Lil' Twister Trip-Around-the-World Quilt

This is the 3rd Lil' Twister quilt that I have made. I tested out this technique on a small runner size first, then made one in random Civil War Reproduction fabrics for my husband and now I had to try this one starting with a Trip-Around-the-World top first. These are kind of addicting to make. Because it starts off as squares like this:

1st a Trip-Around-the-World quilt top...

...and after you cut and re-sew, it looks like this. It's essentially tessellating pinwhells. I thought it was a great idea to start with a Trip-Around-the-World quilt top first. I saw a quilt like this last week here: Quilting by the River. Connie, from Quilting by the River calls hers Worldy Twist Quilt.

A closer look.

But wait there's more...you have leftovers after you cut the pinwheel shapes and you end up with enough leftover squares to make a small doll size quilt top. So now I have a miniature version of what I started out with, except that I don't have enough of the yellow print fabric to add a border to this as I am using what's left of that fabric to bind the larger quilt. I'll find another fabric if I decide to add a border to this one.
Now I just need to quilt them.

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Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt

This has to be one of the oldest UFO's ever. I just finished this Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. It was started over 40 years ago by my mother and meant for my younger sister. My sister asked for a pink quilt. When my mom was nearly done with all the piecing of this quilt (all by hand), my sister decided she would rather have a biscuit puff quilt! So mom made her the biscuit puff quilt and put this quilt away. Several years ago she gave this to me to finish, since I make quilts. I didn't know how I was going to finish it because Mom had already layered it and basted it and even hand quilted around a few of the blocks. The batting was a fluffy polyester batting and I didn't think it was so easy to hand quilt. So after my new sewing table was ready to use, I decided I would machine quilt this. I just wasn't sure what I was going to do about the edges with all those hexagon shapes. I didn't want to bind around all those! So I decided I would just follow that pink garden path fabric and cut off those points and bind it. That's why the short ends look the way they do. I could have taken the batting and backing off and appliqued it all onto another fabric, but ugh, I just wanted to finish it. So 40+ years later it's all done!

Mom was making me a blue & yellow sampler quilt around the same time as she was working on this and I never got it. She wanted me to finish that quilt too a few years ago, but my husband suggested that she finish it and give it to our daughter (Mom's only granddaughter), so she did minimal quilting on it and did give it to her.

Grandmother's Flower Garden~ all hand pieced by my mother and machine quilted by me.

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Learning New Things

I've been experimenting and learning how to do some new things here on my blog. Blogger has updated and added new things since I first began blogging a few years ago. Some things I never used or never knew about and somethings I have had to add and delete and move around to get them where and how I want them. So the past 2 days I have been fiddling with my tutorial and where to put it and how and so if you have seen that tutorial move around a bit that's the reason why. I think I have finally got the tutorial where and how I want it, so now I can add more tutorials in the future and know what I'm doing....or at least I think I know. Pin It Now!

Making Little Books Tutorial

Tutorial on Making Little Books~ Go to Craftsy for this free pdf tutorial.

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Clothes I Made

I made this blouse last month. I only had a yard of the turquoise print fabric and I needed more than that, so I used the pink check for the peplum and the collar and tie. It came out really cute, at least on the hanger, not so much on me. I guess the style and maybe the print just isn't quite me. I'd be happy to sell. If interested e-mail me.

I made this skirt last month too. It came out nice and I found this fabric a couple of years ago at a thrift shop. I wanted to make a kimono, but didn't have enough fabric for that. This was about the only pattern where that large border fabric would work. I'm happy with it.

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Thank You All

I'm still buzzing about all the wonderful comments I have received and the new fabulous followers I've gained too. Thank you all for stopping by. Gosh what a little word-of-mouth will do, huh? I know some of you will continue to stop by here and see what I'm up to and others may not, but that's okay because I know I may lose some followers, but gain some new ones too; I'm realistic enough to realise that. I will try and stop by each and everyone of your blogs too. I hope to check out a few each day.

I'm going to work on improving a few things to make it easier for my readers too. I'll add some various tabs of catagories, but it may be awhile before they are all up and running so give me some time. Comments are always welcome whenever you have something to say. The annoying word verification has been removed so as to make your life easier. I heard you all when you said that it keeps you from making comments. I totally agree as I have given up making comments on other blogs because when you have to jump through too many hoops you lose me too. So if you also blog, please take note of that if you want more comments too.

Okay I'm off to add some new things to the blog.
Your blogging friend, Daryl Pin It Now!

I'm Overwhelmed....

Oh my goodness I am speechless. I got up this morning and got on the computer and my inbox was full from so many comments made to me about my blog, my creations, etc. that I could hardly believe it. Then I went to my blog and saw all the comments left there by so many bloggers that I don't know when I'll be able to get around to answering some of you and visiting your blogs too. I wanted to take this time and thank all of you who took the time to stop by and see my blog, thank all of you who took the time to post a comment, thank you for those who have signed up to follow my blog, I really appreciate you all. I would love to stop by all of your blogs too, but that may take some time going through all the comments that I received and finding your blogs, but I will eventually get there though.

I want to especially thank Karen of Sew Many Ways for posting my comment on her blog. Who knew what a response I would receive from just one posting? Wow. I'm still amazed by this. Thanks Karen. And I learned how to make your blog link clickable from your tutorial, so thank you for that as well. To think I only found Karen's blog a few days ago myself then all of this happened.

Okay, I better get back to reading more wonderful comments that are still coming in. THANK YOU EVERYONE.

**Just a little update after reading all the comments so far...
I changed to this font for those who mentioned that they read from iPhones and the other font was harder to read. Hope this one is easier to read? Let me know as I am rather iPhone/iPad ignorant as I do not have one so I really don't know anything about them.
Second, I took off the word verification as others mentioned how annoying it is and I agree with that from having to type in those distorted words on other sites and rarely getting it right the first time. When I started this blog I didn't have any resistrictions on my comments and ended up with tons of SPAM comments and most in some Asian language. Removing the SPAM comments seemed to take about 3 steps to get rid of it completely. So that's when I went to moderating my comments, and maybe that was another reason for not having comments? Next I tried the word verification to avoid the SPAM, but skipped the moderation. So now I decided remove the word verification as well.

I am glad for the comments about the font, and word verification and have fixed those. Next I will work on adding tabs and catagories and ways to search as one commenter mentioned to me. All very good things to have. I will need some time to work on making those changes, but I will be adding those things slowly but surely. Thanks again for the comments and help. I really appreciate you as followers and I will try to keep you coming back again by making it easier for you. Pin It Now!