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Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Yesterday a bunny design for free motion quilting was a topic of discussion. This morning, completely by accident, I can across an adorable bunny and carrot quilt with pieced bunnies and pieced carrots. I hadn’t planned to piece another spring project, but I think I might have to change my mind. Click here to see if you’ll agree with me on how adorable these blocks are! And when you add in a carrot block or two, even more so.

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I’ll be heading up to my machine shortly to continue piecing a top for a class coming up in April. When that’s done I have a top for myself which needs quilting. While looking for some possibilities, I visited the blog of one of my favorite sources for free motion ideas. While I don’t often quilt an entire quilt by free motion, I do often mix walking foot quilting with free motion. Lori Kennedy has a nice collection of motifs at her blog, very clearly drawn in step by step style so you can see just how she drew her little figures in a continuous line of stitching. I was impressed with her bunny-my quilt is a spring time topper and bunnies along the border might be just the perfect thing. Click here and scroll to the end of her post to see her bunny. […]

Hello everyone, Mary Ellen here. How are you progressing on the quilting bucket list challenge that we started at the beginning of the year? Please remember to comment now and then on items from the list that you were able to check off as completed. (As a nice addition- those comments, or any comments to this blog, will put your name into drawings for “quilty” prizes. The next drawing will be at our guild birthday party in March. As for me, I completed #6 by attending our February guild meeting, #9 by completing a quilt using only scraps and stash, and #33 by washing and storing some quilts. I know that some of you completed #17 recently and while doing that probably completed another item or two on the list. Let’s hear from you!

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. This is an amazing video of an artist using a few tools, and magic markers to make a spectacular mandala on a wall. It is so much akin to the medallion quilts which often win the big prizes at national quilt shows, or those Judy Niemeyer quilts for the totally patient and ambitious quilters!  Click here. The math student and teacher in me remembers back to learning and eventually teaching compass “constuctions” in geometry class. Most students either loved or hated them-nothing in between. If you’re old enough to remember learning that in math, where did you fit in? Working with a compass and ruler–Loved it or Hated it? Here’s a clip from an artist who makes her mandalas in the sand on a beach. Deliberately makes them impermanent to be washed away by the tide. Click here. Perhaps some of you will remember a […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. As I’ve been changing the quilts for the new month (bringing out a few heart/Valentine quilts) I’ve also been washing a few of the things that are going back into storage. This is a topic that can divide us into the red quilters and the blue quilters. We have several of those topics. I find them out when beginner quilters ask me my opinion and then tell me what other quilters have said. Example 1: pre-wash your fabrics or not (me? yes unless they’re small precuts) Example 2: steam or dry iron? (me? the more steam the better, but I have learned the hard way to press and not iron) Example 3: hand stitch or machine stitch your bindings? (me-90% of the time by machine. It is not relaxing for me to sit and stitch those miles of binding, and why not use some of […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I hope you’re still making progress on your quilting bucket list. (see post of December 29,2018) . If you give us a status report in the comment section or comment on anything related to our postings, your name will be entered in a drawing for prizes paid for by our guild. We had our first prize drawing at our guild meeting last week. Sylvia Siegel won 2 spools of Aurifil thread. You can read her comment at the end of the post on Dec. 29, 2018. If you’re going to play along with us, working on your bucket list, you do not need to go back to the original post to add your comment(s). And I’ll say again you don’t have to restrict your comments to the bucket list topic. Just comment on the most recent blog post. I’ll find you when I read through […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Of late I’ve been working on Gudrun Erla’s Two Timer quilts from her latest book. Easy piecing! Mine is going to be scrappy-which does increase the cutting time a bit but I think it’s going to be a fun look. I’m trying out her third Stripology ruler to see how I like it. So far, so good. If you’re taking part in the bucket list challenge (go back a post or two), the first prize drawing will be happening at our guild meeting this week. You can comment on any of the posts from the introductory post up until this one to get your name entered in the drawing. If you’ve already commented, feel free to comment again–particularly if you’ve checked off another thing on the bucket list. Hoping to see you Thursday at the meeting-morning time slot remember! Starts at 10:00 a.m.

Hello all, Mary Ellen back again. I’m slowing striving to get back to normalcy, whatever that means. I’ve washed and put away the big holiday quilts (I’m counting that for #29 on the bucket list). Have yet to do likewise with the smaller table toppers, wall hangings, etc. Starting that one room at a time because it entails many a trip to the attic. The big quilts just get layered onto a bed in the spare bedroom which is an easier task. I’ve chosen which of the “kits” of my UFO’s I’ll be working on first this year and have gotten all the “stuff” collected and stowed next to the machine. It’s a group of little storage pouches from a demo I did for one of the guild early bird specials. When I finish them up, I’ll have 4 of the same pouch. Gifts for nieces and my sister – […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I’ve started cleaning up my sewing/crafting room and table. One might think an explosion had taken place in there. I have lots of blocks and projects in various stages of completion that I have used in demos at a local quilt shop. I’m trying to make my own little “kits” with the fabrics, directions, and partially done projects so it will be easier to get progress made here and there when I can grab 10 or 15 minutes at the machine. Lots of small pieces of fabric have gone in the garbage–I need to be honest with myself about what pieces are truly too small to save. Many of us make some personal quilting resolutions each year–finishing UFO’s often is on the list. I resolve that nearly every year with varying degrees of success. I found recently a “bucket list” for quilters which for me […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen back again. I’m starting to get anxious about holiday preparations. How about you? All done yet? I hope I’m not the only one scurrying around like crazy! I like to dress up the gift cards I give so they look like I put a little more effort into the gift than just a spin of the rack at Tops! This snowman wrap of a candy bar will camouflage the gift card a bit, and who doesn’t like a candy bar? This makes a fun little gift for kids and neighbors even without the addition of a gift card. This author suggests buying one of the cheap fleece blankets that are everywhere this time of year to use for the hat and scarf. They would work great, but so would flannel scraps cut from an old flannel shirt or sheet. I also have used bright fluffy gloves […]