Feelin' quilty

You know the feeling you get when you are in a rut?  You mindlessly do the same things, day in and day out. Eventually the things that bring you joy stop doing so.

Enter quilting.  For the past few months, I've been sifting through boxes of nine-patch blocks that I had sewn from old clothing.  I cut up old clothing like jeans and shirts.  Then using my rotary cutter, straight edge and cutting mat I cut the pieces into squares or triangles which I sew into blocks.  

I used to take a lot of joy in upcycling old clothing.  And I've been blessed with a boyfriend who has donated countless shirts and jeans to be snipped up for fabric.  The problem is the colors are limited to masculine colors - I was getting tired of working with navy, blue and white.

Here is a picture of 9 blocks that I've made from old jeans and plaid shirts.  I suspect I have buckets of these blocks.

The time has come to turn these blocks into a quilt, but I rebel against the idea of adding more dull colours...I'm craving brights.  I also rebel against the idea of another quilt made entirely of 9 patches...I want something different.  I mulled over adding sashing, borders, anything I could to jazz up these 9 blocks.

Then I discovered this blog.


The author blogged about this delightful mini-granny square quilt.  I admire anyone who has the stamina to make a KING sized quilt out of 5" blocks....whew!  That is a commitment!!

I plan to turn my largish 9" blocks into even larger granny squares. When complete each block will be about 15" square.  They should stitch up into a quilt in no time!!

I bought this 100% cotton duvet cover from the Sally Ann for $15.  The material is nice quality.  After I wash this cover, I'll snip away the front from the back.  This material will be used for the quilt backing, and possibly cushion covers. 




Always pre-wash your quilting fabrics.  If you are not sure if the colors will bleed, try tyeing fabrics together before throwing the fabric in the washing machine.





A while back, while I was thirsting for bright fabric, I popped by the fabric store.  I splurged on some discounted ends and other delightful fabric.

Behold some of my splurge.

Green!!!!

Hippos and stories!!

Ah!!!  I love the color palette that I found.  Brilliant greens, hippos, stories, and a designer floral print.  I plan to use this stash for a couple of quilts.

1. hippo material will go into a baby quilt for a friend's grandson - I'll have lots left for other projects

2. story fabric will be used as a border for a snuggly bedtime quilt

3.  the green material will be used in several quilts - I'll use small pieces of the bright green material to offset muted navy, red and blue colors.  I'll use the remaining pieces as sashing in a quilt made of bright colors

4. the designer floral material is going to be hoarded until I have enough fabric to make myself a quilt...this is my inspiration 

It's official, I'm a fabric hoarder. :)

happy thrifting everybody