2018 Finishes - Zeke Scrappy - #57

I have more Thimbleberries scrap fabric than I know what to do with, especially pieces measuring 2.5 inches.  I was playing around with using up these pieces, and put together this pattern.  This is one of my first designs using no pattern other than what was in my head.  I am calling it Zeke Scrappy.  I will get to why I am calling it later in the post.  

I thought I would be able to put a dent in my scraps, but no avail.  This is one of my favorite quilts I have ever made.  One because I designed it, and two, it's scrappy with my favorite line of fabrics.  There is not much if any duplication in the pieces.  It borderlines on being a postage stamp quilt. 

The size is 65" X 88".  I made it specifically to be a throw for a tall big man.

I chose a scrappy reds for the binding, to bring all the colors of the quilt to a focal point.  

Of course, I chose my favorite 108" backing for this quilt, as it fits the colors and background of all my Thimbleberries fabrics.

Now, the idea behind this quilt comes from a person that came into our lives when my children were in high school.  His parents had just gotten divorced and he was not in a good place, so he spent a lot of time with my children and at our home.  He began to call me mom, and loved being a part of our family.  He went on to do a tour in the military, landed back in the Eastern part of the US, got married to a wonderful woman, and now has a daughter.  One of Facebook's redeeming qualities is that I can keep in contact with these individuals and their growing lives.  This individual, Zeke, commented on one of my FB quilt posts that he buy one of my quilts, as he wanted one.  I replied that I don't sell them, but that I would make him one.

When I sent it to him, I wrote him a note explaining that life gives us lots of scraps that we piece together that makes us whole and what we are today.  Much like a quilt, the fabric can stay in a box all jumbled up and messy, not really being anything useful, but put together it turns into a beautiful thing that is useful, comforting, and warm.  It brings happiness to individuals lives, much like he did in his life.

Therefore, I give you the Zeke Scrappy...

Warmest...

Renee.

Size: 65" x 88"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Black Gold, red, Green, blue

Pattern:  Zeke Scrappy  

Designer: Renee Steele

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began:2018

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Garden Party #55

This is a table runner from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited" for the month of March 2007.  When I am typing these dates, I think wow, that was a long time ago, many years ago.  There is no feeling like getting all of these projects finished.  The baggage of unfinished projects can be heavy and discouraging in our quilting world.

Take this table runner for example,  I put it aside this top as the pattern called for quite a bit of appliqué in and around the center blocks.  I don't really like doing appliqué, so I put it away.  When I set out to finish my UFO's, I told myself that I didn't need to do my projects like the pattern, and could do without the appliqué!  What a feeling of control and freedom.  This project turned out simple and something I really like without the appliqué.  We need to learn to do what we like and what it takes to complete projects.

It is a fairly large table runner, measuring 27" X 52".  I have a table it will fit, but I haven't used it yet.  I'm thinking of using it a gift for a distant friend who really appreciates the work that goes into these projects.  

Also, I had to get creative for the backing.  This is a different color value that Thimbleberries tried (and failed in my humble opinion), but it then cause difficulty in getting a matching or a close to matching fabric to use on the back.  Then, I remembered that during the participation in this program, they sent me two of these kits by a mail mix up, when I called about it they told me I could just keep the second kit for free.  I dug through my bins of kits and found the duplicate, and I had enough to create a backing using two of the fabrics from the front.  Win! Win!  The rest of the kit went into the scrap bin for future scrap quilts.

Warmest...

Size: 27" x 52"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Red, Yellow, Blue, Green

Pattern:  Garden Party (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 03/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

Child's Play Quilt #58

Still working on finishing up kits in the several programs I joined back in the 2000's.  This one comes from a program called "Anniversary Club" Thimbleberries by Lynette Jensen. The kit came in June 2006.   It is in her book, that I have done other kits from this club.  More about past posts can be found here.  

This kit is called Child's Play Quilt.  It will measure 74" X 86".  

This shows all the different pieces that I put together by chain piecing.

This is the lay out of the other different pieces of the quilt.  I cut them all out, and then sew them block by block.

Here is a sample of the layout I use to get the pieces done in chain piecing.  I pair up the half square triangle with the one color and one background.

I have the top finished, ready to go the long arm quilter.  I will get final pictures when it is done.

2018 Finishes - Sugar Pines - #51

This finish is another quilt from the Thimbleberries program called "You're Invited".  It was a kit for the month of July back in 2007.   I believe it is a table topper, but if I had given it more thought, I think it would have been a great Christmas tree skirt.

The piece measures 46" X 46", with four focus blocks that have an embroidered leafless tree in each block.  

I opted to do the embroidery on my domestic machine. using a simple zig-zag stitch.  Once it was quilted, it looked just as nice as if I had done it by hand.

This kit was done in darker Christmas colors and a border with a Christmas flower.

I the binding is done in red and the backing has all the colors of the front of the kit.

Warmest...

Size: 46" x 46"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors: Gold, Green, Red

Pattern:  Sugar Pines (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 07/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Star Blossom - #49

I am working my way through the programs that I have kits from, and this is another one from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited" for April 2007.  It is called "Star Blossom" and is a quilt / table topper.   This one would look nice on a table because of the way the five stars are laid out in the middle.

This has a fall look about it with the colors used in the top.

Just a close up of the star, and the other blocks.  I used a scrappy binding to use up the leftover fabric from the top.

I have used this backing on several of my Thimbleberries quilts, as it has the colors of most of Lynette's color palette, and it comes in a 108" width, making it an easy go to fabric for a lot of these quilt kits.  

Size: 42" x 42"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Black Gold, red, Green

Pattern:  Star Blossom (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 04/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Fresh As A Daisy - #47

Another square quilt / table topper from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited".  This is called Fresh A Daisy for February 2007.  

This has nine blocks with each one appliquéd in the center of a daisy using blue and pink fabric.  I machined on the appliqué design using a blanket stitch on my domestic machine.  Each appliqué is done on the same background fabric, and then each block is framed with the same fabric from the fabric used as the petals or from the borders.

This is one of only a few quilts that I have done that have different fabrics for one border.  Gives a whole different look to a quilt.  I really like it for this quilt.  Gives it a whimsical look.

Close up of a couple of the daisies and the framing.

The binding was done in yellow, matching the small inner border, tying it all together quite nice.

I had several strips leftover from the petals, frames and borders, so I stitched them together for the backing.   I was still short, so I found some fabric that had all the colors in this quilt top, and stitched it to the top and bottom of the backing.  It now is a double sided quilt with a different pattern on the front and the back.  

Warmest...

Size: 56" x 56"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Pastel blue, pink, yellow

Pattern:  Fresh As A Daisy (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 02/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Party Pumpkins - #50

I don't celebrate Halloween, but I do like the fall decorations, and this is perfect for those who like fall and Halloween.  

This is another quilt (more like a wall hanging or a table top covering) from the "You're Invited" program club of 2006 - 2007.  This one is from June 2007.  It is another one that I did the top and left the borders, quilting, and binding for later.  That later came this year.  I am trying to take each of these programs that I signed up for and had the tops started and get them completed.  Since this was over ten years ago, and my tastes have changed, if I haven't done the top and don't like the quit, I have taken the kit apart and put the fabric in the Thimbleberries scrap bin.  I really would like to work on scrap quilts rather than a kit I no longer care about.

This quilt has appliquéd blocks at the top and bottom of the center of the quilt and a strip brick center of various fall colored prints.  The pumpkins and moon pieces are machined sewn with a blanket stitch I have on my Huskvana Quilt Designer sewing machine.  That was the only machine I owned until I got hooked on Vintage Sewing machines.  I will be blogging about them more later this year.

Again, this is more of a wall hanging / table topper as is is only 48" X 52"  

The border has a triangle flying geese as its first border, and then a matching strip border that matches the dark triangles.  

I wish I had gone with a darker backing to go with better with the front colors, but it matches the triangles from the border, so all is well.  At least the binding is dark and a matching fall color with the front fabrics.

Warmest...

Size: 48" x 52"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Black Gold, Orange, Green

Pattern:  Party Pumpkins (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 06/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - TB Frizzle Frazzle - #46

This is a quilt top that I finished all except the borders, back in 2006 or 2007.  My memory gets a little fuzzy about projects, mostly because I didn't start tracking in writing about what I was working on until around 2012 when I started this blog.

This is another yearly program, where you get a kit a month, by Thimbleberries called, "You're Invited", and this kit is for June, 2006.

This quilt is made with flannels and homespun plaids.  The two plaid prints that are the square in a square sewn on top of the flannel square.  I used a zig zag to stitch on these squares leaving the raw edges exposed. All I had to do to finish it this year was to add the borders, find a close matching backing, get it quilted, and get it bound.

I gave this quilt to my husband to use in the mornings during the winter, while the house is warming up.  He drinks coffee and has a bite of breakfast before going to work and wanted something that was warm but not heavy.  This quilt is only the flannel top and a flannel back, with no batting in the middle.  He said it works perfect for him.  It is also long enough for his 6'1" frame, so his feet are covered too!

Here is a close up of the homespun square in a square patches on the flannel blocks.  

This is a close up of the flannel borders used in this quilt, and I used the backing flannel for the binding.

Here is a better picture of the binding of the backing that was used for this quilt.  This is the quilt that I wanted to use #45's quilt top for it's backing, but the #45 quilt was way smaller, and ended up not working as a backing, so that is why I went ahead and made #45 "Campfire".  The backing is by Wool & Needle Flannels by Primative Gatherings, as I had to get a close matching backing, as it is 12 years later that I get this one out to finish.  

My long arm quilter used an all over stipple to do this quilt, and she stippled over the appliquéd square in a square blocks, which will help with the fraying and holding it down better.

Warmest

Size: 68" x 81"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries Flannel

Colors:  Red, Green Gold, Brown

Pattern:  Frizzle Frazzle (Lynette"s "You're Invited" 05/06)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2006

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Campfire - #45

This is a quilt kit from the yearly program that Main Street Cotton Shoppe (no longer open). This program ran during the year 2007.  The program was called Lynette's Favorites, and this kit was for the month of June, 2007.  There were at least two programs that ran that year by this quilt shop, as the shop was Lynette Jensen's home base promoting her many lines of Thimbleberries fabrics.

I have to be honest, I tore into this quilt kit to use the flannel fabric or the completed quilt top for a backing on another flannel quilt kit I finished (See the next blog post for #46).   But, alas, this quilt kit had too little fabric to fit the other quilt, so I ended up going ahead and making this quilt and getting flannel backing for each one.  

The fabrics used in this quilt were all flannels, with the center piece being sorta a panel depicting a winter town scene.  True to Lynette's design, she has a tree block in the bottom row of this quilt.  She uses this design in many of her quilt patterns.

This was a simple and fairly easy quilt to sew together.  It went together fast, with little to no fitting of blocks.  Quality flannel is a dream to sew on, I just don't to chose to buy it or use it on a regular basis.

This is a close up of the winter scene in the middle of the quilt.  

I didn't opt to buy the backing of this program kits, so I had to sorta improvise, and I ended up using a red on red flannel by Maywood Studios.  

Because flannel is warm and heavier than cotton, I did not use any batting, and had it just quilted together.  Feels wonderful in the weight of the quilt.

Finally, this is a close up of the borders, quilting, and binding.

Warmest...

Size: 55" x 76 "

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries Flannel

Colors:  Red, Green Gold

Pattern:  Campfire (Lynette"s Favorites 06/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2018

Year Completed: 2018

2016 Finishes - Thimbleberries Poinsettia - #22

This is a square quilt from the Thimbleberries Room by Room, for the month of April, 2008.  It came early in the program, so one could get it done for Christmas, as this is called Poinsettia.  It has four poinsettia blocks in this quilt.  

It looks smaller than it really is, as it is 50" by 50".  I thought about cutting a slit in-between two of the blocks, and binding it with some of the left over binding fabric.  This way it could be used for a tree skirt around the Christmas tree.  We'll see. Maybe. Not sure.  

Up close view of the poinsettia blocks, all made with half square triangles.  Super easy to make.

Up close of the simple borders and binding.

Once again, the backing is done with a tone on tone beige.

Warmest...

Size: 50" X 50"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Pattern: Room By Room (04/08) Poinsettia

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Logan Nelson

Year Began: 2008

Year Completed: 09/2016

2016 Finished Quilts - Thimbleberries Garden Glory - #21

I am kinda all over the place with the multiple programs I participated in over the years.  There are a total of 102, plus or minus, projects to work on at any given time.  So, I have been skipping around choosing the projects I want to work on, moree based on what is my favorites.  

This quilt comes from the program called Room by Room, during the year of 2008.   More Specific this was a kit for the month of May.  The name of the quilt is called Garden Glory.  

I made this quilt right after I was laid off from my job of 7 years, during the downturn of the economy.  It was one of the first projects I worked on during this dark time of my life.  I got the top done, and since I wasn't doing quilting on my domestic machine, I put it aside until late last year.  I pulled out the top and added the borders and sent it off to the long armer.  

This is one of my favorites, mostly because it is a happy quilt, with good colors.  And, it is not a square quilt, so I will fit on a twin bed, measuring 63" X 77".  Sad, because I don't have a twin bed to put it on right now.  I have dreams of owning a cabin, and putting my quilts on lots of beds.  That's a big dream, and just a dream.

Forgive the shadow of the ladder prop, but the rest of the picture shows the pattern blocks in this quilt.  I really like the big floral squares in this quilt.  The print makes me smile.

Here is a close up of the borders and binding.  I always like the way Thimbleberries patterns for borders, they are often different with cornerstones, or different colors, or patterned blocks.

Just like the front of the quilt, the backing is light also.  It is a tone on tone beige, very common for Thimbleberries quilt backings, and background fabric.  Binding is a yellow tone on tone, and it makes the completion of the quilt just perfect.

Warmest...

Size: 63" X 77"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Pattern: Thimbleberries Club Room by Room 05/08

Designer:  Lynette Jenson

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Logan Nelson

Year Began: 05/2008

Year Completed: 09/2016