another finish, wow this is really working. My goal this year is to finish more quilts then I start. It helps to be inspired by the Christmas Through The Year group Cheryl and Darlene started too.
this little quilt will be given to my 2 year old niece for Christmas to use as a doll quilt.
the nine patches are 3" finished , the quilt is approx 23 x29" it was inspired by an antique quilt.
Hopefully pink will still be her favorite color by Christmas if not I will just have to whip up another one!


I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from Shelley of Red Quilts a book Cutting Corners and I love the house quilt in the book this might have to be the first quilt I make from the book.


there are a few quilts in here I know I will be inspired by to make . Thanks Shelley!!!
I decided this is the right size quilt for my farmhouse kitchen table ,I think it will look great on my table.
I am considering joining in the Another Year of Schnibbles quilts as those are the perfect size for my table too. It would be great to have a few quilts to rotate on my table....there are so many of the Schnibbles quilt patterns I love. If your a member of this do they give you a list of the quilts you will make thru the year so you can preorder the patterns?
Thanks...

I started out with this idea on Saturday, I just love this blue fabric ....well the blocks were too big for me. Ok I admit it I like little blocks even for queen size quilts I don't mind making a million (ok what feels like a million!) blocks for a quilt
well so normally I would just put these blocks into that "box" I was talking about in my past posts and yes forget about them!
Not anymore since I joined Christmas Through the Year band wagon! so I just started slicing up the blocks and this is what I came up with to add to my Christmas presents for this year.

oh and did you notice anything in the toile fabric????
maybe this quilt needs to be named...someones watching over you?
or big brother is watching....any other suggestions????

This morning as I was reading blogs I came across this tutorial for a heart block/challenge at the 15 minutes play blog
I though oh thats cute and decided to just whip one up and make it into a little quilt. I pulled fabric from the scrap basket...
next I sewed it together to make the fabric

and WELL... it wasn't working out the way I wanted it too
I didn't want to just toss the fabric in the garbage so I decided ok lets applique the heart
I cut out a heart shape and wound up being able to get 3 hearts from this piece of fabric I made!

probably could sew the scraps together and make another heart but I didn't!

Next I hand buttonholed the heart onto a charm square with a varigated pearle cotton.
not too bad for my first attempt at this in awhile.

my first heart I made a little coaster for next to my computer,
the next one will be a pin cushion ...or maybe an ornament...
don't you think we all need to just go with the inspiration sometimes?

What started out as one project turned into another! I wasn't happy with the way it was coming out so I shifted gears and made my liberated stars into a little quilt. Normally these blocks get put in a box and have to admit usually stay there. This year my goal is to use more of what I have and finish a few quilts I started. So instead of putting these blocks into that box! I decided on making them into a quilt/table topper. Then I decided it is my first quilt of the year that will be a Christmas present
Have you see where Darlene and Cheryl started this Christmas Thru the Year project?

That feels good one present made!

here is a little tip when I sew sashing on I mark with a generals chalk pencil where the previous row of sashing is
this way when I pin I can match them up easily....try it and let me know if it works for you.
the liberated star blocks are 6" finished

when I can't close the box anymore its time to make a few more postage stamp blocks!

next to the sewing machine , where I left off yesterday, need to press and sew together...
Oh my isn't it just wonderful seeing all these different reproduction fabrics together? As I always say its all about the fabrics!
its fun reminiscing what quilts I made with some of these fabrics, and some I wonder do I have any more left?

on the cutting table ready to pin and sew together
2 more blocks made
my goal this week is 5!

If you love antique quilts like I do you need to go visit this blog, Tim Latimer - quilts etc
oh my gosh just beautiful antique quilts. I really appreciate when people take the time to share pictures and the story of their day with us. Thank you Tim!
Beth wrote about it as well... wish this would have happened when I lived in Michigan!

Interested in adding another project to your list this year????
Randy from Barristers Block blog is hosting a quilt along that I am going to have to join. Its a quilt that has intrigued me, Farmers Wife, I have ordered the book, I thought I owned it! I like the challenge of making blocks, especially little blocks! I wouldn't have chose and its one I will make from my scrap basket.

Here is a book I bought recently and am enjoying reading...
Quilts in the Attic, uncovering the hidden stories of the quilts we love
by Karen S. Musgrave

one more blog, Davids Cottage down the hill, to go visit and see this beautiful japanese taupe pouch OH was I ever impressed, just beautiful isn't it?
its all about the fabrics and the details in this one....
I just LOVE it!

I was trying to capture the texture the machine quilting added to my quilt, I hope you can see it. Just love the way this looks.
Ah a new phase for me in two color quilts....blue and white/tan/beige perhaps? I have a few I would like to reproduce/be inspired by from antique quilts. stay tuned!

I love the simplicity of this quilt and see no long borders added but the blue acts as a border in mho. I find there are ways to add a border to your quilt by just changing the color you use on the outside round of a quilt. I will bind it in the same blue this weekend. Finally we are expecting some snow this weekend, yeah! time to do some hand quilting and binding. I have 3 big quilts that need binding.

Here is Betsy's new fabric line, Hot for Chocolate 11, thanks Betsy! I just love so many of these fabrics. One never has enough of pinks, browns and well you know I love reds :) I ordered more of Betsy's line here at Whittles.

another view of the fabrics and some books I have out I am reading/studying right now...
yes a bit out of my comfort zone and normal quilting style but its good to try new things, right?
Or maybe its time to just admire them from afar and keep with my own style, keeping the traditional quilt making alive!

I have long admired Karen's work and just had to share this post with you
just look at the hand quilting of her latest quilt, OMG isn't it beautiful!

I finished making the blocks from Lori of Humble Quilts blog sewed them together. I was waiting for the next set of instructions for the border blocks but well....I fell in love with this little quilt just the way it is. I am calling mine done and Thanks to Lori for the tutorial. I love my little quilt, I am very happy I went with the colors from the antique quilt.

Here is an antique little quilt I am reproducing. It has the borders of the checkerboard but again not sure I want to add them to my little quilt! Maybe I have a mental block against borders lately? Or am I thinking simple is best sometimes?

my nine patches so many of you said keep posting the progress! I will have to take them down soon as I need the design wall space! I will need 900 of them to make the quilt I want....yes you read that right 900 , 3" little finished nine patches !

I really have enjoyed seeing all the house blocks popping up all over blogland, I love house quilts. Miki's house blocks have me smiling and intrigued to once again,MAYBE , try and make a few liberated houses. I even took out Gwen Marstons Liberated quilt making books, I have the original hard cover and the newer one and started reading them (scary huh?)
are there any tutorials to make wonky houses in blogland??? Think I can make them wonky????

Did you see Tara's quilt, Katie's string star quilt, its all about the fabrics in mho! I could stare at this quilt forever! I am considering buying the book....I have the scraps to make this quilt too!!!!! (your not surprised are you?) just need the book and the blue fabric!

Here is a house quilt I made quite a few years ago, its from a Jan Patek pattern.

this is a quilt my friend Judy made for me for Christmas, it is a true treasure.
She made this little quilt, we both love cheddar !, and then decided to applique the back, making it a reversible quilt!!! I believe its based on an antique little quilt top she owns, without the K! Very hard to decide which side to display first! I will hang this little quilt in our home.

An antique quilt top she gave me for Christmas as well she thought I might like to use it as a back of one of my little quilts, oh just look at these fabrics! I would love a few yards of some of these please!



I doubt it will become a back of a little quilt I think I will give it a bath and then hand quilt it, I love tumbler quilts so this one would fit right in on my wall of little quilts don't you agree?

MY latest little quilt inspired by an antique quilt . First time I made a quilt where the border design did not line up perfectly....I kept telling myself Gwen Marston would not think twice about it, just cut it off I could hear my friend Judy say too and I knew she will just be so proud! (right Judy????)


an update on my 3" finished nine patches, I won't be blogging about these until I have a lot more to share, I don't want to bore you!


Here are the 3 little quilts I made this year so far (see what borders I decided on!)...now its time to step back from making little quilts (oh but they are so fun to make and fit in my schedule right now!) and get back to work on a big quilt I am working on. I hope it snows soon I love hand quilting when its snowing , instead of middle of winter I feel like its the beginning of spring with the temps we have been having here.
Cheri is doing a quiltalong for a quilt inspired by the same antique quilt I did but you can be sure hers will be prim! Check it out! I figured that out yesterday and sent her a picture of mine!

Oh wait a minute I get to make one more little quilt Lori's quilt along I pulled fabric for it, so I already started it right? that doesn't count as another start , don't you agree????

My goal this year is to have fun with my quilting and to make a few of the quilts that have been on my list forever! One of the quilts I have always wanted to make is a nine patch, 3" queen size, do I decided this is the year to do it. I am working out of my scrap basket first and these are the ones I made so far!
I can never cut for just one quilt at a time or work on quilt at a time so here is my latest little quilt project. Notice all the same fabrics as the nine patches, great time saver make two quilts at once! Its just like one I made last year thats on my wall of little quilts but now the strips are vertical, what a different look!
I am trying to decide on border fabrics....how about a poll?
here are a few I tried....sorry I didn't take the time to crop the pictures but you get the idea I like working on multiple projects at once, I never get bored this way :)
lets call this one A

lets call this one B

lets call this one C

lets call this one D

I would love to know which one do you like best???
and yes please tell me you work on multiple projects at once too!
And did you see Taryn's? I had to laugh when I saw her making one of these scrappy quilts too! A great way to use up those little pieces and/or highlight some of your favorite fabrics.
Just wanted you all to know Betsy has started her own blog! Betsy's Best quilts and more.... You know Betsy one of the founders of the Famous Houston Diva's as I call them, she wrote the book Gone to Texas and then along with Carol another one of the amazing Houston Diva's wrote History Repeated block exchange quilts by the 19th Century Patchwork Diva's , MY FAVORITE BOOK FROM 2011. go say Hi to Betsy and welcome her to blogland!

Happy New Year!
Here is my first little quilt of the year. Don't you just love the block in a smaller size? I do! Here the quilt will be 8" x 12" finished. This block reminds me of those pinwheels I had as a child and you blew on it or ran to make it go, remember those?
I haven't decided whether or not to put a border on it .

I am happy to share the basic pattern with you for your own personal use. The blocks are 4" finished so each unit 2" finished If you would like to make your own here is the template measurements so you can make your own. I used a template plastic , cardboard would work too, you just need to be able to trace from it. The top is 1.25 and the bottom is 1.75 inches. The height is 2.5" I know it looks weird size wise when you lay it out but trust me it works!!! I cut a 2.5" strip and then traced the template and cut out 4 red and 4 background, REMEMBER to have the fabric right side up or your fabric will not be facing the right direction:) ask me how I know?

Using a charm square would work perfect for this project . You can get 4 out of one charm squares easily.

When you sew a unit together remember to stagger it a bit to have them line up perfectly like here in the picture

4 units makes one block for this size quilt you will make 6 blocks., next I am going to make a 9 block quilt, 3 x 3 I think would be great too!

the little quilt with borders looks great too but still haven't decided. The borders were cut at 2.5"
and here is the progress on my large quilt...I am going to try and make it a charm quilt, do not use the same red fabric twice!

PLEASE if you make this little quilt and show it on your blog link back to my blog showing others where they can find the pattern.
Thanks, have fun and I can't wait to see a few of these little quilts around blogland in all different fabrics and colors!
My goal is to make 12 more little quilts this year, stay tuned for next months quilt, I hope you will join me in making little quilts this year.