World's Most Epic Picnic Blanket

For several years, I did a lot of I Spy swaps.  Inevitably, a lot of the fabrics would be food items.  I think one swap might have even been entirely food-themed.  For many years, I have wanted to make an all-food I Spy quilt to use as a picnic blanket.  I can't even remember when I started it, but I took some scraps of solids and my favorite food I Spy 5" squares and made square-in-a-square blocks.  I had about 42 blocks made, and all my food I Spy squares separated out, and it sat in a bag in the closet for years.  I think it's been on my PhD (projects half done) list with Gail every year, and every year I have not touched it. 

 

 

Now that the world is waking back up after Covid, it seems likely that my family will need that picnic blanket, so I buckled down to finish it and I couldn't be happier!  There are 113 blocks with a food square in the middle.  There are a few that are food-adjacent, like an ice cream truck, a farmer's market, etc.  The most fun thing about this is some of the foods that exist as fabric!  Pigs in blankets!  Chex Mix! 

 

I finished this on a recent family trip.  We used it right away, you can see my niece and my son pointing to the S'Mores on the quilt while waiting for real s'mores near the campfire.  

Clearly it's a hit!  While making this, I kept calling it The World's Most Epic Picnic Blanket and that's still how I think of it.  So happy to have it to use for lots of future picnics!

Baby Quilt

My coworker April had a baby last month, which of course means baby quilt! I chose the Galaxy pattern by Villa Rosa Designs.  I've made this once before and it's a really fast finish.

 

I decided to use animals as my theme and went through my stock of 5" squares to find some good ones.  The background is Kona Regatta. 

I pieced a back from some pieces a neighbor gave me when she cleaned out her stash over the summer.  The main print has sailor animals, and I added an alphabet print and some chickens to make it big enough.  I hope Baby M enjoys his quilt!

Did you plan along with Bernie at Needle & Foot for her Guess Who game?  It was fun and much harder than I expected!  Most guessers did not correctly identify me.  Here's my photo, my mom thinks this was the first day of first grade.

 

Floral Strips UFO turned Butterfly Quilt

I recently found a UFO that was not in my count.  When I first started quilting, I was in a quilt shop in Kansas on a visit to my mom and found these three floral fabrics, all the same print but different colors.  I drew up a design on graph paper, cut some strips, and sewed up 2 strips sets.  And there it sat.  I used the fabric I had purchased as background years ago as backing, I moved the un-cut yardage into their designated color bins of my stash, and I thought I gave away the cut strips and strips sets.  Not so, apparently.

 

I'm trying to make some quick finishes for my guild's philanthropy project and I had previously sorted through my I Spy fabrics and pulled out lots of butterfly squares, planning to use them in a child's quilt.  Since the fabric strips from my long-forgotten UFO were floral, I figured I could combine them.  So the strips I had already cut to 3" but that were fraying due to that being probably 20 years ago got trimmed to 2 1/2" and I cut apart the strips sets to use those as well.  I used the blue and green strips to frame 20 of my butterfly I Spy squares, then alternated blue and green in the layout.

 

I had less of the purple but there was enough for binding.  It's quilted with a diagonal cross-hatch.  The back has some flannel remnants that I pieced together to make it big enough. 

 

I'm not sure of the exact date of this project but the fabric has 1998 on the salvage and I would have guessed I was still in college, so late 90s fits. Even though this was on my original list for my PhD (projects half done) with Quilting Gail, the fact that I believe I started this at least 20 years ago should qualify it, even though this is now a completely different project.  But different or not, it's done!

This is my 41st finish for the year, moving me close to my goal of finishing 52 projects in 2020.  This is also one of the three donation quilts needed toward my OMG with Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

I Spy a Heart!

My cousin Tim & his wife Nichole had their second child, a girl, in late June.  Nichole is a quilter, so I get a little nervous about baby quilts!  I made an I Spy quilt with stars in it for their oldest daughter Emma when she was born.  I asked Nichole if she had any preferences--same design but different color?  Nichole said she would love another I Spy, but maybe something with a heart?  See, at 20 weeks they were told that Baby Girl had a heart defect and would require surgery.  Nichole has been using the heart as a symbol of strength.  And I knew exactly what to make!

A few years ago, Val who is now at Val's Quilting Studio posted an I Spy quilt she made with a heart in the middle.  Her blog has changed some and I can't find it to link.  I liked hers a lot but wanted more definition around the heart.  I used graph paper to sketch it out.  Then I went through my stash of 4" I Spy squares from a swap hosted by Val herself maybe two years ago? Those were the background, so no red, and I made HSTs from 5" I Spy squares.

I wanted to use one fabric to surround the heart to better make it stand out.  I wasn't sure I had anything that I liked, and this was fairly early into the pandemic shut down.  My LQS had just gotten in some elastic and was doing curbside orders.  Wanting to support them, I put "pink with small print" on my list, and this is what they brought me.  It's called Sugar Speckles and I used it for the binding as well.

For the back I used the same print that's on the back of big sister Emma's quilt.  My mom bought something like 5 yards of this for $1 at a yard sale quite a few years ago.  I'm glad the backs will match but the fronts are different--perfect for sisters! 

 

Speaking of big sister Emma, you may remember that I already made her big sister present.  This is William Whale by Funky Friends Factory made in Island Batik fabrics.

I am pleased to report that baby Nora is doing fine.  She did not have to have surgery right after birth; they'd like her to gain a little more weight before the surgery.  I suspect it will be in the next month or so.  I need to get this labeled and mailed off to her!

Beep Beep Vroom Vroom

In January I joined the Charlotte chapter of the Modern Quilter's Guild.  Their charity project for 2020 is quilts for the kids who get meals from Friendship Trays. Friendship Trays delivers food to elderly or infirm individuals who can't obtain or prepare their own meals (similar to meals on wheels but without an age limit).  Friendship Trays includes delivery to families and it is estimated that at any given time, about 150 children ages 2-5 in the Charlotte metro are among the recipients.

Of course kids' quilts are my favorite thing to make!  I have lots of I Spy squares and for this one, I went with a theme.  I picked out 48 I Spy squares with any kid of car/truck/vehicle on them and sewed them together randomly as a leader and ender project.

With trucks, styled by Fire Monkey

I really wanted a center with some truck noises.  I used my Accuquilt alphabet die for the letters.  Beep Beep is in Kona Storm and Vroom Vroom is in Kona Lagoon. The background and binding are Kona Tan. 

The back is a fun Hot Wheels print that my mom gave me years ago.  It's perfect for this quilt! This is finish 17 for the year as I attempt to complete 52 projects in 2020. 

Ultimate I Spy: It's Cool to be Square blog hop

When Carol from Just Let Me Quilt put out the call for her It's Cool to Be Square blog hop, I had a couple possible projects in mind.  What I really wanted to use was a quilt that's been a UFO for at least 3 years and it seemed unlikely that I could finish it in time, but I always had it in mind as my goal, my stretch, to finish it.  After all, it has 306 squares--that must qualify, right?!

So what is this monstrosity that you are looking at?  I'm calling it the Ultimate I Spy Quilt.  See, I've had a thing for I Spy quilts for many years now, since before my son was born.  I've made many, including a twin size each for my son (predates blog), my niece, and my mom. 

Our bed was the only bed in the house that didn't have a quilt I made on it.  Part of that is I hate making large quilts, but more of it was that I never knew exactly what I wanted to make.  When I was working on my niece's I Spy (back in 2016!) I realized that I love I Spy quilts so much, that was what I really wanted.  I asked Husband and he agreed.

I've done many I Spy swaps over the years and almost all of them swapped 5" squares, so that's what I have the most of.  I did the math and I would need 306 squares for my queen-sized I Spy adventure.  I kept track of objects in a spreadsheet to avoid duplicates as much as possible. Many have personal significance: there are at least two fabrics I bought in Alaska on our honeymoon, there are some in-jokes and favorite things and fabrics that represent people in our lives, including a firetruck for the Fire Monkey, of course!

Because it's so large (99" x 95") it was difficult to get a good picture.  But doesn't it look great on the bed!  I just love looking at it!!

The sashing is Kona Steel. I bought it when I first started working on this and when I got to the end, I didn't have enough for the binding. I'm trying not to buy fabric and I was worried about dye lot variation, so I knew I'd need something else for the biding.  I really liked the dark blue cross-hatch wide back fabric I bought for the back, and when I laid it out I had enough to bind from the backing fabric.  I had never done that before.  I found this tutorial helpful. I didn't love the technique and wouldn't do it again on a quilt this large, though maybe on a smaller quilt I would have an easier time making it look neat.

I found Waldo!

This was on my list for earning my PhD (Projects Half Done) with Gail of Quilting Gail. I will also link up with Tish of Tish's Adventures in Wonderland for her next UFO Busting linkup.  In my quest to finish 52 projects this   year, this is finish #16.

Be sure to check out all the It's Cool to be Square projects this week!  And if you're like me, you're singing the hit by Huey Lewis & The News as you hop: It's Hip to Be Square!

May 18

Creatin' in the Sticks

Life in the Scrapatch

Day Brook Designs

Songbird Designs

The Darling Dogwood

Kathleen McMusing

Quilting Gail

May 19

MooseStashQuilting

Beaquilter

Quilt In A Not-Shell

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Seams To Be Sew

Daughters of Dorinda

Kathy's Kwilts and More

May 20

Ms P Designs USA

Selina Quilts

Karen's Korner

Just Because Quilts

Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel

Sew Many Yarns

May 21

Scrapdash

Websterquilt

Quilt Schmilt

Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

May 22

Just Let Me Quilt

Vroomans Quilts

Patchouli Moon Studio

Den syende himmel

Quilt Fabrication

Samelia's Mum

Scrap Everything Blog Hop

Note: Some of my photos are not showing up.  This is a known issue with Blogger and they are working on fixing it.  

Pat from Lemon Tree Snippets is hosting a Scrap Everything blog hop.  The idea being that so many plans are being "scrapped" at the moment.  In terms of scrap quilts, I always have plans!  You know I love my I Spy fabrics and that there are so precious that I use my Accuquilt to the pieces into usable scrap sizes.  I decided it was finally time to do something with my smallest pieces--2" squares.

I paired my I Spy scraps with Kona Flame.  I used a 2" gridded fusible interfacing to get those intersections perfect.  I have no idea what brand it is, it isn't marked, and the store where I bought it is no longer in business.  (RIP MaryJo's Cloth Store!)

 There are 480 squares in this quilt (24 x 20) and half of those are scraps, so this used 240 scraps!  And of course it feels like it didn't make a dent!  :) 

I quilted a straight line cross-hatch going diagonal through the Flame squares.  I initially thought Flame was a red color.  But when it came to pick thread, I was worried because I'm out of red thread. I needn't have worried, the orange was a perfect match!

In January, I joined the Charlotte chapter of the Modern Quilter's Guild.  I was only able to go to two meetings before Covid-19 shut everything down, but that was enough time to learn of the guild's charity project for this year.  Friendship Trays delivers food to elderly or infirm individuals who can't obtain or prepare their own meals (similar to meals on wheels but without an age limit).  Friendship Trays includes delivery to families and it is estimate that at any given time, about 150 children ages 2-5 in the Charlotte metro are among the recipients.  The Guild wants to make each of these children a quilt and a backpack to be delivered in December.  They've asked for quilts roughly 36" x 38", a size chosen so that the back can be a single yard of fabric.   This finishes at 38" x 33" and is my first quilt for the goal.

As intended by the guild project, this is backed with a one yard cut of flannel. I honestly don't remember why or when I bought it, though I'm sure it came from MaryJo's Cloth Store, the same place as the gridded interface.  It's Mischief by Nancy Halvorsen for Benartex.  It's a cute alphabet print, though it really bothers me that "E" is for "Engine."  What kid is going to look at that and think engine?!  Every kid I know would call that a Train, which clearly does not start with "E"!

Like everyone right now, some of our plans have indeed been scrapped.  We've been trying to make the best of it when we can.  For example, last Saturday we were supposed to see our local symphony play Peter & the Wolf.  Instead, I found a youtube performance by another orchestra and we watched that instead--not the same, but we still got to enjoy the music and the story. My college reunion is canceled, but my friends and I did a Zoom call last Saturday and have another planned for tonight--last week there were 12 of us representing 7 states and Australia, plus appearances by spouses and children.  I hope you are able to find alternatives for some of the plans of yours that have been scrapped!

Be sure to check out all the Scrap Everything bloggers for some great scrappy inspiration!

Wed. April 1

Lemon Tree Snippets

Thu. April 2

Quilting Gail

Fri. April 3

Beaquilter

Cynthia's Creating Ark

Sat. April 4

The Darling Dogwood

Sun. April 5

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Lemon Tree Snippets

I Spy Leader & Ender

I enjoy using leader and ender projects as I'm piecing.  Sometimes I use them to advance projects I need push to work on, but most of the time I choose scraps and just go to town.  This particular quilt is made with 3 1/2" squares of I Spy scraps.  I limited how many of each fabric I used but other than that, whatever I had that was already cut is what went into the pile for piecing.

Yes, that's our really pathetic dusting of snow from last weekend that you see there.  No pretty "quilt on a blanket of snow" pictures here!  (And it's not dirt under the quilt, it's that playground mulch made from old tires.)

A scrappy quilt needs a scrappy binding!  I love using up my leftovers!  I finished off eight different binding scraps and used a portion of a ninth!

I did straight line quilting just inside the edge from each seam--it's a look I really like for quilts that are all squares.  This will be donated to the local children's hospital.

 

This was on my list of projects to earn my PhD (projects half done) with Gail of Quilting Gail.  My first finish toward my 2020 PhD!  Slow start, but I'm hopeful I can build momentum. 

Treasure Hunt Twist

I cut my I Spy scraps into pieces of various sizes.  When I needed a new leader and ender project, I looked through my I Spy scraps to see what size I had a lot of.  Turns out I had a lot of 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles.  I had seen a quilt made by Carla of Creatin' in the Sticks back in April that used a block called Two by Two from the Go! Cube book by Eleanor Burns.  I thought the Two by Two would make a great leader & ender I Spy scrap quilt.  And I was right!

I went through my drawer of 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles and looked for fabrics that had at four rectangles cut from the same fabric.  I paired the scraps with Kona Goldfish.

There are some fun fabrics in here!  Pigs, crayons, lily pads, elephants with rainbows, 18-wheeler trucks...lots to look at.  I used my one of my favorite quilting motifs and did a big spiral. 

This will be donated to the local children's hospital. Just to prove it is a great size for cuddling, here are some (admittedly staged) shots of how I hope it might be used in the future.

I named it Treasure Hunt Twist, since I think of I Spy quilts as a treasure hunt.  This was #17 on my Q4 list of goals for the Finish Along, listed at Two by Two after the name of the block.

Quilted Sunshine (Cheryl's Quilt)

Today, I got one of the best experiences I think those of us who makes things can have--I got to give someone a quilt I made just for them.  And in this case, it was a total surprise for the recipient.

My coworker and friend Cheryl is having surgery next month with an anticipated hospital stay of 3-5 days.  I looked into making a cheerful hospital gown but the ones I found are too garment-like for my non-existent garment sewing abilities.  I did offer to convert a nightgown for her and I'm working on that (I ran out of snaps and have to order more; I'll post what I did once I'm done) but I knew that I also wanted to make a quilt to brighten up a dreary, boring hospital room.

Cheryl is a HUGE Disney fan.  I've participated in a lot of I Spy swaps over the years and some allowed licensed character fabrics while others did not.  I keep any licensed character 5" squares separated from my regular 5" I Spy squares.  So my first step was to look to see what I had.  Several Mickey or Minnie, Cinderella, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Snow White & Belle, 101 Dalmatians, Sully from Monsters INC, Tinkerbell, and Olaf.  Okay, great start!  I also pulled Hello Kitty, Snoopy, and some Dr. Seuss characters.

I decided to alternate I Spy squares with bright colors.  I went into my bin of Kona solids and used my Accuquilt to cut scraps into 5" squares. Kona colors used are, in the order that I cut them: Lagoon, Lavender, Leprechaun, Emerald, Marine, Blueberry, Seafoam, Purple, Clover, Robin Egg, Citrus, Lime, Jade, Parakeet, Malibu, Candy Green, Pond, Prussian, Niagara, and Medium Pink.

After I pulled all the Disney characters I had, I started through my I Spy squares to pick the rest.  I picked fabrics I thought Cheryl would like, think were funny, or had significance. 

I bought a Mickey & Minnie fleece print to use for the back.  I love using fleece on the back of my quilts--I don't use batting in these.  The fleece plus the top make a great weight--not too heavy.  I went with a scrappy binding--everything was stuff I already had except for the backing fleece.  The fabrics in the binding are Kona Lime, Blueprint, Hibiscus, Orange, Tomato, Azure, Camellia, and Curry. 

I knew I would see Cheryl today (we work at different locations and don't see each other every day) so I washed it last night and rolled it up, then brought it in this morning.  She was about as speechless as I've ever seen her.  It was fun to see her discover the different fabrics.  I'm so pleased that she liked it and that she will have something cheerful with her at the hospital, as well as at home with her during recovery.