Author: bramangirlsquilt

I found this quilt pattern on Pinterest over a year ago.  It was a free pattern, I just had to print it on my home printer.   My 7-year-old grandson helped to tape the 20+ pages together to make the map.
  I know it’s hard to tell from this picture, but this quilt is a nice couch sized quilt.

 

I placed  large sheet of Pattern Ease over the pattern I’d taped together and drew out the map with a marker.  Then I outlined each state with 1/4 inch black fabric strips which had fusible on the back.  As you can see there was a lot of prep work but now the fun really begins.  I used a different fabric for each state.

I know Florida looks goofy in this picture, but it’s the only one I took while the quilt was in this state and I wanted you to see the progress.  As you can imagine, the New England states were the most difficult because of the size.

After I had filled in all the states, I cut the country out and placed in onto the background fabric, using fabric glue to adhere it.

 

Now for the quilting.  I did just a free motion meandering stitch.  Don’t know if you can tell, but the background was a fabric with postmarks on it.

I thought I was done with this project, but when I looked at the pin from Pinterest, I realized there was also a pattern for Canada.  Our family has a small cabin in Ontario and we visit there often.

 

 

 

We had a very cold weekend in Michigan which seemed  to be the perfect time to get started on a flannel project.  I picked up this pattern, which was part of a kit, about a month ago when I was up north.  There are actually four different patterns, one for each season.  I picked “By a Hare” which is the spring pattern.

Following a pattern is not my strong suit, but I managed to get all the blocks for the background cut, sewed and squared up.

Lots of little pieces to  cut out after attaching fusible web on the back.

                                                     Ready for top stitching.

This was a fun project.  I don’t plan to quilt it until I get all the seasons done.  Luckily we are going back up north again this weekend  and I plan to get another kit.

 

 

I started making wonky star blocks after watching a Freddy Moran video on YouTube.  I started with several different size center squares and just started putting the stars together.

After a couple of weekends, I had quite a few stars.

Then I had to figure out how to put these difference size blocks together into a quilt.  I found a ombre batik fabric that I cut into 3 inch strips.   Starting at the bottom,  I sewed together as many as needed to then attach one of the stars, then I’d cut off any excess.  I put the larger stars at the bottom and the smallest at the top.

 

Once the top was completed,  I made the quilt sandwich with the backing, batting and top and pinned it together.  Now for the quilting.  A few years ago, my husband surprised me with a Handi-Quilter Sweet Sixteen.   As you can see from this photo I’m learning to quilt using a ruler.

 

Here’s a close up of the quilting on the star.

I quilted all the stars first.  Then I added afree motion

tumbling star to the rest of the quilt.

 

We grew up sharing a bedroom in a stone farmhouse in rural Michigan.  Nancy went to college a few hours from home and within a few years moved 14 hours away from that farm.  Dana went to college an hour away, but moved back to the same county into a different farmhouse.  Today Nancy lives in Acworth, Georgia and works as a nurse educator.  Dana still lives in rural Michigan where her family works the family farm. Completely different lives.  But quilting brings us together.  We travel to quilt shows, we take quilting classes together, we even make quilts together, one piecing and the other quilting.  If you looked at our picture, you’ll notice there are three sisters.  Well,  Jenean has not joined us in our passion for quilting, but she does like to travel with us, so we think it is only a matter of time.