TATW Blocks

Here is a set of four blocks. I ran out of one red fabric, so I can't make more matching blocks. I will have to go VERY SCRAPPY next time.  I wonder if I can control a few areas just enough to "separate and contain" the scrappy ones?

I did some figuring.  If I cut a 16" wide piece from each of six fabrics, I could cut 16 strips from each fabric. Each strip would make one block, so I could get 16 blocks from these cuts.  That is a nice layout. It would be 48 x 48, plus borders.

But I do prefer the 24 block layout, 4 x 6 grid. This block works nicely in even numbers.

Should you have an  odd number of blocks, or very scrappy blocks, then the straight furrows layout might look nice.

Here is one with 1/2" sashing separating the blocks.

So I wonder how to control the scrappy?  Would I use the same fabric in position 1  (white) and another same fabric in  position 3 or 4 ? This sounds like another mission for EQ!

I hope you will find some time and fabric to make some QOV TATW blocks.  If you send 5 blocks to  Alycia ,  she will enter your name in the drawing for a chance to win 5 yards of fabric.  I think I'll try a scrappy one now.

QOV TATW Block

Well,  you'd have to be a quilter to decipher the written word to all these letters....QOV  TATW !  I have one block done!  I had other things to do today, but I did get one block done and it is so pretty, I hope to have enough of these fabrics to make a 24-block set.  I don't think there is quite enough of these fabrics, but maybe they will multiply like bunnies during the night, like my scrap boxes do!

So,silly me,  just had to show you my one block. Now dont criticize my photography skills!  I havent taken the time to make up my design wall yet.  But I can picture this block rotated into a gorgeous quilt!

So come on, as Eleanor Burns says, get strippin!

Quilts of Valor Block Drive

I support the Quilts of Valor Block Drive initiated by Alycia.  You can get the details of the block drive here at  http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2012/10/quilt-block-sew-long.html.  She has created a clear tutorial for constructing the block, borrowed with permission,  from the queen of scraps herself, Bonnie Hunter.

Should you have a generous nature, you can show appreciation for the sacrifice others have made for our freedom. Will you  make up a few blocks and send them on to Alycia.?  She will enter your name for a prize drawing of 5 yards of fabric!

If you are not able to send in blocks, go ahead and try out the tutorial for the Scrappy Trip Around The World block. It is a fun technique. You only need 16 inch length of strips.  Here is a couple layouts you might use for these blocks.

This quilt is a 4 x 4 grid,   16 blocks
It finishes at 60 x 60

This quilt is a 4 x 6 grid, 24 blocks
It finishes at 60 x 84














A little more fine rotation, same blocks, you can control the flow of colors. I like this one!

I hope you will consider being a part of this program. I thank ALL OUR MILITARY for their service!  Thank you!

Friends & Family Wallhanging

As soon as this pattern was released in the October issue of Quilters World, I put it at the very top of my to-do list.  It is the Friends & Family Quilt by Bev Getschel.  I found the perfect paisley print for the branches, leaves and border. It has burgandy, brown, aqua and a touch of tan. What a joy it is when you find the fabric that is perfect for your project.

I am making this project at half scale of the original pattern, so it will end up being about 25" x 29".  Today I assembled the background for the applique.   I have to make everything based on 1" finished strips. Here is a photo of my work today.  It was a challenge to work these strips into their diagonal placement. I had to wing it along the way.

It came out really pretty.  I trimmed it oversize until I get the applique pieces on.  Now should I add the fused applique first, then quilt around it?  The pattern has ALOT of branches and leaves. I probably wont enjoy machine stitching every little piece.  Should I make the quilt, quilt the background, then add the applique and stitch it down by machine?  Should I take the easy route and do the machine quilting thru the entire piece,ignoring applique placements?  I havent decided that yet.....BUT.... I still have to prepare the applique pieces, so there is time for more decisions. I bet my cyber friend, Bonni, could help me decide.  She is totally hooked on applique.

The October issue of Quilters World has a few really great projects that inspire me. I am hoping for a quiet winter with lots of time to spend in the quilting cave.  The Sticks & Stones Quilt could make a dent in those scrap boxes.

Autumn Display

I used to get distressed when the fall season came upon us.  Not because I would be another year older, but because it was just too close to winter.  I could never tolerate winter.  But I truly love the colors of autumn and the changing of the seasons. It is a reminder that God is indeed constantly at work.

I have also been constantly at work these past few weeks.  I have been making an assortment of fabric greeting cards - 100 of them, actually! I am preparing for a Harvest Fair to take place Oct 13th!

This photo is a temporary display of some of my pieces. The quilt on the wall is not for sale in the bazaar. I just love it to pieces. I made it several years ago and I quilted it by hand. I am not able to quilt by hand anymore.  I hope to enjoy it for a few more years.  It is a pattern by Lynette Jensen.

After fussing over 100 cards, I am ready to move on to another project.  I already know what that  will be, a special design from the most recent issue of Quilters World. Stay tuned.

Thank you for visiting. I wish you a blessed day!

Fancy Fleece Scarves

I am a member of the UMW group at church. They are having a table at the Fall Craft Fair also. They have engineered a mission to make fleece scarves.  This is the first time I've made fleece scarves and I am delighted to report that I made quick work of it, thanks to the handy quilting tools we have.

A yard of fleece can yield 5 or 6 scarves that will be as long as the width of fabric; i.e. 54" or 60".
First I trimmed off the curly selvedge edge.

I folded the yardage in half, then folded in half again. The piece you will be cutting will now be in four layers ( 1/4 of 54") by the yard length (36").

I used my handy 6" x24" ruler and rotary cut 6 scarves, the width of the ruler.

 

(Actually, in this photo, I cut 5 scarves:  2 @ 9" wide and 3 @ 6" wide.  The 9" scarves make a comfy  shoulder wrap.)



The next step is to mark a line, 5" from both edges, to cut the fringe.  I decided my handy June Tailor Shape Cut tool might make easy rotary cutting work of this step.  I did not have to mark a line.

I laid out the scarf so that both edges were even. Then I lined the ruler up to the edge, at the 8" line.  If you rotary cut from the 8" line, up to the end of the ruler - that should make 5" of fringe.  I cut the fringe at 1" wide.

 

The next step is to pinch or make a tiny fold at the 5" line - make a tiny snip with the scissors. Take the fringe and slip it back through the tiny snip. It should look like this:

 

 

 

 

I bought 2 yards of fleece and made 11 scarves. It took  about 3 hours of fun.

 

 

Thanks for visiting.  May you have a blessed and creative day today!

Welcome September.....

Greetings everyone.  It is amazing how quickly September rolls onto the calendar!  Here in the midwest, fall will be in the air soon.  I have not done alot of blogging lately.  Usually that means I've been stitching up a storm.

September is a big and busy month here at the Scribner house.  It begins with today, DH birthday!  Happy Birthday Raymond.  God has graced you with many years and you have shared that grace with so many others.  So, Happy Birthday Sweetie!  September also entertains my birthday.  It has become a tradition to take a short trip to Shipshewana for my birthday. This eliminates the stress that DH might have when thinking about my gift.  When a quilter goes to Shipshewana, the gifting is covered.  We usually cap the day off with a fabulous dinner at Essenhaus.

Now, I have been stitching lots of greeting cards.  Here is just a sample. I have made multiples of these designs. I think I will be doing this all month. 

This is a newly released pattern by Carol Doak. She calls it Cat in a Pumpkin.    It is available free on the Carol Doak Yahoo group. You can join here

 

 

Some Christmas cards

 

 



 

 

Well,  I'm having issues with editing in blogger!  So, gotta go!  See you all soon.  Thanks for visiting.

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

Steppin to the Nines

Oh how sweet it is  .... two  UFO's from June, 2010 .... finished!  It seems like I havent been here, but I've really been busy sewing. 

A little history:  I was cleaning out some EQ files and came across one that showed more potential.  I played in the file, until I came up with this pattern.  Originally, it was a design which graduated with steps; hence the name.  Then I added 9-patches and titled my pattern "Steppin to the Nines".  You know how these things evolve. LOL  I shared this pattern with my Cbees group and we had an on-line workshop weekend.  It was lots of fun and lots of STT9 tops were created.

This first STT9 quilt is finished with a diagonal quilting grid.  My sheltie, Kody,  managed to squeeze into the photo, in the bottom left corner.  Isn't he a doll!    The quilt is about 54" square.

The 2nd STT9 quilt is just a bit smaller because of the different border treatment. It is quilted in a straight grid.  It is about 46" square.

Still, these are two finishes, all washed and cuddly and ready for children.  How sweet it is!

Congratulations! 'Think Christmas' Prize Drawing

The prize drawing for 5 fabric Christmas cards is completed.  The random generator picked a number between 1 and 128 ................  the winning number is  79!

CONGRATUATIONS !    Gwen  July 31, 2012 4:44 PM



"Cute, cute blocks-- and LOVE those Christmas cards! If I won, I'd be sending them to my closest quilting friends! Thanks for the chance to enter your giveaway! :-) "

Email your mailing address to me at katscribner3@gmail.com  so I can send your prize to you.

Thank you, everyone, for visiting my blog and leaving such nice comments for me.  I hope everyone enjoyed the "Think Christmas" hop.


'Think Christmas' Blog Hop Wraps Up

Yes, pun intended.  LOL  the 'Think Christmas' Blog Hop wraps up today.  There has been 7 fun-filled, inspiring days of hopping. I visited every one!  I enjoyed every one!  (and I wasn't even in the mood for Christmas).

Lesley of  the cuddle quilter did a fabulous job in hosting the hop.  She offered interesting reviews and pictures, not to mention the patience of support offered behnid the scenes.  Thank you, Lesley, for making the hop so enjoyable and entertaining!

You will find today's line-up of blogs here:
 http://lesleythecuddlequilter.blogspot.com/2012/08/think-christmas-final-day-is-here.html

and you will find the entire 7-day line up here:
http://lesleythecuddlequilter.blogspot.ca/2012/07/think-christmas-blog-hop-schedule.html

I hope you have time to visit the blogs, leave a comment and be included in the chance to win their prize offerings.

Thank you Madame Samm of  http://www.sewwequilt.com/  for being a great cheerleader!

Check back here tomorrow to see whose number is drawn for my  set of 5 fabric christmas cards!

'Think Christmas' Blog Hop

Welcome to my presentation of the Think Christmas blog hop.  Thank you, Lesley, for organizing the recruits for this blog hop and especially for all your  techie help behind the scenes!  Thank you, Madame Samm, for being the cheerleading squadress (is that a new word?).  Now that I've gotten my acceptance speech complete.....  on with the show.  (grin)

My first quilting love is paper piecing, so I am unable to toss out ANY  bits of fabric.  As if  wanting to inspire you wasn't enough of a challenge, I had to toss in a  'new-to-me'  technique for a personal challenge.  So,  I started creating crumb blocks. I approached this process 'willy-nilly', no specific instruction and I quite enjoyed it!  Oh no!! another reason not to toss out those bits and pieces.

Here is my first block. Crumb piecing is in the green rectangles and a paper pieced ball ornament was transformed into an applique motif.  This block measures 12-1/2" sq.

Here is another block with a new motif.  This little stocking was paper pieced from a pattern at http://www.circleofcrafters.com/irisfolding/christmas.html.  Coloring book pages is another good resourse for motifs.  I left the top edge of the stocking unstitched, to insert some christmas trinkets.  Here is how I made the stocking into an applique motif.

Here is my third block.  The bells are made from red crumbs and stitched down with gold trims.  What red, green and white christmas doesn't warrant a touch of gold?  How did that scrap of red get stitched in with the greens?

Hmmm, does my parade of blocks look like a pre-planned set?  LOL  Okay, I confess, I had a hard time making a block without a purpose. I sewed them together, added a narrow border stripe and a triangle finish, and quilted it into a door banner.  If you put a triangle finish on both ends, you would have a great table runner. I hope you were inspired with my christmas blocks using fabric scraps.

Here is one more 12-1/2" christmas block. It was  made with the little twister template and 5 inch squares.

THANK YOU !   for visiting me today.  Yes, Virginia,  there    IS    a   Santa Claus.   Just write  a comment  and you'll be entered in the drawing  to win this set of 5 fabric christmas cards with envelopes.  They are blank inside,  leaving a place for you to write a personal message.  The drawing will take place at the end of the hop, on Monday, Aug 6th.

Here are more Think Christmas bloggers ready to welcome you today:

Tuesday, July 31 

 Jane's Fabrics and Quilts

Quilting Fiesta

Scrapbox Quilts

From This to That 

Buzzing and Bumbling

No Loose Threads

Deborah B 

Judith Handmade Treasures

Gran-Knot-Y Embroidery Lady

Mrs. Pickles

Susie's World

and just so you don't miss a beat, here is the schedule of participating bloggers for the entire 7-day hop.  Have fun and Think Christmas!

http://lesleythecuddlequilter.blogspot.ca/2012/07/think-christmas-blog-hop-schedule.html

Making an applique motif

We are fortunate to have so many options in our quilting methods.  Here is one method for transforming a shape into an applique motif  with a finished edge.


stitched pattern + interfacing

With right side of fabric next to interfacing (paper side up),

 stitch around outermost edge, with a tiny stitch length

remove paper

trim within seam allowance; 
 Bonus: using pinking sheers will clip the curves for you


Cut a slit in back interfacing; turn shape right-side out; press with an iron

Your applique is ready to stitch down to a background piece.

Gettin it off my chest

Yesterday, an episode of Dr. Oz aired, the substance of which really troubles me.  He is a surgeon, a professional MD.  One lady and her wrinkles was the brunt of the show. The good doc told her that a census decided she looked 10 years older than she really was and  "How did she feel about that?"  She was in her 40's.  The doctor said he wants to help her look her best and to feel good about herself again.  He offered some miracle answers/products because " it's his job to help her feel good about herself!  "            WHAT?     !!!  

How sad it is that  professionals are using the media to influence society and tell them they are not okay because they showcase a few wrinkles!!!  I'll not be watching that show again.  Their strategy is just   WRONG !

Now, back to  my regularly scheduled quilting.

L.R. Wallhanging - finished

I have finished my wallhanging for the living room. Yay!  I am visually drawn to a mix of piecing and applique, especially since I am surrounded by an unyielding supply of bunnies (scraps).  I included both techniques in the wallhanging and I enjoy it's aire of whimsy. 

The log cabin blocks are each 3 inches and made totally from scrap pieces left from the LR sofa quilt. I wish I had the scraps under control now, but another project will have to be planned.

I tried out some satin stitching on a few of the applique pieces. That didnt fare so well and I went back to my blanket stitching. I SITD between the log cabin blocks. I used some lettering on my machine to sign my quilt in the bottom right corner.  Finished.  TA DA .   lol

L.R. Wallhanging - con't

Ooh, the excitement mounts for my latest wallhanging. I have finished stitching the scrappy, little log cabin blocks; sewn them into a border and stitched 2 additional frame borders . It's looking very rustic. I think I'm gonna like it!  Sorry,  no pictures yet.

I hope to get it quilted Thursday and displayed on my wall.  Wish me luck to get it done as I have other projects waiting in the wings, for their turn at five minutes of fame.  LOL

L.R. Wallhanging - WIP

I have been working on a wallhanging for a small empty wall in the living room.  Have I said that applique is not my immediate forte?  I still enjoy the mix of applique shapes and piecing. so I just run with it anyway.  I have been working from a scrap pile created from my L.R. Sofa project. 

This is the center piece. I went "without a plan".  Some pieces are fused and a few are pinned. I will stitch it all down when I get to the quilting process.

Now on to the borders.  I used EQ to audition several border treatments.  I have a huge pile of small, odd-shaped scraps, so I went with  little log cabin blocks.  I am pretty sure that there will still be a pile of scrap pieces left over, when this project is finished.  What about the leftover yardage???  LOL

I wish you all a blessed day and thank you for visiting!

A Quilting Interlude

A friend shared this video with us.  It reminds me to put my priorities in perspective and to remember what is truly important.  I hope you enjoy the video.
                  http://www.lshs64.com/enjoytheride.html

Autumn Strings Quilt

My Autumn Strings quilt is finally finished. This project began way back on August 01, 2011.  It's purpose was to clear out some of the pieces in my scrap bins.  I decided on warm colors of autumn and started trimming strings and tossing them into the project string box.  When the box was full, I started the 36 string blocks. The posts for this project began here:
http://scrapboxquilts.blogspot.com/2011/08/string-quilt-2.html  When those blocks were finished, they were neatly trimmed to size and put back in the string box.  This seemed like a good stopping point.

Well, it seems my scrap bins are overstuffed again.  What to do?  I guess I'll have to sew more string blocks to get those bins under control.  So before I could do that, I had to quilt up the batch that was started last summer.  This should have been a quick undertaking.  Ha!  I  have been working on it for the past 2 weeks.  However, I now have a photo to share.  YAY!

and here is the back

Now I can plan my next string orchestra with a clear conscience!  Are you encouraged to make some string blocks?  Thanks for visiting!

Back-to-School Bags

Our UMW  Lydia's Circle group has taken on a missions project to provide school bags to students - some bags are going to the tornado-torn communities in America and some are going to other countries.  I have been cutting and sewing on these bags.  Our group has completed  more than 100 bags!  These ladies are not all sewers.  I used my quilting tools to cut up all the kits for the bags and passed off 30 kits to the ladies to sew.  I finished the rest of the bags. 

This is the most basic of a pattern and was a pleasure to sew up.  The bags were all made from donated fabrics of cordoroy, home dec and denim.  Jane Hewson found the most charming denim and made up the bags on top. 

This is the "one handle school bag".  The free projects are available for download here:

http://www.midwestmissiondc.net/?page_id=88

I love the opportunity to serve humanity in these small ways.  Now back to my irregularly scheduled projects. LOL

Spring Mini

I finished this mini quilt to add some spring to my environment.  I am not very good at applique, so I just make it how I want to - no stress in that.  Thank you, countryjunktion.com, for sharing this whimsical design.

Twister - Finished!

Yay!  The twister quilt is finished and it was such fun to sew and to quilt.  I dont think any stress evolved while making this project.

This is the front. How could a child not love all the bright colors twisting together?

This is the back. I stitched in the ditch around all the pinwheels. I pre-planned the horizontal and vertical paths which made the quilting proceed quite smoothly.

I wanted to use up the squares that were leftover after cutting my pinwheel blocks, so I worked them into this border.  But!  The twister is so complete without additional borders and next time, those leftover squares are going back into my scrapbox. There are plenty of patterns which call for 3-1/2" squares.

There definitely must be another twister quilt in my future!  It was just a fun time.

Twister - Phase 2

The squares have been cut with the Twist n Stitch template.  When you sew them back together, this is what you get!  Sew how fun is that!  This piece now measures 36" x 45".

I had wanted Phase 2 to be the top all finished.  Well, life got in the way, again.  Plus I decided to use up the leftover pieces by stitching them into a border.  I hope the pieced border will not be overkill.

Scroll down to my two previous posts so see the original layout and template tools.  Phase 3 will be the final border and quilted!   Stay tuned.

Twister - Phase 1

The Twister Party is happening all this weekend.  I sewed and pressed and sewed and pressed until I got the top put together.  That was enough for me for one day.  Presently, it measures  54" x  67". 

It will be interesting to see what size it becomes after the re-cutting and sewing into pinwheels.  Stay tuned!

You're Invited !

We are having a Twister Party this weekend and you're invited!  It starts on Friday and runs all weekend.  Everyone is selecting their own project size. Here are two examples of twister templates in the marketplace.

This tool is the June Tailor Twist 'n Stitch.  It makes twister pinwheels ranging in size from 3" and up to 10" finished.

This was the first twister tool I purchased at a quilt show.  I got the template that uses charm squares- 5".  I like that the template has those gripper dots to help keep it in place while you cut around it.





Our Twister Party takes place over at the Cbees yahoo group.  You can join the group here              http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CyberQuilters4-C-Bees/
 The C-bees is a sister group of the main list we call Cyberquilters.  I bet this sounds like an infomercial, but Cyberquilters  IS  one of the best quilting groups on the web.  I could say that it  IS  the best group, but you never know who is lurking and ready to pounce on you for bragging rights. lol

So,  you   DO  have to join Cyberquilters first, before you can be a member of Cbees But ............ hey ...................   it's  still FREE.  lol         http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CyberQuilters/

You will find a collection of links to twister projects, tutorials  and  one link guides you in making your own template.

So come on over and join in the Twister Party fun, share photos and conversation.  Everyone is Welcome!

RHF Award

In February, DH Ray and I traveled to Long Beach, CA as honored guests of RHF (Retirement Housing Foundation). http://www.rhf.org/RHFCMS/

Ray was presented with  the " Board Member of the Year "award at their annual banquet. Ray has served RHF for 20 years. This picture insert is the article as published in the RHF newsletter magazine.

Ray is the strength and direction in my life.  He is the better half of a whole. I am proud to be able to share this small piece of Ray's contributions of service for humanity.  Ray Scribner, a job well done, good and faithful servant.

Broken Sugar Bowls

I was inspired by this post from Susie at Starwood Quilter where she illustrates her version of a Broken Sugar Bowl block and shares an excerpt  from her grandmothers' diary - 1916!  http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2011/10/broken-sugar-bowl-quilt-block.html

Susie's block sparked my imagination of various settings and visions of possible color options - an affliction often common to quilters. I would like to share some of those visions today, along with an EQ7 file.   If you have EQ7 installed on your computer, you can open this file and continue designing with this block and layouts.


I wondered how Susie's version of the Broken Sugar Bowl block would evolve if I swapped the light and dark colors and incorporated them as alternating blocks. I used these two color combinations for the block.

This is a 16-block layout, alternating  with a specific  block coloring and rotation

This is the same 16-block layout, with  different block rotations. I like the illusion of rounded paths in this version.

What a surprise effect you get when you set this block into an on-pointe layout!  Wow! It makes me think of bamboo.

A final thought ....... I can visualize these designs very scrappy - using light and dark fabrics pulled from the same color family.  Very cool! 

Susie, Thank You for re-igniting  my creativity with this very traditional block.  I had been uninspired lately! 

What is your vision of the Broken Sugar Bowl block?
Here is the EQ7 project file.
http://www.box.com/s/45cff8a6ba43a206383f

Hugs

It's wonders what a HUG can do

A HUG can cheer you when you're blue

A HUG can say "I Love You So"

or "Gee, I hate to see you go"

A HUG is "Welcome back again"

and bring a rainbow after a rain

The HUG! There's just no doubt about it

We scarcely could survive without it!

A HUG delights and warms and charms

It must be why God gave us arms

HUGS are great for Fathers and Mothers

Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers

And chances are your favorite aunts

Love them more than potted plants

Kittens crave them, puppies love them

Heads of State are not above them

A HUG can break the language barrier

And make your travels so much merrier

No need to fret about your storing 'em

The more you give, the more there's more of 'em

So stretch those arms without delay

AND GIVE SOMEONE A HUG TODAY!!!

Classy Caddy

It's unheard of ............... started   AND  finished .................   all in the same week!  This is such a handy item for sew-in gatherings.  Use  an interesting fabric for the purse.

It totes the Rowenta large size travel iron. It opens to reveal a pressing pad.  What fun is that?!

That's my thrill of the day.  I'm going back to working on my marathon of school bags for the UMW misson now.  :D

Lattice Garden blocks 3 & 4

I have assembled the March and April blocks for the Lattice Garden quilt.  I do not excell with applique techniques, so I've had my little trials to get thru these blocks.

I should have pre-tested the iron. It spit out a spot onto the white background.  How did I know that would happen ? How do I get the stain out?  Have I learned to use a press cloth when using white?  Probably!

Sofa Row Quilt - Finished

It has been forever since I've made a post!  I have been here every day.  Really!  I have not had anything worthwhile to share.

So I pressed on and pressed on until I could stand this project no more!  I am so happy to say this quilt is finished.  I have struggled with this quilt in every effort I took for it.  From a distance, I guess it is attractive enough!  No close inspections, please.

Maybe I could enlist someone to add butterflies, birds or flowerbuds to the ends of those 6 branches?  Right now, I need a break.  lol  It measures 67" x 72".  Was I supposed to have so much fabric leftover?

Bucket List Club for March 2012

We are celebrating the "Chenile"  technique during the month of March.  We hope to find and share some links and ideas for chenile projects and personally challenge ourselves to try out the technique during March.  This takes place on the C-Bees yahoo group.

There is a brief write-up about the Bucket List Club program at this link with directions to the yahoo groups.     http://scrapboxquilts.blogspot.com/2012/02/bucket-list-club.html

Come join us.  Everyone is welcome!