Finally the quilt top is finished. Now on to the quilting part.  I did buy some very interesting fabric for the back. I really like it. When the quilt is finished I will post a back picture as well as a front picture.  This is going to be the last  Grandmothers Fan that I plan on doing.   Sometimes after I do so many that is it.   Well this is it. I dont think I could do another.

I love scrappy and I am going to only do scrappy old fashioned quilts the rest of this year and the entire next year. I hope I do not get tired of them.

I met with my webmaster Carol yesterday. Our heads are bursting at the seams with ideas.

Stay tuned for more information at a later date. See that is a reason to come back for a visit.

I am working on a Grandmothers Fan quilt for a lady in Tennessee. I love the colors and I bought the fabric at Joann’s fabric store very reasonable. Do you know if you belong to American Quilters Society you get discounts at Joann’s..Sure do.  Here are some of the pictures of the quilt top in process.

This is the pattern in the book and a peek at the block. 

The light spot in the middle is light coming through a small porthole type window. The background is a beige floral tone on tone.

Another view.

Upclose view of the beige background that I so love.

Parts still on the assembly line.

Last week Aunt Jan was here and she was looking around upstairs in my studio. We had cleaned it up somewhat and was proud to show her. Well she saw my killer tomato pincushion and said I needed to show it next to a regular size pincushion that in the picture I posted you really cant tell how big it is. I said ok I would do it. This is my all time favorite pincushion. I know I have had it at least 30 years. I just love it.

Little cushion, big cushion. It will hold about a zillion pins and more!

Michele at Quilting Gallery is hosting a virtual quilt show. You can go to  http://quiltinggallery.com/2010/04/16/vote-now-scrappy-quilts/   and see the beautiful quilts. I have one on there in the contest. It is called Tommy’s Quilt.   I do hope you go and visit and vote, and I would like to see it cast for mine!

There are some beautiful quilts on here and it is hard for me to decide which one I like the best.

Here is the one I entered in the contest.

Tommy's Quilt

Thank you all for looking. NOW GO THERE AND VOTE FOR THE QUILT OF YOUR CHOICE…WHICHEVER IT MAY BE!

I am amazed at when I look at this quilt. First of all IF my mother ever owned a quilt book or pattern it was news to me. When it was time to clear out her house there never was one to be found. There were some brown paper sack pattern pieces. This was the woman that could look at something and make it. Remember the crochet vests that were so popular in the 60’s? Well I asked her to get a pattern for one and make it for me.. After sneering at me for saying pattern she sat down looked at one that a friend of mine owned and in a day or so I was wearing mine to school with the tie that had the pom pom’s on it.  When I was taking the photo’s of her quilts that my sister Karen has I did not pay to much attention to the fabric.  After studying over this one on my computer I realized it had some material that I remember having outfits growing up and her dress fabrics.  Mother always hand sewed the pieces and hand quilted. I don’t have that much time plus I do not have a desire to hand quilt anything larger than a doll quilt which I have done some of those. I like this quilt and if  IT wants me to bring it home to live with me I will!!!!  I will be glad to bring home ANY of the quilts in her possession if she just says the word!!!

These are two pictures of a real old quilt that was my mothers. I am not sure where she got the pattern or when she made it.. Karen my sister known on here as  IT has it in her collection of mothers work.

Mother always used a white background. I never thought about it until I was looking at some of her old work. Everything was in a cotton white for the block. I never remember seeing her sew any of the work on the blocks by machine. Come to think of it the more I study about her work she hand sewed everything. I never saw her put a binding on one the way we do today. She would always cutting the back fabric down and overlap it on the front and hem with big stitches.  That is why I have some quilts that the binding is coming loose and I have to repair them. She always had them in her quilting frame hand quilting them.   I love hand quilting but I have found that machine quilting makes the quilts last longer.

I do not know what kind of batting she used but I have the one that you can hold it up to the light and NOT see a piece of batting. I figure probably that polyester batting that everyone used years ago in the 60’s and 70’s.

I love this butterfly quilt and I intended to take my sketch book when I went to IT’s the next time and trace off the pattern. Well in the past few days I have been spending a couple of hours clearing out my studio and trying to get some order in there. Right now it looks like a tornado hit it from inside and did not do anymore damage to the rest of the house! Well yesterday I picked up an old magazine from a long time ago and what would appear on the front of the magazine? The butterfly pattern. Now what are the chances that this would happen?  I have the pattern. I am going to start on me one soon. I plan to do it a real country type look.   AND NO I am not using a white background and white backing?  It seems like all the quilts for that era was white on white!

I made this quilt about 2 years ago for a friend of mine. It is called a 6 hour quilt.  When you finish with the quilt it is finished, no taking to the longarm person to quilt it for you. However on this one I wanted to try free motioning on my regular home sewing machine. It turned out pretty good for the first try. I liked it.

Front of a 6 hour quilt we made for our grandson Will a few years ago. These are the easiest quilts possible. You sew the front and back together at the same time with the batting between the pieces. Like a sandwich.

Back of Will’s 6 hour quilt. By using different fabrics you have two in one quilts.

This is one side of a 6 hour quilt. It was made for use to be boss at the Post Office when we were there. Mr. Romager was retiring and he was a big Auburn Fan.  He also played golf so the other side was golf.  He has two quilts in one.

This is one side of Mr. Romagers quilt. The golf side. 

These quilts are great to make for children also. They are fast and very easy. You do not mind seeing them in the floor laying on them or playing with them like you do on quilts you spend months working on and money to have it quilted or even quilt it yourself.

This should be something you think about to get started on the presents for 2010. No trips to the longarmer! You start and finish and delivery.

I have a list of what I want to make for who this year and  I am ready to get started. Be creative. People love gifts that someone spent their time on making instead of running in the store picking out a meanless gift.

You can check out more about this quilt technique on

http://www.kayewood.com/item/6_Hour_Quilt_Book/214