OMG October Finish - Herringbone Baby Quilt Replacement

My One Monthly Goal finish for October is the repeat of a baby quilt I first did in 2017. You can read about the original post here and the reason for the repeat here, but basically the owner lost her baby quilt and wanted a replacement.

The original quilt looks very similar to the replacement, as you can see from the two pictures below. The difference in the blues is simply due to different lighting - cloudy in one and sunny in the other.

Original 2017 quilt

2018 replacement quilt

I was unable to find a few of the original fabrics, but I actually like the new
quilt fabrics just as well as the originals. I hope the owner does too!

I did more quilting on this one. I started with "in the ditch" quilting
and as always was amazed at how much easier it looks than it is to do. Then
I added a criss-cross pattern, which gave the quilt more texture.

The binding was the same fabric I used as part of the pieced back.

Fabrics used:

Blocks:
Serenity by Amy Ellis for Moda
Meow or Never Tomcat Grey, by Erin Michael for Moda
White with multi-colored mini triangles and light aqua with white polka dot, both from Hobby Lobby
Grunge in Cream (I think - lost the label!), by Sweetwater for Moda

Backing: Meow or Never Playthings in milk, by Erin Michael for Moda

Binding: Light aqua with white polka dots from Hobby Lobby

I am linking to Elm Street Quilts October OMG October Finish.

Antique Quilt Revival

This morning we visited an antique store near our town, and I found this treasure. It was folded and stuffed into a small box and labeled "$25.00". I had my husband and sister-in-law hold it up while I inspected it, and although there were several tears and frays, I found no major damage. I've long wanted to restore an old quilt, and at that price, what did I have to lose?

The quilt measures approximately 68" X 84". Although the quilting is sporadic and uneven, it is hand quilted, generally in a diagonal pattern. The blocks are strip pieced, about 7" by 10". The binding appears to be a "fold-over" of the backing, and the two vertical sides have a wide border of green print. I'm already thinking I might cut off part of the green print and use it for the top and bottom to make an all-around border. The backing really needs to be replaced, but I don't want to undo all the former owner's hand quilting!

I wish I had the history of this quilt, as I am already very attached to it. There is a slight perfume-y scent to it, no mildew or "old" smell at all. There are several good articles online about restoration, and I may take it to my LQS for advice.

The kitties love it already.

If you have any advice about repairing old quilts, please share it!

OMG for October - Herringbone Baby Quilt Repeat

This month I'm working on a "repeat" quilt. This quilt was first made in May 2017, when my great niece asked me to make a baby quilt to gift to a friend. However, her friend recently lost the quilt while she was visiting a zoo! My great niece said her friend was heartbroken and asked if I could attempt to recreate it. Fortunately I still had some of the original fabrics, so away I went!

As I described in this post, I used the tutorial by Jenny of Missouri Star Quilt Company and made HSTs galore. I had to change a few fabrics, but overall the colors and placement will be as true to the original as I can get.

Here is the original quilt. Now that I've sewn the HSTs together in strips, I am ready to sew the strips together. I keep getting interrupted by life! But I intend to finish this quilt in the next 10 days (fingers crossed), so I can move on to Christmas sewing!

To challenge myself, I am linking to Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal.

Autumn Sky Crocheted Scarf

Just in time for winter (ha-ha it's 85 degrees outside!) is this crocheted winter scarf. It finished at a hefty 10"x64", almost qualifying it as a shawl! I think it will look great with boots and jeans.

In 2012 I purchased 3 skeins of Yarn Bee Aurora Borealis Mustang Twist. I loved the variegated colors but had trouble deciding on a pattern, so I hoarded stored it. I recently reorganized and purged my yarns, selling many skeins on eBay and giving a few to Goodwill. Fortunately these 3 skeins did not sell, and after my success with another crochet project, I found a pattern that would showcase the puddles of rust in my favorite turquoise.

I employed a new-to-me "moss stitch", which is a series of simple single crochet followed by a chain stitch. This was an easy, mindless stitch, which enabled me to watch television while crocheting!

I can't wait for the first cool nights of autumn!

Vintage Market Table Runner

This little table runner has been a "sandwich" on my design board for a couple of months, and this week I finally quilted and bound it.

It is a simple block pattern with a tiny border and complements my kitchen, which has my favorite combo of aqua with red touches.

The runner brightens our dark table and emphasizes the napkin holder my DIY hubby made for me.

The back is pieced with Tasha Noel fabrics.

I love the detail on this Vintage Market fabric!

Binding detail - I used a Christmas fabric!

Block and quilting detail. I quilted "in the ditch" and "organic" circles.


Now I want to plan fall and Christmas table runners in different styles!

Fabrics used:

• Vintage Market by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake
• Light aqua blue with white polka dot from Hobby Lobby
• Freedom by Sweetwater for Moda
• Grunge Hits the Spot in Eggshell
• Gooseberry by Lella Boutique for Moda
• Wing and a Prayer for Timeless Treasures (JT-C 5841) Red on Red Checks
• Binding: Anne of Green Gables Christmas Dot Red

UPDATE:
I am belatedly linking this post to Michelle's "Brag About Your Beauties"

Winter Sunrise Crocheted Scarf

This summer has been a wasteland for my WIP quilts. Either we've been busy with gardening, trips into town (20 miles one-way), house projects, or I've been lazy/unmotivated. So I've turned to doing something at night in front of the TV (we've recently discovered and binge-watched "Poldark"!). I found two skeins of Red Heart Unforgettable in Parrot in Michael's sale bin and crocheted them into a neck scarf for winter.

I found a free pattern online that employed a simple half-double crochet stitch and stitched away. If I had applied myself, I would have finished much more quickly, but I tended to forget about picking it up at night!

The kitties were very helpful while I was trying to photograph the finished product.

I love the texture and feel of this particular yarn and have already ordered a different colorway for another scarf.

Hopefully at some point in the next few weeks I can post a finish on one of my quilts!

I am linking with Crazy Mom Quilts Finish It Up Friday.

Summer Bits and Pieces, Mug Mats, and Garden

L-R - Top: Daughter's mug mat, front and back

L-R - Bottom: Son-in-law's train mug mat, front and back.

The pictures above are of mug mats I made for my daughter and son-in-law. These are pretty much the only projects I've finished this summer! I've been very neglectful of blog posting this summer, mostly because I've been very busy with the garden.

My DIY hubby made a kitty bench for the kitties to perch on and look outside.
I covered it with a flannel cat fabric, and they fight over space on it,
so much that I'm considering having him make another one - lol!

Other than peppers, my garden is pretty much non-producing at this point, but I had a successful first year of a "big-girl" garden. I'll do a post later showing before/after photos of my garden from plowing it to building a pergola to full glory. I already have plans for next spring! I canned tomato sauce, ketchup, salsa, pepper relish, pickled jalapenos, jalapeno jelly, pickles, and wild plum jelly

One day I was shopping while my husband was in a meeting, and I wandered into a Michael's craft store and found some Red Heart "Unforgettable" yarn on sale for $3.99/skein. They only had two skeins of this beautiful variegated and soft yarn called "Parrot", so I decided to make a winter scarf for myself. I've been picking it up in the evenings while watching TV.

My husband made me a little shelf unit to house my tea supplies. We bought a whistling teakettle, and I also purchased an infuser teapot. In spite of the heat, I've really enjoyed my evening cuppa.

About mid-July, my husband got a FitBit and decided we should start walking every day. I'm really pleased that he is motivated to get his "step-quota" in each day. We've worked up to between 4 and 6 miles a day. We walk early in the morning while the temperatures are below 80 degrees. We are loving the old logging trails and views of meadows and pine trees. We live in a beautiful national forest on a dirt road, so all the road are unpaved with rustic views.

My quilting projects are waiting for my attention. I hope to become more focused now that gardening is taking a back seat and the 100+ degree days are (hopefully) behind us.

The kitties have found many ways to relax and sleep.

I hope you are enjoying your end of summer!