I know I know I should be finishing my wip's or UFO's but decided I really needed to start a new project.  A log cabin quilt , browns with pink centers….simple block but the setting will make the quilt wonderful, I think !  and well the pink centers a bit of a surprise (not red!)

Had to work out the center block size and the  log size , first one I made I couldn't figure out why it was not a square….
check out the picture  can you see why?

took me about a 1/2 hr to figure out what went wrong!  the last round of light was not trimmed to the size I wanted , crisis adverted and started making blocks….

Here is a bom I just signed up for I really just wanted to buy the pattern.  I am not a fan of bom's  I tend to get bored waiting  or loose interest.  But this was the only way I could get the pattern now and I have loved this quilt since the first time I saw pictures of it in Mary Kovals antique quilt booth at a few quilt shows over the years.  I love red and green appliqué quilts and I love when there are birds on the quilts.
I really just could not resist it any longer...
I will be starting this quilt soon I wanted to get a bolt of the background fabric so I can prewash it, I will tell you mine will be a bit different then the original.
Isn't it just a great quilt?  fun in my opinion too…
The Quilted Crow girls Leonie Bateman and Deirdre Bond-Abel,bought the antique quilt and made a pattern from it thankfully  now I can make it too!

another quilt I want to whip up in August is this Schnibbles , Hot Cross by Miss Rosie 's quilt company.  easy just went on line and bought a pdf file and instantly I had a copy of the pattern!  Isn't technology wonderful?  I love when it works this easily.

I have made this pattern before in just 2 fabrics and loved it but gave it away to a friend and the pattern must still be packed away. don't you just love this fabric combo, red and white ? I doubt I will ever tire of it These two are  from the Midwinter Reds collection by Simpson and Minick from Moda Fabrics.  Oh how I love this red.  Found it on sale at Daisy Cottage online quilt shop.

Now I just need a few hours a day to sew, sew, sew!  Hope you find time to sew this week too.

hopefully next post there will be real progress shown on 2 out of the 3 above projects!

My next quilt to finish, it was inspired by an antique quilt a friend owns.  I always hang the fabrics I am thinking of using for blocks on the side of the blocks like this , helps me decide to use the fabric or not before I make a block :)  My blocks will be 9" finished so the nine patches are 3" finished.  Yes another blue and white quilt.  Guess I had better pull out a very scrappy quilt next, I am missing all the color and seeing hundreds of  fabrics in one quilt!

I never tire of making nine patches!  love this background fabric.  wish I had bolts of it!

I spent some time on a blog yesterday that I was so impressed with.  Loved seeing her antique quilt collection and just enjoying the way she writes….she takes pictures of her projects .  Make a cup of coffee/tea…ice tea whatever and go enjoy Christines blog.  Quilting Stories.

The winner of my little fall tumbler kit is Vic in NH she writes the Park Hill Farm blog.
Vic send me your address and I will mail it to you this week!  Hope you enjoy it  and thanks to everyone for your comments, truly appreciated.

Its a quilt top!  I chose a backing this morning and will get it ready today to send out for quilting.
I am very happy with the quilt overall , love the classic design and of course its red and white.
Its approx  78 x 86"

Put borders on my little fall tumbler (14" x 17")…so what do you think?  The fabric is a bit darker has great fall colors in it, makes the cheddars  and the greens in person.  Would you like to make one of your own???
I have a kit to giveaway….
just become a follower, AGAIN if your a long time follower as when I started this blog again my followers didn't come back, see my side bar thanks!  and I will pick a winner randomly on Monday.

Making progress have about 5 more rows to go and it will be approx 68 x 80.5"
after  working with the blocks again I realized why this became a ufo /wip
quilt.  I wasn't happy that I used ecology cloth.  This ecology cloth instantly gives your quilt that
antique look I love BUT it is very flimsy, thin, loosely weaved.
I know quite a few of you love this fabric.  I am not sure I want to put all the work of appliqué and then hand quilt the quilt and the fabric won't last for many years.  I am going to finish this quilt with out the appliquéd border as I had planned and just use it.
I will remake it using moda bella 9900-60 my favorite cream/white for backgrounds as originally planned at least then I know it will last for a long time.

you can see here how thin it is…

Enjoying reading this new book by Gwen Marston
Minimal Quiltmaking
published by AQS

Interesting to read, love seeing all her hand quilting  my favorite quilt in the book is the cover quilt!
NO patterns , just lots of inspiration for art style quilts.
I have been a huge Gwen fan for years!

If you read this book I would love to know what your thoughts are….

yesterday I decided I needed to chose one of my WIP and finish it.  I have to admit I don't have many WIP anymore.  I gave away all the ones I knew or didn't want to work on anymore this past spring.
My goal is to finish them by the end of the year.
I just have to trim the blocks and sew the quilt top together.  Not sure what I will do for the border.
My original plan was to appliqué a vine and leaves.

Love this red by Moda Bella Solids, country red.    I am trying to work with solids more I love the look of them but when sewing with them I miss the prints of the fabrics :)

Guess the best way to handle this is to whip up a scrappy little quilt at the same time with lots of different fabrics :)  stay tuned.
I did make this little 4 patch quilt this weekend from my scrap basket…

thought it might need a border….

maybe just a cheddar /red binding…  still deciding!

maybe I inspired you to go pick a WIP and work on it again?

As of Saturday my scrap basket is full again!  Over the past year I gave away most of my scraps .  I love having a scrap basket so when I want to start a project I just dump it out and start making blocks with it, whip up a little quilt  OR when I don't feel like working on a project but want to sew I cut squares, strips, shapes whatever from it for future projects…
you get the idea.  Having a scrap basket is important to me….
wait to you see what my friend Soile did with a big box from my scrap basket last year…
your going to be as amazed as I was.  So much so I have started my own from my new scrap basket.

so how did my scrap basket go from this

to full again?  I went and ordered reproduction fabrics scrap baskets from Homestead Hearth, I can't tell you how much I love these treasures.  I ordered 8 of them and requested that they all be different if possible.  Can you say Happy Birthday to me?  yes sometimes you just have to order/buy a few presents for yourself!

Almost 12" piles of treasures!  ok fabric…
took out a few pieces so you can see the size of the pieces some are large almost a fat quarter most are larger then 6"charms lots of strips  3 inches , 2.5  perfect size for me…

I took 2 pieces and started, I love nine patches so of course I had to make that, and then 2 hst for my Soile quilt , a small tumbler then strips to turn into small quilts or 1.5" for my postage stamp quilt and then whatever else I want down the road!   1.5" strips is a favorite of mine I want to make a few log cabin quilts so I have been saving them

this week I will be working from the scrap basket!  So tell me do you treasure your scrap basket too????

All the blocks are made, yes I took out the cheddar one. This quilt will be donated and decided its best to keep it just blues. Its 63 x 70 and trying to decide if it needs a border. The goal is to have it sewn together this weekend and by then I will know add a border or not….

My blocks are 7" finished, cut 3 1/2" squares 1 1/2" center 1.5 x 3.5 middle strips