Hello Dear Reader,
I’m a great fan of Bonnie Hunter’s quilting designs and love her generosity at providing so many of them free to use on her blog. You can find the design, measurements, how much fabric to use and how many blocks to make as well as how much edging you will need HERE to make this quilt.
It was so simple to cut. I cut 2″ strips and 3.5″ strips. It was so simple that I’ve made the top of this quilt, in a few hours here and there in four days! Backing it and quilting it is a different matter and will be done as soon as I can. I have a stack of quilts to make for people and I have made the tops of two of the four I need to do.
If you have any questions about how to make this quilt, just click on the link above to go to Bonnie’s website and it’s all there for you. I like to get an assembly line going and then I get a quilt made really quickly. Also, I don’t start to assemble a quilt until I’ve made all the blocks for the entire quilt. I find that I make sure I finish every job I start that way.
Here’s the finished top (on my son’s bed) I love the effect of the bricks and stepping stones. As ever, the quilt is a mixture of thrifted, gifted and the edging is some fabric I bought from a jumble sale. Lots of the fabric was bought really cheaply for as little as £1 an off cut at the quilting festival in Exeter last year. The stunning blue spotty fabric came from my local craft store.
The quilt is for a six year old girl so I purposefully made it as bright as possible.
Here’s a close up of some of the blocks.
Here’s a close up of the edging.
I thought I would share my thrifty quilting with you. I keep every fragment that can be sewn together and make ‘crumb’ quilts from them. These often become thank you presents or quick gifts for people. I make random blocks and then sew all the tiny bits together and keep adding them until I have a big enough quilt top to be usable. It then gets backed and quilted and rapidly finds a new home.
I don’t go back to work until Monday and hope to get a third quilt top made in that time. As for now, I’m off to get measuring and cutting!
Over to you Dear Reader. Who keeps tiny bits of something that other people might throw away? What do you make with them? Who’s a shampoo bottle rinser and squeezer of every last drop?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
That quilt is just beautiful, the girl it's for is very lucky. I like the ones you made with all the little bits, I made a cushion cover this last week using strips, I just guessed it though not as accurate as you ,I make more clothing and handbags. I read your blog all the time and can't wait to see more renovations to your new home.
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A lovely quilt, really like that pattern. Am currently making a baby quilt inspired by the star quilt you made for your brother. Will soon be getting a sewing room as DD has just left home to live with her partner. Looking forward to quilting a lot in 2014, retired from teaching in August so theoretically have more time. Happy New Year to you .
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It is a great pattern froogs. That was the first quilt I Made. Got it pieced One boxing Day and Bank holiday. It is a Brilliant One for scraps .
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Froogs, every quilt you make is better than the last! (not that the first was bad, LOL). I luvluvluv your DS's quilts. That one may be the prettiest of all!
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Oh a scrap quilt, what a great idea!
My little nephew turns one in March and I want to make him something special. I'm going to make him a quilt! I have lots of little bits if blue fabrics left over from baby quilts I've made in recent years and that will be perfect. Thank you!
It fits right into my no spend year, but is also something really special that I can do for him.
Thank you thank you!
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Nobody can squeeze a bottle like me, I've transformed it into an art and I'm THE expert. People make fun of me but nobody has the right to throw away anything in my house till I've made sure you can't use it anymore ! Happy New Year, Frugal Queen !
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I'm currently making Bonnie's Celtic Solstice Mystery quilt, & having a lovely time, such a talented & generous lady, Deb M
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I love Bonnie, too. She's such a gem for the scrap quilts and I love her pics of vintage machines, too. Drool! I like the way your quilt top came out. Undoubtedly the little girl will enjoy finding all those adorable little bits of novelty fabrics you used in her quilt. Have a super day!
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Froogs, a beautiful, colorful quilt for a lucky girl! Love it! I also like the new pattern you've shown us, seems easy enough to do. Like also the scrappy quilt, reminds me of Ilona's sewing on My life after money.
As far as using things up, the kids snicker sometimes, but something must be totally useless, used up, empty before we recycle/toss it out. Just how I grew up. Minding the pennies, to grow more dollars is the theme this year (2014)
Carol in CT
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Love the quilt and someone is a very lucky person. Yes we empty and rinse bottles to obtain every last useable bit.
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Beautiful quilt, Froogs! I love scrappy quilts the most. I also knit, so I save all the ends from knitting socks and make scrappy hats for gifts and charity.
I know a lady that is a teacher and uses the gymnasium floor to do her quilt “sandwiches” , also a local community center may have two large tables that can by pushed together to do the same thing.
I save my scraps of pastry dough, frozen in a plastic bag, until I have enough for a pie.
Happy New Year.
Barb from Canada
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I love the name 'crumb quilt!' Brilliant! Yes, I too am a bottle rinser and squeezer. Also, have you ever tried cutting moisturiser and foundation tubes in half when you think you've squeezed them as far as they'll go? I do, and I find at least another two weeks' worth of lotion clinging to the sides! Well, I paid for it - I'm not going to chuck it away, am I???
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I was wondering if you have ever read the Elm Creek Quilters novels? They are written by Jennifer Chiaverini, a lot of her work revolves around sewing.
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Beautiful quilt! I actually cut open tubes of toothpaste etc to get the last bit out…
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Looks fabulous. Good on you
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I'm certainly someone who uses every last drop of things like shampoo, washing up liquid etc. All bottles get rinsed if the contents are water soluble, and things like sauce bottles get up-ended & decanted into the new one when it has been used a couple of times and there is room.
I have only just begun doing patchwork and never quilted, but I intend to make a new duvet cover out of clothes which I no longer wear - that's my new year project. I have a sheet which can make the back side of it, so only have the top to do - for a king size bed, so a lot of squares!
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I cut off the end of the tooth paste tube and with my brush “scrape” the remainder. Probably 4 brushing s worth…
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