WiP and a Finish

Okay, basting is not my favorite part of quilt construction.  Today I've been working on basting my "Winter in the Woods" quilt so that I can begin to quilt it.  I tell you what, I was sweating when I was finished crawling all over the floor to get it flat and straight and smooth.  And I promise you I work out regularly!  There is definitely an aerobic component to parts of our hobby!

On another note, I finished up my sweet Best. Day. Ever! patchwork quilt a couple days ago.  And I love how it turned out!  I backed it in a yellow and white polka dot, and finished it like a comforter without any binding from this tutorial by Svetlana at s.o.t.a.k. Handmade.

I like the way the yellow backing shows a bit on the front:

And, I even have a matching bag to go with it!  Fun! (or funny!)

Scrappy Inspiration

I love mini quilts!  From wall-hangings to table runners to mug rugs and pillow covers, I enjoy all types of miniature quilt projects.

They are a great way to use up scraps, repurpose orphan blocks, try a new technique on a small scale, and, my favorite... Get a quick quilting fix when you don't have time for a big finish.

I have fun decorating my house with all kinds of minis: the walls, the tables, the kitchen countertop! Some might say I've gone overboard, but I enjoy seeing quilts and fabric everywhere I look!

I decided I needed a new, scrappy mug rug to go with a new mug I received as a Christmas gift fom one of my students.  I started by looking through my stash and my scrap basket for inpiration.  I found a fat quarter of this text print with a fun kitchen-y theme:

Then I looked through my scrap basket for bits and pieces to go along with it.  

I decided I wanted to try a "quilt as you go" technique to make this little mug rug.  So I found a scrap piece of batting and started with a piece of the inspiration fabric at an angle down the center.

I sewed the first piece to the batting, right side down, then folded it over and added some straight lines of quilting about 1/2 inch apart.

I kept adding strips of fabric to this first piece until I had a slab about 9 by 12 inches.

I squared this up to about 8 1/2 by 11 inches, made some binding out of the green and a bit of the text fabric, and sewed it all up!

My favorite kind of scrappy project:  colorful and quick! Definitely instant gratification! 

Inspiration comes in many forms!  Most of mine comes from the online quilting community. Especially places like Quilting is More Fun than Housework (which it definitely is!).  Thanks, Cyndy! 

Just a little sewing...

Due to a nasty bout of pink eye...(ick!) thanks, no doubt, to one of my lovely 5th grade students, I have not been sewing much the last couple of days.  But this afternoon I just needed an easy, relaxing something to work on, so I sewed up my Best. Day. Ever! patchwork top that I started a few weeks ago.

It is made out of about 1 1/2 charm packs of Best. Day. Ever! by April Rosenthal for Moda and various low volume 5-inch squares out of my stash.  And I love how it turned out!  It is very bright and happy for a cold and snowy Sunday afternoon.

A few of my favorite squares...  It is about 45" x 50" right now.  I'm not sure whether I will add borders.  Lately I am loving the clean feeling of quilts made without borders.  I do think I am going to finish it like this tutorial from Svetlana at s.o.t.a.k. handmade.  I love her patchwork comforter and wanted to try something like it.  I might even hand quilt it!

Linking up to Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for some more scrappy inspiration!

Progress!

I finished up the top of my Winter in the Woods quilt.  I'm very happy with how it turned out, even if it felt like a mistake at first!

I am liking the patterns that are formed by the blocks where their corners come together!  I ordered several yards of the mint dots from the quilt for the backing and binding.  I have a few jelly roll strips left that I didn't use that I might add into the binding for a fun addition of color!

Today I made the backing, and tomorrow I will sandwich the layers together so that I can begin quilting this quilt.  I'm still thinking about how to quilt it, though.  Not sure what will work yet!  But it is fun to contemplate!

Friday Finish

Friday night, after a long work week, and an especially long Friday, I was in need of some instant gratification in the form of a quick, scrappy project.  I always spend time on Crazy Mom's blog on Fridays and love her collection of tiny, scrappy pincushions.  So, a pincushion it was!

I decided to dig around in my scrap basket to see what I could find, and I pulled out these:

I have lots of  Hello Sunshine scraps leftover from putting together this quilt top.  I think I need to finish this one!

The little orangey-yellow scrap is from my stash, and I don't know what it is, but I sure wish I had more of it!  I am down to just that little bit left!  Anyway, those bits and pieces turned into this pincushion:

I love those little polka dots!  A feel-good Friday Finish!

Linking up with Oh Scrap!  at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  Go check out all the other scrappy goodness there!  Lots of inspiration!