Land of the Free

I got a few more blocks made last weekend. I'm pretty happy with the way they are turning out.

I'm setting them aside for awhile and working on a few different UFO's.

I decided I really wanted to add more quilting to the cheddar squares to make it more like the original. Can you see the difference? I really am done with it now!! LOL

New Quilt Books- New Projects

This is a book that's new to me. I'm taking a class with the author soon and thought it would be nice to read up a little. I love it! Tonye has been inspired by Gwen Marston and it shows.
I love this little swirl! You can see more of her talent at this website.

Alright, Alright, I know I just showed you this book, but I had to show it again. What a wonderful treat to spend some time looking through it. I ordered mine through The Country Loft, but I know many online quilt shops are stocking it. Crazy quilts aren't new, and wool quilts aren't new, but this book puts the two together combined with some great folksy applique patterns and some charming stitches to come up with a new twist!


Here's a sneak peak at a few of the patterns and stitching ideas.

Here's my humble start. I'm hoping to get it basted today. I have one stitch in!!!

If you would like to join in the fun follow the link to the Wool Crazy Sew Along in the upper right of my blog.

Cheddar Cheese and Crackers

I put the final stitches in the binding Saturday night!! Woo-Hoo!


I wish I would have made the stitching a little closer on the cheddar squares. Bea did hers like the original and I like it a lot. I can still add stitches if I really feel the need. My diagonal stitches are down each row which turns out to be about 3/4" apart.
This block is really washed out from the flash, but I wanted to show you a bit of close up. My stitches are humble and so are my seams. Does it really detract from the whole quilt? I don't think so. So, don't worry if it's not perfect. I noticed how "off" it was while hand quilting. Mine are not, and will not ever be perfect. But I love the quilts just the same.
My hand quilting did improve by the end of the quilt. Give it a try you may like it!

I know you all have your own way of doing things and that is what is great about quilting. There are several ways to achieve the same end. But I wanted to throw in my 2 cents on binding doll quilts.
A lot of times I fold over the backing and hand sew it to the front. These quilts will not be tugged and pulled or fought over and the binding does not have to withstand bed use and lots of washing. So, pull the backing out of the way, trim your batting, then trim the backing to make your binding.
I didn't happen to have enough backing to pull around, so the second best is a single binding. Again, it doesn't have to withstand any abuse. I cut my strip 1 1/2" wide. I wish I would have cut it 1 1/4" because I had thin batting. (as a side note, I only had Hobbs 80/20 and was thicker then I wanted it to be so I took off a layer! I love it!) So I cut my binding the length I need, then press 1/4". If I press before sewing it on then I don't have to fold it under as I'm handsewing.


Would everyone else like to see the other Cheddar Cheese and Crackers quilts? I thought about adding a linky thing here the first week of February so you can post the link to YOUR CC&C quilt. Good idea?

Vicksburg BOM

I finished the little cherry wreath of the Vicksburg BOM. I took a bit of liberty making my version. It seems like I am cutting my pieces just a tad too large, then I have a hard time getting everything to fit. I eliminated about 1/2 of the leaves on this block and I think it will be OK with the rest of the blocks.

I got my Wool Crazy book in the mail today!! I can't wait to get a chance to sit down and look through it.
It's a beautiful sunny day here for a change. It is really refreshing!!

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. Football tomorrow!!

Land of the Free

I finally got back to these wonderful blocks! I had the eagle done and finished the wreath this week.

I've been working hard in the evenings trying to get Cheddar Cheese and Crackers quilted. I am quilting it like the original (maybe a wee bit tipsy looking) and the lines are 3/4" apart! It's a darn good thing the quiltlet isn't any larger. I'm almost ready to start on the cheddar squares. I was hoping to get it quilted before the weekend but I don't think it is going to happen.

I've put away my Dear Jane quilt for now but I made a little progress on the triangles so that is good.
As soon as I'm done with CC&C I'll be back to my Vicksburg BOM. The leaves are left and they should go pretty fast.

So, that's what I've been up to this week. Since it's down to the final 2 games I may have to watch some football this weekend so I can look a little smart for our Superbowl party! LOL

Have a great week!

Necessary Bundles

I think the name for this pattern is so cute. It's called Necessary bundle by
Primitive Pieces by Lynda. I'm not sure how "necessary" they are but they were sure fun to make!

I made a sample for me so I'd be familiar with the construction. The bag on the left opens at the top and fits a quilting book perfectly. The 3 cotton pieces are pockets on the front. I did the applique in wool.
That is a little sewing rollup on the right.

Here is the roll up opened. There is a pocket at the top and little pockets at the bottom right above the year.

Here are the two pattern/book bags I made for a shop sample. The little one will hold patterns and whatever else you might be toting along.

These were fun to make! If you have the pattern I suggest appliqueing before sewing the front and back together.

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Many of you know that I have done a few little quilts for The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. It's a great cause and I like that they are very transparent with the money they raise. 2 of my quilts were in the auction that ended on the 10th. I received a wonderful touching email from Sue, who bid and won one of my quilts. She gave me permission to reprint that here:

Dear Lori,

I am the winning bidder on your AAQI quilt.

I just wanted to say a very big thanks for making this quilt which I know I am going to love when it arrives from the USA.
I am a quilter and former quilt shop owner . My husband Dick has suffered with early onset Dementia since the age of 52 and now at the age of 64 has been in a nursing home for the past 2 years.

It is a wonderful thing that people are acknowledging what a devastating illness Alzheimer's is. I have been robbed of my husband and those dreams we had for our retirement.

I am going to Paducah in the spring and hope to buy wool for some projects. It is not something that is popular or readily available here in the UK. Quilting has kept me sane when the rest of my life was falling apart.

A small quilt (9"x12") donated to AAQI is a big thing! Will you commit to making one quilt this year? Ami wants to bring 1000 to sell to Houston this year and needs more quilts! She is also looking for themed quilts to travel the country to raise awareness of Alzheimer's. You don't have to wait for an auction to purchase a quilt and support this cause. You can find many right now for sale. If you need more information the AAQI website is loaded.

We can find a cure for this devastating disease and give people like Sue and her husband hope for the future when they get the diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

HBO did a series called The Alzheimer's Project. If you are at all interested in personal stories and the science of Alzheimer's I would highly recommend it. It is available through Netflix and many libraries.

Cheddar Cheese & Crackers Finale

Are you ready to make some little 4 patches? And turn them into a 16 patch?


With the printed fabric you already used cut a 1 1/2" x 6 and a little strip. You need exactly 6" but I like to give myself a little extra. I cut one long 1 1/2" strip of shirting and sewed away. You see some of my printed fabrics I used 3". I tried to use up small pieces. Some I even used a 1 1/2" square. You will need two 4 patches of each color.

Lay them out on your wall watching the color placement. Assemble your four 4 patches to make a 16 patch block. Isn't it cute?! Continue until all 16 patches are made.

Assemble, pressing as you go. I pressed how the seams wanted to fall naturally.

According to EQ it should finish at 24" but mine measures 25 unfinished. It should be somewhere in that ballpark.

If you want take a look at the original quilt again for quilting ideas. I noticed the cheddar blocks are quilted in a cross hatch and the prints and shirtings are quilted only on the diagonal. I like it!

If you want to make a larger size quilt and would like larger blocks here are a few measurements.

For an 8" Cheddar & Cracker block cut your center cheddar 6 1/8", your squares 2 1/2", and the squares to cut in half 2 7/8". For the side triangles you would cut a square 9 1/4", then slice on the diagonal twice for 4 triangles.

For a 6" block: 4 3/4" squares for cheddar, 2" squares, 2 3/8" squares to cut into triangles. For the side triangles cut a square 7 1/4", then slice twice.

If you want another size feel free to ask. It is pretty easy to change the sizes in EQ and give you the measurements.

Have fun!!

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

Hubby picked up FIL and they watched 6+hours of football today. That meant I was able to get in a lot of sewing time. Woo-Hoo!!

I got this top designed by Lynda finished! That's all I want to say about that!!

I'll have to do a bit of clean up then onto the next project for the quilt shop. I'm making a sample for myself first and I'm looking forward to it.

Because step 2 on the Cheddar Cheese quilt was easy, what do you think about me posting the final part earlier then Friday? I've already seen some quilt tops done!! I can't wait to see more. I'm hoping to get mine basted this week.

Cheddar Cheese & Crackers Part 2

It looks like this will only be 3 parts. This part doesn't have a lot of sewing, but you will need to layout your blocks to get the printed fabric in the right place.

If you would like to make a large quilt, next week I'll post a few different block sizes so you can do that.

If you have left a comment and are on "no reply" I cannot respond to your question. Email me and I'll tell you how to change your settings. I think blogging is much more interactive when we can email directly. (hint- hint- Nyla)

Onto Cheddar Cheese and Crackers.....

If you haven't done so already cut 3- 5 1/4" squares from the cheddar fabric. Cut them twice on the diagonal to make 12 triangles triangles total. These will be your outside edges.

Lay out your blocks and again, you'll need to match up printed fabric triangles that are across from each other and squares that connect. You'll get to use the last 4 colored prints on the corners.

When attaching the pieced triangle to the cheddar line up the pieces at the bottom. Press away from the cheddar piece. (I edited the pressing- sorry)
Almost done. How are you liking it? The more I piece, the more I love it!!!

2010 Starts With a Bang!

I really wanted to be able to show you something I'm working on but I've been getting caught up on things I've put aside during the holidays. I've been to the dentist, made my yearly mammo appt, called the accountant, closed out the business year, washed sheets now that son has gone back to college, cleaned his bathroom......OK- you get the picture... I hope to have something of my own to show you later this week along with the next step of Cheddar Cheese and Crackers.

For now I'll leave you with a couple of charming vintage doll quilts.