from At Home With Thimbleberries Quilts

 I showed just one of my Thimbleberries books in the last post - I am making Meadow Lily; look back here to see the quilt. 

I sat down yesterday to look at the rest of this book and discovered that counting Meadow Lily, I will have made five quilts from this book, a good indication that it was a good buy. I'm sure I've had the book for 20-25 years; I should check to see if I can figure out something more precise.

 

In the meantime, I thought I would do a bit of reminiscing about the other quilts from this book. 

First, I will share Harvest Mix, a lap quilt that has 'fall' written all over it. I still love the look of this quilt now as much as I did when I made it.

One of the pics in the book has Harvest Mix folded over the back of a sofa and it looks so amazing - I tried to select fabrics that were very close to those Jensen used in hers, in the hopes that I could achieve that perfect cozy feel. 

 

Another quilt featured in this book is Nine Patch Criss Cross; I have actually made this pattern twice. Here's one made with four fabrics, as the pattern is designed.

And below, the same pattern made years earlier in three fabrics. This one has been used and laundered quite a lot. This quilt is special because my late grandma hand-quilted it for me.

And finally, take a look at Yo-Yo Table Topper, a fun little quilt I bring out at Christmas time. 

 

This quilt, too, has been used extensively and has the dripped candle wax to prove it. I don't dare launder it or I will be restitching those yo-yos. 

When a single book can result in 5 quilts there's a good purchase. I wish I could say that about all the books I've purchased. (Are you nodding in agreement??)

When Meadow Lily is finally a flimsy, I will be sure to bring you a finish pic.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Borders On!

I'll just quickly check in to show you the borders I decided on for 9-Patch Criss Cross. This quilt is 100% from my stash, and I think that everything works together pretty well. I finished it up last Wednesday when Sharon was here for sewing.

The 2-inch inner border is a brown Thimbleberries print; the 7-inch outer border is also Thimbleberries. Since the pattern is from a T-berries book, it seems fitting that I used 3 of her fabrics in this quilt.

That's all for today! Tomorrow, I am going to share an Italian pasta recipe. Yum!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Productivity!

I just finished up the center portion of 9-Patch Criss Cross. I like how it turned out; I have to admit that I was a bit fussy about putting this one together. Normally I am not anal about these things, but this quilt has no seams turned under or going the wrong way. If a point got lost in the seam allowance, I picked it out and did it over. For some reason I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. *grin* I did, and it looks pretty darn good both on the front and the back!!

Now I must think about borders. The book calls for a 2.5-inch dark brown border and a 7.5-inch red border (finishes at 2 and 7 inches, respectively). This works for me, so I just need to haul out the fabric bins and do some stash diving. I think I will be able to come up with two fabrics that will suit me.

Off to quilt and watch Olympics!!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

My First 9-Patch Criss Cross

I beg your pardon for a wee "untruth" I told a few posts back. I mentioned that I'd made this pattern once before using 2 fabrics. Well, now that I've taken it out to photograph, I realize that I used 3. (4 if you count the backing) So with that correction out of the way, here is my first go at 9-Patch Criss Cross.

Since I don't have a label on it, I will have to guess at a construction date. I will estimate that I made this in 2002 or 2003. I bought most, if not all, of the fabric from a shop in Wilmington that was going out of business. My grandmother was with me when I bought it. She ended up quilting this for me, too, Can you see her trademark cable down the border? The dark blue looks like a solid, but there is a pattern in there; it's been laundered many times, so it has a well-loved and much-used look to it.

I intend to give this to my son at some point. I put it on his bed after he left for college, but I did not send it to college with him! (I learned a hard lesson when DD took a quilt to college with her!)


I am staying busy with the hand quilting, and since I have not taken my machine to be serviced yet, I am joining rows on my second 9-Patch Criss Cross.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

9-Patch Criss Cross

The sewing has been so satisfying lately. I feel like I'm getting lots of things done, and finally I have begun working on a project that is on my 2012 to-do list.

It bears repeating: whenever I want a fast, easy project, I go with a Thimbleberries pattern. When she was really the "hot" item back in the 90s and 00s, I bought every book she published. And I'm glad I did! Even though I was unable to make a lot of her things when I bought the books, I am now finding that I go to her patterns quite frequently.

The pattern called 9-Patch Criss Cross is from the book At Home With Thimbleberries Quilts.

I actually have made this quilt before; the pattern center calls for 4 fabrics, but I used just 2. The pattern also calls for 2 additional fabrics for the borders, but I have not yet decided how to handle those. My earlier version turned out pretty well in just 2 fabrics, and it went together so fast. I decided it was time to make another one. Here are the fabrics I've pulled from the stash for the quilt center. The blue is a Kansas Troubles fabric; the neutral is by RJR, the red is Thimbleberries, and the gold is a nameless piece with nothing to identify it.

I will be busy today constructing the last of the 9-patch units. I got all the connecting units finished yesterday. Such fun sewing.

I will pull out my earlier version of this pattern and take a pic so you can see it and compare it to this new one. Stay tuned.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Another New Project on the Horizon

I love thinking about what quilt I will make next. There are so many quilts, so many fabrics, and so little time!! I'd like to have a dollar for every time I've thought about that! *ha!*

Here's a gem I want to get started on. It's been in the planning stages for a long time. I think the time is close for beginning it! It's from a book called At Home with Thimbleberries Quilts.

Surprise! Another Thimbleberries pattern! I have actually already made this pattern once. I used just 2 colors and gave it to my son (although it is on the quilt rack upstairs now; I really haven't relinquished total care of it yet!). Here are the fabrics I've selected. They are more in line with what is called for in the directions.

This quilt goes together fast. I remember beginning the first one on a whim late one night and in no time, I had the top completed. Grandma quilted it for me. I will take a picture of it.

Happy Quilting, Friends!