Trick or Treat

Here's a table-runner/wall-hanging I completed over the last couple of weeks.  It's the first time I've tried Prairie Points.  I don't think I did them correctly, but, at least it's finished and hanging up in the downstairs stairway.

Split 9 Patch Caregivers Quilt

I was looking for a quick quilt I could make for my friend and co-worker Gaila.  I had this idea of making a "caregiver" quilt.  Her husband has cancer and our quilt guild and given him a quilt when he was first going through treatments and surgeries.  I got to thinking about that and thought it would be nice to give one to the caregiver as well since I know from personal experience they spend many nights sitting up in a chair keeping watch over our loved ones and wouldn't it be nice to have a quilt that someone loved over and prayed over to keep them warm.

I had  purchased two charm square packs (5 inch squares) from Amazon last summer when I needed to add to my order to get free shipping.   The fabric is from Moda and it's called "Simple Marks".   I loved the bright colors.  I did a search online for quilts using charm squares and found one at Snippets of a quilter.  So here's how it went together.

First you sew the charm squares into 9 patches.

I had enough to make 9 squares.

Next you cut them down the center in both direction to get 36 new blocks.

Now the fun part was trying to decide which way to lay them out.  I tried several different way but finally went with a totally random arrangement of 7 rows of 5 ( I have one square left over).  It was very overwhelming, all those colors mixed up and jumbled.  I left it laying there on the basement floor until Emily came down and suggested little strips of black around each block. It was the perfect way to "calm" the blocks down.

Here it is before I added the borders.  Of course, Maggie couldn't resist laying on it.  

I ordered border and backing fabric from the same fabric line.  Here is the finished project.

I know several other caregivers and will be looking for ideas for quick quilts to make for them as well.

Here Kitty Kitty

I saw this in the Quilter's World Autumn 2013 issue and just had to try it.  It's called Fright Nigh Kitties and was a wall hanging with 5 kitties on it but I just wanted to try the one.  I put this together last night and then put the binding on it tonight while waiting for Elizabeth to get home.  I have to stay busy or at least fall asleep on the couch to make sure I wake up when she comes home, Plus I just haven't been able to sleep the last couple of nights.  Now I have to decide what to do with this little kitty.  Do I hang it up here, or maybe at work but I'm also thinking of sending it to a friend who loves Halloween.

Welcome Wall Hanging

Here's a little Wall Hanging Kit I purchased from Connecting Threads a couple of years ago.  I've been working on it for the past couple of weekends.  The top is all finished, backing and batting ready to go and even the binding is ready to be put on.  Now I just have to wait for my sewing machine to come back from the repair shop because it has my walking foot that I need to quilt. (I used Sarah's machine to put this one together.)

Kindergarten Guessing Bags

Before school ended last fall, Mrs. Cherry, one of our Kindergarten teachers asked if I would make her a couple of denim guessing bags for her classroom.  She even provided the denim.

The Guessing Bag is kind of like show and tell.  The kids pick an item from home then write three clues for their classmates to try and guess what it is.

Autumn Leaves

Here's a project that should have been listed on my summer to do list.  Sarah and I bought some of the materials for this a couple of years ago and its been sitting in a box in the closet since.  I pulled a few more fabrics from my stash to complete them.  Now I can put away the leftover fabrics from that box and fill it with another unfinished project.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

A couple of years ago I bought this kit from Connecting Threads  www.connectingthreads.com .  It's called Hopping Hares but it makes me think of Little Bunny Foo Foo!  I completed it and ended up giving it to Jeff's Mom because she loved it so much.  In fact I think I traded a candle she had bid on and won at our Grade School Carnival.  There was enough left over and had been sitting in a Ziploc bag (it's on my summer to do list!).  The bunny blocks are completed except for the embroidery of the eyes and whiskers. I finished one and another one started while I waited for Jeff to get his latest scans and while we were delivering Elizabeth to LSM.