Quilts

Friendship Swap

August 23, 2016August 12, 2016 Elizabeth E.9 Comments

A few months ago, Vicki contacted me and asked me if I wanted to do a Friendship Swap. I almost said no, as I had sworn off of swaps, but I so like her work that how could I not say yes? So I agreed to do one more swap. We chose the theme of summer, set a date and a size, and we went to work.

I found this cute free watermelon table runner *here* (I think you have to register with them to get it, but there is lots of great stuff on this site), and set to making it.

I had to stop working on it when I injured my shoulder, but when Vicki told me she was all finished and could she send hers early? I just put my brain and body into gear and finished it up. She has received it and said she really liked it, which is so nice of her.

She sent me hers, which I love love love, and a small mini (below).

This is typical of Vicki’s kindness, as well as her creativity. Who else could have made a fabric cut-out so cute, with all those darling borders? She said it’s in honor of me, going to a quilting retreat.

We keep her table runner on our kitchen table, and after we’d opened our anniversary cards, I set them out next to the little birdhouse I’d placed in Vicki’s leafy tree-tops. What a terrific and fun swap to end on! (And yes, I’m really done now with swaps, but I know Vicki is still going strong!) This is Quilt #168 on my 200 Quilts list (in above tab). If you haven’t started making your list of your quilts ane projects, I’d encourage you to start now It’s very fun to keep track of your quilts and creative endeavors.

Quilts

Criss-Cross Finished!

October 15, 2014 Elizabeth E.15 Comments

It all started with a request to join the Friendship X and + Swap, me digging out one lonely block from the back of the closet, marooned there from when I’d started to make the blocks but abandoned the project, and an invitation from Krista. And now I can show you the finished quilt.

Lounging around on my new gate in my re-done landscape.

To go with this scrappy quilt, I used up odds and ends of binding ends, plus cut a few more pieces here and there.

The back: IKEA music fabric.

Some days you make a fancy printed label, but when the fabric is so fun with lines and notes, I think some days you should write the label. So I did.

The stained glass effect of the front showing through the musical back. It’s done!
For more posts about this quilt, type “cross” into the search box on the right; you’ll get several, including one that has a diagram of the pattern I used.

This is #136 on my 200 Quilts List.

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Quilts

Friendship Swap for the Cross-X Block

September 26, 2014October 15, 2014 Elizabeth E.13 Comments

Criss-Cross

Today is the day we reveal our quilts made in the Friendship Swap of the Cross-X blocks (some call them the + and x blocks). I got started on this through an invitation from Krista of KristaStitched, who is now found more commonly on Instagram. She wrote and invited me to play along, and since I’d always wanted to try out this block, I agreed. Susan of PatchworkNPlay and Carla of Lollyquiltz set us up a Flickr Group and we were in business.

I’m sure you remember these photos, as we kept track of our progress. Well, all of a sudden we were done, and then all of a sudden there was a deadline of today to get the quilt done. So, what you see up there is my quilt top (or flimsy), as the quilt is at the quilter, and since I was a bit slow in getting the top done, I don’t have the final “finish” on the quilt. Soon, very soon.

However, I don’t think I have to worry about my partner Krista finishing her quilt top before I will. She was working on a better and bigger project, which arrived several weeks early! Congratulations, Krista! Having Baby Rita here safe and sound is waaaaay better than a quilt top. Many thanks to Krista, Carla and Susan, for inspiring us to a Cross-X quilt top.

Thought you’d like to see what the inspiration was for these blocks, in the early days:

This quilt by Setsuko Inagawa, which used an old block by Nancy Cabot, caught everyone’s eye. The pattern diagram and the current origins (from Badskirt) are *here.*

UPDATES: Here are some thumbnails of the completed quilts or quilt tops, with links to their blogs.

Carla, from Lollyquiltz

Carla, from Grace and Favour

Susan, from Patchwork N Play

Cindy, from Live A Colorful Life

Heidi of Libellen Quilts

Jane of Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts

Quilts

Cross-X Last Call

April 25, 2014April 18, 2014 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

Well, my Cross-X Friendship Swap partner has a new gig in town: she’s expecting a baby, and I’m more than happy for her! So, since we were so near our goal, we decided to do an all-call, last-call and finish up the swapping. Here are my last blocks that I sent to Krista, of Krista-Stitched. Three (above) and Four (below). And is the tradition of this swap, we do a blog post on the last Friday of the month about our swaps.

Here are the four in double-vision; all total for this swap: seven. We now have about 55 total blocks (she does the math, I don’t) and I’ll get them all out and arrange them and get them sewn together. She wrote and said a few more were en-route to me, so I’ll wait a bit before sewing it all together. It’s been a fun run at this, and thanks to Krista and our Flickr group, for giving me the motivation to make some Cross-X blocks!

Coming up soon is the quarterly reveal of our Four-in-Art Art Quilt Group. Our most recent theme is Urban, with the quarterly theme of Landmarks. The Big Reveal of all of our quilts is May 1st, next Friday. I’ve got my ideas and am working forward with them. Stop back then and take a look!

Quilts

Friendship Cross-X Block Swap, March

March 28, 2014March 22, 2014 Elizabeth E.5 Comments

Krista and I decided we were impatient about getting these done, so we sped into hyper-quilt-drive and did a double batch for this month’s swap. Above is one set, all stacked together. . .

. . . and the double set all together. As one commenter on Instagram said, it’s interesting how the switch in fabrics can make the block look so different.

This is the other set, with a few Mirror Ball Dots worked into the mix (I still have LOTS of those scraps left).

And the foursome, all in a row. Looks like I was on a blue kick here, doesn’t it? I didn’t get everyone out of their bags for an overall progress shot, so that will have to wait until the next round. Come and see us on our Flickr Group where Krista has put up a picture up all of our blocks together.

Quilts

March Cross-X Blocks

February 28, 2014October 15, 2014 Elizabeth E.8 Comments

It’s Cross-X Blocks time again! The last Friday of every month, Krista of KristaStitched and I post about our swaps that we’ve done. Above are the eight blocks I made for February, four for Krista and four for me. Our Flickr group is *here* if you want to see what everyone is doing.

Here’s mine, all alone after sending my blocks off to her.

My organizing fetish surges to the front at times like this, as I like to see our progress. Krista’s ahead of me, having sent me two March blocks. I have to get going to keep up with her!

And here they are, all together. I can’t believe the number of blocks is growing this fast.

I like playing with the blocks because I get to look more closely at what Krista’s been up to. Here are four of my recent favorites of hers (above and below).