Christmas Log Cabin Quilt

Christmas may be over but it inspires me to start thinking about what to make for next year. The colors in this handmade quilt remind me of the colors in our Vintage Log Cabin Quilt, definitely Christmas colors with a little additional spice to them.

Christmas Log Cabin Quilt by fellow master gardener Harriet Bain makes me smile every time I see it. This one was on display at the 2013 Piece and Plenty Quilt Guild show in Rolla, Missouri.

Sounds just like some of my personal projects, the traditional patchwork quilt started out as a tree skirt and literally grew from there! 

Quilt patterns tend to look different from different perspectives, especially log cabin quilt patterns. Up close, the fabrics prevail. From a distance, different-colored fabrics add to the overall design depending on whether fabrics are light or dark.

Plenty of time to get one of these done for Christmas 2015. Have you made a log cabin patchwork quilt?

Charlotte

Red and Green Christmas Tree Lights Quilt

What fun, this patchwork quilt was a mystery to the quilt maker until she put all of the pieces together. Sounds a little like my putting up my artificial Christmas tree, I get nervous when I'm left with an extra branch or two but do I ever love the crochet snowflakes.

This handmade mystery quilt was made by Lisa Courtois machine quiilted by Joyce Ball, both members of the Gone to Pieces Quilt Guild in St. Robert, Missouri.

Here's the quilt from a distance:

Here's a quilt block close up representing a Christmas tree light:

Coming up next, another handmade quilt in the same design but different fabrics. Darn it, I should have left it a mystery!

Charlotte

Button Bandit Quilt Wall Hanging

I love the way Vicki Boaz, St. Robert, Missouri Gone to Pieces Quilt Guild, incorporated buttons into this charming quilt wall hanging.

This was a 2012 Quilt Challenge. It involved using a certain fabric as well as the letter "B" in her quilt wall hanging design. Vicki hand pieced, hand quilted and machine quilted - can you see the different kinds of quilting she used?

 

One of my favorite elements of this quilt wall hanging is the way Vicki incorporated buttons. Aren't these cute?

And then there's the cat. A black cat, of course, keeping with the "B" theme.

Dare I say it - "bravo!"

Charlotte

What To Do with Extra Quilt Panels

Sometimes when making a quilt from printed panels, you end up with an extra quilt block or two. In this case, we had two extra blocks, both too cute to pitch.

We used the extra blocks to make a matching pillow for a quilt destined to become a nursery wall hanging. It's a reversible pillow, with a cat on one side, a dog on the other.

To make sure the baby quilt lives a versatile life, we also added a 3-inch sleeve on the back so the baby quilt can easily be hung on a curtain rod. When not in use, the sleeve lays flat against the back and is almost invisible.

Nothing like being cute, and practical.

What would you do with an extra quilt block or two?

Charlotte

Fixing Noah's Ark Quilt

Over the year, I have periodically repaired a variety of quilts, from museum-quality to well loved ones. None, however, where in the condition of this vintage Noah's Ark printed panel baby quilt, with a matching printed cotton on the back.

When Dad contacted me about making the repairs, I said I was willing to look at the quilt to see if it was possible to salvage. The front was torn and worn; the back had several bad spots so we basically had to take the quilt apart and make a new one from the remaining pieces.

Luckily I was able to find another matching Noah's Ark panel for the front and I pieced the best of the packing fabric into a new back, adding a very soft blue cotton on either side to protect the center pieces from wear. A little machine quilting in a similar pattern as the original, with the same polyfill, and the quilt was "good as new!"

Charlotte

Giving Thanks.

Sandy is an amazing person.
She loves to make quilts to honor and thank Vietnam Veterans for the sacrifices they made to protect our country.
The quilted works she creates are breathtaking.
Each of the blocks in these flag quilts are 4 inches square; those are small pieces of fabric to make the overall patriotic design.
Thank YOU, Sandy!