Category Archives: Stash

Prep & Progress

Posted on October 31, 2019 by heARTs Creations

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Lots of prep has been going on here.  Saturday I leave for the mountains for the Fall Quilt & Sew-In! Even though I’ve been doing retreats for thirteen years, I still get a little antsy and anxious a few days before it begins.

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Blocks have been prepped for the charity quilts from the bin of precut scraps above. There are a couple of layout possibilities for one:

And here is the layout for another quilt:

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A bucket of blocks with instructions are available for anyone who chooses to complete one or more blocks. They then put their name in for a drawing and on Show & Tell night names are drawn for prizes. I and another quilter put the blocks together for a quilt –  it certainly helps to get more Hospice quilts completed!

My projects – I always bring more than I could possibly complete. When you are the facilitator, time sewing is reduced. I love it though, and wouldn’t have it any other way! First and foremost, I plan to work on my Tula strips.  I already have several blocks complete and all is very organized (completed block above).

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A nine patch I worked on at a recent sew-in is also in the queue.  The plan is to do a disappearing nine patch, but I just haven’t decided which pattern I will be using.

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For when I don’t want to actually sew, there is this bin of half-square triangles that need to be trimmed to size.  There’s a bunch, so trimming a little at a time will make the task less daunting.

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And finally, a bin of 3 1/2″ squares for a leader-ender.  I recently spent two (exhausting) days sorting my batiks by color.  There is now a bin full of scraps, and six bins of larger pieces.  The batik squares will be paired with black and white squares.  I think this will be quite stunning. I love to have a leader-ender project going – makes me feel so productive!

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A fun and productive week is ahead! I can’t wait to share all that is Quilt & Sew-In!

 

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Two Weeks – Week One!

Posted on October 12, 2019 by heARTs Creations

Whew! I’ve been gone for the last two weeks.  The first week I went to a sew-in with some great gals, came home on a Saturday, and left on Sunday for a week vacation with hubby! Some careful planning made it doable and it was all totally worth it!

First, the Sew-In.  A good friend planned this time for us at the same place where I have the Quilt & Sew-Ins – at the Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock.  This place is like a second home to me so I was thrilled that we gathered there.  How convenient it was that my sleeping room was just around the corner from the sewing room!  There were only six of us so it made it very intimate.

auuofdigryeekn9xf2_fhq-medium.jpgDebbie had the first finished project. This is such a cute mini.cx-bqbztskqzt3tmcrxz0a-medium.jpg

Another Debbie creation.  This pic does not do this beautiful log cabin justice. The fabrics were just glorious!

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Pam’s wine fabric casserole carrier sure is classy!

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Yes, Debbie was quite productive. This flimsly was mostly done before the retreat – a few more seams and border – colorful and fun!

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Pam made this bag using a preprinted batting and precut strips.  I love the way the strips meet on the sides. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be getting some of this batting.

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Love this scrappy block pattern that Sue was working with. The block is rather time consuming and she made several. This is going to be one beautiful quilt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three table toppers! Sheranna tackled the 10 minute table toppers – one Christmas, one St. Pattrick’s Day and one very elegant and formal.  Full disclosure – they take a bit more than ten minutes!

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And yes, I did sew.  I worked on blocks using some of my batik stash for a quilt called “Katsura” from Modern Quilts Illustrated.

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I also put together a pile of nine patches with a pile more to go.  I’m going to split each block but have not decided which method to use yet – something different from the most used split nine patch.

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I also managed to complete a flimsy for Hospice.  This will be a 2020 contribution. How nice to have a bit of a head start!

It was a great week! Along with sewing I enjoyed talking, laughing, swimming, walking, dining at a few fine restaurants and lots more laughing.  Now back to reality…

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I Got Mail & a Finish!

Posted on September 16, 2019 by heARTs Creations

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Recently the best box of goodies showed up at my doorstep.  A reader from Kansas contacted me.  Her mother, who was an avid quilter, passed away. Just like most quilters, it was no surprise that she had WIPS in her stash that her daughter now wanted to pass on to the Hospice ministry. And WOW! First, was this hand pieced, hand quilted piece. I needed to take it apart a bit to make it into a square, but because she used Georgia Bonesteel’s laptop quilting method, it was easy. I took it apart, rearranged some blocks, sewed it back together, put on a binding and look! A finished Hospice quilt! What a wonderful and loving way to honor the memory of her mother. This finish will be passed on to Hospice this November and shortly thereafter will bring warmth, joy and love to someone in need.

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All that hand quilting – WOW!

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There were a couple of block of the month kits with the blocks all made, needing to be sewn together, and the patterns given to us too. Another amazing treasure was the Sunbonnet Sue blocks and yes, hand done. There are even the cardboard templates included! A few blocks were complete and many, many pieces were prepped ready to applique.

The below quilt was also a block of the month – all put together.

And yes, another quilt all pieced.  WOW – so much excellent work!

I was tickled to see this scrappy quilt.  I can only image all the quilts that were made resulting in the scraps for this one.

Thank you to this most generous reader.  Our group is honored to have your mother’s fine works and will endeavor to do you proud!

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Sew-in Fun!

Posted on September 8, 2019 by heARTs Creations

Last week I had the good fortune to spend four days in South Carolina with a group of talented and fun quilters! Everyone brought their own projects and worked away all day and into the night. Mostly we had hot sunny days and were able to enjoy the outdoor pool.

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These hat pin cushions were made and gifted to each of us by Judy. I absolutely love mine and am so thankful for her thoughtfulness and efforts.

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Here’s Laurie with her very impressive bin full of 1 1/2″ solid scraps.  She’s turning them into the now popular spinner blocks. What a great use of scraps!

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Debbie lives nearby and is the one who introduced us to the Homeplace B&B that we were at. Thank you Debbie!

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Studious Susan is carefully planning her next project. (Something I need to get better at)

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Sandy really worked away consistently.  She not only machine sewed but also worked on some English paper piecing.

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This square in a square quilt tells Susan’s life story. The grits block was definitely a favorite!

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Lots of trimming and squaring up. Sandra was another who sewed, sewed, sewed!

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A log cabin quilt for a friend of Laurie’s who recently purchased a log cabin! She’ll add a border – what a wonderful and thoughtful gift.

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Judy is cutely peeking out from behind her 30’s print quilt. I love the design this layout makes.

This is such an impressive paper pieced beach quilt! Lorel isn’t finished with it yet. She’s planning on adding on some amusement – shells? crabs? beach balls? Can’t wait to see the finished quilt!

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Debbie brought her very impressive woven (from bed sheets) rug. Wow!!

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Sandy finished this Frozen quilt top with a special little one in mind. How cute!

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This minimal and very striking modern quilt was completed by Susan. I can’t wait to see this one quilted.

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Five O’Clock Coffee Time!

Unfortunately, some did not get into the picture, including myself. There were eleven of us and I do believe a good time was had by all. Lucky me to be a part of this group of fun and talented ladies!

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Prepping and More Prepping

Posted on April 27, 2019 by heARTs Creations

Off to another retreat! I’m a  guest at this one, so I get to do a lot more sewing. Prepping has been going on for about a week and I am SO ready! There’s something wonderful about being in a room full of creative quilters that serves to feed my creativity and productivity.

First – a scrappy flimsy that needs a border. It’s a strip quilt and I’ll be doing more strip blocks, making them into small half square triangles with a white-on-white, and adding as a border.

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Second – a baby scrappy quilt that was started a very long time ago. The paper piecing portions are complete and now I need to do the curved piecing. Each block is cut, pinned, and on its own paper plate.

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Third – Log cabin wall quilt. I worked on this last year at this same retreat – made many, many blocks but didn’t like the way they were squaring up. So now I am starting all over but this time on a paper foundation. I’m definitely committed to accuracy on this one!

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Fourth – not that I’ll really need it, but just in case something goes awry with one of the other projects, or I just don’t want to work on one of them. This will be a queen size for our bed.  Very simple – green leaf prints and white on white, all 3 inch squares finished. Simplicity is what I’m going for.

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Hopefully I’ll be back next week with some impressive results!

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Days Away Sewing

Posted on December 12, 2018 by heARTs Creations

A few of us were supposed to head to the beach for a week of sewing at a big retreat. Unfortunately, Hurricane Florence did much damage to the host hotel and it was cancelled. I quickly found someplace closer for us to go for a few days of sewing – sometimes you just need to get away!

I didn’t do a crazy amount of sewing, but did enjoy the sewing I did. I did a fair amount of hand quilting too.  This Kaffe scrappy quilt top will get several more rows and then borders.

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Judy was so proud of herself for getting this blue beauty done right out of the gate. She spent a lot of time working on an impressive wool felt project.

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Janet worked on this neutral quilt a lot. Oh all those little pieces! She is the queen of little pieces. This quilt really drew me in.

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Laurie really likes to make Christmas quilts. Someday I think there’s going to be a Christmas Quilt Museum that will hold all her quilts. I didn’t get a pic of the finished bargello, but she did get it all together. And yes, then there were two more beauties!

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Beverly made this very attractive batik jelly roll quilt and put together batik squares. Her batik wall hanging came with the challenge of finding the right sashing fabric and she succeeded wonderfully!

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Two local gals sewed with us. Nancy finished piecing her scrappy rainbow quilt and Cathy worked on these clever table runners.

Now that I’m home I’m more motivated than ever to sew. Hmmm, when will I wrap the Christmas presents??

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Amazing Mail

Posted on December 5, 2018 by heARTs Creations

A couple of weeks ago a big box of goodness and generosity arrived at my house. The donor wishes to remain anonymous and of course I absolutely respect that. But really, look at this: Some of these blocks are already sewn together. There is probably enough for 3 lap quilts! That is a LOT of sewing!!

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I love the mixture of vintage and black and white fabrics in these blocks. There’s also plenty of fabric to complete a quilt.

And more scrappy goodness!

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Lots of four patches here to make a wonderful quilt or two.

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More fabric to help complete where needed.

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Four patches, four patches – these will definitely be fun to put together. Love that they will also be perfect quilts for a male – not as easy to come by. And half square triangles – that’s a lot of sewing that’s been done here and they’re all trimmed too!

Last, and most certainly not least, are these triangles – lots of possibilities here.

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WHEW! Can you believe this was all in one box?! Our group will get together in January and there will be sorting and choosing to do. Not an easy choice for sure – I want to work on all of them!

Thank you, thank you, thank you again to this dear reader for giving so generously for something so close to her heart.

 

 

 

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Cozy Cabins Log Cabin Challenge

Posted on November 16, 2018 by heARTs Creations

An Island Batik Adventure

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What better project for the cold and wet we are experiencing this time of year than “Cozy Cabins.”  Once again, as I try to minimize the number of Works in Progress I have in my studio, I thought of something simpler for this month’s Island Batik Ambassador project.

 

 

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I love log cabins! At first I thought I’d do a table runner, but honestly, I have plenty of those and wasn’t very inspired. I also knew I didn’t want to do a full quilt. Ah Hah! Potholders! These will also make great stocking stuffers.

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Many of the Island Batik bundles come tied with these really cool ties and they made for a perfect loop to hang the potholders with.  I also used insul-bright batting to keep the user from burning their hands. This stuff really works! I chose a hexagon shape, some simple quilting and here they are!

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Full disclosure – after completing these potholders, I reread our instructions for November and we were supposed to do a larger project. I’m begging for forgiveness. If I lay them all out side by side, does that count??

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Thank you to Island Batik for the fabrics used in this project and to Aurifill thread for supplying the threads.

 

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Making Room – Giveaway!

Posted on July 6, 2018 by heARTs Creations

Twice a year the Island Batik Ambassadors receive a big box from Island Batiks jam packed with goodies.  July is when we receive our second box and mine is due to arrive tomorrow! Yikes, my two bins of Island Batiks are full and needed a clean-out.  I separated out pieces of varying sizes, strips and squares. There are bigger pieces too!

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Scrappy projects are one of my favorites, but I just finished a scrappy top and have another in the works.  I would rather have someone else who does scrappy, improve, art quilts or who can incorporate into a project to enjoy these beautiful fabrics.  And, honestly, I need the room! If you would like to add this pile to your scrap stash, please leave a comment below.  Tell me if you are a follower of this blog and that will give you two entries. Please be sure I am able to contact you via email. My apologies, but international postage costs limits this giveaway to the US only.  A winner will be randomly chosen and the lucky winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 11.

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Here are my two bins after the cleanout.  Lots of room for my new shipment. Can’t wait to share with you all the treasure.  Also, look for a giveaway by all the Island Batik Ambassadors in August!

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Linking up with: Can I Get a Whoop Whoop,  Needle & Thread Thursday

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Modern Batik Challenge

Posted on June 5, 2018 by heARTs Creations

An Island Batik Adventure

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The ambassador challenge for June is “Modern Batik Challenge.” I decided to make a baby-sized quilt and went to one of my Island Batik bins to choose fabrics.  I love all the blues and pulled out all the small pieces I had left from previous projects and a few of the bigger ones too.  I chose an white with a very light blue print neutral for the background.

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From a very light weight tissue-like paper, I cut long strips 2 inches wide.  I used those as a base to randomly paper piece all the blue fabrics.  Once it was all sewn, I trimmed each of the four strips. I placed two across the top and two lengthwise on the left-hand side which created much negative space.  After all was cut to size and pieced, I machine quilted straight lines in the white spaces and used a loop-de-loop in the blue strips. Aurifil thread was used in this project.

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This quilt will go into my stash of quilts and when there is a baby I want a quilt for, I will probably put his or her name in the large open space.  I love when baby quilts are personalized that way.

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All the Island Batik Ambassadors have been busy and I encourage you to give them a visit to see what they have created with these beautiful fabrics that Island Batik has provided us with.

 

 

 

 

Linking up with:

Linky Tuesday,   (too) Cute Tuesday,       WIPs on Wednesdays

Needle and Thread Thursday

 

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Posted in Art, block pattern, Color, Fabric, Island Batiks, Modern Quilting, Pattern, Projects, Quilt Setting, Quilting, Scraps, Stash, Thread and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
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