Scrappy picnic quilt blocks

 Visual tutorial (and a few written ideas) on how I put the made up blocks together...
               (the numbers are the number of seams in each group)
***sew 2 fabric pieces together OR a long strip with small pieces added in a chain
***I turned each piece and straightened the sides and added another piece
***I kept adding pieces of fabric sort of like log cabin blocks most of the time
***sometimes instead of one strip...I added a strip that was several pieces (#5)            

 The size of the blocks vary a lot depending on the size of each piece...(#7 two different blocks)

 I trimmed them to 4½" blocks and combined some of these blocks with the 16-patch blocks I made..
I explained how I made the 16 patch blocks  on this blog post

 Most of the quilt has 4½" 16 patch blocks and here are 2 of the 4½" blocks together...
showing the back to show the pressing (the center seam is not pressed in this photo)
I made 8½" blocks from the 4 4½" blocks and then sewed into rows and rows together.
There are 30 8½" blocks in this quilt.

Now I will figure out how to quilt it and I might not bind it....haven't decided for sure!
I had fun making these made up blocks and the 16 patch blocks.....
and ask if any questions about this process.

There are a lot of ways to do improv blocks and now I will switch to following along with
crazy mom quilts scrap vortex QAL.  She posted week #3 yesterday.

One thing for sure I will jump back and forth between lots of projects....
I have lots of interests and am having lots of fun!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Linking to Connie Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River

Farm Girl Vintage autumn star and baby chick blocks

 I put these on instagram over the past week and almost forgot to document here!
I still have to stitch the chick legs and eye....
I use my blog as a way of documenting my projects, etc....and hopefully inspires others!

These are both 6" blocks and wow.....that autumn star block was challenging!!
***Here is a really good tip.....spray the fabric before sewing with starch or Mary Ellen Best Press....

 Here is the layout using my alphabitties to mark the pieces before I sewed the baby chick.....

AND here are the pieces ready for the next block...baking day block.
Lots of photos on instagram for inspiration
....AND follow Lori Holt Bee in my Bonnet blog for the fun!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Hexie mini quilt

 This little quilt makes me happy.........and it was sooooo fun to make!

 I did English paper piecing using a fabric glue pen and paper pieces.......
     The hexies fabric is RJR Painting Watercolor and
     the background is Essentials Dots white with baby pink......
I appliqued the hexies group to the background fabric.....
then I did a blanket stitch with purple Aurifil wt 12....

 I marked about 1/4" away with a Frixion pen...(the marks iron out easily)...
layered with batting and backing.....and then quilted two rows with white perle 8....

 For the borders I cut 1½" strips and starting at the bottom I did "quilt as you" go stitching
through all the layers with wrong side up and then press open before going to the next one...
then I did the one to the left and did the same for all borders and on around...

This has such fun stages to make this little quilt and I enjoyed ALL of them!
It could be a tabletopper or mugrug............or wallhanging...
I push pinned this one in my bathroom above another little mini I did several years ago!

Linking to crazy mom quilts finish it up Friday.......
Also linking to Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday....

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Farm Girl Vintage apron strings tabletopper

My finish this week and I love it on my glass top kitchen table.

This is the apron strings block from Farm Girl Vintage sew along.

If you are on instagram you have seen a lot of wonderful blocks from this sew along....

AND if you aren't on instagram.....why not??

Here is the back of the tabletopper with the quilting and before I added the binding.........

Here is the link Farm Girl Fridays schedule for the sew along that started May 1.
And go to Lori Holt's blog Bee in my Bonnet and check out all the fun!

Linking to crazymomquilts finish it up Friday
and also to Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Blue with stitched flower mug rug

 Here is a little tutorial of how I did this mug rug/small placemat...
I used 2½" squares and the right upper corner is 4½"...

 I used a larger piece of blue than 4½" and stamped a Hero Arts stamp CG134....
I used a fabric ink pad but I needed to see the lines better for stitching.....soooo....
I copied the stamp on vellum and taped the fabric on top and used a light under to see and
traced with a Frixion pen.  These pens are great...easy to write on fabric and the ink is erasable.

 I used a walking foot and the thread is varigated rainbow 838.  I used a shorter stitch (Bernina 1.5 to 1.8) following along the flower lines.  I did the flower first with the batting and then cut the square to 4½" and added to the rest of the blocks.  I then put a layer of batting under the whole thing (this corner has a double layer).  I trimmed some of the batting in the seam areas around the top corner.
I also trim my batting and backing AFTER I add the binding.

Here is the back using the wonder clips to hold while I hand tacked the binding.
I loved doing this project and this tute will help me if I want to make another one!!
so now.....let me know if you make one of these!

I will link to crazymomquilts finish it up Friday..
And to Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Farm Girl Vintage Fever!

There is a new book by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet........
Have you caught the fever yet? .......

There is quite a "buzz" on instagram.......
A sew along is starting May 1 and going til October..........

Lori will be posting on her blog every Friday.....

The photo above is the book and Farm Girl Vintage Fat Quarter bundle...
I ordered these from fatquartershop.com
If you want to do this....don't wait...my order came in two days from Texas to California!

As Lori would say.....YeeHaw!!!!

String Bean Challenge quilt

Pat Sloan gave us a challenge on her blog and a free pattern.

I have posted it on instagram, her facebook group and flickr.....

I used mostly Pat's bobbins and bits fabric but added some other fabrics too.

I haven't decided how to quilt it yet???  Any ideas?  Wondering how others are quilting theirs?

Link to Pat Sloan's blog

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Link to Connie at Freemotion by the River

Halloween? In March?

Instagram is a fun place to check out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
there was a tutorial by studiojujuquilts and I had to try it.,,,
It is foundation piecing with muslin and a fun method.

At first I wanted to do a spring project but the Halloween theme is what I used and I love it!

I will use this as a wall hanging or mug rug.  There are a few photos on my instagram from start to end.

Be sure to check out the tutorial with photos (11 steps photos) by studiojujuquilts on instagram from two days ago.

Now I need to get back to my string bean challenge (Pat Sloan's pattern).

Linking to Freemotion by the River

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Microwave bowl holder tutorial

 I put a photo collage on instagram last evening of this project I finished this week.  A microwave bowl holder that I made and gave as a gift last evening.  These are fun to make and so easy.  I used Wrap-N-Zap and two Paris related fabrics each cut 11" square.  Quilt an X from corner to corner on each fabric with batting.  The blue shows the X quilted.

Darts are made after folding each side to the center.

The darts are 1" in and 2 1/4" down.

Pin right sides together and stitch around edge.

Leave about a 3" opening for turning.

Stitch around the edge on right sides....done!

Linking with Link a Finish Friday.

Also linking with Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Grand Illusion mystery quilt, part 3

Clue #3 was last Friday and I have mostly gathered fabrics, cut some and haven't done any sewing on clue #3.  I hope to do some sewing on this before Friday.
I have been sewing on other projects and I have put some photos on instagram and will blog later about them.
This is such a fun mystery and I love to see what everyone else is doing on this mystery.
I am linking to Bonnie Hunter's Monday Link-up.
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Grand Illusion mystery quilt, part 2

Linking up to Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville with a photo of some of my progress on the quilt.

For part 2 I am using the rectangles and squares method and then making HSTs from the extra cut off from the corners using Bonnie's method of not wasting.  It is fun to be doing this quilt with so many others that are sharing their progress.  Fun....fun....fun!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Grand Illusion mystery, part 1

Here is my start of Bonnie Hunter's mystery.  She gave the first clue last Friday at quiltville.blogspot.com.

This is the first time I have used the Easy Angle ruler that Bonnie uses.  I got it several years ago and never got to it before now.  I just purchased several of the Bloc Loc rulers and am using one for squaring the HSTs.  There is really not much to trim with this method.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

I am linking up to Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 1