"MADE FABRIC" top

When I first started MAKING FABRIC for these blocks with my saved tiny scraps, 

strips and strings, they were

for pot pads or maybe a table runner or two.....

But then......I thought.......wouldn't they make a great quilt???

The last time I posted on this I had only sewn 16 blocks.  It has now grown into

36 - 8 1/2 inch blocks. The overall measurement is about 48" x 48".

It's decision time.....how big should it be??  Making these blocks with

such small tiny bits and pieces can be like putting a puzzle together and at times

slow...tedious...and time consuming, BUT ohhhh so

worth the effort!

Enjoy the close ups of some of my favorite blocks

Yep.....I know......them there's a lot of seams!

Feeling Better

Hello all my quilty buddies!!!  Just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and kicking, but I must say I have been SICK SICK SICK!!!  Yes, I have a nasty virus I just can't seem to shake.  I thought I was on my way to shaking it until this last weekend, a slight relapse grabbed me, but it seems more manageable and less severe than it was in the last 3 weeks.

Needless to say, my house is a total wreck, laundry has piled up and Goober is missing his daily walks with  his mama.  I'm behind with you all and my email, so please forgive me until I feel in the mood to carry on with my daily routine.

I'm trying to look at the silver lining in all this, I've lost 14 lbs......YIPPEE!

So, I'll leave you with a photo of the progress I've made on my "MADE FABRIC" top I have been working on for a while. 

It's slowly coming along.  I have 16 blocks so far... measuring 8 1/2" each.

Spider Web Quilt

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y............yes, I finally finished my vintage Victorian style Spider Web. Notice this quilt has 3 paddles or kite shapes instead of the usual 4 we see today in a lot of other Spider Web designs. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this quilt....BUT....let me just tell you, this one is not for the faint of heart!!

LOTS of paper pieced diamonds going on here......
and here...........

MORE papers to deal with. Now you have to tear it all off. (I secretly really truly adore paper piecing !)

I ran out of background fabric. The bottom fabric is the one I ran out of, it was 2 yards worth. I thought "OH NO"....whatever will I do? The quilt is not in a good size/shape to be finished! I was astounded when I dug through my stash and found a fat quarter in the top fabric! Wow, what luck. I determined it was close enough to use. After all, this is a VINTAGE design and isn't that what they did in the old days? Just used what they had on hand. I bet if you clicked on the top photo for a close up you will have a hard time finding where I used the fat quarter pieces.

In the end, after I sewed and sewed Y seams until I thought I would croak I was VERY happy I had used up A LOT of terrible UGLY fabrics that have been hanging around here w-a-y too long.

You can click HERE......HERE.....HERE and HERE for more looks at this quilt style. If you are interested in what all you can do with the diamond shape, go HERE to Kate's Empty Field blog for a look at some fabulous diamond shapes.

Spider Web Quilt

OK.......so I drank the Kool-Aid!! But then again I'm ALWAYS drinking others Kool-Aid from out there in quilty blog land. Especially when it's as good as this!!

I first ran across SUJATA'S kool-aid stand, oh yes, I drank several glasses. Enough for me to get the instructions on this amazing quilt. Sujata did an outstanding job on figuring out all the P's and Q's of this design and shares a fabulous "how-to". I did several sample diamonds trying to get just the right background color. I did one in red....nope, I didn't like that....I had some sort of ugly brown in my stash and thought that would work.....but.....it was pretty gaggy! Nothing spoke to me until I discovered this greenish/grayish color. Yes, at last I could get started.

But before I got started I had to go over and see the kool-aid BARBARA was serving up with this particular design. Of course, Barbara always has the BEST kool-aid on all those oldies but goody vintage quilts and patterns and designs. I JUST LOVE HER BLOG!!! You always come away from her kool-aid stand feeling like you've just drank champagne instead of kool-aid!

Anyone wanting to try this can get the best instructions from both blogs, just click on either or

both of their names above.

I have done about 65 diamonds and have prepped papers for about 70 more.....WOO HOO!! I love how mine is turning out!!!!

Thanks ladies for sharing your kool-aid!!!!

Pincushion

And so I did.........I stopped quilting for a day!

I made this instead!!!!!

My Patty Cake Pincushion was sewn using MORE of my precious little crumbs!

It measures about 7 1/2" round. I had some inspiration here and from my Jan Mullen book Free & Eazy Circles. (thanks Gail for the book) I kind of combined both inspirations together and came up with this. What better time could I have spent? Surrounded by my tiny crummy scraps, using my own made fabric (see previous post), Yo Yos, rick rack some polka dots and a cute little vintage covered button used as a cherry on top?????

QUILTER DOWN!!! QUILTER DOWN!!!

HEY....I may be down, but I'm not out!!!! For some unknown reason something happened to MY BACK last Tuesday!!! OUCH!!! It's been a mystery, but maybe vigorously shaking out those 10 blankets on the back porch may have had something to do with it....???? I'm not able to do much, I'm soooo mad, there are tons of things I need to be doing!!!

SO........I made some of these!!!!!!!

The only place my back feels better is sitting in my sewing chair with the ole heating pad. Not a bad spot to perch whilst I try to mend!!

Out comes my crumb bin! It's time to make some fabric! And boy, do I ever have plenty of crumbs!!! I finally figured out I think the main reason I make quilts is so I can have scraps and crumbs to play with!!! HA! ( no seriously)!

And when I say 'crumbs' I mean CRUMBS!!! I know some of you may think I'm crazy, but I save anything that will hold a seam all the way around and still have 'some'......yes, I said 'some' of the fabric showing. OK ANNIEO stop rolling your eyes!!!

Those 'crumbs' can quickly become larger pieces like these. Before you know it, you have some nice made fabric of your own design!!! LOOK...LOOK how cute they all play together! I usually keep some of these blocks made up, they are great for potholders and such. I make them 8 1/2".

Before you know it you can have THIS!!! If I sew the blocks all together with no sashing this is what I would get. I. LIKE.

This piece of made fabric measures about 25" x 25". I am amazed that alllll those tiny pieces can turn into something that makes my heart sing so!!!!

Mr. Brown Dirt just stood at my design wall and was just mesmerized and in awe of those teeny tiny pieces that were mixed in! He likes it too!!!!

Check out my labels list on my sidebar under CRUMB THERAPY or MAKING FABRIC to read more about my CRUMB THERAPY/FABRIC MAKING.....I've enjoyed 'MAKING FABRIC' since 2008. I think you should try and make some too!!!

..........it's snowing!

I Just Plain Forgot

Shame on me, I've been such a bad quilty blogger and forgot to share some of my past little projects.
Pot pads I made for an 'unannounced' giveaway drawing I had last fall. They turned out w-a-y cute, wish I had made me one too! I ran out of the red/white strip binding fabric and DARN IT I can't find anymore.....wah!

The back showing how I quilted them.

I received this FABULOUS hand crafted Christmas postcard from my friend Julie who blogs over at Joe Tulips Quilts. She sent it to me after I whined and whined that I needed one!! HA! Do any of you know WHY I thought I needed one???? She is SOOOOOOOO crafty and creative. Run over and check out her one of a kind FUN quilts!

And yes the ever so TALENTED Nanette from Freda's Hive sent me this WONDERFUL Missy Christmas Caroler during this past holiday season. I just LOVE her!!!! She is just adorable and I have left her out so I am STILL enjoying her. THANKS NANETTE!!!

I whipped up this house block for Beth over at Love Laugh Quilt blog. A few months back she had all who wanted to participate to sew up a house block, send it in and she picked a winner of all the blocks. DARN, I wasn't the winner!

I used up some of my scraps, strips AND CRUMBS for some great potholders/pot pads to give out for Christmas stocking stuffers and party hostess gifts. I had already given some out before I remembered to take any photos. All of these from tiny pieces that a lot of quilters chunk in the trash.

AND FINALLY I got my letters finished and sewn together for my LONG IN THE TOOTH Halloween quilt that seems to just go on and on!. This is the LONGEST string of letters I have sewn together.

AND A BIG THANK YOU to DONNA at LAVENDER NEST!! She awarded me with THE STYLISH BLOG AWARD....THANKS DONNA!...go here to see who else won.

So there you have it...........who knows, there may be some more I've forgotten!

Crummy Therapy

After I made such an 'episode about my little house reunion quilt (previous 2 posts).....My mind/brain/noggin/the creative side of my head was worn and tired......so, the best kind of therapy I can do is to pull out my crumbs (Quiltville term) and do some mindless sewing.....or another term would be to make fabric. When I pull out my tiny scraps and just start sewing them together it is soooo soothing and relaxing. I can still think on other projects without having to pay too much attention to what I'm sewing. I have my stash categorized into all sizes. My crumbs being at the bottom of the spectrum.....the next size up would be chunks and then strips then strings then 1".....well, you get the picture. I started my crummy therapy/making fabric way back in August 2008.

All those different sizes have their own drawer/bin............I pull out my crumb bin....place it right next to my machine and away I go!!! Most of the time I just reach in and sew up what I have pulled out randomly.

You can sew up these tiny little scraps to any size you want. Sometimes I dig through and sew up all the same color....like the greens above.

You could sew up all reds.......oops......looks like a strip got in there with my crumbs.....that's ok to throw some of those in too.

Maybe you would like the black and whites......

Or maybe you save those little teeny tiny half square triangles 'cause they were just so cute you couldn't throw them away!!

But I think mixing them up all scrappy is a VERY good thing too!

AAaahhhhhh.....I feel sooooo much better after a little crummy therapy......you should try it.....you will feel better too.........and just think about the fun things you can make with that wonderful fabric you made and some of that scrap stash you put to good use.

I'll have a future post on what projects I used my crumbs for......now GO.....isn't it time for your therapy session??

Making Fabric

I dumped out some of my crumbs the other day and sorta played around. Thanks Bonnie for sharing about crumbs. It's amazing how cute your pieces are when they are all sewn up together! I like to call it make fabric. Yes, by sewing all these tiny pieces together you can make fabric! You can design it any way you like by what colors and designs you put together!!

I discovered a way to press these little short seams without needing my bulky iron. Several months back I bought one of those little Clover irons. I also bought the larger pressing attachment but haven't put it on yet. Anyway, in my scraps I found two squares ....one of flannel and the other is that warm and natural batting type. I put the two together and I leave it right here in front of me and when I need to press... my little ironing board is right here handy!! Since I am working with such small pieces my mini ironing board doesn't get in my way.

I just keep the Clover iron right at the side on it's stand and it's very handy when pressing time comes. I have one of those June Taylor pressing/cutting mats, but where I have to put it I have to kind of stretch across to use it and then whatever gets caught on my arm sleeve gets raked off onto the floor and THEN I have to BEND OVER to retrieve it. I decided this was entirely too much activity and movement to be going on around my sewing!! I mean...it's bad enough when I have to go all the way back downstairs to get another cup of coffee!! But then again I have discovered that when I sit too long in my chair and then when I NEED to get up I have difficulty standing or walking very good!! SO..I can't win for losing!!!

Here is some of my made fabric pieces shaping up nicely. I've made some pieces large enough to sew up some potholders but I was thinking about pulling out all the pastels and polka dots and doing a baby size quilt. It's always been fun for me to make something basically out of nothing. See if you can too.....DO YOUR OWN THING!!!! Go 'make fabric'....it's sooo inspiring!!!