Category Archives: Quilt-O-Rama

Mini HST Quilt

My second start of the year is a Mini Quilt. My first mini quilt ever! I have had these little HSTs leftover from a quilt I finished years ago and gave away as a Christmas present. I don’t remember exactly what fabric line I used, but I believe it was Moda.

I didn’t want to waste fabric and throw out the scraps, so I sewed the little leftovers into HSTs and stored them away thinking I could do something with them in the future. The future is now here, it is time to make something! I have always wanted to do a mini quilt and I thought these little pieces would be perfect!

I picked some of my favorites from the pile and started trimming them each to 1 1/2 inches.

I am not sure what size this Mini Quilt will end up, but I’m thinking it may be around 16″ by 12″. It may well depend on how many of these little HSTs I want to end up trimming!

Happy Quilting! – Alison

HST Quilt

I have cut all the squares and matched up the fabrics. I tried to draw a diagonal line across the giant 21 inch square, but my ruler was not long enough to reach from corner to corner, so after fumbling around trying to draw a line with a too-short ruler, I decided to iron the square in half diagonally and use that line. Whew! What an easier way of doing it! I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with that little trick! *Hold on a sec while I pat myself on the back!* For a wider variety of finished HSTs, I decided to cut a lot of the squares in half in order to mix up the fabrics a bit. But since I would be sewing on bias cut edge, I left one square whole and then laid two different cut squares on top to prevent stretching during stitching.

Then it was time for sewing! That didn’t take long as there are only 16 HSTs in the quilt top. Once that was done, it was time for cutting and ironing.

The next step will be arranging on the design wall! Yay!

Happy Quilting! -Alison

First Start of 2019 – HST Quilt

My first start of 2019 is a quilt of large half-square triangles using Loft 1800 fabric by Erin Michael for Moda.  I bought one yard of each of these fabrics years ago and, sadly, it is now out of production so I am unable to order more.  I would like to have had some yardage of the small purple print for the backing, but I am going to make do with my scraps and have a super-scrappy pieced backing!  A first for me!  
I also picked up a couple coordinating pinks by Andover and Windham Fabrics at my LQS. 

The inspiration for my quilt came from a gorgeous quilt I came across on Pinterest —  Anna Graham’s Vast Quilt who, in her blog post, pays tribute to pattern-creator Jeni Baker and her book Patchwork Essentials: The Half-Square Triangle. Although my fabric could not be more different than Anna’s, I loved her quilting and will probably do the same for my quilt.

I am cutting my initial squares 21 inches to make the most of my fabric and will trim the finished HSTs down to 20 inches or so. My plan for the quilt layout is 4 HSTs by 4 HSTs for a total of 16, which, if my math and piecing are accurate, should make my finished quilt around 79 inches by 79 inches.

Happy Quilting! – Alison

2019 – New Year, New Goals

As usual, everyone is talking about their big New Year’s Resolutions – lose weight, stitch more, run a marathon, etc., etc., etc.

I try not to make resolutions because I know myself, and myself usually doesn’t stick to them.  And then I feel like a big fat failure!

So, in order to keep from feeling like a big fat failure, I avoid “New Year’s Resolutions” like the plague.

That being said, I have set some “goals” for this year.  I find this usually helps keep me motivated.  And honestly, I really, really like to make lists.  I know, it’s weird.

Here is my To Do List for 2019!

Some items on the list were started years ago and now need to be turned into the final product.  Some items are halfway finished and some others haven’t even been started yet.  Some of them are cross stitch projects, but most of them are quilty pleasures.

And, most importantly, I want to start blogging again to chart my progress and keep me motivated.

I look forward to a very crafty year!

A Trip to the Store and more Hexies

I needed to pick up some white fabric to make my “sashing” hexies for my Hexie Quilt.  So, it was off to my local quilt store! Yay!!
I picked up some Moda White.

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And while I was there, I just had to take a look at the scrap bin!  I found the pink and green fabrics while digging through the mountain of scraps.  I had a hankering for something purple, so I also picked up a purple fat quarter with pink flowers!  My 7 year old son, who was with me on the shopping trip, helped me pick that one.

I had so much fun looking at all the fabric!  The quilt store is one of my very favorite places!

I have made more progress on my hexie diamonds.   Here are the three most recent completed diamonds.

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In looking at my stash fabrics pulled for this quilt, you can tell my favorite color is blue!  Most of the fabrics are blue or have blue in them!  That is one reason I picked up a few new fabrics today.  Although I was trying to only use fabrics from my stash for this quilt, I wanted to make sure I have a variety of colors and it doesn’t turn into a blue quilt.