Leftovers Get New Lives

Although I find the 'stitch and flip' method for adding squares to rectangles to make corner triangles quick, it produces leftover triangles. If the squares are less than 2 ½", I toss them. When the squares are 5", as were those in Suburbia, it means leftover HSTs that, when sewn back together, are 4", finishing at  3½", much too big to waste, and, get this: there were 65 of them!! What to do? Make a matching cushion, for starters!

When Brady was here in August, I had just finished making Suburbia. It is going to Jordan, Brianne's boyfriend, for Christmas. Brady always like to sew something when he's here, so I asked him what he thought of sewing the HSTs, which I'd sewn back together and squared up as I made the quilt, into a coordinating cushion cover. He thought that was a great idea, and started playing around with them to make his own design. I'd shown him several ideas that one can do with versatile light/dark HSTs, but he said, "No, Nana, I want to do my own thing."

Tinker Toys Pattern Release

Yay! Finally, after two long years, I can publish my Tinker Toys design that was in the August 2023 issue of Love of Quilting. I honestly do think that is an exorbitant amount of time to not own the rights to my own design, but, sniff! and hmph! I have not submitted another to them since! You may recall that last fall I did get permission to publish a throw size of the quilt, with my own instructions (they changed them slightly in the magazine) and in a completely different colour scheme. Well, now the baby quilt, throw, and even a cushion cover are all in one pattern. And oh yes, it's on sale all August long weekend!

This perfect spot for a photo, or even a sit😊, which many people do, is the front of The Grove Hotel on Main Street in Kingsville. It's a beautiful old hotel, totally renovated, built in 1854. I think they should have a couple of quilts on those rocking chairs! Might have to approach them...

A Little Pick-me-up or Lay-me-down Cushion

This cushion is going to a dear friend who is going through a rough time this summer. Homemade cushions, in my humble opinion, are just the best: quick and satisfying makes, filled with meaning, simply trying out a cool block, and practical. This one ticked all the boxes.

It felt so good to dig through the two piles of Island Batik fabrics in my IKEA Kallax cabinet. Gosh, they were so generous, (I still have lots and lots of leftovers) and wow, their fabrics so divine!

Another Santa's Belly Pillow

When Dayna saw my first Santa's Belly cushion, she immediately texted, "I want." So what's a mother to do? Comply with her daughter's wishes of course!

This fun, quick-to-make design is by Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation from back in 2018. Little did I think I'd be making not one, but two of these in the space of about a week!

Two Big Bellies

On Instagram I alluded to making two new cushions, both of them bellies. The first is Santa Baby, designed by Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation. I've intended to make one since I first saw her post back in 2018! 

You can read Kelly's post here where she gives you a diagram with finished measurements to make your very own pillow.

Kitty Love

I’ve had this project in my head for a couple of months, so it feels good to finally have it finished and now gifted. 

Once again, it is all from stash and once again, several fabric companies blend together to create this pretty cushion.

Orinoco Flow Pattern Release

This is my latest finish in my favourite colours. It is the throw-size version of Tinker Toys, which was published last summer in the September issue of Love of Quilting magazine.

Unfortunately, they hold the rights until August 2025, yes, the contracts are now two years, so I cannot publish the baby size pink and orange quilt. However, I contacted them to ask if I would be allowed to publish a throw size with a little bit different construction method than they use and different colours and they said, yes. So I am very happy to have this quilt available as a stand-alone pattern. Next year I will be able to release the baby size as well and will update the pattern. Know that I will send the updated pattern free to anybody who buys it this year. The pattern also has instructions to make a cushion cover.

Grandma's House

Quilt names don't usually come easily to me, but sometimes they do and this was one. I am excited to share my original design, a bench pillow, with you today!

It is one of four projects in my newly-released pattern, 'Rainbow Neighbourhood'. Did I mention the pattern is on sale all week? 25% off. It's a pretty darn good deal if I do say so myself: $10.50CA which is $8US for four projects, two of which are a throw quilt and a twin quilt, each with a completely different layout, a 22" cushion cover and this 20" x 36" bench pillow. 

Rainbow Neighbourhood Pattern Release

It's been a long time coming, but I'm thrilled to finally have my houses pattern together and released! You'll be seeing more of it all week, as the pattern has four projects within it: a throw, a twin sized quilt, and two pillows, one of which is a cushion and the other a bench pillow. I made the throw using the original blocks I made back in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge of (would you believe) 2017.

It is so good to see these fun spectrum of houses finally 'grown up' into a quilt. The pattern, which I've named Rainbow Neighbourhood, is on sale all week for 25% off. You can get it in my Etsy shop, SandraJaneQuilts. 

A Roll of the Dice - Baby Quilt Beauties

It's the final day of the pattern launch for A Roll of the Dice and today you get to see no less than five baby quilts. Today is the last day to grab the pattern for 30% off. That means for just CA$7.70 you can have a pattern with instructions for three projects: a baby quilt, a bed runner and a cushion/pillow. Without further ado, here is my baby quilt, done in warm tones.

It's on my design wall, being blocked. I plan to take a few more glamour shots tomorrow. The colours are pretty true here. Four of the five dice blocks, from two to five, are inside Evening Star blocks, with dice block one in the centre of a Rolling Stone block (get the rolling connection?) which is, in turn, the centre of the large Ohio Star. I think we all know how much I love layers in quilts!

A Roll of the Dice Pattern Launch: Rockin' Runners

Are you ready to see some rockin', radiant runners today? Here is the original one I made back in August 2018 using Amanda Murphy's gorgeous line 'Free Motion Fantasy'.

The background fabric is just fabulous, filled with swirls and McTavishing, so on two blocks I traced it with my FMQ, and on the alternate two blocks I did straight lines 1/2" apart. This runner, like the pillow, appears to have borders, but it doesn't! You make them as part of the blocks, sew the four blocks together and ta-da! Runner complete. Let's see what Michelle and Susan did with the pattern.

You Say Pillow...I Say Cushion...Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Well no, but gosh, that's a good title, isn't it?! Welcome to the first day of the Projects Parade for A Roll of the Dice. It's Comfy Cushions Day and you are in for a treat! Whether you say cushion or pillow, this is a simple, quick-to-make project that will use up some scraps, or some saved (hoarded) precious pieces from a favourite line. Here is the original cushion I made.

Very simple piecing, slightly elaborate quilting, but guess what? I just followed the design in Amanda Murphy's background fabric! The fabric line is Free Motion Fantasy, from 3.5 years ago.

I have two terrific projects to share with you today, made by two talented ladies, so read on to see what they came up with!

Project Quilting 13.6 and Wrap Up

I finished Project Quilting, at Persimon Dreams, made every one of the six projects, and got them linked up on time. I'm pretty pleased with myself. Here is Challenge 13.6 Flying Geese.

I have had the Kona Nightfall for a while with the idea of a quilt background, rainbow colours on it, and haven't done anything about that thought. Until this challenge.

Reading Takes You Places and Pattern Update Release

First of all happy Full Sturgeon Moon, extra rare Blue Moon of the summer season (source Live Science). It's been gorgeous gazing at it the past few days. I thought it a fitting day for my newly updated and added-to suitcase quilt pattern! And, you guessed it, it's on sale this week.😊

Back in late July, I made this large reading cushion for Brady for his birthday which was July 30. Like me, he likes to read a book in bed before turning out his light. I always prop myself up with two pillows, so I figured this large cushion would be just the ticket for comfort while he reads. He also loves to listen on his phone to one of my favourite CDs by Suzanne Ciani, an artist I discovered on a New Age station out of Detroit, WJOI, when we lived here in the 80s. His phone can tuck into that actual pocket!

Some of you may recognize the block. It's one from my Oh, The Places You'll Go! quilt I made for Island Batik way back in January 2019. The pattern has been in my Etsy shop for almost as long. For the past two-plus weeks I have been updating the pattern, bringing it up to the level of my others, now that I know what is 'standard' in the pattern world, and also adding instructions to make the cushion and the appliqué blocks.

Another Turquoise Heart Cushion

When I made the Greybird cushion, I cut out pieces for two, sewing the two fronts at the same time, chain-piecing style. I would either keep the second one or put it in my Etsy shop. I finally finished it!

I love it too, and if it doesn't sell for a while, I'm totally okay with that!

Greybird

 About a month ago, my good friend Liz had to say goodbye to her beloved cat, Greybird. She was 15 years old, a good age for a kitty, but still... I knew I wanted to make her a little something to show my sympathy and empathy for what she was going through. I had originally thought of a mug rug, maybe a mini cat with the Snail's Trail block tail.

That's not a cat, I know! And it's not a mug rug either, if you look at the size of it compared to the thread! As with many projects, things have a way of just flowing along in the way they mean to; I just have to listen, and then follow.

Cushions for H2H

When I read guest blogger Carole's post on Sarah's blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, I immediately thought that's what I'll do for my neighbour to go with her quilt, make her a pretty cushion. I had made her a family couch time quilt which you can read about here. She works at one of our two grocery stores in town; we share part of our back fence. A single mum, she has two young boys, who are often babysat by her mum, who has a dog, Shadow. It was through Shadow and our dog, Rocco, that we first met.

Here is her very own cushion, which is meant as just for S.

Shine: Benartex Christmas in July Blog Hop & Pattern Release

Welcome to my stop on the Christmas in July blog hop with Benartex Fabrics. I had the pleasure of working with Nancy Halvorsen's newest line, Better Not Pout.

As with most of my quilts, this one has a little story to it. It is my own design, and yes, there is a pattern for it, and yes, it is available today!

I tried for a bit of a Christmas vibe against our neighbours' cedars and trumpet vine and other vines-covered fence. Christmas isn't snowy and cold in a lot of the world, right? Christmas is about gifts, and so there is a giveaway in this post...

Kaleidoscope Dreams

Well I have a finish, and I am pretty stoked about it! For those who have followed the build on Instagram, here is the final cushion cover, which I've named Kaleidoscope Dreams.

I made the first cushion cover using Paula Nadelstern's line 'Wonderlust' for a Benartex blog hop in 2018. When Sheila was at our house for Dayna's wedding in November that year, she fell in love with the cushion, and asked me to make her one.  Exactly the same. Time went on. Earlier this year we were chatting, and she brought up the cushion again because she had seen it in a yoga photo I put on Instagram. I said I might have enough of the fabric left but I wasn't sure... She said she'd pay me for it, and I told her no, there was no need, but within 24 hours, she had emailed me some, and refused to hear otherwise.

Island Batik Blog Hop and Giveaway: Lake and Trees

I'd like to welcome everyone to my post on Island Batik's 'The Ultimate Home Décor' blog hop. I finally can show off this beautiful collection of fabric, River Valley, designed for Deb Tucker Studio 180 Designs by Kathy Engle.

I kind of went to town on this one!