Upcycling

Upcycling is reusing discarded items in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original. Well, I decided to upcycle my "Addicted to Scraps" test blocks by making them into hot pads!  Some of the blocks were only 6.5" so I added a border around the block to bring them up to 9 inches which is a good size for a hot pad.

Although I was not fond of trying to match up triangle points in the Ceiling Fan block from Quiltmaker Jan/Feb 2013, they sure do make cute hot pads. Quilt in the ditch around the center pinwheel and along the border strip, then bind. My hot pads use one layer of Insul-Brite and one batting layer between the backing and top. Some of my earlier hot pads used batting above and below Insul-Brite, but it sure does make a thick sandwich and is a bit hard to bind. Now I use the batting just below the top.  

The little stars baby quilt is finished - binding and all. This was a great way to use up scraps and reminisce about each fabric used in my other quilts. You might say this was another upcycle project, turning scraps into something pretty and useful.

In my effort to resist starting another quilt project (one quilter calls this a quilt diet LOL), I am working on hot pads and tissue holders as small Christmas presents. I am also assembling RSC18 blocks. In my last post I had considered an on-point setting. Nope, not for me. And I really didn't want to make any more blocks. So straight set it will be.  This week I began the process of assembling the sashing and hoping that my cat stops trying to rearrange the blocks before I finish the process.

Do you surf the web and find quilts or blocks that pique your interest? I do it all the time! I need to quit because I have so many quilts on my wish list, more than I could ever make in my lifetime. Last week I found an old Quilt magazine (not sure of the date) and saw the neatest trick in making the Gretchen block. The tutorial can be found "here".  Cath at wombatquilts has a pretty orange and blue version "here".

Are you planning to join thousands of quilters participating in Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune mystery quilt?  I am considering making a small version. The bright crayon colors she announced are ones I keep in my stash anyway, so I am not planning to venture out into other shades. Click on "Good Fortune" to reach her page.

On a higher note, the weather was supremely nice last weekend, so I finally got some time up in my airplane again. My hubby and I spent nearly two hours buzzing around the area and landing at a couple airports I had never visited before. <sigh>  It was awesome to be back up in the air!

Labels and Block Play

What is your favorite part of quilting?  For me, it's piecing and the search for new quilting patterns is my second favorite.  For others it may be the quilting / longarming aspect or possibly binding. This week I indulged in my next fav - LABELS.  I finally found iron-on printable fabric. Eureka!

I used a Word template which divided a sheet into six labels, then added graphics and text boxes. OMG - this was so much fun!  It was hard to believe I had NINE quilts that were not yet labeled. Well, I remedied that.  I also created a couple labels for quilts that will soon be finished.  The Dritz instruction sheet suggested rounding the corners to help the iron-on resist separating. I trimmed the corners, removed the backing, arranged the label on my quilt, covered with a scrap piece of fabric, then ironed atop a piece of wood (normal ironing board is too padded).  It worked like a charm!

If you have experience using this Dritz product, please comment on its colorfastness and adhesiveness.

Other accomplishments:

• Finally finished cutting fabrics for Kevin's clue #3 for his Sapphire Stars mystery quilt. Now I need to sew the wings on those triangles.
  
• Sewed two test blocks from Bonnie Hunter's Sugar Bowl block instructions. She included pressing directions which helped immensely. I would love to see her add pressing tips for her Floribunda pattern. I'm a bit afraid of what mess I will find when I finally get around to assembling my older and newer Floribunda (aka Colorado Sunshine) blocks. Anyway, these Sugar Bowl blocks were so much fun to make. This gives me a THIRD block design to use up my plaid scraps. The other two are a double pinwheel and Bonnie's Moth in the Window block.
  
• Began FMQ on the Super Star baby quilt. My Machinger gloves got lost during our household move (who knows which box they ended up in) so had to go out and buy new ones. I know better than the FMQ without them!  They really help me keep tension on the top layer and move the quilt around.

What are you working on?

Quilting Addiction Fed

I am ignoring the danger of making sample blocks.  In my last post, I acknowledged my addiction to Bonnie Hunter's Garden Party quilt design after making a sample block. But I just had to try some of the quilt blocks from Quiltmaker "Addicted to Scraps" column by Bonnie Hunter. Maybe making the sample blocks is an addiction in itself!

1. Moth in the Window

After Andee made her colorful quilt from this pattern, I finally cut into my collection of plaids. Mixing plaids makes me shudder (slightly OCD?) so if I pursue making a whole quilt, I will highlight the plaids with a complimentary solid and most likely use black sashing. What do you think?

2. Garlic Knots

What a simple yet cute block! If you have made this block, did you assemble the pieces into a 4-patch and nest the seams?  Or did you assemble by row and press open the seams like I did?

3. Ceiling Fan

These feel so tiny!  It was difficult to get good points in the middle, and nesting the seams was a bit problematic.  If you have made this one, how did you get around that problem?

4. Whirly Girly

Gotta love the name because it fits well with my aviation themed blog.  A "whirly girl" is a female helicopter pilot. I fly fixed wing, but am intrigued by the added challenge of a rotor craft.

5. Pinwheel Fancy

Well, I actually didn't sew this one. I'm dying to try this block with my teal stash, just like this reader quilt on page 72 of Quiltmaker Nov/Dec 2015 issue.

And the fun continues!  This next quilt has been on my wish list for a long time. It's from the book "Rotary Riot: 40 Fast and Fabulous Quilts" by Judy Hopkins and Nancy J. Martin, published in 1991.

The blocks are 8 inches, which is larger than you would think, making it easy to get those points right. I wanted to use my plaids for this one, too. Check out my first two blocks:

What have you been sewing lately?