12 Days of Show & Share! Day 7!

All of these photos at the beginning of my posts while I'm gone are various shots from Bali I found on the internet. I thought it might be fun that you "see" where we are on this adventure!

I can't wait to see these rice paddies in person.

Every once in a while, a photo comes in of a quilt or quilt top made from one of the blocks I’ve used in my Addicted To Scraps column for Quiltmaker Magazine. I cheer for these quilters! I love these blocks and due to time constraints have not been able to turn all of them into quilts the way I dream I could ---and to see your quilts made from these fun scrappy blocks is a way to see me reach a form of completion that I can’t give them myself.

I have two such quilts to share with you today, both sewn by Susan T!

She writes:

I've completed the first two of three plaid quilt tops. The first two use patterns you provided in Quiltmaker magazine. I'm waiting to complete the third before I begin quilting.

Thanks for the great ideas!

Susan

Susan’s Moth in the Window!

I really LOVE this block, and all my recycled fabrics are just waiting for time to settle down so I can stitch it too! I really LOVE Susan’s quilt top and how the colors dance from block to block to block!

If you want to know which issues these blocks appeared, check the “Addicted to Scraps” tab at the top of the blog!

Susan’s Spoolin’ Around!

I love how the spools dance around in this fun quilt! Great job Susan! Oh yes --- I’m hankering to sew now! Maybe spools could be our “this year’s leader-ender challenge”?? Wouldn’t that be fun!

There are some quilts that I see again and again and again, all so different from each other though using the same pattern. Isn’t it amazing how the changing colors can change the quilt so drastically?

This one comes with an amazing story. I’ll let Rachel H tell it to you in her own words:

She writes:

Rachel’s Bricks & Stepping Stones.

Hi Bonnie!

I wanted to share with you the latest quilt I made using your pattern, Bricks and Stepping Stones. Let me first tell you the story behind it. I met a nice lady this summer who worked in the local hardware. She came to my home to help me pick paint colors. She saw many of my quilts and I shared with her my desire to make memory quilts for widows out of their husbands shirts (using the instructions found in your book for cutting up shirts). A few weeks ago she called me. Her twin sister had passed away, she was a nurse, and she asked me if I would consider making her a quilt from her twin's scrubs. I was thrilled to do this for her.

The picture is attached. It has rained all day so I wasn't able to make a final one with the added scrappy binding, but as I was looking at your blog tonight, I wanted to share it. Who would have thought a pile of scrubs could turn into such a cheerful and beautiful quilt. Thanks so much for providing so many great free patterns. I follow your blog and find all kinds of wonderful inspiration there.

Sincerely,

Rachel H

Throughout our lives quilts have been given for many things. Births, deaths, graduations, marriages, illness, wellness, moving and in special memory. Thank you so much for sharing your photos with me!

Our last quilter up today is Vicki P!

She writes:

Hello Bonnie, I’m writing to let you know that I have finally finished my Carolina Crossroads Quilt yesterday. It has taken me a while, life just happened! I have attached the photos for you to view. I am very proud of this quilt, it has many wonderful memories sewn in each seam. I’ll tell you a little about it.

Vicki’s “Confetti” Carolina Crossroads!

I started the mystery quilt along with everyone else as you released the ‘clues’. I kept up with each clue. At that time I was 1/3 owner of a patchwork shop in a local town. My business partners had declared that they were wanting to sell. I sewed this quilt and pondered the thought of buying them out and running the shop myself. My husband at the time was also deciding not to continue to grow pineapples, which use very harsh chemicals to eradicate pests and funguses. After several weeks of pondering I decided not to buy their share. I continued to sew the quilt in small spurts as well as make class and shop samples. I finished the centre and once I got to the borders, I wanted a border with pizzazz and more 1” squares. So I started to sew for the border. Cutting the long story short, I finished the border and since our shop didn’t sell, we were going to close so I didn’t need to spit out quilts at an alarming rate.

The BACK of Vicki’s Confetti Quilt!

I could start to enjoy the journey. I started to piece the backing instead of buying a whole piece of backing fabric. The wonky log cabin idea came from Quiltdad. I love the backing too. The backing piece was sewn in the last days of the shop before closing. The quilt top was put aside until the backing was finished. The wonky log cabins weren’t big enough, so it too was put aside until much later when I could add to it.

Thank you very much for allowing me to be apart of your sewing world, I read your blogs in amongst studying for uni, and yearn for the time when I can once again sew for myself and enjoy the journey that making quilts takes us on.

Vicki P

Near Yeppoon in Central Queensland, Australia.

I have some exciting news for those down under --- I’ve just placed reserved dates on the 2016 calendar for a teaching trip to Melbourne, Australia in October of 2016! Yes, I know it’s 4 years out there – but if you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen! The ladies I’m working with are just as excited as I am that we are going to make this happen!

Thanks all for sharing your quilts with me! And come back tomorrow for MORE 12 Days of Show & Share!