Mystery Quilt Along

Once again, we have decided to take on a new mystery for these last few fall months. It is a quick one, & should be able to be done before the new year (or Sooner).  This 1st month we are just gathering supplies & getting things cut out. Here are your instructions. 

The  original quilt was done with a combination of warm & cool Fabrics, but you could also choose light & darks, Colors & Neutrals. This would also work great with Charm Packs.

SIZE 1: Mini – 20” x 20” - Choose 32 fabrics: 16 Warm, 16 Cool

1/4 yard, fat quarter or scraps of 16 Warm colored fabrics
1/4 yard, fat quarter or scraps of 16 Cool colored fabrics
3/4 yard (24” x 24”) of backing fabric (or pieced!)
3/4 yard (24” x 24”) of batting
1/4 yard binding fabric (95” of binding, total of 3 – 2.5” x 42" strips)
HST Size: 3” unfinished, 2.5” finished

Choose 32 fabrics: 16 Warm, 16 Cool and cut:
32 Warm colored 3 1/2” squares
32 Cool colored 3 1/2” squares
Cut 2 squares from each fabric.


SIZE 2: Baby – 40” x 40” - Choose 50 fabrics: 25 Warm, 25 Cool

1/4 yard, fat quarter or scraps of 25 Warm colored fabrics
1/4 yard, fat quarter or scraps of 25 Cool colored fabrics
1 1/4 yard (44”x44”) of backing fabric (or pieced!)
1 1/4 yard (44”x44”) of batting
1/2 yard binding fabric (175” of binding, total of 5 – 2.5” x 42" strips)
HST size: 4.5” unfinished HST, 4” finished

Choose 50 fabrics: 25 Warm, 25 Cool and cut:
50 Warm colored 5” squares
50 Cool colored 5” squares
Cut 2 squares from each fabric.


SIZE 3: Twin – 65” x 88” - Choose 44 fabrics: 22 Warm, 22 Cool

1/3 yard of 22 Warm colored fabrics
1/3 yard of 22 Cool colored fabrics
4 1/2 yards (69” x 92” ) of backing fabric (or pieced!)
2 5/8 yards (69” x 92”) of batting
5/8” yard binding fabric (320” of binding, total of 8 – 2.5” strips)
HST size: 4.5” unfinished HST, 4” finished

Choose 44 fabrics: 22 Warm, 22 Cool and cut:
176 Warm colored 5” squares
176 Cool colored 5” squares
Cut 8 squares from each fabric.

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Feel free use more or less fabrics than I've indicated, it's up to you and the size of your stash! You can use as many different fabrics as you'd like, the numbers above are just a starting point. This quilt is all about using what you have, the scrappier the better! On the flip side, if you have a smaller stash, you could easily do this with 10 different fabrics, you'd just need to cut more squares from each fabric! Simply keep track of the # of squares you have as you cut, and be sure to only cut squares for one quilt size, unless you're making two quilts! ;)

5- Minute Block Challenge

 We had a wonderful meeting in August & we are sorry for those that missed it! Pictures of quilts shown will be coming  soon, but we decided to a challenge this month to bring in September.  Phyllis showed up the 5 minute block that she had found, & Stephanie is working on putting a raffle for a dear friend.  So we have decided to combine the two. So listen up . . . this is what you need to do:

  Watch this video, teaching you how to make the 5 - minute block, on this you tube video taught by Suzanne McNeill . 

What you need to do & Bring to our September Meeting:  

We have decided to do a scrappy quilt, but your center fabric (the one that is dark blue in the picture above) must white or cream. Anything else can be scrappy, as long as that center fabric is white or cream. We will be making 8 blocks.    You will need to cut your  rectangles  3" wide by  5 1/2" long. 

 Remember 8 Blocks, white or cream as the center fabric.  We are going to combine everyone blocks that are brought to our September meeting, & turn it into a quilt for Stephanie & the raffle they are making for her dear friend that lost her husband.

So get out your sewing gear & get to work! I talked to Illene who already has made hers & she says the longest part, is deciding your fabric.  We can't wait to see what you bring! 

Here is the recipe for those delicious brownies Ilene brought to quilt group in April!

Blonde Brownies with Dark Roots

from Ilene

2 c. brown sugar

2/3 c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

½ c. coconut

1 c. chopped pecans

1 c. chocolate chips

6 oz. cream cheese (cut in small chunks)

Mix together brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients.  Stir in coconut, nuts, choco. chips.  Cut cream cheese into small chunks (about the size of small marble) and carefully fold into dough - - don’t try to mix it in. . . .leave  in chunks.  Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.  (Test with a toothpick- - -it may take a few minutes longer depending on your oven)

March 2012 projects

March was a great month for inspiration! 

Donna shared her quilt top from our mystery block project. We love seeing the results of past exchanges and challenges!

This quilt is made from house blocks we all made for Ilene for her birthday month last year. The tree blocks are paper-pieced. She says this will probably be a table quilt. The simple row of houses on the back makes it just as cute as the top!

Des finished this great modified bento box quilt.

She also brought this cute boy baby quilt made with the cute Ziggy Baby quilt pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew.

Julie made a fun bag from charm squares. She used fusible Peltex on the bottom for stiffness. 

Heidi makes no-sew fleece blankets as thank you gifts for children's teachers. Even little ones can help tie the edges.

Tiffany made this cowboy baby blanket as a gift. She used clip art she found online to make the silhouettes and stitched them to the background fabric with clear thread. 

Darlene used scraps of fabric and old marbles to make necklaces

  Some good tutorials to make these necklaces:
Bead and Knot Fabric Necklace from Skip to my Lou
Fabric Necklace from Amy Butler Designs

This green and black quilt is also from Darlene.

Darlene brought an adorable pinwheel baby quilt top. She used prairie points sewed into the border to create a pretty, touchable border that frames the pinwheels perfectly.

The pinwheels in Darlene's country quilt is made my adding a half-square triangle set to the corner of a large square as you would make a snowball block. 

Denise shared the quilt she made from the block she chose for her birthday month. Shirley did the quilting and Denise added scrappy binding to finish it off. 

Rosemary loved the quilt from March/April 2011 issue of Love of Quilting and was inspired to create a similar quilt.

She used hand-embroidered blocks in place of the center panel and     used bright spring colors for tulip borders. Gorgeous!!!

Sharing: disappearing four patch block

In March, Donna showed us how to make a disappearing four patch block at our quilt meeting.

The first step is to sew four squares of fabric together in a square.

Then cut the square apart by making cuts on each side of the seams at least 1/2 inch from the seams.

Then rearrange the pieces as you like and sew the pieces together to form the final block.

It's a really easy process to create a block that looks like it took a long time to make!

Here is another step-by-step picture tutorial to make this block from Sew Wonderful.

March challenge results: exploding rail fence

In February, Terry showed us how to make the exploding rail fence block. She challenged everyone to try it and to bring samples to the March meeting to show. This block proved to be very versatile with many looks depending on how many rails and the size of strips in the rails. The placement of colors in the block could also completely change the look and pattern as well as how the finished blocks are turned and arranged.

Donna made her rail  pieces completely scrappy and random and varied the width of rails. 

I

Ilene used five strips for each 5-inch square and used 1 1/2 inch strips of fabric. She used a white strip in the center of each rail section and two scrappy strips for the outside rails.

Leann's rail blocks had four 2 1/2 inch strips of fabric with pink always placed on the outside.

The small blocks from Des had three strips with red in the middle and blue on the outsides. The large blocks are made with five strips (2 1/2 inches) with white in the center and dark strips on the outside.

Julie used four strips of different color fabrics in her blocks. The strips are always placed in the same order (yellow, green, white, blue). She arranged the blocks to have opposite colors of "hearts" in the center. When you stand back from this quilt top, the yellow and blue look like circles. 

Heidi's blocks are made from four strips of varying widths and in random order, but she used the same fabrics in each block for a controlled scrappy feel.

Tiffany chose to have just three rails with white always in the middle and two different teal and brown strips on the outside.

Chris is using a jelly roll and sewing four strips together to form her blocks. She alternated orange and teal strips.

Darlene also used four strips that were sewn in the same order (yellow, green, multi, blue) but she ended up with two different blocks because of how she arranged the cut triangles pieces.

Linda used 1 1/2 inch strips and always placed white in the middle with two different prints next and two different solid strips on the outside. 

Linda discovered she could arrange blocks so the solid colors made long strips and created a lattice pattern that resembles sashing.

Rosemary's blocks resulted in different patterns completely. She used four strips in the pink set, but instead of turning the rail pieces at angles to sew them together, she matched the two squares so the strips went the same direction and the same-color strips were matched.

She used five strips for the black and red set and made the rail pieces run the same direction but the color strips are opposite each other. 

This was definitely a fun challange! Thanks Terry. We were amazed at the variety from one block!

February 2012 Meeting

February was a fabulous month for projects and inspiration.  

Teri started us off this month with her patriotic table runner she quilted herself and a pretty throw pillow.

She also brought this rag quilt made in boy colors.

Teri's fall table top quilt has a panel in the center and disappearing 9-patch blocks.

Donna brought two tumbler quilt tops she has been working on and also an organic feeling strip quilt. When Leann quilted this top, she said it reminded her of water so it is quilted in ripples and swirls.

Des worked on baby gifts this month and shared this gift set she made.

Julie quilted this baby boy blanket herself with straight lines.

We love seeing the quilts from exchange blocks and Julie brought the top she put together from the 2011 exchange.

It seems like Julie brings a cute hand bag to our group often. She made this one using charm squares.

We are excited to have Christina join our group! She shared this bright and girly quilt made from jelly roll strips. She said she purchased additional yellow fabric to match.

Rose was the lucky winner of some of the quilt blocks from our local library's quilt contest in January and she already has them put together in a quilt top! 

Darlene brought this beautiful king-sized quilt she calls "buck-eyed beauty." 

DeLene did the quilting on this and it is amazing. This quilt could really be reversed because the back is as stunning as the top!

Darlene had extra blocks from her quilt so we can see better how to make the design.

Thanks everyone for so much inspiration!