A while back I got a kit for learning and making chainmail from Chainmail Joe. The kit came with a selection of different size jump rings, two pair of pliers, and an instruction book.
I have tried several kinds of chain and the European 4 in 1 pattern that creates the fabric used in chainmail armor.
Phoebe and I both worked on this three yard length of Helm Chain. We are clearly having fun.
I cut up a plaid shirt into narrow bias strips and have been making some applique blocks.
I made myself a cat pillow.
Quilted 1/16th inch spacing with invisafil thread by Wonderfil.
This is a recent scrap quilt finish. The pieces were all cut at a weekend retreat with friends last winter.
It has a wool batting and is only quilted on the seam lines making for a snuggly quilt. i love the plaid fabric for binding.
Finished size 63” x 79”.
As a bonus, here is a photo of my adorable photography helper.
Here are some shots of my design wall over the last couple of months. As you can see, I have been working with scraps.
This mini piece is from the solid scrap bin.
I made all of these string pieced blocks at a weekend retreat with friends.
I used up a lot of my teal solid scraps for the setting blocks. I really love this one.
These are some sixteen patch blocks that have resulted from some leaders and enders sewing. I have no idea where they will go from here.
We have adopted a kitten!
Meet Pippen, or Pip, or Pipsqueak when she is being silly.
She is adorable, very friendly, and we love her.
I made a few more of the cat pillows for Christmas gifts and forgot to share them here.
The cat faces are a result of a class with Melissa Averinos.
They are quilted with Invisafil thread by Wonderfil threads. It is a 100 wt thread that can be used in very close quilting without destracting from the fabric below. These are stitched with quilting lines about 1/16th inch apart.
My grandkids were thrilled with the pillows.
A few years ago I took a workshop with Melissa Averinos called Making Cat Faces with Melissa. You can see the cat faces I made in the workshop here.
I had originally thought I would put them all together into a quilt. After much thought I knew the quilting needed to be very dense. In the end, I decided it would be better to quilt them each individually.
I have turned a few of them into pillows. These were a graduation gift for one of my nieces.
The quilting is what holds all of the applique pieces to the background fabric. The quilting rows end up about 1/16th of an inch apart.
I am quite please with how these turned out.
I have had a feathered star on my “to make” list since the late 1980s. I don’t know what it is but this block has been calling my name for a very long time.
With this being my daughter’s senior year of high school I knew I needed a special gift for her cello teacher of 13 years.
I started by choosing the colors for the background, sashing, and cornerstones.
From my stash, I pulled a mix of antique reproduction and modern prints that coordinated well with the solids.
I love the mix of modern and old fashion prints together.
Finished size 86” x 86”
As usual, I start the year trying to finish projects before I start something else big. I feel like I might be starting to drown in works in progress.
This queen size string quilt is next on the list. I basted it with a wool batting a few months ago. It’s big and puffy and will clear up the most space of my current works in progress. My husband really likes this one so I am eager to get it finished and on our bed.
I’ve narrowed down the thread choices to these two. The Aurifil 4651 is a variegated cream, yellow, pink and is a favorite of mine. The other choice is Aurifil 5006. I’ll probably use both because, why not?
Instagram Photos
