Quilt making | Sewing | Forum

I have been making the 16 patches to get rid of lot of scrap.  Little pieces of this and that.  There ought  to be other scrap quilts?    I think I have at least one more box of scrap left from doll clothes.   I have been making crazy quilt tops of heavier types of material.   I am talking scraps of print type.  I am tried of sewing little square blocks.  I am using like 16 different pieces each block.  

I go to thrift shops too.  I use to get some old blankets for like .60.    I buy batting scrap too.  I am trying to down size.   I have some ideas to make quilt originals.  I get plain colored sheets to set blocks togather and some plain and figured to use as backs.    Fabric is getting higher and higheer at the thrifts,  batts are terrble now.   I use the machine to sew them and I have never hand quilted.  My mom could and never did while I was home and old enough to learn.  Sje tied and I tied,  I machine tied 15 throws I think it was.   2 new babies, great grand kids. 

My nephews wife had said she was making baby quilts and using a calender towel for the birth year on them.   She was going to make all by hand quilts for their kids.   She never did get one done.  Now can't she says.  I will use machine and get things done.

I got a purple sheet and red sheet yesterday.   Week before 2 orange, 2 light gold and one maroom.  Stuff is stacked up and got more colors to work with.   I buy all the black ones I can find.  Lot white ones.  I can not imagine putting black sheets on a bed.   Black and white I am sure I can use and the other colors I think will work too.  I am planning a bunch.  

I bought 3 white sheet blankets and those will go for on my bed.   I use sheet blankets cold weather.   When old then can be used in quilts.   I have a batch fannel that got wet and I will wash and if stained yet can use too.  Had a leak.   Lost a loy of cut blocks too of havier materials.  

I will not get much doen till after Xmas and then it is soon time to start plants for garden.   I do want to get these tops set together. 

I can remember bed bugs from when I was a kid.  Mom got them from house they lived in before they moved to new house dad built.  And they were hard ro get rid of.  DDT came out and that did it.  I am talking back in 30's on.  I had not heard of them any more.  

Yes, I wash stuff.  

mnmom, you are lucky to have a sewing room.  My upstairs I do not heat any more. I hung a drape over the stariway.   As alone here I have been using dining room table and dining room is not very warm in the winter.  So I can leave the machine on the table.  I eat in kitchen.  I have to clean out the dining room for Xmas dinner.  Upstairs is full stuff I got for the shop I planned to have after retirement.  County took my building I had all paid for and they took area for jail and court builldings.  No choice had to sell to them.   Could not find another building I could afford and location.   I want to clean out a room and use it at least for the materials and such so can really find things and get more stuff done.  I have to down size things in case.  

The local thrift has very little in material now and they got rid of all the patterns.  I got of piece of material I thought I could do a couple more bags.  None  have much I seen.    I do watch.  Even with this mess I am glad I did buy up material and scraps.  I bought thread too and at yard sale.  She did quilting and these part cones any colors will sew patch  work.  And one thrift on the news the upstairs floor fell down.  So that one will be closed.  Some more have closed in the last few years do to high rent. 

I started going through boxes upstairs and tossed down 3 boxes of scrap.  One was mostly bigger pieces but not real big 1/4 or more. 1/4 up I save back.   Next box is scrap mostly and I started cuting blocks.  Pile of it has to b pressed before cutting.  Let set and open the other box and it was cut little quilt blocks and pieces of sheeting.  Colored and came from a factory I would say.  I been cutting on that as it was smooth.   Not sure how I will get those colors to work into a top but have to or toss out.   Been doing this while I try to get caught up on laundry.  Have the racks set in from of stove to dry the stuff.  And too in bathroom over the tub on a rod.  I never had an automatic before.  Still don't know how to program it much.  I can do enough to wash a regular load and I am using cold water as all I have right now.   I wonder what  it will do to my light bill.  My son put it in for Xmas.  It is suppose me engery effiecent.  They read my meter about middle of the month and been catching up the washing.  This sheeting is not the greatest colors to try and work it together.  I guess on the larger blocks I a cutting do a 4 patch and then the small block work they with more materials into 16 patches.   I did see a quilt did in 8 patch   (two wide and 4 long and looked maybe 2   4 patches. )  and set together with white strips.   

I still have not  finished up that room and I did not find some things.  I have a box od velcro which Ican not find.  Must be in the other room.  I will not start on it till this one is finsihed up.   I am working on this drapery material.   It had been a pair of long very wide drapes.   Header was removed before I got it.  12 pieces of 81/2 feet long  40" plus wide and fairly heavy material.    It will ravel in washing.  I have doubt zigzaged the ends and I hope that does it.  Couple had a hole where they tore out the heading. Mending on that and I am picking threads on the side from ripping apart and the ravel some too. These pieces wt about 2# each.   Just about have ti ready to wash.  I bought years back for craft table covers and did not use.   I had washed two pieces it looks like.  It should be plenty for the rental house if I have to move there.  It will take at least 3 big loads to wash it.  I want to box it then and stuff for insulating them and the backs.   Not the color I want as I wanted white as that much wall space.  This is gold not metalic.  plain color textured weave.  I bought years ago very cheap.  Lot more than I remember of it.  I will watch for long white at the thift shop.  I am only getting to one anymore. All the sewing I did beside recover 5 feather pillows.  Little mending.  Right now not working on things as trying to get thing ready to plant.  I need to get organized and find time to sew.  Got to get the boxes of material piled back up there. 

I have been trying to pack up this quilt stuff to move it.  Today cutting upo some old jeans to get rid of them.  Not cutting blocks but cutting out seams and bands and to pack it down.   I do not want to throw it out.  One of these packing boxes full of material is heavy. 

I did do blocks this spring for 2 strip quilts.  I really did cut down on scraps.  Found more unstairs.   But ow got boxes of quilt blocks and I found my knit quilt blocks to sew. 

Not sure when get moved.  Just packing material stuff so far.