Chain Link Quilt

yesterday I finished sewing together the main part of my huge epic millefiori quilt. Then I folded it up and set it aside so that I could work on something a little less overwhelming. 

I have about five works in progress folded up in my closet, so I perused the stack and pulled out a couple that needed borders.

I felt like working on something with happy, summery colors and which wasn't too large, so I chose this one I had started a few years ago at one of our quilt retreat at Shekinah.

this morning when I started on it, it didn't have the wide white outer border yet.

the body of the quilt was quite a lot of fun to make. I started with two packages of those mini charm packs that have 42 2-1/2 inch squares in them, a stack of fat quarters from the shot cotton line by Westminster and a couple meters of white fabric.

basically I pieced together rectangles of three little squares and sewed a border around them with a solid color.  (in case you're interested in the math, the pieced rectangles measured 2.5" x 6.5" when they were sewn together.  The side rectangles of solid measured 2" x 6.5".  the top and bottom rectangles of solid fabric measured 2" x 5.5".  so, I completed Brick measured 5.5 x 9.5")

after that, I cut out quite a few 5.5" x 9.5" rectangles of white fabric.

I laid them out on the floor in quite a few different pattern combinations and decided that I needed a few extra pieced "bricks" to play with.  I was many miles from the quilt store, and had no yardage of the patterned fabric line with me, so I just used white centers.

when I was happy with the layout of the colored bricks I just filled in the background with the right number of white rectangles and half rectangles for the top and bottom of the staggered rows.

this morning I added a 5 inch border of solid white and then strip pieced some 2 inch strips of white and colored fabric for the little pieced squares border.   later I hope to sew on the pieced border and then perhaps add another white strip around the whole thing.  i'm not sure if I have enough of any fabric on hand here for the backing, so I might need to go shopping before I baste and quilt it.  there's a lot of white background in this one. I'm a little, well, a lot puzzled about how I'm going to quilt it.

hope you're having a great weekend, and that your Sunday is filled with pretty summery colors too!

Mini Charm Pack Idea

If you're like me, you find those little mini charm packs irresistible.

 42 little 2-1/2" squares, all stacked in a neat little pack...

I always have an eye out for what to do with them, and I just saw a great project on the moda Bake Shop blog: here
I especially like the cushion on the left, it would be easy to make it into a baby quilt:

you can press on the link above to take you to the directions,
Actually, I really like the one on the right too....

One mini charm pack table runner

I finished the table runner that I mentioned a couple days ago. I wish I could come up with a better name for it, maybe something like floating squares. Anyway, it's composed from one many charm pack and a background fabric.

And the big news is that not only did I finish the table runner, but I have written up the Pattern for it. :)

That's the pattern right there,

This afternoon I'll be taking it to Staples and getting lots of copies made. You can get one for the low price of one dollar.

Oh yes, another thing is if you get three mini charm packs you can make three sections and sew them together for a really cute little baby quilt that would measure about 42" x 50". Yay.

It was so sunny this morning when I got up, and I saw this vase of delphiniums that I cut yesterday from the garden and they look so pretty in the light.

Mini charm squares

I'm not sure if you've noticed this new type of precut lately. They're called Mini charm packs and each square measures only 2.5" x 2.5"

There are still I think 40 in each pack like a regular size of a charm pack. They are so cute. And each one costs just a little more than one fat quarter.  Many times, people say, "what do you do with them."

This is a good question, and so I have put my mind to what to use for. Actually we do have one table topper displayed with our selection of mini charms: Jen sewed it up a little while ago. She used four patches and set them with some setting triangles and it makes a pretty nice sized piece.

I brought a few packs home last night to try to play with and figure out another option of what to do with them.

 I have one pack of "Comma" and two packs of "Sunnyside".  

I think part of the challenge will be to find a way to add a background fabric that will contrast with the whole range of light and dark fabrics in the charm pack.

I'm not sure if I'll have to take out some of the squares or whether I can use the whole pack in one project. I think I will revisit a table runner that I sewed last year, if you can guess which one that was!

On another note, I am still working away at my propeller blocks. Just about ready to sew them into four patches.

I hope you're having a great weekend, it's a bit chilly this morning here out in Asquith, but that's okay I'm going to sew.