see what happens when you become obsessed with a quilt! I spent every spare minute sewing the past few days making hst or nine patches! Next few days are busy so no more marathon sewing sessions!
I am enjoying making the nine patches and watching the quilt grow. Maybe it will be a quilt top by next Monday!

What is it about green and pink together that I just love ? Ever since I saw this quilt from Taryn's antique quilt collection I knew I wanted to make it. I emailed Taryn and asked her if she would mind if I made a quilt inspired by her antique quilt. I was thrilled she said YES!
here is the start of mine! I really should be working on a few other projects I have started but well....Pink and Green and Nine patches I just had to start it! I know this quilt will never become a ufo, it feels good to be so inspired again by an antique quilt.


I am waiting on some black fabrics I ordered to use for the blades of the quilt Victorian Hexagon quilt along with Sujata and Barbara Brackman, I decided I wanted to go bold and use the black vs the grey I showed in a previous post.

Have you been following Donna's blog Quilting on the Mon...what a collection of antique quilts she has. The past few are amazing, I am still dreaming of the turkey red quilt a few posts back, the stars and then the blue and white quilt....

Did you see Liz's finished red and white quilt???? I really think simple blocks can shine in a quilt, just look at this one of hers, so graphic. I can't wait to see how she quilts it.

I have written a few times about how I want to give Utility quilting a try.
I started to collect pearle cottons in anticipation. I have admired so many quilts from many Australian quilters that were quilted using this technique. I have seen quite a few antique quilts using this stitch with regular quilting thread as well. It adds an element of a folk art look that I just love to my style quilts.
Carolyn Forster wrote to me and told me she was writing a book about Utility quilting and I was very happy to hear this and couldn't wait to see it!. A book (now that I have it in my hands I would call it the Bible of Utility Quilting) a must have for anyone interested in learning how to quilt using one of the utility stitches. This book is very well written and illustrated. She takes you thru the process of quilt making from gathering the needed supplies to binding a quilt in one book. Great for a beginner and even for someone who has been quilting for years there is a lot to learn from this book in mho. Utility Quilting, simple solutions for Quick Hand Quilting by Carolyn Forster is the title of the book. A bit deceiving as even if it maybe a quicker way to hand quilt I think it doesn't take away from the final result, its a hand quilted quilt. Utility quilting is an art form.
The diagrams in this book are amazing. I am a very visual learner so I was thrilled when I first flipped thru the book and saw so many pictures of quilts quilted with Utility stitching as well as how to knot a quilt, there are different knots used to tie a quilt lots of pictures to show how to make these as well. Tying a quilt is not something I every thought I would try but now I just may give it a go.
The book is written with very clear, concise instructions and diagrams that anyone can follow. For me that is wonderful, now I can just flip thru the book and be reminded how to make a stitch just by looking at the pictures!
For inspiration there are many examples of quilting patterns using the utility stitch on quilts I have to admit I was surprised, pleasantly surprised not just the straight stitch. one of my favorite pumpkin seed pattern with a twist!
I loved how Carolyn teaches how to make your own template for many of my favorite quilting patterns to use with the utility stitch and the best part examples of them on finished quilts.
There is a chapter on binding and other edge finishing I found very interesting as well. I know I will try a few of them as well.
And yes there are patterns in the book as well, here is one I know I will be making soon! Isn't this a great quilt?

look at the texture added by the quilting here....

my favorite, nine patches...

This is a book I HIGHLY recommend you adding to your library. Carolyn is giving away a copy here on her blog, Carolyn Forster's Quilting on the Go, along with a few other goodies to get you started. If you don't win just order it you won't be sorry in mho. I know already this will be one of my top books this year.
have you done any utility quilting? Do you use it on certain style quilts? Have you experimented with different threads using this stitch? which are your favorites?

I decided to join Randy from Barrister's Block Blog in her Farmers Wife Sow-a-long! I love making little blocks and thought this would be fun, no pressure!
I already made one block (rail fence block) different then the pattern called for! OH well I liked this layout better!


heres the boy baby quilt I made. hard to capture the blue color.

I picked up the ruler yesterday and some grey fabric for Sujata's and Barbara Brackman's Victorian Hexagon Quiltalong...
I am planning on making my first block tomorrow. I thought I would get to it today oh well! I thought this gray fabric would play nicely with my repros, I can't wait to get started. It was so nice of Sujata to give us a tutorial on the blocks.
If the grey doesn't work I am considering using a variety of blacks, will be bolder and limit my darker repro fabrics maybe I will have to get out the basket full of bright repros I have for a few applique projects I have been working on!

I am also considering joining the Jubilee Quilt Project......Have you heard of this one too???? Sounds like fun too....
this is so unusual for me to join quilt a longs or bom's I normally like to work on what ever inspires me that day, I hope I can keep up with these quilt along s! If not thats ok with me too.

Well the mail just keeps coming! Look what was in my mailbox yesterday! Thank you Soile! I met Soile when she came to visit a mutual friend a few months ago and we introduced her to fabric shopping in Lancaster Pa! She is from Finland and well prices are so much more and variety is much smaller in quilt shops there. I will be using it for sewing supplies to go. She has made a few of these and you can see them on her blog, Töölön Tilkkupaja
don't you love the label and the lining fabric? too cute!

I decided to stay with my original pland and to make baby quilts instead of a twin size quilt. Here are two I will sew together today. My blocks are 8" and the quilts will be 32 x 40 .


I started a little boy baby quilt too, will share that when I am done
Hope you had a productive weekend too!

surprises in the mail are always fun!
I was lucky enough to win this giveaway from Vivian at Quilts and a Mug blog., looking forward to reading the book! I already added the fabrics to a scrappy quilt I am making. I was thrilled to win the calendar, I love barns and have always wanted to make a barn quilt now I have lots of inspiration! Look what I found when I opened the box! it was fun opening all the presents, what a very generous giveaway, thank you Vivian.


progress is slower then I thought...but loving the look of these fabrics together, springtime in my sewing room !

Have you seen this????? Lynn from KLEIN MEISJE QUILTS is sharing her pattern with us for one of my favorite quilts, An Extravagant Welcome, she helped make with her guild. I have to join in and make this quilt with her.

I wanted to make 25 square blocks but it didn't work out so I opted for 16 patch blocks. The benefit here as I cut the strips for the squares I needed for this quilt I also cut up the rest of the strip for 2 more quilts!
It is fun being able to play with color this way, just put 2 strips together, you think oh do they really go together? or thats really bold but when you start placing the blocks together they just meld all together, I love that.
Originally I was going to make a few baby quilts to donate but I think this one needs to be a twin size quilt. I will donate it and I bet some little girl will just love it don't you?
Nothing on the cutting table this morning its all on the design wall, this is how I work on a quilt like this (a bit out of my comfort zone I have to be able to step back and look!)
I put the strips on the wall

then I start matching up strips that will work together (well at least to me they work together!) today I hope to make a lot more blocks! A little bit of spring in my sewing room.

Working with these strips I really realize the benefits of buying Moda's jelly rolls, oh having these in repro fabrics , or French General, Kansas Trouble,Primitive Gatherings, 3 Sisters, Sandy Gervais, Fig Tree, Minick and Simpson....ok you get the idea!
I think I need to do some shopping !

Usually by Feb the winter blues set in and I am looking forward to the beautiful colors the spring flowers bring.
This has been such an odd winter, very little snow so everything is looking a tad dull! Its time to bring out the bright fabrics and make a quilt . For me that usually means bring out the 30's reproduction fabrics. This year I will play with my friend Patty's 2.5" strips! OH just look at all this color and fun fabrics. Now to decide what to make.....
any suggestions?

nothing better then the 2 gallon ziploc bags to store these strips in!

Amish Quilts and the Welsh Connection, by Dorothy Osler
what an amazing book, inspirational for amish quilts but even more for the hand quilting. I ordered mine thru Amazon and it arrived last week. All I can say is WOW! This is not a pattern book, this is a book to be inspired by and learn more about antique quilts.
Schiffer knows how to publish books. The combination of pictures of quilts along with the quilt history is perfect.
After reading the first chapter or two how can you not be inspired to make an amish quilt of your own?
After just looking at the pictures of the antique quilts your going to want to RUN to your fabric collection and start pulling fabrics to make one of these beautiful quilts but the real planning is going to be in the hand quilting.
I will need to order SOLIDS, just look at this and the colors such a happy quilt


look at these nine patches, using that blue makes the quilt in mho and check out the border, hmmm a hint of a liberated quilt maker as we call them now don't you think? or more of using what you have?

A blog I have followed for along time and learned so much is from Pippa Moss, Welsh Quilts.
between her blog and inspiration over the year or so and this book I can't wait to start a quilt, I already have the hand quilting planned! there are a few pages like this that show you the beautiful welsh quilting styles I have come to love reading Pippa's blog. Thanks Pippa.

I couldn't resist starting this little quilt SPOT by Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company My first Schnibbles quilt!
oh and yes Of course I had to use my favorite turkey red fabric right now in a block! Civil War Reunion by Barbara Brackman for MODA.

Hope to bind this little quilt today , its only been ready to sew down for a few weeks now. I like using little quilts like this to decorate for holidays, think St Patricks day in March. Look what I put on the back, I can't just make a green quilt it has to have some red in it!, don't tell me your surprised are you?



When I make backings now I am trying to use the big pieces i have in my closets, here are two backings I sewed together recently. I am wondering if I should write that on my label it is actually two different colors/fabrics so when quilt historians 100 years from now (if my quilts survive that long!) look at the backs and think it was sun damaged or washed out OR do I keep them guessing like we do when we look at antique quilts now? What would you do? keep them guessing or write it on the label?

I have been wanting to add more solid fabrics to my quilts for awhile now.
This blue fabric just works so well with cheddar I couldn't resist making another one of these quilts using this fabric.
can you tell I love the color cheddar almost as much as red?



I am intrigued with how different a quilt can look by just changing the fabrics/colors . I plan on doing a whole series of this little quilt. maybe everyone on my Christmas List needs a little quilt like this in their favorite colors?
I wrote a tutorial, basic one, if you wanted to make one too.
I loved seeing the ones around blogland some of you already made, Thanks!

hmmm next color combo, pink and brown perhaps?
any suggestions?

some of you have asked about the blue fabric
I bought it from Cyndi at Busy Thimbles you can email her thru her blog.
Windham Fabrics, Shelburne Calico Garden in Association with the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.