Simple Charm Quilt Tops

 Do you ever feel like digging through your fabric stash just for fun?  It happens around here often and it always ends up the same . . . A new quilt plan or two.  The current fabric petting session ended with four new quilt plans.  Nothing fancy, just a few quick and easy quilts to use up some charm packs.  the first quilt top was made with four charm packs of Moda's Red Dot...Green Dash.  

To make the quilt top a little larger I found the perfect red polka dot fabric for an outer border.  The same fabric will be used for the backing.  And a red stripe is sure to be the perfect touch for the binding.  This simple quilt made me so happy.  It'll be a great quilt for the grandkids to snuggle.

The second quilt was made with Welcome Winter by Wilmington.  Another quick and easy and a tad bit smaller.

The blue gingham was the only fabric in my stash suitable for the border.  I would have prefered something not so bold, but it's the best my stash had to offer.  

Both of these quilt will be quilted ASAP . . . in the next couple of weeks.

That's all folks!  See you next week! 

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Dresden Test Block And New Fabric

 Most you know the Dresden quilt block makes makes my little ole heart go pitter pat.  Every once in awhile the urge it hits me to make one for no reason other than they are a joy to make and they make me smile.  But for this one I had a reason.

All of my Dresdens up to this point have had pointy blades, like the one below that I made last month.

Two or three years ago, I decided it was time to expand my Dresden making skills. A few quick clicks on Amazon, and a day later, the new templates arrived. And like I do all too often... SQUIRREL!!... the plan was pushed aside for the next great quilt plan.

Well, last week, my quilting buddy Melissa and I were talking about Dresdens when we realized we both had the same templates and had never used them. Her templates didn't come with instructions, so I made her a copy. She's never made a Dresden and was looking for advice and tips. Since she'd be using these templates, I decided it was time to read through the instructions and whip up a test block.

For my block, I used the smallest round top yellow cutting template. The instructions for the round top Dresden suggested using freezer paper to make a turning template, but I decided to use quilter's heat-resistant Mylar template plastic instead. That way, I can use it for many quilts for many years.

I used to buy Mylar sheets on Amazon or at the quilt shop. I bought mine years ago, and that particular brand is no longer available online. However, if you search for quilter's no melt Mylar sheets, you'll find several different brands.

TIP... Make sure the sheets are clear so you can easily trace the shape you need.

It's hard to see in the picture below, but trust me, the clear plastic template is there. And it worked perfectly.

The instructions called for a fabric circle to be made using the circle templates provided. Again, I opted to go a different route.

I want the center of the Dresden to be white, and since I plan to put the Dresden on a white background, I saw no reason to add another layer of white fabric on top of the Dresden. I wasn't sure my idea would work, and I didn't want to waste any template plastic, so... I layered three small pieces of freezer paper together and ironed them until they fused. Then I cut out the circle you see below.

I snipped two or three threads at each seam in the center of the Dresden, then used my paper template and an iron to turn the center edges under.

Now I have a plan for a new Dresden quilt in the new year! That would be the perfect way to start another wonderful year of quilting. So, I’d better get busy finishing up a few more things before January rolls around!

Speaking of finishing, the blue quilt on the frame is finally nearing the end! There's nothing better for a quilting mojo boost than seeing the bottom of a quilt on the frame. Yippee! Binding a quilt is the best part of quilting. I hope to have it off the frame and bound by Tuesday evening.

The green Yo-Yo's are coming along at a slow pace, only 16 made last week.  

And last but not least, I ordered a fat quarter bundle of Special Delivery by Edyta Sitar for Andover. This is my first bundle of Edyta's fabric. I just couldn't resist, especially since I got a good deal on the Quilt in a Day website.

I have a few of her prints but have never purchased an entire bundle of her fabric. Now I need to find the perfect quilt pattern. I have a couple of her books around here somewhere, so hopefully, I'll find just the right pattern in one of them.

Until then, I'm going to leave her wrapped in plastic, sitting on the cutting table... sigh... So much fabric, so little time.

My back porch last week.  I planted morning glories 15 years ago.  One pack of seeds = a lifetime of trying to keep them from taking over the entire landscape.

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The Best Way To Start Off The Holiday Season

This is a THANK YOU JEANINE blog post.  It's been a few years since closing my pattern writing business. Every once in awhile I still get a happy customer quilt picture. This one came at the perfect time.  I needed a little boost.  The powers that be have a funny way of knowing what we need and when.  Jeanine had no idea how much this picture would touch my heart or how much I needed it.  Heck, I didn't know it was what I needed.  Yes, it brought me to happy tears.

  This was her second attempt at applique.  Jeanine, I think you have gotten the hang of applique!  It turned out beautiful!  My first few applique projects were not so pretty.

She didn't mention the fussy cut Santa faces in the nine patch blocks but I immediately noticed the little Santa's spying on me . . . no worries here, I've been a good girl this year Santa!

Jeanine, thank you for sharing your beautiful Christmas Memories Truck quilt with me. You may have thought you were just sending a picture, but it meant so much more to me than you'll ever know. It's a wonderful reminder of why I love creating and sharing quilt patterns.

 

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New Fabric and New Quilts

Yep that's right, I bought fabric.   I can't help myself when it comes to pretty floral.  I loved it so much I bought it all,  a little over 6 yards of the blue floral.  It was purchased at Hobby Lobby during the 30% off sale.  I'm thinking it will make some pretty pillow shams, curtains or if I get in a pinch for quilt backing it'll work for that too.  Of course I had to buy another fabric to match and the blue dots was the best option.

The only reason I went into Hobby Lobby was to get some cheap fabric to recover my pressing table and small pressing boards.  They looked awful.  I hope a good soak and wash will bring these back to somewhat normal.  But in the meantime I needed something to replace them.

I had a small piece of the blue gingham in my stash and used it to cover the two smaller pressing boards.  I was hoping to find more of the gingham at the store but they only had a small piece.  So I decided to go with a light tan ticking.  It's kinda plain and boring but it works.

While at Hobby Lobby I also snagged the patchwork piece on the left side of the image below.  Yes, this is patchwork, not a patchwork print.  My plan is to make a small Christmas quilt.  So I pulled a few fabrics from my stash that I thought might work.

The pattern I'll be using is called Twinkle by Pastthyme Patterns.  My neighbor/quilting buddy made this quilt then passed the pattern on to me. Her quilt is more like the quilt on the pattern cover. In true Lea Anne fashion, I'm doing my own thing.  Some may think I'm cheating by using the premade patchwork but I prefer to call it being clever and saving myself some work.  I hope to get started on it sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Right now I'm working on another new quilt.  It's small, 41" x 41".  Hold onto your hat.....I'm making this little quilt to use as a small practice piece for hand quilting.  Yep, you read that right....HAND QUILTING!  It's been years since I last gave it a try.  I'm determined to do at least one hand quilted full size quilt in my lifetime.  Right now I'm gathering the right supplies and making the quilt top.  The little quilt will be used in my living room as a display piece on a childs wooden rocking chair.  The image below is what I drew up as my pattern.  I do this with all the quilts I make.  After making the rough draft below, it's printed out so I can do the rest of the math on the back of the paper.

The quilt above is my version of the pattern called Wintersweet by Cake Stands Quilts.  I've adjusted the pattern to suit my needs by making the blocks smaller.  Yesterday I pulled the fabric from my stash. 

And in no time I had the first 100 units made!  There's no hurry to get this one finished, so I'll put it in the rotation of WIP's.

First in the WIP's rotation is the sampler quilt on the frame.  It needs to be finished because I'm sick of seeing it on the frame.  I spent about 2 hours on it last week.  Most of this week will be dedicated to getting it finished.  I'm pretty sure it's been on the frame for over a month.  Every time I see it.....UGGG....slips out of my mouth.  Sampler quilts....UGGG....just get it done!!

And of course the Yo-Yo coverlet is still being worked on from time to time.  Only 13 Yo-Yo's last week but it's better than none.  

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