A Quilter's Table

Gift Handmade

2026-06-09T08:57:40.552-07:00

Over the years, I've gone in and out of making and giving handmade gifts. A maker sometimes gets clues about whether a recipient appreciates a handmade item or not. Not always, of course, but sometimes. So I was pretty sure that one particular friend would appreciate the recent gifts I made for her.

For one, she had commented when I made a Small Booklet Pouch for myself using Aneela Hoey's pattern, that it would be handy to store crochet hooks in.

Of course, I made it as cute as I could....

My friend has been a bunny owner more than once, and because of that, the Rifle Paper Wildwood Woodland fabric seemed fun to use for a gift for her. I couldn't resist, and I hope she doesn't feel inundated by my bunny-focused gifts.

Because I also made her a Small Maple Street Pouch by Svetlana @sotakhandmade using the same fabrics. For the pouch, the bunny print was on the exterior, and the floral on the inside.

There are other instances, though, where someone close to me asks outright for me to make them something, such as my daughter, Rachel @snippetsofsweetness, asking if I'd make her some fun pillowcases for her birthday. My reply was an instant, "Yes!" I always use the tutorial by The Twiddletails Blog, this time making the queen size pillowcases. By now, I know that for anything larger than regular, you need to take care if you're ordering a directional fabric. I did, and ordered fabric special for this project, as I don't keep the lengths needed on hand, plus I really wanted all of the fabric to somewhat coordinate, and to be BLUE.

Lizzy House is one of Rachel's favorite fabric designers, and all this fabric was from Lizzy's Constellations line.

Cutting the fabric the right way can be a bit confusing, especially with directional fabrics; so this time, I made myself a little cheat card, and am posting it here in case I can't find it next time I need it. Ha!

Of course, I made a drawstring giftbag for Rachel's gift - it's tradition! This time I used the Easy Going (Single Fabric) Drawstring Bag pattern from Jeni Baker's @jenib320 Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern. I was glad I had enough of the Pearl Bracelet fabric, as it's one of Rachel's very favorites.

So I was really happy to be able to give these handmade gifts - as well as the scrappy potholders a couple of weeks ago. Now back to some serious scrap-sewing.

Banded

2026-06-08T08:48:37.005-07:00

Meet Banded! As much as I love them, scrap quilts always feel like a bit of a workout. I personally don't keep my scraps in a very organized (read: neat and pressed) way, so when it's time to work with them, there's always a lot of pressing, trimming (all those strings!), and overall, digging through the scrap basket. But that aside, it feels great to use them!

For this particular quilt, I used up an entire yard of Kona Haze as background on the front. But other than that, every single bit - blocks, backing, and binding - was from the scrap basket.

Speaking of the back, I first made a panel of all the left over bits from the front. Then, without looking, I grabbed a handful of scraps from the scrap basket, pressed them, and sewed them together. And I did it again. There were a few stragglers from each set that made up a fourth panel. I did it once or twice more, then intentionally looked for any larger pieces to start combining the panels together. The photo below shows the shapes of the final pieced slabs that made up the quilt back.

And the finished back!

For quilting, I went with the fast and no-stress serpentine with an off-white thread. Honestly, I was ready to move on. It wasn't lost on me that I'd spent much more time making the quilt back than on quilting, but so be it.

I knew even before quilting that if I wanted to keep the integrity of the quilt front block design, I would not be trimming this quilt 'square.' I'm not sure what happened to make that so, but I was willing to live with it for this particular 'just for fun' quilt.

So in the end, once bound with leftover binding strips straight from the scrap basket, the quilt measured 47" x 55" x 47" x 58". At least it will make a cozy lap quilt!

April + May Fabric Usage

2026-06-07T14:14:13.285-07:00

Due to fabric purchases in April intended for gifts given in May, I chose to combine fabric usage posts for the two months. It is A LOT, I know. But it's what really happened and I'll just own up to it here. I've done my best to sew through most of it AND I balanced it all out by making no fabric purchases or intake during May.

So here's that came in during April....

Christmas kitty fabric from my buddy Louise @imfeelincrafty. She knows we have a white(ish) fluffy cat in our family and thought this would be perfect for some Christmas gift bags. I totally agree!

Then I needed very specific fabric for the WELCA challenge quilt, Vessel. Shopping online, I did buy a few things I didn't end up using, but only the second from the bottom one below didn't get used at all. And the gold, pink, and yellows were perfect for what I needed. Happy news, I just heard that Vessel was a finalist in the challenge, so I'll be sending it off this week.

Then I couldn't resist the Wildwood prints below for a gift for a friend of mine. Those bunnies especially were just perfect, and the floral coordinated nicely. The Ecru Cloud linen in the center is for fabric stamping, which I haven't gotten to yet, but it's on my list to try this summer.

And wouldn't you know, my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness asked for a handmade for her birthday - some fun pillowcases! That's something I really enjoy making so yay! For fabric, I picked from one of her favorite designers - Lizzy House. Rachel loves blue, so I chose some coordinating Constellation prints. Glancing at the stack, I think there's just one print I didn't end up using. It was kind of challenging picking prints to use together, but I managed. I made her two sets, and had enough left of the Pearl Bracelets on top to make a gift bag. Perfect.

Finally, like last year, I indulged in one of Anna Graham's Studio Mystery Boxes, and what a treat.

I already have plans for one of the larger fabric pieces, and look forward to seeing how I can use the others too. SO, a lot of fabric came in, but almost double that amount got used up between the two months. Not complaining about that one bit.

April Fabric Usage

Used up: 20.215 yards [6.87 projects + 13.345 recycled/donated]
Brought in: 21.50 yards
Net: 1.285 yards

May Fabric Usage

Used up: 17.51 yards [13.56 projects + 3.95 recycled]
Brought in: 0.0 yards
Net: -17.51 yards

June is off to a quite scrappy start, which I am enjoying very much. Can't say what's coming next, and I'm ok with that. Though I love a TO DO list, I also enjoy the freedom of just figuring it out as I go.

Scrap Report Two + More on Making a Pieced Quilt Back

2026-06-03T08:22:39.577-07:00

Like I mentioned when I checked in with Scrap Report One back in April, I kind of felt like a failure at this year's 100 Day Project, but I am excited to say that I feel like I've made up for it a bit in the last few weeks. I believe that the 100 Day Project officially ended on May 30, so here's my final report on how I've used scraps in the second half.

The potholders I made for my Making Scrappy Potholders tutorial were intentionally made from scraps - both front and back, though I did have to pull from stash to make a binding I liked.

Though much of the fabric used in Vessel was newly-purchased, I did pull yellow scraps from the scrap basket to include in both the background on the front, and on the back.

And where I really outdid myself and finished my 100 Days of Scraps with a bang has been with the scrappy quilt project I'm currently working on. It's not quite done, but the front and back definitely qualify to be included in this scrap report.

Though I used one yard of Kona Haze from stash for the background, the rest of the front (above) is totally from scrap. I felt like a single background fabric would give some unity to the multi-colored design. Where on the back (below), anything went, and every single bit came from the scrap basket. First I made a panel of all the left over bits from the front. Then, without looking, I grabbed a handful of scraps from the scrap basket, pressed them, and sewed them together. And I did it again. There were a few stragglers from each set that made up a fourth panel.

Honestly, that was so fun that I did it again, then went looking for larger pieces to start combining the panels together.

Working on a design wall is perfect for constructing a quilt back this way. Note that my quilt top is still up there, so I figured out dimensions for the back as I went. Basically, I added larger scraps to my scrappy slabs one by one, pinned them up, then moved on to the next. In general, I added wider fabrics to the outside edges, knowing that after quilting, some trimming would happen. But for interest-sake, I did let some smaller scraps reach out to the edge.

I thought it might be fun - helpful even? - to see the shapes of the final pieced slabs that made up the quilt back, with the lines shown above. And yes, I did add one more vertical trip down in the right-hand bottom corner, so that's evened up a bit. This backing intentionally is much scrappier than the one I made in my Making a Pieced Quilt Back tutorial, but the process is pretty similar. But with this one, I reached my goal of pulling every little bit of fabric from the scrap basket. It remains to be seen if I can get binding from the scrap basket as well, but fingers are crossed!

Courthouse Steps

2026-06-01T09:09:35.924-07:00

Well, it's my turn to choose our Beesewcial @beesewcial prompt for June 2026. After last year's very personal, small block, black-and-white prompt in Ode to Joy, I decided to go with something on a larger scale this time, with a lot more color; still personal, but in a completely different way.

I'm asking my beemates to create one large - at least 18" square - improvisational Courthouse Steps block. Untrimmed is great as long as I can trim to an 18" square if I choose to. Some specific guidelines:

Begin with a pieced black-and-white center of any size and shape
Construct the logs in cool colors vs. warm colors. Each quadrant can be its own color story, or the same as the one across from it, as long as opposite sides are both either cool or warm.
Incorporate in your style of improv however you can. For example, my sample block was primarily cut ruler-free and includes some angled seams, pieced logs, and fine-line piecing. Make it your own while still obviously being a courthouse steps block.
No applique, please. Machine-washable fabrics only.

I've added to a :: Courthouse Steps :: pin board for ages, and it can be used for inspiration, though not specific details necessarily. I'll ask my beemates to use the guidelines listed above while realizing that Courthouse Steps can be constructed in a myriad of ways. They should definitely do what feels fun and freeing within my limited guidelines.

Lastly, I made the block shown as an example, but reserve the right to make another as my final block for the quilt. I'll decide as we move through the month. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see what they do with this modern-traditional prompt.

Cloud Composition

2026-05-27T07:59:40.104-07:00

Stephanie @spontaneousthreads got to choose our Bee Sewcial @beesewcial prompt this month, and she chose Clouds. Actually, compositions that include clouds. We were asked to choose one of four photos that Stephanie took that included clouds. I chose one of the front range of the Rocky Mountains at sunset.

From our chosen photo, we were to select a vertical strip, top to bottom, to be the inspiration for our pieced strip, approximately 8" x 40".

A bit of a challenge, right? I kept my photo close by as I began to compose my composition in fabric.

Honestly, it took me bits of time over several days to complete my entire strip. It was hard to keep everything totally 'straight,' and my strip finally felt done at 9"-13" wide and roughly 48" long.

Of course, I told Stephanie I'd be happy to shorten it, but as I expected, she asked me not to. I have no doubt she'll work her magic once she has all our strips. I know she will.

A Maker's Thought

2026-05-21T08:35:58.352-07:00

It's been a while since I've share a post like this, but something happened last weekend that I don't want to forget. Plus, it serves as a very good reminder that our gift of making is something pretty special, and being able to share that beyond ourselves is worth the risk.

So remember those green potholders I shared a few weeks ago?

I made them to be able to write a tutorial on how I make scrappy potholders, and at the start, I didn't really have an idea of an eventual recipient. But for some reason, as I was making them, it came to me who I wanted to give them to. There's a server at a local restaurant that I visit fairly often. Usually it's mom and I or hubby and I, but whatever, she sees us coming and welcomes us in. We chat about our week and no matter the day, she makes us laugh, serves us well, and makes us glad we came.

So just before the last time hubby and I were headed there, I whipped up a gift bag and popped the potholders in. I can't say I didn't question whether taking the gift to her was a good idea. I mean, I've never taken a gift to a restaurant server before. But I just wanted to show our deep appreciation for the joy she adds to our visits.

After our order had been placed, I told her I'd made her something. She pulled up a chair to open the gift bag, peeked in, and wouldn't you know? She nearly cried. That there were potholders in the bag was meaningful to her. That they were handmade was meaningful to her. She thanked me over and over again.

All this to say, if sharing one of your handmades crosses your mind, just do it. Risk feeling foolish. Risk an apathetic reaction. Because there's a good chance you'll experience what I did.... sincere appreciation from the recipient, and a personal gratefulness for your own giftedness as a maker.

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 4A + 4B and 5A + 5B

2026-05-20T07:33:22.711-07:00

Anxious to receive this month's assignment for our guild BOM, I was happy to see I FINALLY got to use my green accent colors - Konas Peridot (darker) and Olive (lighter). The assignment consisted of making four pairs of quarter log cabin blocks.

There were actually 4 sets of mirrored blocks, and the problem with making the pair above and then taking a break, was when I came back, I repeated the exact same process again, rather than making them with a mirrored layout. Oops. Eventually, I got it right....

On the second set, I paid better attention and got it right the first time.

Of course, I'm curious how these will 'fit' with the other blocks I've made, and IF some future blocks will include all six of my palette colors. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to be done with this month's assignment and moving on to other projects.

Floral Stitches Year III - The One

2026-05-18T09:26:27.012-07:00

Though I decided not to continue with the Dropcloth @dropcloth Floral Stitches Series into a third full year, I did receive the first one, so of course, I stitched it up!

Knowing this would be my last flower sampler for a while at least, I tried to really enjoy the stitching, adding extra layers of stitches wherever I fancied.

Gotta say, I enjoyed stitching this farewell flower very much.

Pascal Carrying Case Sew Along

2026-05-15T17:15:13.275-07:00

I do love a sew-along. I've done two with Kristina of Center Street Quilts
@centerstreetquilts - the Hemingway Pouch and the Nightingale Zipper Case. So when I saw she was doing one with her new Pascal Carrying Case, I thought, why not?

For fabric, I chose a Speckled Canvas Metallic by Rashida Coleman Hale in Sarah (green) for the main exterior; and a Fableism Camp Gingham in Sunshine for the lining. I wasn't 100% sure about choices for the interior pocket and bindings, but had a few options chosen so I could decide as I went. But I did find a nice taupe webbing in my stash, so I had enough to get started.

Day One's assignment was to sandwich and quilt the main body of the case, where foam stabilizer was one option for the middle layer. I knew from previous projects that that would be a good choice, and used Soft and Stable from byAnnie. I had planned to quilt a grid, but when I sat down to my machine, a serpentine stitch sounded fun. And it was!

For Day Two, we were to prep our bindings and strap. There was an option to cover the webbing - or not - and since I had some that coordinated so nicely, I'll be using mine au naturel.

It's not unusual for me to pull supplies for a project and then change my mind midstream. After Kristina sent her tips for Day 3, I realized she used zipper by the yard, so I switched to that; and decided I liked a different fabric completely for my case's pocket than I'd originally chosen. But I never regretted the combo I ended up choosing.

For Day 4, it was quick work to secure the webbing strap, including the hardware. I was really happy to find perfectly coordinating thread in my thread stash for both the exterior and the strap (which also matched with the lining!).

And tada! On Day 5, I just needed to add some binding, and my Pascal Carrying Case was ready to use. Though in all honesty, I think sewing on the binding took me longer than any other step. It wasn't hard, just a little finicky. But all turned out well in the end.

I really like the clean lines of this case.

And I'm super please with the details....

I also love that my Kindle fits with room to spare, and I think the charging cord will fit fine in the zipped pocket. Yay!

Vessel

2026-05-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Twice before, I've participated in the WELCA (Women of the ELCA) triennial gathering quilt challenge - in 2017 with Refiner's Fire; and in 2023 with Both Sides Now - so I was eager to participate again. This year's challenge was to create a quilt interpreting the I am Worthy gathering theme, incorporating the pink and yellow colors in the gathering's logo.

The finished perimeter of the quilt needed to be within the range of 100" to 320", though when the challenge was first announced month's ago, it was 60" to 100", so I was already planning for a relatively smaller quilt. Once I realized the change, I luckily didn't need to change my plans much, just making sure my finish 'fit.' Once completed, my Vessel, depicting a Kintsugi pot on a patchwork background measures 22.5" x 34" or a perimeter of 113".

The fabrics I included in my piece were Kona Azalea for the pot, Metallic Cotton in Gold by Windham Fabrics for the gold 'cracks', and for the background, a combination of Kona Banana Pepper, Essex Sunshine, Cotton Couture Lemon, two unidentified textured wovens, and quilt a few unidentified yellow solids from my scrap basket. Once the quilt top was complete, I created an improv-pieced quilt back using all the leftover bits.

For quilting, I echo-quilted the pot using Aurifil 50wt 2530 [Blossom Pink], to quilt between the metallic veins. Then I match-stick quilted lines 3/16" apart over the background with Aurifil 40wt Variegated 3920 [Golden Glow] for quilting and 1135 [Pale Yellow] in the bobbin.

Bound with Cotton Couture Lemon, Vessel is now ready to submit. 20 quilts will be selected to be shared at the triennial in July. Entries will be judged by a panel of selected quilters (full reveal, I was asked to be on the panel of judges since I apparently was a winner in 2023, but I won't be at the gathering) for originality, adherence to selected themes, workmanship, creative use of materials and overall design execution. There will also be a people's choice award and a quilters choice award. Winners and qualifying entries will be auctioned at the gathering, with 50% of the proceeds will go to Women of the ELCA and 50% to Lutheran World Relief.

As part of the entry form, I was asked to Describe how the quilt interprets the gathering theme. Here is my artist's statement:

The inspiration for Vessel came through a Lenten sermon series,

where a pot was demolished, and used as a symbol for our lives,

broken, yet beautiful in their brokenness.

The vessel, repaired in the Kintsugi style, reminds us that our worthiness

or value does not require perfection but a willingness to be shattered

and recreated. The mender comes to us, descending into our fractures and imperfections,

creating a renewed strength and purpose that didn’t exist before.

Linking up with Quilting JETgirl's Favorite Quilt Finish {May 2026}.

Umbrella Prints | Slow Stitched Needle Book

2026-05-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

So, two things kind of morphed into one with this little project. First, I had a stack of UmbrellaPrints that I got from my friend Cindy's @liveacolorfullife destash back in February. Then there was the hand-stitched needle book made by Mira @bluebellhillcrafts, that came with an invitation, Slow stitch a needle book with me. It kinda felt like they would go together nicely.

I used a double-thickness of Aurifil 12wt threads to do all of my stitching, loosely copying the designs and stitches Mira had used on hers.

Maybe I should have used some brighter colors so they'd show off better, but then again, I enjoyed with low-key palette.

The needle book cover was attached to the lining with a blanket stitch, and in the pair of photos below, you can see the prints that I pieced together for the book's interiors, leaving that one selvage showing as a hint to the origin of the fabrics.

I chose to add just two pieces of felt, creating 4 pages to store needles. I tried to follow Mira's instructions for securing them, with three rows of stitching down the center. Not perfect, but I think it'll work fine, and it does give the book a bit of a spine.

So that was fun! Closed, the needle book measures 4.25" x 5.5". Something a little different, and something that will come in handy, for sure.

2026 Studio Mystery Box

2026-05-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

You may remember that early last year when Anna Graham @noodlehead531 offered Studio Mystery Boxes, I couldn't resist. And subsequently, I made quite a variety of projects from the fabrics and supplies I received. Here's what I can remember off hand....

A Journal Cover, tutorial by Rachel LaBour @stitchedincolor

A Small Booklet Pouch, pattern by Aneela Hoey @aneelahoey

A Fairfax Sling, pattern by Svetlana Skumanicova @sotakhandmade

An Essex Wallet, pattern also by Svetlana @sotakhandmade

And just a few short weeks ago, a Workshop Tote, pattern by Jeni Baker @jenib320

Obviously, I've made good use of what I got, so there was no second-guessing myself when I saw Anna post: Studio clean out time! You will receive a box of some (if not all) of the following types of items:

zippers
fabric
fabric scraps (each box has an approx. 1 lb bag of pressed scraps)
some have webbing
cording
patterns
a few have leather scraps, zipper pulls
hardware
woven labels
box measures 11.25 X 8.75 X 5" and is full!

The box I just received had all of the above except patterns, which I'm fine with, considering all I did get.

Half yard each of Fableism Checkmate Checkers double cloth in Butterscotch and Ivory

23" x WOF of Speckled Canvas Metallic by Rashida Coleman Hale in black

21" x WOF of Speckled Canvas Metallic by Rashida in Sarah (green)

8(!) zippers in a variety of sizes and styles + one leather zipper pull

Half yard of Anna's Orchard Run Flowers in Slate

A mix of bag hardware and other supplies - a scrap of leather, 2 1/4 yards of 1.5" webbing, natural and blue drawstring cording, several rectangular rings, a half moon magnetic edge clasp (which I've never seen before!) from Emmaline Bags @emmalinebags, a side release buckle, waxed cord, and woven labels.

AND my bag of pressed scraps (14.8 oz.) included cuts of Essex, Orchard Run, Carolyn Friedlander, Echino, and Fableism. IE. some good stuff! I figure between the scraps and the yardage, I received about 5 1/2 yards of fabric, all of which I really like.

So I'm more than happy with the mystery box, and look forward to working these items into my making!

At the Table :: 2026 Rainy Day Bites Cookbook Club | February, March, and April

2026-04-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Since 2026 began, the Rainy Day Bites Cookbook Club has been embracing the Year of the Deep Dive, with our main cookbook being Something from Nothing by Alison Roan @alisoneroman. January got its
own post, I know, but here's what I've cooked up the rest of the months using this book.

February challenge - Soups On: Make any recipe from the Soups & Stews chapter

Spicy Pork Soup with Pasta & Parmesan

Ginger & Greens Noodle Soup

March challenge - Pasta is Life: Make any recipe from the Pasta & Noodles chapter

Creamy Cauliflower Pasta with Pecorino Breadcrumbs

April challenge - From Land to Sea: Make any recipe from the Meats & Fishes chapter

Goodbye Meatballs

Meanwhile, we'll be baking from Baking & The Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes by Helen Goh @helen_goh_bakes through this entire year. Below are what I've made for our February - April last day of the month baking challenges:

Chocolate Ginger Beer Cake

Dutch Baby with Mortadella & Arugula

King’s Coronation Scones with Morello Cherry Jam

Looking back over the last few months, I think it's a toss-up between the soups and the meatballs, which new recipes we enjoyed the most. Whatever, I really enjoyed trying recipes from both of these books. It'll be great to keep baking from The Meaning of Life, and I'm anxious to hear what our new savory book will be for the next four months. Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow!

Making Scrappy Potholders

2026-04-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

A while back, my friend Linda @flourishingpalms said she'd appreciate a tutorial for how I make potholders - specifically the layering sequence of fabric, batting, and Insulbrite. Knowing I could quite easily provide that, I put it on my 'to do' list for 2026. Finally, when I was in the mood for some scrappy free-sewing last week, I knew the time had come.

Not all potholders need to be scrappy, of course. Feel free to use orphan blocks, or make any pattern you wish for the front. For the purpose of this tutorial, I sewed scraps together with the goal of two 8" square-ish potholders. I stopped piecing when my slabs were 9"-10" square.

Of course, then I needed backings. I opted to use larger sized scraps this time, though sometimes I choose a stashed print so the pair has matching backs.

I like my potholders quilted, so here's where the layering comes in. I place the backing right-side down, then top it with a layer of Insulbrite.

Next comes a layer of cotton batting.

And finally, the pieced slab is placed on top, right-side up. I like to baste the layers with a shot of spray baste, but feel free to baste in whatever way you like. It won't take much, since the quilt sandwich is so small.

Now quilt as desired. Here too, it won't take much. I often like straight lines or a grid, often following the lines of the piecing OR marked with a hera marker. Below are examples of the type of quilting I usually do, from a batch of scrappy potholders I made back in 2022.

And below is how I quilted this pair.

Though I've made potholders in a variety of shapes, these days I almost always trim them with the unique shape I saw Hannah Haberkern @verdigrissewing use several years ago. For my template, I drew an 8" square on copy paper, then rounded two opposite corners. The nice thing about making your slabs a little larger than needed is that you can choose the orientation later in the process - straight on or angled.

For this pair, I chose angled.

Once trimmed into a square, I use a marking pen to trace the rounded corners, and then cut along those lines with scissors. I just get a neater corner that way than with a rotary cutter.

Then it's time to bind! Though maybe not quite necessary, I like to use bias binding on these. About 42" of binding is plenty for each one. Though I often use 2" binding for hand-binding quilts, I like 2.25" wide for potholders, as I tend to sew it completely by machine. Machine sew onto the back, then fold over to the front. When machine-binding, I find frequent use of wonder clips to be a big help in keeping things in place.

So once they're bound, they're done!

I hope you find this tutorial helpful! Let me know if there are any questions. And I sure hope you enjoy making some of your own. I find them a terrific way to use some scraps!

Floral Stitches Year II - The End

2026-04-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

Sad, but true.... the final sampler in the 2025-2026 Floral Stitches Year II from Dropcloth Samplers is done. The good news is, I enjoyed stitching this final one very much! Below is a photo of the sampler before stitching....

And here it is finished.

Of course, I needed to get a photo of all 12 together. Looking back, I definitely have some favorites in this bunch - do you?

One thing I've realized in two years of stitching these little samplers every month, is that I add a lot more of my own stitching than I did at first. I used to only stitch on the lines, but now I fill in, add to, or just keep creating more texture if I'm in the mood. That's definitely been a fun part of this second year.

Scrap Report One

2026-04-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I pretty much feel like a failure at this year's 100 Day Project, where at the start, I declared my own 100 Days of Scraps. It all started on February 22, so we're roughly two-thirds of the way in, and though I've done very little in documenting my scrap usage, I have been sewing with them here and there.

I did finish the scrappy quilt I began on day one of the 100 days - Strings. And the front is truly 100% from the scrap basket. The back and binding is a mix of scrap and stash, but I still feel really good about the scrap usage in this one.

The pyramid pincushions I made for my retreat buddies were also 100% from scrap. The cute pattern is from Mira @bluebellhillcrafts.

Backgrounds of my Leaf Study bee blocks may have been from stash, but the leaves themselves were scraps, which just added to the fun.

And much of the fabric used in those Pixie Baskets was from scrap. I don't think I ever showed that these ended up on our Easter table as little party favors, filled with candy. Gotta say I loved the response from the family, especially the "do we get to take these home?" Yes, indeed. Oh, and these cute baskets are from a tutorial by Heidi @fabricmutt.

Imp wasn't quite from the scrap basket, but I did choose small pieces from my pink stash. If a piece is foldable, I often keep it with my yardage, for times such as this. So while some pieces may have been close to a quarter yard, most were much less, and all that I pulled got used up in either the front, back, or binding.

Though I originally intended to use more Essex Homespun scraps in my Pantone project, Billows, they really weren't a usable size. But they are the darkest spots you see below, so I did use a handful of them. I also used up that gold gingham, which I'd gotten from a scrap stash bundle from FabricBubb, which I counted as scrap since they were in random small-ish sizes.

Lastly, all the Maple Street Pouches, a pattern by Svetlana @sotakhandmade, were made from a mix of scrap and stash. I could have just kept on making these, I enjoyed them so much.

So, definitely not the 100 Days of Scraps I anticipated. And truth is, there are still several weeks left. So I'll try to at least keep squeezing them in as I can.

Patterns to Try | Patchwork Zip Up Tray Pouch

2026-04-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

After trying - and loving - Aneela Hoey's @aneelahoey patchwork version of her Pop Open Pouch, I knew I needed to try another pattern I've had lurking in my Patterns to Try file - her Patchwork Zip Up Tray Pouch.

To start, I cut and pieced the necessary 2.5" squares from a Cotton Couture Charm Pack. Shown below is just the exterior panel; there were also two patchwork end pieces as well.

The patchwork panels and the separating zipper were a breeze....

.... though things increased in difficulty somewhat from there.

Piecing of heavy interfacing were inserted to create the four sides of the pouch, and for some reason, I needed to trim them ever so slightly to fit. Easily done, and the sides seem to have ended up evenly enough.

Creating and attaching the patchwork tray ends was a bit of a mind game - maybe it was just me. Thankfully, I was able to get them attached correctly, but it took some real concentration and reviewing of the instructions. No worries; it just took some time.

The trickiest step of all (for me) was the final one - the hand-sewing of the binding. The stiffness and shape of the pouch made it difficult to get in there with my needle to take the needed stitches! In theory, it should have been easily done; but in practice, I found it frustrating and spread it out over several days. Until I didn't. I was just two-thirds finished with the first end when I gave up and went to the machine, setting it up for a zig-zag stitch. My closest matching thread was not really close (though pretty), and the process was still cumbersome, BUT I'm happy enough with the end result. I will note that I glued the binding down before starting in on the zig-zag, and I think that helped a lot. Of course, the end that was partially hand-stitched was easier yet.

The finish is unique, darling, oh-so-practical, and I have already put it to use. I probably won't be making a bunch of these, but the pattern does get rave reviews, so other folks haven't found the tricky parts as daunting. The tray finishes at 11" x 4" x 4" closed and 11" x 4" x 7" open, so has the capacity to be a very useful addition to one's sewing practice.

Billows

2026-04-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

It feels like my Pantone challenge entry has definitely been a journey, but it's done now!

Choosing fabrics was the easiest part. Once that was set, I decided to make a bunch of slice-and-shift blocks, as that at least was easy to get started on while I was on retreat.

I'd originally hoped to include some Essex Homespun Yarn Dyed in Natural scraps, but turned out that not many were a usable size, but I did use a handful. I also began incorporating a colored print - an unidentified orange-ish elongated grid that I'd gotten in a FabricBubb scrap bundle.

Once I was home, I made even more blocks, then got them all up on the design wall to see what I had to work with.

After sharing on Insta, it was suggested that I rotate the whole thing, so after removing all the blocks from the wall, I slowly began to rearrange the blocks into a real layout, including the rotation. In piecing it all together, I added some filler blocks with larger/longer pieces of that striped fabric. Once squared up, I had a quilt top that was 45" x 47".

You can see the entire process of creating a pieced quilt back in Making a Pieced Quilt Back, but basically, I went from this....

to this....

For batting, I used a leftover piece of Quilter's Dream Select, a little lighter in weight than my normal Warm and White. For quilting, I chose to use the Tower of Triangles design from Jacquie Gering's WALK. I'd used it once before, and though a bit time-consuming and involving a lot of reverse-motion quilting, I liked the unique shapes it created across the quilt. For thread, I used Aurifil 50wt 2021 [Natural White], keeping things as light as possible, but not stark.

To finish, I used the last of my Cloud Dancer, Cotton Couture Soft White, for binding; and the quilt, which I've named Billows, measures 43" x 47". The 2026 Pantone Quilt Challenge linkup will be open April 20-27, and you can bet I'll be there.

Entry Details

Project Title: Billows

Quilt Dimensions: 43" x 47"

Country of Residence: USA

Linking up with Quilting JETgirl's Favorite Finish {April 2026}.

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 3A + 3B

2026-04-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

With a gap between quilting projects, it was the perfect time to get my guild BOM blocks done for this month!

We're still working with the strip sets we made in February, but creating much more intricate blocks than we did last month.

The two sets of two are mirror images of each other and measure 17.5" x 11.5" unfinished. IE. they are good sized blocks!

So that's it for this project for now. Still anxious to see the other colors in my palette come into play.

A New Cutting Mat

2026-04-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

On Day 11 of IGQuiltFest2026, we were asked to share about our studio cutting stations. I shared mine, and also a plea for recommendations for new cutting mats.

I currently had one from Quilter's Select, 24" x 36". It had served me well, but both sides had become quite worn. Luckily, I got several good recs, several of which I'd never heard of before:

Martelli, - This brand got good reviews from several folks, and it even offers an extra-large (30" x 60") version that I might have been interested in. But it was out of stock everywhere I saw it. There was a 26" x 38", but is it terrible to say I just didn't like the colors?
Havels - Which is pink and numerated both left and right handed on each corner (but apparently not confusing). Sounds like it makes it good if left-handers share the space with right-handers.
Olfa - Comes in green or gray. Pretty sure this is what I had for my first many years of rotary-cutting.
Alvin - Comes in several colors, including translucent. I noticed later that they offer a wider variety of the larger sized than most - good to know.

But what I ended up ordering was:

From Riley Blake Designs designs, advertised by Christopher Thompson aka the tattooed quilter @thetattooedquilter. The person who recommended it said it was not as slick as others. I liked the black on one side; white on the other. One thing I noticed is that it only has 1/8" markings around the outer edges, where mine from Quilter's Select has them on every inch cutting line. I thought I could live with that, so I ordered from Fat Quarter Shop, and boy did they pack it well. It was shipped flat and taped to the side of the box.

So it feels good to have that task taken care of for now. If you love/don't love your cutting mat, I'd love to hear about it, for future reference.

Bingo Update

2026-04-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just checking in with a Bingo card update! I don't have a bingo YET, but I have completed over half of the experiences I'm hoping to achieve this calendar year.

Here's what I've accomplished so far....

Gift handmade – Made Pop-Open Pouch for Felicity @felicityquilts on January 4

Take a class or workshop – Improv for Everyone workshop with Maria Shell @mariashellquilts on January 3

Make a new-to-me pattern – Made Treasure Pouch pattern by Larisa @stitchingnotes on January 19

Finished the 2025 BOM – Finished Calendar Cascade BOM quilt on January 27

Take a photo with one of my quilts and share – Selfie with Calendar Cascade on February 2

Try a new skill or technique - Used decorative stitches on my Janome on February 23

Hand-quilt a project - hand-quilted Pillars on February 26

Participate in a sew-in or retreat - Went on Basket Case Quilters retreat March 19-23

Make a scrap quilt - Finished Strings on March 18

Participate in a multi-day creative challenge - IGQuiltFest March 1-31

Add a new tutorial to the blog – Posted Making a Pieced Quilt Back on April 8

Organize my fabric stash - Sorted and neatened every cubby on April 8

Donate a charity quilt – Donated Strings + Full Circle (pieced and quilted by Cordelia @notmadebyrobots then I bound it) to Seattle MQG Giving Committee on April 8

Donate to the guild free table - Donated fabric, pattern with templates, stencils, and Christmas scraps at meeting on April 8

So it feels pretty good to have accomplished all of those goals already. There are a couple more goals I'll be actively working on over the next several weeks - Enter a quilt show or exhibit and Finish the Dropcloth Floral Series. So I'll be back (in a few months?) with another update - unless I get a Bingo!!

Guild Member Highlight

2026-04-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

What a surprise it was to recently get an email from our guild co-presidents: "We've had interest from some guild members in having you as our spotlighted member." Well, how about that?! After responding that I'd be happy to, I was asked to fill out the slide below, and then at our April meeting last night, to tell briefly about myself and three quilts that I'd like to share.

The three quilts I chose to take with me were all what I considered representative of my style (do I have only one? I'm not sure I do.) - all improv, all scrappy, all with pieced quilt backs.

Let It Be - 2020

Side Chairs - 2024

Sundry - 2025

After briefly sharing about the quilts, there was opportunity to ask questions, and I found that fun. I remember one about my quilting style (mostly straight/ish lines in some form) and another asking what kind of quilting machine I use (my current Janome domestic or my JUKI). Anyway, it was very fun for me to share with my guild, and am so grateful for their interest in me and my work.

Earlier in the week, I realized I'd need a good-sized tote to take the quilts in, and I knew that the Workshop Tote by Jeni Baker @jenib320 would be perfect. I'd made the patchwork version before, but time was short, so I'd need to do the plain version this time. That would mean 3/4 yard cuts for both exterior and lining, and wouldn't you know, for the exterior, I found a perfect 80% cotton/20% linen canvas blend from VESSEL by Alexia Marcelle Abegg @alexiamarcelleabegg in my stash.

For the lining, some Essex Homespun in Natural coordinated nicely. And though the pattern calls for 1" webbing, I had 1 1/2" cotton webbing in Chocolate that would work nicely, and have been very happy with the result. (Random: I'd gotten both the canvas and webbing in a Studio Mystery Box from Anna Graham @noodlehead531 last year. Love that they were both so perfect for this quick make.)

Anyway, the tote sewed up in little more than an hour, finishing at 16” tall x 16” wide x 8” deep, which held three good-sized quilts quite nicely. Pretty perfect.

Making a Pieced Quilt Back

2026-04-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

There are so many ways to make a quilt back, and I'm usually inclined to make a pieced quilt back, using up any leftover pieces - both scraps and yardage - from the making of the quilt front. As I make the backing for my Pantone challenge quilt, it seemed a good time to record my progress.

So this is how making a pieced quilt back starts, at least for me. I lay out all the scraps I have left from my quilt front, so I can see what I have. In this case, I have very little left of the yardage I started out with, so I've also grabbed a few smaller coordinating fabrics from stash, in this case, both print and solid. And then I just start piecing the smaller bits together. This time, I started with that small 'checked' print scrap.

Before long, all the little bits had become a piece measuring 18" x 20". Now it was time to start adding some larger pieces to the mix.

I started with my favorite of the 'new' prints, along with the smaller of the fabrics from my original neutral pull. By now, it measured 24" x 25", where my goal was around 50" square.

Up onto the design wall it went, and I began to pin up more pieces of fabric in places they might work, including another coordinating print. You'll notice that I 'build' the quilt back right on top of the quilt front, so it's easy to see how large it needs to be without continually measuring.

When I really like what I'm seeing, I may start actually piecing parts together, before I even know what will go in the other areas. So at this point, I've totally sewn together the middle horizontal section. I just have to figure out the top right corner and the very bottom.

Well that was easily done! I very nearly used the last of my original neutral stash filling in those two final sections, and we have a quilt back!

The finished backing measures 50" x 52", and I'm really pleased with the balance of the colors and shapes. They don't all come together this easily, so I'll take it as a win! Now time to get basting. Let me know if you have any question, ok?

Patterns to Try | Maple Street Pouch

2026-04-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last fall, I began an infrequent series, Patterns to Try, making small projects from new-to-me patterns from a folder I keep on my desktop. Easter Sunday afternoon, after brunch with the family and the kitchen clean-up, I needed a small palette cleanser of a project to sew. Svetlana's @sotakhandmade newly released Maple Street Pouch was just the ticket. I swear it took me longer to choose fabric and lining than it did to sew it up!

The exterior fabric - from Field Study by Anna Maria Horner (now Perry) - has long been a favorite, and the piece I had left was just perfect for this pouch, which was the medium size of the pattern, finishing at 8" x 3.25" x 2.5". And I thought that new gold gingham I'd purchased on retreat recently was the perfect lining. Though there are instructions for using a metal zipper, the pattern primarily uses zipper-by-the-yard, so that's what I used. And I enjoyed making the first so much, I decided to go ahead and try the larger size before moving on to my scheduled sewing for the week.

The large measures 9" x 4" x 3" and is a nice size - roomy, but not huge.

I really had fun choosing fabrics for both of these - other than the gingham, they were small pieces of beloved prints that have been in my stash for years.

One thing I should note, is that I did not quilt any of the exterior panels, as the pattern actually suggests. No real reason and they turned out just fine, but I'll consider doing that in the future.

Also, if you're zipper-wary, using the zipper-by-the-foot is really an easy way to go. You do have to get the zipper pull on before you start - this video from Sullivan's Trim @sullivanstrim is really helpful - but from there, there is a distinct advantage. At least on my machine, I don't need to use my zipper foot. I just leave my 1/4" foot on and it works beautifully. I do sew across the ends of the zipper so the pull doesn't accidentally slide off though, but since the zipper teeth are actually nylon, it's easily done.

At any rate, these cute pouches were just the refreshment I needed before diving into a pieced quilt back. I wasn't going to make the small version of the pattern, but I think I've changed my mind....