Patchwork Rescue from the Tulip Patch

Mary from the Tulip Patch submitted a wonderful patchwork rescue....so creative I would never have thought to do this myself!  Before she shares her secrets, let me tell you a little more about her.  She's got tons of tutorials on Moda Bake Shop...it took me a while to choose but I think this Sunkissed Quilt is my favorite.  She also has some of her own darling patterns and a lot of helpful tips and tutorials.  Make sure to see the Tulip Patch!


Perhaps it's happened to you before...you're browsing at your favorite proprietor o' junk when you spot the most wonderful vintage fabric find at a rock bottom price. The only catch? Well, it's sewn into something. It could be a quilt top, a patchwork skirt, or, in this case, ruffly patchwork curtains. I found 2 bundles of what I THOUGHT was a vintage cheater fabric only to realize later it was actual patchwork. I thought "no biggie...I'll just cut the edges off and sew all the squares back together. My plan didn't work out. For one thing, this lady LOVED a backstitch. For another, the patchwork was arranged in a cascading design and it would have required too much unpicking and resewing. Finally, there were some pretty ugly looking stains that I wasn't sure would come out.

So I started to cry a little and then I realize...why not just cut smaller 4 patches from the middle. That blossomed into "put my template on the diagonal and I can make hourglass blocks! Half Square Triangles would also work....just put the diagonal line of your template where 2 blocks meet instead of over the junction of 4 blocks.

Here are my hourglass blocks

I even took the edges and cut out as many pieces as I could and then sewed those into more hourglass blocks.  I trimmed everything to 4.5" unfinished.

And in under 2 days I had this 36" square baby quilt out of 2 small shams and 1 valance!

This was my final block..the catch all where I used most of my remaining blocks.

I love how these blocks turned out.  I kind of wish the whole quilt was these!

and then a plus/cross out of hourglasses.  I did have a few squares of the fabrics included in the bundle, so I used them in the center of the plus blocks.

I had a coordinating polka dot for backing (LQS closeout...after it got to be 65% off I went back).  I ripped off the basting stitches from the 4" ruffle, ironed it, and cut it down into binding.

Because the binding seemed thinner than a newer cotton, I machine stitched this binding instead of my usual (favorite) ladder stitching.

So next time you spot unquilted patchwork  you love that has seen better days, think about cutting pre-made blocks out of it with your see through templates.  Someone else has done the hardest part for you...and the best part is that you can blame any wonkiness on them :)

Cluck Cluck Sew's newest finish!

You most certainly have been to see Alison of Cluck Cluck Sew...and if not you are missing out!  Her blog is truly inspirational, has taught me a lot and gets me excited!  We got to meet Alison at market and she is ridiculously nice and sweet.  She has fabulous tutorials, my favorite is her Raw Edge Circle Quilt.  Her amazing patterns can be found here as well.  Here is her newest pattern:

This quilt has been a favorite on our couch for a month now (unbound!) and I just keep forgetting to take a picture of it….so this will have to do.  I made this quilt for my boys because my chain reaction quilt was looking pretty worn….and Ben requested a "soft" quilt.  So soft it is, with a bright blue minkee on the back (bought locally).

I sent this quilt to Christina for quilting.   I’m sure she was cursing my name during the process as it took some trial and error to get the set up right….but I sure love the quilting.

I used some random fabrics and bright solids for this one.  I wanted it to have a playful, summery, boy look without being baby-ish.   

For those of you that asked and are waiting… I finished up the Bizzy Kid pattern. It’s only available in a PDF right now…and fyi…it’s a big file, 12 pages, and includes instructions for the kid size (48" x 60") or a twin size (60" x 80").

You can find the pattern here.

Also for those of you that asked, the solids in this are Kona Cottons in Chartreuse, Coral, School bus, and of course White. I have fabric ordered for a twin size version of this quilt for my son’s bed…a not so brightversion. :)

If you're doing some online fabric shopping this weekend, stop by Sew Obsessed, they've got some great free shipping deals for you!

Double Hourglass Quilt from Crafty Cupboard

During the Block Party Heather and I came across these great blocks, so of course we followed link to link to link and soon we were admiring all of Melanie's things from The Crafty Cupboard.  We were looking at all her tutorials she offers, as well as following her "quilts" tags.  It's so fun discovering other crafters.  And here is Melanie's fabulous double hourglass quilt that she made for someone in need of comfort.


I brought this quilt to our Young Woman weekly activity last night to finish up the binding while the girls practiced their volleyball skills. The occasional "Yeah!!! Great effort!!" was all that was required of me, so I was able to finish a side and a half :). I know, I'm terrible.

This quilt is uber cute. Primary colors make me smile, and want to go play at a part and have a picnic. How about you? Especially when you toss in a good stripe for the binding.

This quilt is particularly important because it is for my sister's mother-in-law, Karen, and a longtime friend of our family. She is going through Chemotherapy for a second time after her Lymphoma returned. I guess it missed the memo that it wasn't welcome back.

The double hourglass signifies time. Doubled. The fabric is 1930's reproduction prints, reminiscent of time past. Cancer is a mean, yucky, frightening thing, but the one thing we can be assured of is the time we have spent with those who mean most to us. Like many, Karen's life hasn't necessarily been filled with gilded pathways and gleaming adventures, but she has been a shining example of love for the Lord, and love of family. We are looking forward to many more years with her as our friend!

Swim, bike, quilt....

Today Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt has a great story rich in the history of WWII.  I just loved reading the details of this story, as our grandfathers served as I'm sure many of yours did too.  Make sure to check out her cute blog and her great pics on flickr!

Ten years ago, I wrote my senior college thesis on a group of amazing women in Salt Lake City, Utah. During World War II, these women, known as the Salt Lake Minute Women, organized their neighborhoods and communities in preservation and conservation activities in support of the war effort.  One of their rallying cries was, "Save 'em, Wash 'em, Clean 'em, Squash 'em, referring to salvaging tin cans specifically. Did you know, for example, that women across the country salvaged waste paper, nylon and silk hosiery, scrap rubber, metal, and even kitchen fat to be transformed into needed commodities, at home and abroad?  They would hip today, as I found story after story of women repurposing garments and items during the war.  Somewhat related, I specifically remember women telling me they would draw lines on the back of their legs with eyeliner to mimic stockings when theirs ran out. Utah, incidentally, was the first state in the nation to completely organize its efforts--more than 13,000 women and children were officially registered in the effort. I was surprised to learn, among other things, that salvaged kitchen fat could be used in manufacturing nitroglycerine for anti-aircraft shells, alkyd resin paint for tanks, and dynamite. 

(http://history.utah.gov/historical_society/educational_resources/lesson_plans/minute_women.html)

I think about those women, every once in a while. I am always interested in women's history--I was interested in quilts as material culture long before I actually started quilting.  While doing research, I  was thrilled to find that my own great grandmother was the Minute Women leader of her small Utah community. She was also a quilter.


Last December, my sister in law gave me her leftover reproduction fabric for a 30s quilt that is on the list, but not yet started. Inspired by this quilt, this week I pulled Sam's scraps and different shades of white  from the bin, and this mini quilt was the result.  Many of the Salt Lake Minute Women were undoubtedly quilters, due to the prevalence of quilting in Utah during that time.  The dates are a little off, but I can imagine that not a few of them pulled out their scraps from the previous decade to make something useful, or lovely, during the war. I think I am going to hang this mini-quilt (about 18 inches square) above my sewing machine.