Another one bites the dust

I just finished this quilt! Yeah it's been in progress for a while now. I started out working on it only as a leader / ender project, but I got impatient and started making up blocks..... for a while anyway, then it got pushed to the side and nothing got done on it. I guess you could say it was done in 'spurts' because there isn't any one time that I did a lot of the work. It's at least 2 years in the making.

The green background fabric is as old as my kids probably - and they're either looking for (or found) 30!! The 4 patches are a mix of leftovers from old garmet sewing and 'new' projects. I had it quilted by a lady in a nearby town that is both fast and cheap. The backing was formerly a bed sheet that is wonderfully soft and cozy.

One of the best thing about this quilt is that it used up some fabrics I couldn't bear to throw out, but not enough to do anything else with. Though I'm inclined to gather and collect fabric to make scrappy quilts, this one is just that - Scrap! And the bestest thing about this quilt is....... It's Done!!


 I posted about this project almost a year ago here

It feels so good to have some of these done, but I know I'll never really catch up - I've got too many more I'm just itching to start up!!


This one went to Megan's house.

Men's Shirts

Just got this one out of the dryer and ready to go to it's new home. After seeing the You Tube 10 minute block and working out some of the details with the gals at the HGTV quilting board, I dove into the shirts that were waiting for destruction. 100 % cotton shirts that weren't going to be worn again. 

The local economy shop was visited too because I didn't like the way some of the shirts I had played together.

These started out with 8 1/2" squares - 5 of them for each block.  I saved the light shirt for the 'windows'. Each block was layered and quilted them up using my custom templates....That would be a cake-taker lid and a pie plate!!  Just the right sizes and easy to place on the blocks.
Out of 6 shirts I got this whole front with most of the backs still whole - for another project.  I used flannel for the backing on this one to make it extra cozy.

Can you see some of the shirt labels on the outside border?  I was delighted to see that the top part of most of the shirts were large enough to use for the border - and why not just leave the labels on!!  I also left the placket on the sleeves and just stitched them down....tiny button and all.   Then I grabbed some of the extra buttons found on some of the shirts, and sewed them to the center of the windows.

After cutting the squares that I needed from the shirts, I cut the rest (except the backs) into 2 inch strips that I used for the top and bottom border.

I started this quilt around January 22 and finished it tonight - so that's about 3 weeks total time to finish it.  It ended up right at 55" X 75" which is what I always shoot for in this type of quilt.

All those cuffs, collars and button plackets were staring at me while this quilt was in progress.  I knew I would have to do something with them.
This is at least a partial solution:

That's a pillow case to go with the quilt!!  I used one of the shirt backs that I was saving for the back so when you want to sleep on it - you wouldn't have to lay your head on all those buttons!!     

I'm thinking about those cuffs going around some drinking cups for insulation or just catching condensation..... someone shared this link with me:  shirt-cuff-wallet
now - what do I do with shirt collars!