FINISH: Stars and Sixteen-Patches

 I saw this design on Facebook, and just went into my scraps.  It is big enough for a twin-bed's topper or a very generous lap throw.  The blocks measure 8 inches square, and the white border finished at 2 inches, with 2 inch squares making up the outer border.  It is hand-quilted with a polyester batting from Missouri Star Quilts.

FINISH--Baby quilt --WHEELS ON THE BUS

 I can't remember the name of this block.  I saw someone on youtube demo it, I think, and I quickly made a block, which I proceeded to pin up onto my sewing room wall. 

 As time went on, I'd see it, like it, and decide to make another.  When I had 3, I decided that my orphan block box was already too full and I needed to actually use these blocks.

So I made another 6  blocks, sashed them with a fabric that I was NEVER going to use, and before I knew it I had a baby quilt top.

I backed it with the same fabric that I had used for the sashing, batted it with polyester batting, and hand-quilted it........very enjoyable, I must say.

Red Squares quilt, FINISHED ! First finish of 2022.

 

Well, this one has had enough pictures of it shared while it was being made, but this time, it is FINISHED.

 The pattern is a repeat of one that I made in neutrals a couple of years ago.  The name I most recall is "Spot in the Middle",........I don't know; even that sounds wrong now.  Anyway, I don't even know what made me start this one except that it is such a simple block, and fun for playing around when you have a few scraps lying around.  Before you know it, you can have an entire quilt top......and it's one of my favorites !  

This one was pieced on my new JukiTL2010Q sewing machine.  I did not have to pin to make the blocks or to sew the rows together.  That machine is a dream piecer, and I ain't hatin' the thread cutter either !

I cut into every red, pink, and slightly purple that caught me eye, and then found that I had to go into oranges and yellows to have enough blocks.  I didn't want a lot of repeats, so two is about the most of any one print that I used.  

 Like the first quilt, I machine-quilted this one about a half-inch away on each side of each main block-to-block seam (using my Jazz  2 machine).  

Then I went back to add hand-quilting inside and outside of each block's center square, and did the borders in a wavy design. I did a fairly big stitch, but this time I just used white regular quilting thread, not a heavier thread as before.  I alternated between putting a circle or a square in the blocks.  

 The fabrics are quilting cottons, the batting is a cotton/poly contribution from Becky King at the senior center, and the back is pieced.   On top, the two lengthwise borders use part of a Kaffe Fassett half-yard bundle that I recently bought with multiple colorways of the fan print....(I had plenty to do all four borders, but didn't want the quilt to look that 'traditional'). The top and  bottom borders are from Walmart Fat Quarters that I LOVED so much when they came out, that I bought about SIX !  Good thing, too !

On the back, the Paris print is a 2 1/2 yard piece that I bought when Paris was THE DECOR, and my granddaughter was doing her bedroom in it.  I never got around to making her a quilt from it.  She's 18 now and onto other things, but if she wants it now, she'll have to wait for THE WILL !

When I brought out the Paris fabric recently, it felt so silky and smooth, and I"m mad about anything with bicycles,

 so I think the coloring of it is what set me on this red path. Of course, being 43 inches wide, I needed to add pieces to the sides, so after a 3/4 inch grey border, I used remnants of a piece that I bought for my mother, (never got to that quilt either),  but used for my daughter's "I beat cancer" quilt.  So this quilt is MINE, and will remind me of the important gals in my life, my mom, my daughter, and my granddaughter.

It finishes approximately 60 inches x 72 inches.....tops my twin bed without an end tuck.  That's perfect for adding an additional layer on these colder nights, and for adding color to the room. 

Another FINISH--Turquoise Peels !

Unquilted finished top, for full view

Totally finished and IN USE  !

This one has been in the making for about 4 years, I'd say.  I remember sitting in front of the t.v., evenings, with hubby, the last year before he passed, (and that has been 3 years now, unbelievably), me working on it nightly.

For the little blocks, I think that I chose a size and then drew the peels myself, using a plate or something for the curve.  The background squares were cut at 5 1/4 inches, and then after hand/needle-turn appliqueing the peels, the little blocks were trimmed to 5 inches, causing each block to finish at 4 1/2 inches square.

In this photo, I realized that the stencil that I used for the white area turned out to make the lower peels look like the leaves to a flower..........I LOVE THAT !  And this is the first quilt that I have made IN YEARS that was actually FULLY big enough for my bed......it would even work on a full-size, I think.

The finished quilt measures approximately 74 x 96,, and hasn't been washed yet.  I put it straight onto my bed and have been sleeping under it every night since !

I am really pleased with this wave-design stencil that I ordered and purchased from Stencil House.  I bought it in 3 different sizes, and I believe that this is the 5 inch size.  Quick and easy to quilt, and so pretty for the movement it gives the borders.

Facebook memory minders tells me that I took exactly one year to hand-quilt it, inbetween many other projects.

I used a batting that I bought from Connecting Threads, Hobbs Heirloom Bleached 100% Cotton.

This batting is recommended for light-colored quilts, and I really like it.  It has a beautiful drape to it.  It is not really warm, and would make a great summer-time quilt, which this color of quilt lends me to anyway.