I was inspired to make this quilt after watching a video on Shabby Fabrics where the designer demonstrated how she used the template and how easily each block went together. After making a queen sized bedspread for my son and daughter in law I had extra fabric that I knew could be put to a great use! I started this quilt at the Spring retreat and finished it in December.

I was inspired when Ruth Turler shared her composition book cover creation. I had a few people in mind that could appreciate this as a gift and I found this free pattern online. I made one for myself, to “test” the pattern, of course. Then I made three more, mostly using the designs on the fabric to quilt with matching thread. I also made a sketch book cover for a friend, with different dimensions.

“Nan’s Quilt” I bought a stack of 5″ blocks at one of our sales and gave them to a friend who likes to puzzle. She asked if I could make them into a Queen-sized quilt. Yikes! We worked together to lay out the squares, choose the sashing and backing and manipulate all that fabric into a pieced top. We took it to Lynn McCamant for long arm quilting and it was done by Christmas.

“Grampy and Grammy’s Quilts” I made these two lap quilts for the most senior members of my family clan, Paul and Wanda Shafer, my baby sister Patti’s in-laws. After they received the quilts, they called and we had a delightful catch-up conversation.

I made a pair of pillowcases as a Christmas present for Rylee and Maggie. The cases were in a dog theme fabric and identical. After the girls opened their gift, we had a session in the quilt studio and picked out fabric to individualize each case. The girls also practiced writing their initial and adding it to the fabric chosen.

“Safari Elephant” Small group wanted to work on paper piecing skills. I thought this would be easy/fun and a pleasant reminder of recent safari.

Purchased this entire block of the month Missouri Star kit on a sale. Attracted to it as a non-traditional Christmas quilt, it’s many block designs and the bright colors for Portland’s gray winter months. Fun to make the blocks. I changed the stars to an eight point star (pattern had four pointed stars). Quilted with ‘a hint of blue/ green’ thread with snowflakes and swirls by Maria Egoroff.

“3 Wreaths” I wanted something I could make relatively quickly to hang over my front door.

“Patio Time (with Jolene)” Some time ago Linda G was the featured quilter at one of our meetings. One quilt she shared was a patio quilt. It took several years to find fabric and a pattern that I liked but I now have an awesome quilt to wrap up in on summer mornings on the patio while I have my tea, play my games and read the news.

“Mother” This was the BOM for the PMQG a few years ago.
Mother is about our Mother Earth. It’s made up of twelve tear drops, each representing a different struggle our planet is going through today.

“Radiating Diamonds” I made this using just some of the cooler colors in this very colorful line of fabric. The further you get away from the quilt the more the colors just shimmer.

On our trip to Leavenworth, my sister-in-law ask me about making a new cloth case for her reading glasses.   Hers is the one out of I Love Portland fabric.  I decided to make the others cases from the Banana Bag pattern. We will be celebrating once more on Friday.

I now have two sets of nephews under age 6, all boys. Both sets are very active and so I machine embroidered Thing 1 and Thing 2 onto red sweatshirts for them.