Folk Art Birds, Craft Books, Vintage Checkers, and Quilts! Oh, and Cats, Too!

I've been listing more items on my little shop blog, just trying to thin out my stash and I've been adding a few handmade items here and there. Come on over if you'd like to take a peek...

JUNK SALE

I'm also going to list some items on eBay this week, something I don't do very often anymore. My seller id is HONEYSUCKLELANE.


I'm still working on my son's king size quilt. I have 37 large blocks finished with 19 more to make! As soon as I finish that one, I'll be starting one for my youngest son who had a birthday this month.

I'm running a little behind, but I hope to catch up soon. I have plenty of supervision. See that brownish blob in the background on the left (please ignore the lint on my machine). That brown blob is Kitty. :)

She likes to watch from the ironing board while I sew.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a blessed week,
Lana

Beginnings of a Patchwork Quilt

I'm working on a quilt for the first time in ...oh... maybe 10 - 15 years! I kept changing my mind on the design, but always wanted it to be a scrappy quilt so imperfections weren't that obvious (unless you are a perfectionist and can spot mistakes a mile away).

That's my little Pfaff Hobby 750 in the background above. It's simple, but it gets the job done! I certainly wouldn't mind a newer one with an IDT (Integrated Dual Feed) along with a Sew Steady extension table... hint, hint! ;)
 

For this quilt, I chose blacks, browns, and grays, and finally decided on a "Nine Patch Rearranged" design. Basically you cut strips, sew them together in 3 sets of 3s, then cut those into strips and sew into a 9 patch square.

But you don't stop there. You cut the 9 patch in half horizontally and then vertically, turn the 4 smaller squares around until you get the variation you want, and sew those back together!

And then, if you were off a bit like me, you go back later and square up all the squares.

I have 10 large squares made... only 40 something to go!

I ordered some quilting supplies using an Amazon gift card I got for my birthday. Among the items was a new cutting mat because my old one has glue, paint, and marker on it!

I also purchased Aurifil thread for the first time (since so many quilting bloggers raved about it) and I love it! For this quilt, I'm using 50wt 2605 Grey. It blends so well with these colors.

Check back in a few days to see more progress on this quilt!

Blessings,
Lana

Saving Scraps of Scraps

Years ago I found a few 1930s quilts at an estate sale. I loved those quilts... and so did the kids... we practically wore them out. They were utilitarian, not fancy, made of feed sacks and sweet cotton prints. So we used them, and used them well. We wore holes in them... and probably holes in the holes!

Time after time I put them in the discard pile, and time after time I took them out. They were nothing but scraps by then, but I still couldn't get rid of them.

And so I began salvaging the scrappy parts of the scraps. I made pincushions and scissor pockets and strawberry emeries... and little doll quilts...

sweet, wonky, little doll quilts... quilts for dollies to snuggle under...

quilts for protecting your farmhouse table from the vase of fresh cut flowers... quilts to hang on a miniature quilt rack... quilts to tack on the wall for a bit of quaint cottage charm.

Making these recent little prim quilts has let me practice my quilt binding technique. Not that I have a technique, I just read the directions in the book and take off, but I must say... I love making and sewing on the binding!

I need this skill because I'm getting ready to make a king-size scrappy quilt! I'll keep you posted on that one! :)

Blessings,
Lana

P.S. If you want to see more of the little quilts, just click this link.