Scrappy Squares Quilt

What started out as this:

(a huge jar of 2 inch scraps!)

Has become this:

A twin sized quilt!

Here's more of the process:

My 7 yr old twins were the designers of this quilt.  I figured that it would be easy for them to put together granny square blocks using my jar of two inch scraps -- and it was!  They filled up my little design board with blocks (& sometimes the floor, too!) over and over again, taking time to find the perfect fabric each time.  I didn't rearrange anything that they had put together.  I offered advice now and then, but I really wanted them to "own" this quilt, and be able to put together whichever fabrics they loved!

I really had to think about how to put these blocks together!  Ultimately I decided to use the same layout I used on my Farmer's Wife Quilt -- alternating the blocks set squarely and on point.  It takes quite awhile to sew and then trim all of these blocks when setting them this way, but then the quilt top comes together really easily.

Quilted  with Aurifil 50wt thread, in diagonal lines.

I think I like the back almost as much as the front -- a huge granny square, in some of my favorite Amy Butler fabrics.  The binding is also Amy Butler, blue/gray dots.

Do you see the red ribbon near the top?  We entered our quilt into the Minnesota State Fair this year, in the "Quilts with more than 40 fabrics" category -- and it won 2nd place!  Can you imagine our excitement?!  This quilt definitely makes the summer of 2013 one to remember.

Linking up to the Blogger's Quilt Festival,

Scrap Quilt Category.

Be sure to visit all of the amazing quilts in this year's Festival

at Amy's Creative Side!

City Sampler Blocks

I've finished quite a few blocks for the

City Sampler Quilt Along recently . . . 

although it looks like I forgot to do block #55!  Bummer!

Linking up to the City Sampler Quilt Along

at Sew Sweetness!

An Improv Pillow Top

Inspiration:

(favorite artwork in my living room)

Pillow top:

Now, how to quilt it?!?!?

And do I need to make another one,

to have a matched set of pillows?  Hmmmm . . . . 

Let me know what you think!

Linking up to WIP Wed at Freshly Pieced!

Prettified Pincushion

Pattern: Prettified Pincushion 

(from Patchwork Please!)

Linking up to Zakka Along 2.0: Patchwork Please!

Before & After

Before:

After!

Yes, I used to carry around my embroidery projects in a yellow file folder.

Silly!

Isn't this pouch much more fun?!

The pattern is from the book Patchwork Please, although I changed the front a bit.  Rather than making the star patchwork in the pattern, I used up an orphan block that I had on my design wall.  This made the project much quicker!  My front block was 10 inches square, so I did have to change the size, just a bit. 
 
 On the back I quilted a few straight lines,
and added one of my labels.













Linking up to Zakka Along 2.0: Patchwork Please

City Sampler Catch-Up

I am way behind in sharing my blocks for the City Sampler Quilt Along!  Mostly I've been keeping up, with a few blocks skipped here and there -- but I hadn't taken photos of my blocks in months! So here are some catch-up photos (& more to come, soon!):

My kitty cannot resist a photo shoot!

My favorite block in awhile!

I'm still trying to sash each block as I go, so that the quilt will come together more quickly when the blocks are finished.  I'm doing the same kind of sashing I used on my Farmer's Wife Quilt.

I'm using Sugar Pop by Liz Scott for Moda, and Kona Snow for the sashing -- all leftovers from my Farmer's Wife Quilt!

Linking up to SewSweetness.