Humble Quilts String Along

I have been wanting to make a string quilt so when I saw that Lori at Humble Quilts was going to host a string along, I decided to jump in! My inspiration is this antique quilt I found Pinterest.

I have some scraps left from my dad’s shirts after making quilts for my mom and siblings last year. You can see them here. I’m not sure I have enough, but they will stretch farther with the alternate plain blocks.

My dad’s shirts were mostly poly cotton blends and rather thin. So I decided to try foundation piecing the diamonds on muslin. I’m using this die from Accuquilt to cut the muslin foundations.

I tried our a couple blocks. I used the flip and sew technique, covering the foundation.

This is what the back looked like.

Then I trimmed even with the foundation.

So far, so good!

Have a great day!

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The Greatest Gift

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:6-7‬ ‭

I pray that each one of you will experience the joy of knowing Jesus and the peace that only He can bring.

Merry Christmas!

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My Last Christmas Project

When my kids were very small, I bought a panel just like this to make a nativity set for them from JoAnn Fabrics. I wanted a set that they could really play with.

It became a tradition for our son, the oldest, to tell the Christmas story before opening gifts using this set. He’s a creative guy and often added hilarious details that may or may not have been in the original version! One year, we learned that Mary and Joseph met via E-Harmony. 😂

When his first son was born, I passed that set on to him. A couple years later, I found another panel at a garage sale. This year I decided to make it for Daughter #1’s family so that they could carry on the tradition as well.

I should be able to finish this up so I can gift it this afternoon.

Merry Christmas Eve!

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Slow Stitching Sunday

I didn’t get much sewing done on my trip. I made two blocks before I left and two more while I was there.

I made two more since I got home.

Pretty slow progress! But I have 14 more blocks prepped to work on over the holidays. Let’s see how many I actually get done.

Have a wonderful day!

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Before and After

About a month ago, I got the idea that along with the quilts for Big L and Little L, that I would like to give their bedroom a makeover. So, I thought it would be fun to share the before and after photos.

Here is before:

Anyone with little boys knows how hard they can be on bedrooms! My son was a great sport about my schemes! Here are the after photos.

The top after pic most accurately shows the paint color. I ordered everything except for the paint on Amazon and timed it so the bunk beds, mattresses, and other bits would arrive at nearly the same time we did. We reused the dresser and found the lamp in a closet. The boys loved it!

I hope all of this will remind them on a daily basis how much Nana and Papa love them.

Have a great day!

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Finish It Up Friday ~ A Modern Quilt

My last big quilt for this year is done! I love the texture from the quilting.

Here it is on my guest room bed. It looks huge here!

And it was! Until I washed it. Boy, did this shrink! A whole 8 inches each way. Here’s a look after washing.

It has even more texture now.

It is a Christmas gift, but I gave it to Daughter #3 and her hubby early. She took the rest of these photos at her house.

I think it fits quite well in their mid mod house.

Have a great day!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict , Busy Hands Quilts , Alycia Quilts

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Christmas Quilts

Before leaving AZ, we had Christmas with our Arizona boys and I got to give them their quilts. They were a hit!

Little L’s favorite block was the one with jelly beans.

This video is just precious!

I’ll share pictures of the quilts in their room soon.

Have a great day!

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Leaving Arizona

I hate goodbyes. It was such a great trip to see our son and grandsons, Big L and Little L.

We did lots of this.

And a little of this.

Some of this.

And a bit of shopping.

We played at the park.

And got silly.

I love Arizona, but the best part is my favorite people that live there.

Have a great day.

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Hand Piecing

Someone asked about hand piecing my bow tie blocks. I thought I would share a quick tutorial on how I do it.

First, I cut my pieces and mark the seam allowances on the back.

The template I use has slots at the corners for this, but you can also use a smaller ruler with a quarter inch seam marked on it. Ignore the mess, I put rubber cement on the back as a fabric gripper. When it is too linted up to hold, I rub it off and apply a new coat.

I only use one pin at the place my seam will end. I use my threads needle and go exactly through the marks at the beginning of the seam.

I backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam.

I always make the “tie” first.

Then I add in the background pieces. I stitch from one edge to the first intersection, then move my pin to the second intersection.

When I’m done, I twirl my seams in back and press like this.

I see those two tiny holes in my background fabric. I’m not going to worry about them since this will be a decorative mini quilt only. This stuff is part and parcel of using vintage scraps.

I use Bohin sharps for hand piecing and I really like them. I got mine at Fat Quarter Shop . It’s about the only place I could find them.

Hope this helps!

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DWMonday ~ Fun Finds

I love all the little things I find in my sewing room! Recently, I came across these tiny four patches I made from vintage scraps.

I’m going to be involved in a doll quilt swap in the new year and I think I might use these as my starting point. They will finish at two inches. They would look good on point, perhaps with a double pink background.

I could make a few more to create 16 patches.

I always liked my Downton Abbey quilt and this might be a good layout in miniature.

Maybe lump them all together?

So many ideas, so little time.

Have a great day!

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