My TV Blanket/quilt...Red, White & Black..& Text!

I have always wanted a red, white and black colored quilt. Well, I have finally made one! Still contemplating how to do the back.. flannel or fleece...but the top is done and I really like it!  The star is my favorite block to do.. it is made up of HSTs. You can make them with Flying Geese, but.. HST is a little easier and quicker.. at least to me!  The blocks are made with 16, 3x3 (finished) squares so they are 12 inch blocks. The text on these are silly sewing related "articles". A real life issue.. with sewing things being the "culprits" etc! Just funny stuff!

 

 This is the text print. All these things are historical events.. and many that I lived through! I didn't take picture, but the others are about presidents of the past (Truman-Ford) and the Titanic and Amelia Earhart, Vietnam surrender and a few other things. This is a 6x6" square. 

  I did something new on this one... I added triangles in the corners of a block to make the block larger to the same size as the Star ones. I only had 4 of the history squares so I also used this "seed" ad text print.. tells about planting seeds and also includes a bible verse on some of them.  I wanted to break up the large portion of red so I added black triangles to the corners of the block!

 

This block is kind of like a "snowball" block/pattern. I sewed the red and black strips to the text square.. then trimmed to a 12"x12" block.

Here is the finished quilt top... minus the 1 inch four patch corners and the outer border. I alternated the starts and the diamond blocks.

 This is each side... closer view and alot you can see the corner stones better!

 

This (left) is the finished front and (right) finished back with red binding. The back is a fleece of little dachshund dogs. No reason for the theme other than it was cute.. and the fleece was on sale!

 

Nice and comfy for in my "TV watching" chair! It measures 60x50. Bit smaller than a twin size, but perfect for my TV chair!


Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE

Harry Potter Quilt...Part 3

Well, if you have been following my blog.. I had the problem of this quilt being to short for my tall grand daughter. I struggled on how to make it longer and have it look "planned" and not just an after thought. Only one idea came to mind and I am not crazy about it.. but then I thought...my second oldest "Potter Head" might like it and she is not as tall as her sister (different mothers!) so it'd be perfect for her at this length. But.. I have to talk with her and in a stealthy, "secret agent" way.. see if she is going to be a PotterHead when she is an adult! So far, I haven't been able to make contact, so... this quilt is going to just hang right here until we have our "summit"!!!!

Here is what it looks like right now.

I just have to add the 2 borders around the whole quilt and it'll be done! Then I have found out that they would rather have a "blanket" instead of a "quilt" in relation to the thickness, softness etc. so I am going to bat with flannel and a cotton fabric back or make the back fleece  and no batting.

Here are some of the blocks I created.

 This one has the tiny face of Harmonie.. I used double sided fusible interfacing to fuse it to the fabric.

 And a tiny Harry Potter on a broom on this one

 A basic HST and squares cut from the print fabric with Ravenclaw crest in the middle

I also did some "sayings" or text off one of the fabrics.. I cut it out, fused double sided interfacing to the back, then fused it to areas on the quilt. I later did a quick stitch to stitch it to the quilt.. I figure with all the use and washing it will get.. the interfacing might wash off.

I will be working on the borders tonight.. hopefully have it done.. then I will be backing it with flannel and no batting to use on warmer nights here in California when you just need a little something to cover with.

Harry Potter Quilt Journey Part 1
Harry Potter Quilt Journey Part 2


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Harry Potter Quilt Journey.. come with me! (Part 1)

After a year away from sewing, I am happy to be getting back into the groove of making quilts! I can honestly say I have missed it. The creativity and the imagination that goes into making any quilt is the best therapy in the world!

Anyway.. I decided to make a Harry Potter quilt for my oldest grand daughter to give to her when she graduates high school...in 5 years! She is the most dedicated "Potter Head" in the world! She tells me she will always be a "Potter Head" and Albus Dumbledore is her "mentor". ( He does have some really good things to say!)  I know very little about Harry Potter so I am just making this quilt based on the obvious! I recently watched movies 1,2 and 3 but I think I am just to old to "get it"! And I can't ask her.. the quilt is a surprise but I have snuck a few general questions in on her asking about her "potterhead-ness"! And I have asked on a few groups I am on and got some great helps
 from some great friends!

Anyway.. again... I thought I'd share my progress with everyone in case someone else wants to make one. If you want to follow the progress.. join via email in the top left side bar. I searched all over the place for ideas and the only Harry Potter theme one was of the book shelf style. Very nice, but to me it was so much work and so involved that it just didn't say "harry potter" to me and I want this quilt to have memories of the HP world for her.

Now.. on to the first part. I shop at Joann's.. only. I hate buying online as my past experience has not been good! So I picked up all fabrics at Joann's. Small selection but once I got going, I was able to make appliques and other added embellishments with it to "stretch" the idea farther.  I did buy the center panel (below)  on Amazon.com.

I cut off the outer border as I want to put my own there.. and replaced it with a blue glitter sashing and a black with gold dots sashing around that. VERY nice and bright and colorful! Brings out the yellows in the panel for a little brightness. I decided to use 9x9" blocks as the 12x12 seemed to dwarf the center panel.

9x9 means a 9 patch of 3, 3x3" squares. This worked well as the prints I got were small images so I could get good images in the smaller pieces. Larger would not have looked as good.  Here are a few of the blocks I have created so far. All I did was browse through some quilt blocks idea books and chose a quilt block I liked and would work with 3x3 size squares. I made some HST's and some Hour Glass squares. The blocks themselves do not have any name. I just played with the layout till I liked what I saw!

I tried to pull out some of the brighter blues from the panel as the main colors in the blocks. I got some fabric (100% cotton) that was beige with gold glitter on it.. and silver with silver glitter on it. REALLY does sparkle! This first one.. is the silver glitter in the half of HST. The other half is the glasses, wand and little flying thingy from the movie (I always forget what it is called!) The top left corner square.. that is Gryffindor logo that was a fabric so I just cut out the specific image using a template and cut it 3,1/2x3,1/2 inches.  The Right top corner block.. again, that is the fabric print (looks similar to newspaper print) and it has things about Harry Potter.. the broom stick and that little flying thingy and few other things. I used the template to specifically cut out a square that had things that could be "read" in the fabric. The Lower right corner.. that is a image in the print.. that flying thingy again!

This block uses the gold glitter fabric in the corners of the HST's. The 2 middle/side blocks are, again.. cut from the print fabric, specifically centering around the images. That is Ron and Harmonie and I don't know the name of the dragon thing!  In the middle, I cut the Ravenclaw crest from fabric (this fabric has all the logo/crests on it!) and appliqued it to the blue square and made that the center of the block. The middle top square is that newspaper print fabric again.. and this time it specifically says "Hogwarts" and "Quiddith" . I know Hogwarts is the school and the Quiddith is a game they play!

 This one.. I used that black with gold dots to make that little flying thingy. In the movie it is gold.. but I Forgot that when I was making the HST'! I got the design right but should have used a gold fabric. Oh well... it looks good anyway! The lower right corner has the Gryffindor crest on it. I didn't applique this one.. I just cut it out leaving about 1/4 around it, and then used that double sided iron-on interfacing. That stuff is my BEST FRIEND! I love that stuff! So many uses. In this case.. I cut out the crest, then pressed one side of the facing to it, then peeled the backing of and pressed the crest to the square! So easy and looks soooo good!!!

 This one, I tried to pull some of that pretty blue out of the panel to brighten things up a bit. Again, that little flying guy with the black and gold. Another crest (Hufflepuff) in the top right corner and newspaper square in lower right and upper left.

I think it is going along pretty good. I did just kind of assembly line it... meaning I cut about 10, 3,1.2x3,1/2 squares of each print I had and matching solids. Then I cut a few 4x4" in ones to make HST's with... laid them all out and just played with with the placement until I got a 9 patch I liked!

 This is one of the prints.. so you can see how I chose to cut squares out of it.

 This is the "newspaper print" fabric.. and I cut the specific portions out so they are still readable as a square.

That's about it for now! I have several more to go. I keep getting new ideas so...come back next time for those! I am really enjoying making this.. especially since it is for my grand daughter when she graduates.. a wonderful time in her life. However, I might save it for later.. depends on what she does with herself at that time in her life! Maybe I'll give it to her if she goes off to college and she can take a little bit of her happy childhood past with her!! I know she will love it.... that is all that matters!

Don't forget to join to follow if you want to see the next things I do for the quilt. Just put in your email and when I post.. you will get an email with the link.

 Harry Potter Quilt Journey Part 2
Harry Potter Quilt Journey Part 3

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE

How to Organize Your Scraps... and USE THEM!!

We all keep our scraps of fabric, no matter how small. Some use them as bedding/filling for a blanket for a pet, others, cut them into squares...down to even a 1"x1" square and then later, sew them together to make Postage Stamp quilts or just "scrap quilts". Either way...we tend to think of it as a chore. I admit, I kind of do! I let them pile up for a year... just stuff that plastic tote full as possible all year long. Then...I finally get energized to do some cutting and organizing and spend a few hours with the scraps and come out feeling great, energized and ready to start a new project!

Today, I did just that. I was going through all my fabric yesterday, getting ready for a move. I was adamant that I was NOT going to pay to move and possibly pay to store, this large plastic tote of scraps. So, last night I decided today would be my Scrap Day. I had done this last 2 years in a row and cut the pieces to 2,1/2"x2,1/2" squares, put them all in baggies of matching colors and then into a decorative photo box on the shelf.  I did make some quilts with some of them, but I had so many, I still have some left!  I made these "Postage Stamp" quilts with 2,1/2"x2,1//2" squares.

 These are all 40"x60" lap quilts.  I added the white squares, just because I am an over organizer, and all those colors next to each other just looks sloppy and junky! But the white was enough to organize the many colors to look nice. Then again, I always forget, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean others won't like it! I gave these to the ladies at my church and they loved them!

 The first one, the color squares were organized in a rainbow pattern.  This one they are in order of  just whatever came out of the box next.!

 This one I had to use graph paper to design the pattern for where the colored squares went to make the words, but it was really easy!

So, I intended to cut 2,1/2x2,1/2" squares and then thought.. why? I really don't like working with that small piece anyway! And I still have 3 boxes full of the little squares from last time, so I decided to cut this years stash into 3,1/2"x 5,1/2" pieces (rectangles)

This is 1/3 of the tote content! Doen't look like much, but I pressed them all last night and have them nicely folded and organized into stacks! There is more than it looks like!

 

I lay out 4-6 scrap pieces and use my 24"x3,1/2" template.  A note for a quick cutting spree..use a template size that is easy to work with. In this case, it is 3,1/2" wide so that is how wide my scrap pieces are. Then I used that removable tape (or just masking tape) to mark the 5,1/2" where I would be cutting the pieces.

Then the cool part starts! When I get them cut, I stack them according to color  so I have a place to start looking for color when I what to use them.  Really cool stack, right? It is inspirational to me... makes me want to just cut more!!!

And make more stacks!!!  

 Then, I put them in a decorative photo box, mark the size on the front and in no time... have a box of beautiful rectangles, ready to use!  This took me 2,1/2 hours to cut this many... and that was the fastest 2,1/2 hours I ever spent! I couldn't believe it was that long...I thought sure I had only been cutting an hour or so. But then when I saw the stack of beautiful rectangle...it was all worth it!  Then, mark the front of the box and Done and Done!!!!

 

I have other boxes of cut squares...2,1/2 and 3,1/2 and 4x4 and 5" squares. I cut all fabric scraps into the size I want, and then take what is left and cut those scraps into smaller sizes. I have a small stash (really small!) left from cutting these today and will hang on to those until I get enough to continue and cut 2,1/2"-ers out of those.

So, there you are. Organized scraps.. the fun and easy way!  Hope you are inspired to go cut your scraps!  It is such a inspiring feeling or "ready to start sewing now" to see that empty scrap tote box!


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My Bargello Adventure Part 1

Last summer I decided I finally.. after 40 years, I wanted a nice bed spread for my queen size bed. Yes, never in 40 years have I had one! I have had comforters but never a dust ruffle. I have had nice blankets on top.. but never a bed spread. And I didn't like comforters, so it had to be a full spread. So I suddenly thought my favorite colors were teal..blue and green shades but preferably blue.  I intended to make a block quilt. I went to the fabric store, bought several prints and colors of blue/green teal and started looking for a block pattern. Now, a year later.. I am starting it! However, not a block... a BARGELLO!!! Yes, those wonderful and amazing motion quilts! Bargello is a pattern that shows motion or movement predicated on how you place the tons of tiny little squares vs. the colors of the squares vs. the size of the squares!

My first attempts turned out pretty good..Orca for my grand daughter as she loves the whales, and the pink for my daughter.. she loved pink!!! If you want to check them out...here are the links...

Orca, Whale of a Quilt

Pretty In Pink  


But now... it is my time. How many times do you actually make for yourself? I am always making for others, but now... I want a bedspread!!!

So I got out the prints I had from last year, of course, needed a few more prints/colors and ended up with 10 prints/solids in blue/green teal.

 This is how I layed them out...the first time! You have to spend some time organizing, reorganizing, replacing, matching etc..before you get that "Ah-Ha" lightbulb moment of "THAT'S IT!" Then... walk away for a few hours and go back....often that "Ah-Ha" moment says... "no...not quite right" and you juggle the prints again.

And also... when you think you have the perfect line up...remember, they will be repeating the line up so...take half from the left.. and place them on the top of the right end and see how it looks that way, as that is how it will look when you have the squares sewn together. Some times it doesn't really match!  In other words..play with it! Walk away, come back and play again. Ask your friends..online ones too and see how the "see" the prints and colors. Some times a second pair of unfamiliar eyes help you see what ...is right in front of your eyes!!!  Hopefully it won't take you as long as it did me.. I have a hard time matching colors.. odd as that sounds coming from a 50 years sewer!


After 2 days of fiddling and chatting with others for their view, I decided on this line up.
I went from dark to light..then fiddled. I am not completely happy with that small black print, but it is close as I could find to match the other 2 prints. I am not wanting the image of the print to stand out... just the colors. I tried it with light colors and with dark and it seems like...in the middle is where it looked best..separating the darker blues from the lighter green teals

 Then, I took the 5 fabrics on the left in above picture and put them on the right side of the line up..as that is how they will be when sewn together. and I am kind of liking that small black print more..seems to blend in a bit better.

This one.. I just wanted to see how it looked without the small black print at all, so I put it at the end....and I find, it has grown on me and I do at least kind of like it in the mix so I will be keeping it in the line up. I am thinking also, it and the solid black...will (hopefully) make a kind of outline throughout the bargello pattern, maybe enhancing the flow in some way! I will be able to see that once I get the strips cut and layed out in the pattern I create.

So...that's it for now. I have to pre wash everything, iron the wrinkles out and then..I will cut one yard from each and start cutting the strips of various sizes. I am hoping to have some of these left to make pillow shames or at least some deco toss pillows.

I watched a video that really helped me and even have been talking with the maker of the video and it and she have been a huge help so if you'd like to check it out....here it is!

Making a Bargello Quilt with Patti Carey

Thanks for reading and hope you will join to follow along...maybe make your own!

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE