Lap Quilt Finished!

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A while back, I showed you a pile of fabric during a winter storm we were having and I had decided to dive in and make a quilt.....seeing that being cooped up in the house was beginning to drive me mad. 

 

 

I did  have time to finish it and I LOVE it.  It is just the right weight.  A quilt's weight is very important to me.  It has to be just right to feel cozy.  Rag quilt instructions can be found all over Pinterest but I always followed my old standby from Jubilee Homespun.

 

 

One afternoon while the snow was falling and the wind was howling, I set my sewing machine up on the kitchen table in front of the bay window and sewed away while enjoying the view and pots of tea. 

 

 

This is the first rag quilt I decided to add binding to the edges rather than leaving them frayed.  I like the look of it....it seems more finished.

 

 

 

Although the weather is finally starting to turn pleasant, I will be enjoying the quilt in the fall when the weather turns cold once again. 

 

 

Happy sewing and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

What to Do When the Snow Won't Stop

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Another winter storm moved in the other day which buried us again in more snow so the only thing I could think of to do that would lift my spirits was fabric ..... and lots of it.

Watching the snow swirl out the windows yesterday, I chose some greens .... that reminded me of green grass (I hope we see some this year!) and a couple of flowered prints.  Digging out my rotary cutting blade, I  got to work slicing.  Slicing for a rag lap quilt.  I figured that if I started a quilt this late in the year, spring would surely come and it would then end up in the UFO basket where it would sit until fall.  That's okay though this time, as it would mean that spring had arrived!

Since I didn't have any medium weight batting on hand and I didn't want to head out in the snow, I found an old flannel flat sheet that once belonged to a set.  The fitted sheet had long since retired to the rag bag so I decided it would be a perfect replacement.

I spent the afternoon measuring and cutting 6 inch cotton squares and 4 inch batting squares.  I chatted with hubby as I cut since he decided it was the perfect day to bake some homemade bread ..... go for it my dear!

Finishing up all the cutting after a couple of hours, I set to work with the sewing.  That didn't last long however, as after a dozen or so squares, I realized it was time to get dinner started. 

Well at least everything is cut and ready to go.  I even had time to plan the layout on a grid.  I am sure I will finish it before all this snow melts.  That will be a while, I think!
  

 

  

Have a wonderful day and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Happy February

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February, the month of love .....  I have always loved February.  I love that it known for hearts, pink, red, flowers and ANYTHING feminine and pretty!  I am a lover of pink.  My whole home would be filled with pink if hubby would allow it!  

I do try to squeeze pink in here and there with decorating.  Maybe a pink pillow or a throw with some pink in it.  Tablecloths, napkins and linens always have a some pink in them....those are the little things that hubby doesn't notice. 

February is usually the turning point up here in Minnesota.  The days are noticeably longer and the sun's heat is beginning to gain strength.  We normally have what is called a "February Thaw" and it gives us the promise of spring and what is to come.  

Tomorrow is good old Groundhog Day and that little furry creature will decide our fate ..... 6 more weeks of winter?  Up here, whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, we ALWAYS have 6 more weeks of winter so what he determines by popping his head out of the ground, doesn't have much bearing for us.

So while the rest of the country waits in anticipation for Mr. Groundhog, I will hibernate with my quilt, my kitties, a cup of tea and a good book or a knitting project and pass the next 6 weeks with the mindset that I will have to patiently wait for the pussy willows, the buds popping out on the branches and seeing the daffodils desperately trying to struggle through the snow, looking for that sunshine.  

It's okay though, I don't mind.  That is the joy of living where there are four seasons!  Patience will award you with the next one when Mother Nature decides it is time.  

Wishing you the best for the month of February and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Autumn Curtains and Pillowcases for the Bedroom

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As mentioned here, it was time to get moving on those autumn curtains and pillowcases for the bedroom .... soon the snow will be flying and the quilt will need to be changed out to the winter one!  Yikes, time moves way to fast for me ... as do the seasons.

Last year when I picked up this autumn-themed quilt on sale for only $6.00, I had made a set of pillowcases for it to match and a little nightstand table runner (if you can call it that, it is so small) but the hubster and I use two pillows each so another set of pillowcases was needed as was the curtains.  These quilts are from a big box store and I have picked up one for autumn, one for summer, one for winter and one for summer so far ... I just need one for spring!   They do not come with pillowcases or pillow shams.

My fabric stash is getting out of control and I want to tame and lighten it a bit before buying more soooooo that means I have to find something to sew!  New curtains and pillowcases are a great start.  Since I have to make the same for all of my quilts, it should help reduce the stash a bit.  

Old curtains .....

Found some gingham ....  who doesn't love gingham?  New curtains!

Then I had enough of the gingham (if I added a large matching hem) for the pillowcases.

The autumn set is DONE!  

Now I better get started on the Christmas set ..... that will be here before I know it.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

The Jelly Roll Race Quilt

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Well I did it. I have been wanting to try the great Jelly Roll Race Quilt Challenge for a while.  I have searched many websites and the idea was more or less the same on all of them.


Open a jelly roll and start sewing.  

Sorry for this blurry picture.  I almost had forgotten to take a picture of the jelly roll and had started to untie it.  Then I had to take it quickly as I was determined to finish the quilt top by dinner time and it was already pushing 3pm.


This is a bright jelly roll.  Not really my style of fabric but it was cheap.....on clearance at Walmart for $4.00.  Perfect for trying this challenge without spending a lot of money in case I didn't like how it turned out.


Taking the jelly roll apart, I stacked the different fabrics in piles and arranged them in the order I found most appealing.

Now for those of you who have not heard of the 1600 Jelly Roll Quilt, you start sewing the jelly roll strips end to end in the order you placed them.  Once done, you will have a very long strip of fabric approximately 1600 inches long....a BIG pile like this!

Next cut 20 inches off of the beginning of the long strip of fabric.  It makes no difference which end.  This is an important step as it will stagger your seams.

Now find the two ends of the strip and put right sides together.  Start at one end and sew the whole length...when you get to the end, cut the loop.  You will now have a very long strip that is 2 jellyroll strips wide.  This step took me approximately 45 minutes!

A little side note....you can press the seams open but it isn't really necessary as they won't be in the way.

Now, find the two ends of the long strip again and put right sides together and begin sewing again.  Don't forget when you get to the end loop, cut it.  You will now have a strip that is a 4 jellyroll strips wide.  

Again, find the two ends of this long strip and put the right sides together and sew away!  Once you cut the loop at the end, you will have an 8 jellyroll strips wide strip.  

Next, join the two ends of the long strip, put right sides together, sew and cut the loop at the end.  Your strip will be 16 jellyroll strips wide.  

One more time people!  Find the two ends of the long strip, put right sides together, sew all the way down, cut the loop.  You will end up with a 32 jellyroll strips wide quilt top!

It worked!  I ended up with a quilt top approximately 50" x 64".  I am going to use this as the 'center' of my quilt.  I still wish to add a border but need to find the perfect matching fabric for that...or maybe I will go with a bright solid.  I haven't decided yet.

This challenge was fun and I will definitely make another one.  Dinner was about 30 minutes later than usual so not too bad.  It took a little over 2 and a half hours.  The task that took the most time was refilling the bobbin!  Next time I will make sure I have four filled bobbins ready to pop in and out.  

Sir Humphrey seems to like it too!  

There was a contest held a while back...sorry I don't have the link to share....it was just something I ran across while researching about the 1600 Jelly Roll Quilts and the quilt that was made the quickest was by a lady who finished hers in 35 minutes!  Now that machine must have been a humming!

There is another variation here if you would prefer to make a rag jelly roll quilt.  I like the looks of that one as well so will give it a try this winter with some cozy wintery fabric.  

Have you tried the Jelly Roll Quilt Challenge yet?  Such a fun and fast way to make a quilt for that special someone.  Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

It's Finished

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Remember when I posted this picture and asked if you knew what I was making ... well it is done.

After washing and drying it a few times, I love how it turned out and feels .... very soft.  These rag rugs are so easy to make they are quick too!  You can clearly see that our kitty Teasa has given her approval!  I could not get her off of it to snap a picture.


I see many more in my future.  I followed the instructions over at Jubilee Homespun.  The tutorial is  wonderful and they even include a chart with the amount of fabric you will need for different sized quilts.  My cutting ruler's width is 5 inches so I used that which made my finished blocks 3 inches square. Since there wasn't a chart for this size, I estimated the amount of blocks I would need to make a lap sized quilt.  I figured 10 blocks wide by 18 blocks long seemed like it would be roughly the same size as her 4 inch block lap quilt on her chart .... since then she has changed the chart and now includes a 5 inch block!  My finished quilt could be a bit more 'squared' so next time I will make my rows 14 blocks wide by 18 blocks long.  I think that will help.

I think I need a spring colored one next with lots of flowers. Then one for autumn, a Halloween one, a Thanksgiving one ... hmmm, you can see where this is going.


Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Did It!

Pin It One of my goals this year was to make a quilt. Well I am done! Woo hoo!



I am really excited as it turned out so nice and talk about warm! I cannot believe how warm it is. No wonder our ancestors used them.

I am now thinking of trying a denim rag quilt...so I will have to get busy cutting the squares.

More snow hit us last night and the day will be busy shovelling and clearing the driveway and stairs. Our driveway is about 1/4 mile long so it is no small feat.

I keep dreaming of spring with warm sun and green grass.

Have a great day everyone! =)

In The Frame

Pin It Last fall, Bob and I hit a garage sale that was about a mile from us at an old farm. The little old lady and little old man that were hosting the garage sale had it set up in a big pole barn. The pole barn was packed to the rafters with goodies!

We must have been there for at least an hour, walking through the aisles and aisles of treasures that they had laid out. Records, old magazines, china, radios from at least the 1920's, everything you could think of was there. I LOVED that sale!

Off to the side, I noticed a long box and when I looked closer, the box was labelled 'quilt frame'. I was so excited!


I took the box up to the counter and asked the owner if all the pieces were there and she guaranteed that they were. She asked if I quilted and I told her that I wanted to start this winter. She was so happy that it was going to someone who was going to enjoy it as she did. Her husband had bought her a new one and no longer needed the one I was purchasing.

After a few hours of trying to put it together the other day, I was finally able to attach my quilt top and get busy. I was surprised when I unloaded the box, the instructions were still in the bottom intact and easy to read. The one brace had splintered from age but an angle bracket was added and it worked wonderfully. Now I am happily quilting away, thinking about how many hours this little old lady worked like I am. Did she make a quilt for her children? Her grandchildren? What did she think about while sewing those pieces of fabric together?

Whatever she was thinking, whoever she was making the quilt for, I am excited to stitch away on my quilt that is attached to a piece of history. Who says 'new' is better? I don't! I wouldn't trade my quilt frame for a new one any day!

Have a great evening and don't forget to give your loved ones a hug! =)

Been Busy

Pin It Wow, it has been busy around here at the old homestead. My sewing machine has never worked so hard as it has this past week.

I have to apologize to all my blog friends. The lack of comments on your sites is not intentional. I have very limited opportunity to use the computer lately as Bob is using it so much for work that it makes it difficult for me to pop in and say hello. I have been reading faithfully from my iTouch however to comment is difficult on that blasted little machine. So I am still there...just not talking! =)

I wanted to show you what I have been working on...







A set of tapestry pillows. This will be given as a Christmas gift. I cannot mention names as she might read this site so I will keep quiet on the receiver.

My Christmas gift box has been started and these made their way into it. I am happy to say that the box is filling up quickly. This excites me as during the summer, it is so difficult to get any crafting done.




This little needlepoint pillow will be another gift for a special little girl whose parents are friends of ours.

I am hoping she likes it.

Here is a quilt top that I just finished today. The blue flowered material is a vintage material that I discovered in my stash. After picking up the red (it does have little dark blue polka dots on it) and the yellow material, it took very little time to whip it up.

After ironing all the creases, I made my way to the old farmhouse to find my quilting frame that I had purchased last fall at a garage sale. I had never put it together and was hoping all the pieces where in the box like the lady told me.

A few hours later and a little tweaking on the one stabilizer bar (the wood has split but I used an angle bracket to fix it) my $3 quilting frame is ready to go!

The backing material is just finishing up in the dryer so tomorrow I can spend the time layering the top, batting and backing and pinning it together. I need to re-read the instructions (yes, they were still in the box!) on how to lay it all on the frame so it stays nice and taunt so I can begin hand-quilting it.

This is my first attempt at such a big quilt project. My blocks that I showed you a week or so ago are still sitting waiting to be made into the top. I am a little apprehensive about cutting the material for the sashing......maybe I will get the courage up to cut it this weekend.

A storm is headed our way starting tonight. Sleet, ice and snow are expected with accumulations of 4 - 6 inches. Perfect time to enjoy a cup of tea, bake some treats and quilt my time away.

Have a great weekend everyone and remember to give your loved ones a hug! :)