Crackpot Quilters’ Blog

by Nancy

Here is my applique table runner that I’ve been working on for a while. I hand quilted around the applique and machine quilted the borders in the ditch. All I have left to do is to blind stitch the binding to the back. I love the fabric and colors, and it looks great in our green dining room!

by Nancy

Well, I’m very relieved to hear that I was not responsible for nearly crashing the blog! While I’m waiting to hear if anyone else wants to weigh in on the options for Crackpot Quilting Day, I thought I’d post a picture of the placemats I’ve been making. I got the focus fabric at Fields a while ago. The pattern is free from the JoAnn’s website. Unlike other placemats I’ve made, this one doesn’t have binding around the edge. Instead, you layer the top, batting, and a piece of muslin and quilt that. Then, you place the quilted top and real backing right sides together and sew around them except for a hole for turning it right side out. The result is slightly thicker than other placemats I’ve made. It may have been slightly faster because I didn’t have to do binding. Overall, I’m pleased, though I think my general preference is for a standard binding for placemats.

by Nancy

It’s about a month until All Together Week – yay! What would crackpots like to do this year? The traditional making of blocks for a charity or Project Linus quilt or top? What pattern? I like the past year’s Project Linus kites, but I’m open to anything. Or do we want to do something different? Everyone get together and sew on our current projects? A workshop by Marty on making little zippered bags? A workshop by me on making a reusable shopping tote?

What do all of you think?

by Nancy

Here it is! Pictures of the doll and doll quilt coming soon…

I can’t remember when I first started to think about making myself a purse using these fabrics from my stash, but I know that I actually began work on it in January when we were visiting our friends Mary and Ron in Florida. It is based very loosely on the “Ribbon Purse” in 101 Fabulous Fat-Quarter Bags by M’Liss Rae Hawley. As you can see, there is not a ribbon on it, but it is approximately the same dimensions as the Ribbon Purse, and it has a squared-off bottom, which I think I will like. The front, shown here, was pretty easy to design.

Here is the back, somewhat busier than the front, but I like it. It required several re-do’s and rearrangements, but it was fun to piece.

This is an attempt to photograph the inside, showing one of the two pockets. I like purses with lots of pockets of just the right size because I hate to fumble around in my purse trying to find something.  I have not yet put the purse into service. I have no idea what I am waiting for. I am  curious to see how well it works for me.

The 2008 Summer Crackpot Quilt is finally completely completed. Here is complete photodocumentation.

Quilt Front

Quilt Back (pretty boring)

Label

by Nancy

It’s been a little while since I last posted, but in the meantime, I’ve completed the top to the Butterfly Quilt for my college roommate’s baby. I’m very pleased with how it turned out. And I purchased no fabric for this quilt! Amazing! I did have to purchase the batting, but I think that will be all. As you may be able to see in the picture, I have pin-basted the quilt, so now I am ready to machine quilt it.

by Nancy

My college roommate is expecting her second child in late April or early May, and she found out not too long ago that it will be a girl. So, I have started to think about what I’d like to make for her quilt. I decided to use these fabrics that Marty gave me for Christmas:

I found a quilt in Debbie Mumm’s Cuddle Quilts for Little Girls and Boys that was done in horizontal rows. The top and bottom rows were a stripe print, and in the middle were some rows of coordinating prints and applique. That got me thinking of doing this quilt in rows, also using the striped print as the top and bottom rows, with the butterfly print in the middle, and with two rows of paper pieced butterflies. There’s lots of the paisley print, so I could use that for the backing. And hopefully there will be enough left over to make a pillowcase and/or a doll quilt for the baby’s big sister. I looked through my sash and found fabrics for the paper pieced butterflies, so I don’t need to buy any fabric for this quilt! I haven’t done any paper piecing for a while, but I made my first butterfly yesterday, and it looks good. Updates and pictures will be coming as I make more progress…