Quilting Motifs - Inspiration from Winter Nature

We had a lot of rain and dampness yesterday, and this morning the temperature was back below freezing. Besides the car doors being frozen shut, there were some wonderful ice patterns on the car.

I think this one was my favorite. The photos really don't do the ice crystals justice, but I did play with the photo a bit and I think the second one shows a bit more of the pattern.

Wouldn't this make a wonderful quilting motif on a quilt?

English Paper Pieced Hexagons : Landscape #1

I've started putting together some of my hexagons to make a hexi landscape quilt, if such a name actually exists. The idea started with the summer challenge my local quilt guild was having. In case you haven't notice, being January, I kind of missed the Sept 2013 deadline for the summer challenge.

So first, I wanted some pink flamingoes with their toes in the grass and water:

I also made a couple of hexagon flowers, each center has a ladybug fabric. The pink flamingoes are 2" hexagons.

Then I wanted some larger hexagon flowers,

again 2" hexagons, and I got my butterflies and dragonflies.  I'm thinking of using a white on white fabric above the water, and below the sky fabric.

And finally, I have another 5 hexagon flowers, all made from 5" charm squares I had laying around. It's my way of learning English Paper Piecing (EPP) and stash busting at the same time.

I still have more hexagon flowers to make. And someplace I had put together a grouping of hexagons with fish, coy fish and gold fish, to put in the water with the pink flamingoes, but alas, I can't find these. I worry that I dropped them in one of my EPPing in public, at the doctors or some other place.

Have you ever lost some of the EPPs that you were working on? Did they later turn up, or were they gone forever?

This is my first post in the

in hand epp link party

so check it out, and see some other people's English Paper Piecing progress.

2014 Is the Year to Work on UFO's

January is the time of year we all make resolutions that we tend to forget later in the year.

This year I want to make a serious dent in my pile of UFO's - UnFinished Objects : quilt blocks, quilt tops, and quilts.

Right now I have 

1. a big pile of quilt tops that need to be quilted and bound
2. a pile to quilt tops that need borders to be finished tops
3. a pile of started quilt projects, many almost complete
4. a pile of just started quilt projects
5. a pile of quilt ideas

I need to start with a quilt from #1 - a quilt top that needs to be quilted and bound and start machine quilting.

Maybe I need to make a list of projects in each of the above categories, and pick one to work on this month.

Are you working on finishing a UFO?  

Garden Path Quilt in Floral Fabrics- Fujita Maze from McCall's Quilting Magazine.

Because I loved this pattern "fujita maze" by Susan Guzman which appeared in the March/April 2013 McCall's Quilting, I just had to make a second quilt using totally different fabrics. My first bed quilt top with this pattern was using Japanese Taupe fabrics. (Fujita Maze using Japanese Taupe Fabrics)

Using a green fabric for my maze, and some bright floral FQs and yardage I had in my stash, here is my second quilt (5 x 6 = 30 14" blocks). I'm still wondering what I shall use for my border fabric.

Fast blocks from Fat Quarters: St. Louis 16-Patch

I recently found out about the St. Louis 16-patch quilt block that makes up into a wonderful looking quilt. And it's super easy to make from fat quarters. By using a 4" finished block, you end up with a 16" finished 16-patch (4 x 4), or 16 1/2" square unfinished.

From each FQ, cut 4 strips 4 1/2 " x 18" - which should be the width of the FQ. Sew 2 strip sets 1-2-1-2. Then subcut each stripset at 4 1/2" intervals (4 x 4 1/2 = 18" - perfect, no waste),  sew back together to make the 16-patch! This 16" finished block only takes 6 seams!

And you get 2 identical blocks from each pair of FQ. Use these in the same large quilt, or if making lap sized quilts, use 6 or 8 different blocks.

I still don't now if I want sashing between the blocks. I think I saw a Kaffe quilt using this pattern with no sashing, but others had put sashing and it gives it a different look. And for a bed sized quilt, you can put the blocks on point! So many design options!  And what a great way to use up those ugly FQ that have been sitting in your collection forever!

My first win from a blog! Grandma's Lawn Chair Pattern

I recently entered the blog contest on the   Amateur Quilter blog and I just found out I won!

First, I get this wonderful pattern by Diane Bohn:

Here are links to the pattern in case you want to buy your own copy:

Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/project/view/grandmas-lawn-chair---baby-size-quilt/128241

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/162213292/grandmas-lawn-chair-quilt-pattern-3

And I won a pile of fabrics : 

I never win anything in any contest, so this was just so amazing!

Now I need to look at the pattern and see what fabrics I can use to make this wonderful looking quilt.

Latest in Hexagon Going On's

While I was at my retreat at Shaker Meadows in Upstate NY with the quiltguys, I did some work with my English Paper Piecing Hexagons.

I'm hoping to get my first modern style quilt using these hexagons put together over the winter. I have the hexagons picked out, and the background fabrics, now to finish sewing the hexagons together and to applique to the background.