Boxed Argyle Quilt

I've had this argyle print sitting around in a pile with this striped print for several years now. The white with polka dots was in there too.  So I picked this pattern to make the quilt.  The pinterest link is no good, so I just drew it up in my notebook.  The large squares finish at 9" and the small ones finish at 4".  The sashing is 1" finished.

56 x 71

I tried to match the argyle print on the border.  That was as close as I could get.  Let's just say I won't be using that kind of fabric for a border anytime soon!  Because of that, I used the rest of it as the binding and the back of the quilt.  All gone!  (I had already cut a few pieces to put in the next quilt so you will be seeing it again.  Don't want you to think I was lying!  I made both tops before doing the backs.)  Hope your weekend is fall-like!

Scrappy Patches Quilt Pattern - 2 Ways!

Here's a new pattern from Myra of Busy Hands Quilts!  You can find this Scrappy Patches Quilt pattern at Craftsy or Etsy. The good news is that you get 2 patterns with this one.  One for a scrappy version (see the next picture) and one like the bright colored one with all the blocks the same (later in this post). 

48 x 60

 So first up is the scrappy version.  I made mine from 2.5 inch strips that I have been keeping in my scrap bins.  I've been wanting to make a more masculine quilt for a while now so I pulled out some blue, green and warm brown colors.  Love that I can use up scraps for this quilt!  And since the strips were already cut, it went really fast.  You could also use a jelly roll and it would be just as scrappy.

I used leftover pieces on the back from the blocks to give it some interest.  Looks like a road!

Version 2 is made from just one block with 12 different fabrics.  Same block as the scrappy but with a totally different look.  Awesome! This pattern is quick and easy!

48 x 60

I used the leftovers on the back of this one too.  I just took out all the blue squares since I was using that for my main piece.  Had to do a little seam ripping to get there, but i just love it.  

Myra has this Scrappy Patches Pattern for an introductory price through October 15th!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Daffodil Happy Garden Quilt

56 x 68

I saw a quilt on pinterest that I liked, but I didn't want to make a 82 x 98 inch quilt!  Lap quilt size was what I wanted.  So I started drawing on my graph paper to get the size down.  I ended up turning the pattern on its side and cutting it down to about half.  Here is a link to the original free pattern. You have to scroll down a ways to get to it.

Instead of following the pattern, I counted squares, cut them, and laid them out on my design wall.  I cut the white centers at 6.5 inches.  I sewed vertical strip sections, working around the white centers until I had sewn sets of columns.

I used the rest of the daffodil fabric on the back because it was one of those unwanted fabrics on my shelf.  I think this pattern turned that unwanted fabric into a wanted quilt!  Love it!

Jelly Squares

52 x 62

This is my version of this Jelly Square Quilt.  I added another row and column and took off the borders to fit the fabric I had on hand.  The border came off mainly because every fabric in this quilt looked terrible as a border and distracted from the soft look I was going for.

You can strip piece this quilt, but I didn't.  I wasn't sure of my color choices so I didn't want to commit myself by strip sewing them.  The orange squares were in my scrap bin already cut.  I had just enough for this quilt!  The colored squares are 2.5 and 1.5.  The sashing and border is 2.5. Easy quilt to put together.

Can you believe this is my first time binding with a stripe?  At least I think it is.  It matches nicely with the soft backing fabric and I just love it!  I used the backing fabric to pull colors for the front.  Easy quilt to change the size just by adding another row or two.  Changing the background color would also make a huge difference on the look of this quilt.  I might have to make one with a dark background!

A Quilted Purse

I have been wanting to make this purse since I saw the one Vicki made and the one Jasmine made.  I have never made a bag before or done a zipper.  Let me just say this was a huge challenge for me!  I know why I am a "quilter" and not a "sewer" - I like to sew in straight lines.  But this is a totally doable bag, especially if you can hand sew (which I can not).

I used fabric scraps from this quilt mainly because blue is my favorite color and the squares were in my scrap bin.  I didn't want to go too wild with my color choices.  The tutorial was a little hard at times to understand, but I think that was because I have no experience making things like this. It took me over 5 hours to put this bag together.

I wanted longer straps, so I measured my current purse.  My straps are cut at 34" which I think is still too short.  I should have added at least 10 more inches.  I quilted the side panels with vertical lines and the main panel with a terry twist in each square.

I didn't read the directions correctly so the lining got quilted with the outside, but you can't see it so no big deal.  I didn't add any pockets as this was challenging enough already!

The zipper turned out great after some seam ripping. Not because I didn't use a zipper foot, but because I had the top panel on backwards!  What is a zipper foot and why would I want to use it?  I completely machine sewed the binding on.  Yes, both sides!  I told you I can't hand sew.  No, the stitching line isn't straight, but you don't notice it unless you're looking for it.  (You can look for it in the picture below!)

I love my bag and I'm glad I made myself make it.  It's good to be stretched sometimes.  I can see I need to learn a few things about sewing.  Maybe someday I'll find someone who knows that wants to learn how to quilt and we can teach each other!  Until then I will stick to quilting.