Quilt Projects in Progress

The last 2 tree blocks arrived on Saturday for my Mid-Century Modern Bee swap. 

I then made two more blocks to complete the quilt top. 

I have an idea for quilting. I am thinking of leaf motif in the green blocks

and swirls in the blue blocks. 

I sent this pillow to my niece. 

She had a sweatshirt that I felt was too thick to use in the t-shirt quilt.

I had to add an extra piece of sweatshirt fabric to the top where the neckline was cut.

I wanted to center the logo. 

I sent it off to her and hope she likes it when it arrives. 

Back to work on my New Beginnings Island Batik Project.
Happy quilting!

New Year Quilt Projects

I finished 2016 by sewing together the tree blocks I got from my bee-mates in the Mid-Century Modern Bee in November. One set is in the mail and on it's way. I will add another 2 blocks of my own. I am very pleased with how my concept for this wall hanging turned out. Each member did improv cutting and sewing to create a tree with blue background and one with green background. I have a few quilting motif ideas I am tossing about in my head.

The past year has been wonderful working with the ladies in the Mid-Century Modern Bee. But it is dis-banning. However, one of the members started a new bee called Gridsters. I am looking forward to creating with some of the former members and some new quilters this coming year. In fact, our first block for January's Queen Bee has been requested--a New York Beauty. This is a block I have never made, so I think it will be a bit of a challenge.

I have been busy with projects this new year. 
I began on New Year's Day with the Merry Mayhem Mystery Quilt. This is a free, yearly mystery quilt. It begins at 10 AM EST with the 2nd clue (sewing). The 1st clue is cutting directions given before January 1. Every hour a new clue is posted and we quilters progress with the project. I have participated for 4 years now and have enjoyed each project. Here is the small quilt top I finished this year.

And during the past few days I have been constructing a T-shirt quilt for my niece using her college shirts. She knows it is being made and I have consulted with her on her ideas for finishing and quilting motifs, so I feel fine posting it here. 

What have you been working on this first week of the New Year? 

New Fabric, New Adventure

From Hawthorne Threads, I ordered fabrics by new-to-me designer, Anna Maria Horner. And I think I found some grand fabrics!

December's Queen Bee for the Mid-Century Modern Bee group I belong to, wanted us to make our blocks from Anna Maria Horner fabrics. We have to recreate the block we requested from the members in our month of being Queen Bee. I tried to find any of the fabric within a 50 mile radius of home, but no one carried any. I searched the internet and found Hawthorne Threads, which had good photos and a good selection on their website. (If I couldn't see that fabrics a store 100 miles from me carried, I wasn't going to drive to find out I couldn't use it.)

I might have ordered too many prints, but I needed something that would work as a tree trunk and branches. I found that one print in a fat quarter selection, (top row, third from the left) so I had to order the whole bundle (Honor Roll)! Then I needed fabric for sky and fabric for earth.

I chose the two prints above. I did not know that the blue graphic print was large when I looked on line. In learned that Anna Maria designs large, bold prints. I chose to use the birds on blue from the fat quarter bundle instead of the graphic blue here.

I made the blocks that I had asked the members to make for me using those 3 fabrics. I don't use these types of prints in my quilting, but I was astonished at how pretty they turned out. This photo below might not do justice to them. Each tree block measures 6-1/2" x 12-1/2" unfinished.

I will say that December's Queen Bee pushed me off my regular sewing path to explore a very new adventure in quilting. And that is why we join various sewing groups and bees. 

Have you ever strayed from your comfort zone and found something worth exploring in your quilting journey?