on one side)

I washed and laid flat to dry...stretching it
to get it as "squared" as possible.
I used the backing fabric as the border and love it.

My GREAT PUMPKIN quilt
looks great hanging in my hallway!

Speaking of pumpkins...
This gorgeous display greeted everyone 
at the Columbus, OH
Country Living Magazine Fair
Sept 14 - 16, 2018

Is there a Pumpkin wine?
🍷

BAGGY FRIENDS FOREVER

Let me take you back to the 80s and a time these 
hot chicks knew how to take it to the streets!

Me, Doris Ann and Linda

getting ready for a night out 

 Dallas/Ft Worth Texas

And here we are 2018...just a bit older but still friends

and we hit the streets to shop...but had a girls night in...
to celebrate many, many years of friendship, 
a birthdays and a retirement!

Me, Doris Ann and Linda

I made them both a Poolside Tote cause

I love them and they deserved a fun gift!

This one was  Doris Ann's birthday gift.

This Poolside Tote was for Linda

who was celebrating her retirement!

We drank lots of wine and laughed til we cried 

looking at pictures from days gone by.

I guess the moral of the story is...

What happens in Texas, stays in Texas!
and as baggy as we might or might not be...
we will be forever friends!

I hope you have a friend or friends
that know all your secrets and still LOVE you!

RANGE BACKPACK

Back to school is a mixed bag of worms.

Some people are happy to see it arrive.

Others...not so much!

The only thing I need to watch for are kids on the streets

and school bus congestion in a particular area of my neighborhood.

BUT I did sew my first RANGE BACKPACK by Noodlehead

and I LOVE it!  You can purchase the pattern here.

And yes...it is in my school colors, Scarlet and Gray colors!

GO BUCKS!

I used Essex Linen for the exterior/lining and black cork 

for the bottom section.

My intent to sew this bag last May, at a quilt retreat.

I cut it out and labeled the pieces using labels in the pattern. 

After retreat, it sat on my ironing board til July.   

I thought it was gonna be difficult.

Much to my delight...Noodlehead did not disappoint!

 The instructions were excellent and easy.

Look at those slider straps...my first installation!

I quilted my own design on the back exterior section,

layering the linen, batting and duck cloth.

Of course I have Buckeye Football charms laying around.

What a perfect zipper pull.

I will make more of these bag...I am pretty sure

Santa might find a few in the big red bag 

for Christmas gifts.