While traveling in northern Minnesota this spring I purchased a charm-pack filled with purple, green, and brown fabric squares. My momma’s favorite color is purple so I figured I would make something for her from it. She had asked a number of times for a new purse so I decided to use the charm-pack and make a purse from it. I cut the blocks down to 4 1/2 inches arranged them how I’d like them for a purse. I was only 3 blocks short for the entire purse so only part of the lining is made from my fabric stash – the rest of the quilt (including the handles which used four squares each) was made from the charm-pack.

The Charm-pack I purchased

The lay out of the charm squares for the purse.

The finished purse

The other side of the finished purse

Over the spring and summer I worked on a few small projects. I also long-armed a double-bed quilt, and worked on a donation projects (neither one are pictured) besides these few projects.

George Washington doll quilt I made for a friend.

Horse Quilt top I helped my momma finish. We both worked on piecing it.

Roy Rogers throw pillow that I made for a friend.

This Irish Chain quilt was made from 1860’s Reproduction fabrics for my sister-in-law for her birthday. I used Eleanor Burns book, Irish Chain in a Day, for a pattern. I made the top from start to finished on January 16, 2015. I finished hand quilting the top the second to last week of April, 2015.

This was made as a gift for my cousin’s little girl. When talking to my cousins wife about what she had in mind for her baby she mentioned hot air balloon. I recalled that my grandmother had some fabric that she was going to use to make a hot air balloon quilt so I used it. I wasn’t sure what pattern my grandma was planning on using, and I couldn’t find one that suited my taste, so I decided to try my hand at designing my own paper-pieced block. This is the result of my first self-designed paper-pieced quilt project.

First Concept Drawing

Draft 2

The final design and first block.

The finished quilt. Machine Quilted on my embroidery machine. Quilt Completely on May 9, 2015

Because Twix always wants to be in the picture.

One of the significant events my quilting adventure this year was learning to paper piece! I stumbled upon a garden quilt while looking through back issues of my grandma’s quilt magazines. It was for a wall hanging so I doubled the size of the pattern and my neighbor taught me to paper piece. So now let the paper piecing adventures begin!

The first three pieces.

More blocks sewn together!

An “oops” moment.

All the lovely blocks starting to come together.

The top!

All finished. Quilt on the long-arm.

Finished in August 2014.

I purchased this Confederate General’s panel at our local quilt club’s show in the spring of 2014 and quickly set into motion my plans to make a quilt top from it. The first step was to make a large star from the main fabrics.

Working on the blocks.

When chain piecing doesn’t go well!

The Confederate Quilt on my neighbor’s long-arm.

Finished quilt project. My own quilt design finally completed.

What it looks like on my bed.