Decorating with Quilts

Kathie asked us to share how we decorate with quilts. We moved into a different house last year. I have a large (largely useless) foyer that I at first considered a waste of space. I finally realized that it *is* the perfect place for a little decorating. It's the first thing one sees when entering our front door.

This past fall I made two little quilts to decorate the space. This picture shows one--a small square quilt I draped over a crock under a little antique table.

The quilt was made from left over squares from a Pineapple Blossom I made from Bonnie's pattern. I used plain squares for between the pinwheels and hand quilted simple diagonal lines through it. It's one of my favorite small decorations. It's all fall hues of purples, oranges, browns, greens. I like to see real people's houses, don't you?

Notice that each triangle is made of two fabrics...one main one and another on the tip.

~Joan

That Thing She Does

This is before and after for my 1-1/2" strip bins. Just 30 minutes or so of cleaning off my cutting table. I've been doing this for years. This is enough for the rest of my Carolina Crossroads 9-patch blocks and then some, I hope. I've made many quilts from my 1-1/2" strip bin. Using a large variety of fabrics makes them nice and scrappy.

I'm so glad to see Tazzie is joining the mystery quilt. I'll be watching your progress!

Just got home from DH's Christmas party. He works with such a great group of guys. Their wives decided to come to my house the next time the guys have a get together! What in the world will we do?? Eating chocolate and doing a craft are high on the list!

Talk to you all tomorrow...Joan

Carolina Crossroads...all Rail Fence blocks.

This is a picture from last night of the 100 rail fence blocks for Bonnie's mystery quilt, Carolina Crossroads. I fully intend to keep up with this. Our next assignment is to make 100 9-patch blocks. Already mentally there. My 3rd son is helping me by doing all the pressing for this quilt. He is earning Christmas money. I run a sweat shop here. I might pay him the whopping sum of $2.00 for a LOT of pressing. It saves me so much time.

My quilt's accent color is BLACK. That's the color of the center strip for all my rails. It's been interesting to see some of the other color combinations. I don't think I've seen but one or two that I actually LIKE.

Just a short time ago, you never would have found black in my quilts (or house either for that matter). Now each room (and quilt) has a touch. I had lots of black scraps left over from the Heritage Stars shown below. Each star in that is a different black or combination of blacks. That yields lots of small pieces.

I employed another Bonnie trick to keep track of how many units I have finished...pinning 10 together (how did I manage before Bonnie?). When I forget how many I already have (as I often do...must be another sign of old age), I just count pins. Each one represents 10 blocks, units, whatever.

~Joan

Snowman Pictures at Last!

The above is the quilt I mentioned earlier this week. I had pieced this a couple years ago. It got lost in the shuffle of moving last April, then I realized I needed to UNquilt it and REquilt it. This is such a cute design. The head and body are log-cabin type blocks...my favorite. The scarf is a lovely design and looks so realistic. I think it needs a bit more quilting...maybe some snowflakes in the background with white embroidery floss or perle cotton?? How about some wind swirls?? At least it's up for this year. To be improved for next year possibly.

The other malfunction this quilt was that he did not have a nose until yesterday. A snowman w/o a carrot nose is like a day w/o sunshine! Just did not seem right. The one I embroidered on is a bit small, but maybe it was a baby carrot?? LOL!

~Joan

Carolina Crossroads...Humble Beginnings

Bonnie over at quiltville.com started a new quilt (as often as she breathes)...she said it was going to be a secret, a mystery...a woman asked her if she'd post her directions so others could join in, and as with so many Bonnie things, the rest is history.

These little blocks are actually the reason I started blogging...so you could see my progress. Voila! Installment #1.

~Joan

Hallelujah!!

Well, my dreams have been realized.

First, for your calorie-free enjoyment, a cookie from the last baking (was that 2 days ago?). MMM-mmm.

This is just to whet your appetites...quilting and otherwise.

Now that I can download pictures, the sky's the limit.

Stay tuned...errands to do, but lots of blogging when I get back!

~Joan

Snowman Fun

This cute quilt top is one my 17-year-old daughter pieced for a customer last Christmas. I think it's very cute, and I have too little wall space in this house!!

I'm making headway on the Carolina Crossroads mystery quilt. My 100 rail fence blocks are pieced. A picture is safe and sound on my camera. Still waiting to be able to download them. My DH assures me help is on the way!

Today's sewing activity included cleaning off my cutting table. I am fortunate to have a permanent area for cutting and another for sewing (back to back in the same room). My cutting table is a banquet-sized table that DH built up for me so my back wouldn't suffer while I cut. It's perfect. I cut up all the small pieces piled up here and there from working on customer quilts to feed into my 1-1/2" scrap bin. If I have a big piece (larger than 2" square, LOL), it goes into a pile. Again...pictures coming.

I am nearly finished piecing 3 small table quilts (or wall quilts, depending on how the future owner wants to use them). I am using a Christmas Street Thimbleberries print for the focus. Kaleidoscope type blocks (4 of them) with red sashing in between and a dark green outer border. Pics perhaps tomorrow!

It's so fun to hear from other quilters.

Thanks to Kairle for reaffirming my tentative plan to make my own Baptist Fan stencil. How neat to hear from a good friend I've never even MET!

I'd be interested to know if you hand quilt, and how do you decide if a project is WORTHY to be hand quilted?

I machine and hand quilt. Always have a hand quilting project going. I have two times a week that I know I'm going to be sitting in the car for up to an hour. Violin and piano lessons. I've gotten tons of stuff done in that time. There aren't any stores (or much civilization for that matter) near where the lessons are, so it would be a waste of time to do anything but just STAY. Not really enough time to come home. A blessing in disguise!!

Let me hear about your hand quilt projects. I love to see quilts others have made.

~Joan