I'm seeing green & yellow...Quilt!

Here's a project that some friends from church and I have almost completed:

This is Diane's Green & Yellow Quilt because she's a University of Oregon fan (the mascot is a Duck)! I will create a label for it, and then we bind it.

I did the free-motion quilting on my domestic machine, using the motifs of flowers and leaves for about 104 blocks! It measures out to be an over-sized twin.

Free-motion motifs on the top of quilt

Since I don't have a large table that is level with my machine's sewing surface, I had to muscle it around and do the best I could. I found this to be an awesome opportunity to practice my free-motion skills, which I do enjoy. I think I'll concentrate on doing smaller projects on my machine in the future though. With a smaller project I can experiment more and use smaller fill patterns.

Free-motion quilting on the back

Since she is a duck fan, there had to be duck fabric. I searched and found this:

"Everything but the kitchen sink" fabric by Yuko Hasegawa for RJR Fabrics

The photo doesn't do it justice, but it's very cute and would make a darling quilt, place-mat, outfit, handbag, etc.

Being a University of Oregon fan myself, I'm just ducky on what's going to be a rather hot day for May in the Northwest. How about you?

Linking up with creative people like you at:

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What's in a Name? Fun with "Leftovers"

It's WIP (Works in Progress) Wednesday! I continue to make progress on that big queen-size folksy or homespun "Stack the Deck" quilt I'm making for my husband featured in last week's post (January 29). Will it be finished by Valentine's Day?? I doubt it... My sister and nieces came to our house for part of the weekend. We had a great time together, laughing, talking, eating a great lunch and dinner at restaurants in town (The Plank and Toshi's Ramen), and most of all, SEWING!! I worked on my quilt, putting long strips of vertical sashed rows together. My sister, Diana, tried her hand at sewing ovals, which she found discouraging. My oldest niece, Aubrey, made progress on a quilt she's making for her in-laws.

This is NOT the in-law quilt. I believe the pattern for this quilt is called "Hip to be Square" by Me and My Sister Designs which she's making for a friend, a generous and talented young lady!

Yesterday I worked on machine embroidery. I produced a quilt label for my sister (SewCraftyChick.blogspot.com). Then I pulled out some "leftovers" from machine quilting practice and scraps of fabric to make mug rugs or coasters for the two international university students living with us. With a little machine embroidery, they now know where to place their beverage glasses and cups on the kitchen counter! Keep in mind these little items are not "professional", they're just "experiments" that are imperfect but fun to make.

One student from Saudi Arabia and one from Japan

No more overloading the dishwasher daily with a ZILLION glasses and cups they've used throughout the day, a little pet peeve of mine. Perhaps they'll learn our custom of re-using them throughout the day, and then getting out new ones for the next day. It's not unlike little children (and even some BIG children) changing their clothes frequently in one day and throwing whatever they've rejected on to the floor, or into the dirty clothes basket...they're usually still clean! (I hear there's even adults who do this, LOL.) What's the custom in your home?

Have fun with your leftovers, too! It's fun to create.