Hexagons

Just recently I discovered the joys of inkling.com.  This is a program where you can print sewing lines onto your fabric. In the past, to make hexagon, you had to use the English paper piecing method I found this quite tedious and not at all appealing.  I really wanted to make a hexagon quilt, but as I said before did not want to do use the English paper piecing method. Now that I purchased inklingo.com I've been happily printing and makeing hexagons. I am going to be making a grandmother flower garden with my hexagons. Here's a picture of some of the fabrics I have so far cut out.  Stay tuned for progress #hexagons

Baby Quilts

I have been a bit of lost since finishing up Betty's projects (that last a whole hour). What to do what to do, can't buy new fabric as I made a vow to use up what I had so rummaging around my fabric stash seemed the best bet. 

I found some baby fabric that I purchased years ago, so after gathering a few bits and pieces of other fabric, these two quilts were born. I think they turned out really cute And will go on our Etsy shop, CrazyBirdsStudio.

When I first started making quilts all I did was baby quilts.  Friends were having kids, they were fast and easy to quilt on my machine.  I have only made two baby quilts in the last 10 years but bought baby themed fabric on sale "just in case".  In keeping with my plan to use up fabric baby quilts are here for a bit.  This is the next one being assembled.

End of a Journey

My sister Laura decided to gift me all of her deceased mother in law's quilting supplies.  Little did I know what a journey it would take me on. Starting in September 2013 I pulled Betty's projects out of boxes and started sorting through fabric, batting, squares, quilt tops and other odds and ends.  Now at the end of October 2014 I have finished the last of  her projects.  I am sad to know that I no longer have any projects or any boxes to open and look through and wonder what Betty was thinking when she cut these pieces, made those squares and what she has in mind.  Some of the projects were easy to figure out the top may be almost done or completely done and all I need to do Was quilt it for it be finished.  All in all 11 projects got completed.  I still have some fabric left and will use that when I can, in fact I feel another pinwheel quilt coming on.  I feel incredibly blessed to have gone on this journey and am so glad my sister had the foresight to save and pass on these treasures. These are some of the quilts from this journey.  I can't find pictures of the four and nine patches I did.  There were three of them, two made with nine patches Betty had already made.  And one from four patches Betty had made.  Now I must confess looking at the four patches made my eyes bleed and I had quite a long conversation with Betty over what she was thinking when she put them together.  I ripped them apart, remade them and designed them into a quilt which I gave it to Brian and Laura as a house warming present when they moved to Ojai.  I had made a vow to myself that I would not redo anything that Betty had already done and as I said I broke that vow with the four patches, but really, if you had seen them you would agree with me.  The quilt that I had the hardest time with is the last one you will see (it is going to Sister Barbara).  The piecing was just terrible,  I left this quilt until the last.  It only needed two rows for it to be finished but my perfectionism was having a hard time dealing with the bad piecing.  Finally I pulled it out and decided to just get it done when from out of now where I heard Betty say to me, "It doesn't need to be perfect it just needs to be done".  She was so right! and with a smile on my face and joy in my heart it got done.

Brian and Laura thank you for thinking of me and allowing me to share these precious memories of you mother, Betty Smith, it was a joy and an honor.

These two just needed borders and quilting and they went to my dear brother in law, Betty's son.

This quilt was made from triangles Betty had already cut out

This quilt was made with bits and pieces of Christmas material and went to a dear friend who got married around Christmas

This quilt had one panel done.  I finished the next three with needle turned applique and hand quilted where all the blue lines are.  It is almost complete and will post a picture when it is done.

These three quilts are the last ones!!!!  The top quilt I will be keeping for myself.  The second one is going to Betty' granddaughter (Brian's daughter) Betty had already cut out the triangles and the bottom one is going to my sister Barbara who fell in love with it when she saw the picture.