Cut & Fold Technique

My latest project was pillow covers. They are made using a technique called 'cut and fold'. I absolutely love this technique. It is not difficult, just time consuming since you need to topstitch all the cut edges. I will be making more of these using the different patterns that came in the book.

The photo on the top is the pillow cover itself. The photo on the bottom shows the covers laying on top of larger pillows. The actual size is about 12 1/2 inches square. I also like this method of making a cover that is removable. The back of the pillow cover has over lapping flaps which can be temporarily stitched or just left as is since they do overlap sufficiently.

 My girlfriends daughter is having a baby in two weeks and does not want to know the sex of the baby before hand, so I was forced to make two quilts. One for a boy and one for a girl. Here are the finished products. The boy quilt was made from scraps and followed the rail fence pattern. I put the blocks on the diagonal and added solid colors to fill in the gaps. I used the picture frame technique for the border. It is my preferred way of finishing a quilt.

For the girl quilt I used 7 1/2 inch squares. The fabric was tea dyed to give it an aged look. The squares were left over from the quilt that I made for my girlfriends daughter, so I am really hoping that she has a girl! It will be just like mommy's! I also had enough fabric to make a pillow.

I also had the time and extra fabric to make bibs. These were fun and quick.

 

And lastly, a tote bag. The only thing I found disappointing with this pattern is the size, so I will have to enlarge it next time. I used squares from a charm pack, but I will probably use squares from my scrap stash next time. This was fun and quick also.

 

This is my latest quilt.
 As with most of mine, it is made from scraps left over from other quilts. I used a diamond pattern that I found in a magazine. It went very fast and was fun to make.

I have just finished two baby quilts and a baby pillow.  I will post pictures of those later this week.

My next project will be baby bibs and a baby bunting. I really have to get busy. My friends baby is due in 2 weeks!!

Newest Quilt

I haven't posted in quite awhile, I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas and of course, sewing. These are my latest creations.
   The quilt on the left is a baby quilt. The person who ordered it (my sister-in-law) wanted something non-traditional. I love making the tumbling block quilt. It is a lot of work because you have to match corners, not just sew through, however the result is so wonderful. After receiving it she said that her husband loved the colors so I thought of making one for them using the same color scheme, but in an adult pattern.
   I love to use up left over scraps from other projects to make a one of a kind quilt. I happened to have many of the fabrics left over from the baby quilt so I decided to put them together using various patterns. Making pinwheels is the easiest and it is so versitile. The other patterns were determined by the size of the pieces that I had on hand. I used a black print  to border the squares and the backing is blue.
I sent it off to Florida today so they will have it in time for Christmas.

Jelly Roll Quilt in a Day

I recently viewed a tutorial on you tube on making a quilt from a jelly roll. I tried it and found it so easy. I made this one in a few hours, start to finish. If you are interested in trying this one go to you tube and type in 'jelly roll quilt' it will be the one under the Missouri Star Quilt Company. The owner is Jenny. She is just wonderful and I love her quick and easy ideas for using precuts.

 

 

 

T-Shirt Quilts

     Last summer a friend ask me if I could turn her children's t-shirts and other favorite items into quilts. As anyone who knows me well, knows that of course I said yes.
I was given t-shirts, pillow cases, sheets, sports jerseys, sports shorts, and jackets with patches. It was a little more difficult than making a true t-shirt quilt because the items that would make up the quilt tops were all different sizes. If you have ever seen a t-shirt quilt before, the shirts are often cut into the same size to make it easier to put them together. But as is usual for me, nothing is ever that easy.
     So I began by cutting out the logos and other designs that would make up the quilt tops. I then laid them out on my living room floor to determine a design pattern and the size of the quilts.
     The girls quilt was easier because the pieces were larger and in most cases close to the same size. I also did not need to purchase any fabric for the backing because I was given a bed sheet that only needed a small amunt of fabric added to the border. Here is the finished project.

Girls Quilt

     The boys quilt was a little more challenging . The items that I used for the quilt top were all different sizes so it required more work to put them together. I also had to purchase fabric for the backing. I chose a black print so that the pieces would stand out more. On both quilts I chose to quilt in the seams except on the boys quilt where there were patches, I also quilted around them so they would lie flat. Here is the finished boys quilt.

Boys Quilt

Other projects

These are toppers I make to look like a western shirt. It is a good alternative to buying a full western shirt that you may not wear that often.  The materials are a bandana, fringe,and leather strips to hold the gold button and beads.