Wonky Cross Quilt

Hello! Have you made a Wonky Cross quilt? Have you made anything wonky? Another name for it is 'liberated'. I think of it as being improv as well, because you're making random/improv slashes through your fabric, instead following a pattern or instruction for cutting a specific measured shape. I've seen wonky stars, houses, log cabin, 4-patch, etc. they look fun and whimsical to me!

I thought I would like the randomness of the Wonky Cross block, I guess I'm a traditionalist at heart as I discovered I like having the structure of a traditional quilt block. However, I do love the way the quilt came out and I'm not saying I won't make another wonky/liberated block. Most of my blocks are a little wonky anyway, but that's another story.

I used a layer cake, and made a random slash through the 10 square. Easy right? It is easy but I tend to overthink things like; is the angle ok.

The next step is to sew a coordinating strip to the random slash. The strips were cut in various width's from 1.25 inches to 2.75 inches. I did try a 1 inch and 3 inch strip and thought the 1 inch strip was too narrow and the 3 inch strip too wide for my liking.

Next is another random slash in the other direction in order to make your cross shape. Again very easy and more overthinking for me; did I make the cut too high in the block; how's the angle.

The next step is to sew the coordinating strip and you have a beautiful wonky cross block. I waited to trim the blocks until they were all completed.

A couple of my blocks were really wonky and needed to be fixed. This would happen when sewing the block together for the second strip, you see (below) how they don't line up.

What worked best for me is, I would insert a pin 1/4 inch...

and flip it over to make sure it was lined up...

take it to the machine and sew. I had more success of it matching up when I did it that way.

And here's the beautiful end result. I love the way it turned out! This was a prayer quilt for a young lady so you may notice the #5 pearl cotton threads used for tying when a silent prayer is said. Read more about it as a prayer quilt on Sewing to Serve or click the Sewing to Serve tab.

Maybe I should make more to get used to the liberated feeling! I would like to hear about your wonky/liberated block experience. If you've blogged about it share the link in my comments section.

Thanks for stopping by!
Gina

From Jeans to Aprons

Hello! Recently I've been repurposing jeans into aprons! I make quilts for my church prayer quilt ministry and am in need of raising funds! I'm making these aprons to help fund the ministry. My beautiful Mom, Jennie, and sister, DeAnna, helped make these aprons! Read more about it at Sewing to Serve. I hope you'll follow me there.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Gina

A Super Hero Prayer Quilt

It was an honor and pleasure to make and present a super hero prayer quilt to a young man. You can read all the details on my Sewing to Serve blog. Will you join me there.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Gina

Sewing to Serve Blog

Hello! Happy New Year! I started a new blog named Sewing to Serve. My prayer and purpose of the blog is to inspire each other to serve with our sewing talents. I don't mean for it to be a place to say 'look what I did'.

Our sewing community is already involved in sewing to serve projects that are dear to your hearts. I see you post about it often and it inspires me to do more. The Lord put in my head to make prayer quilts for the spiritually and physically ill. Your heart strings may pull you to participate in Quilts of Valor, Project Linus, Tie One On Day, Alzheimer's Art Initiative, 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge, the list can go on.

Also, I see the sewing community pull together providing warm quilts to our neighbors for disasters like tornadoes and floods.

My hope is the Sewing to Serve blog will be an outlet to share what we are doing and to learn from each other. A place to inspire and encourage each other to serve, will you follow me there.

I look forward to hear about your sewing to serve projects.

Blessings,

Gina



2014 Fall Sewing Retreat

Happy New Year! I wish many blessings for you in 2015! Thanks so much for stopping by! I would like to share photos from our 2014 Fall Sewing Retreat! I have a lot of catching up to do as it's been awhile since I've posted, but let's get right to the retreat!

In 2013, my sister's and Mom were able to get together for our first fall sewing retreat, you can read about part 1 here and part 2 here. We were blessed to have another retreat in 2014 at my Mom's house in Louisiana.

This is the set up - the cutting station:



One sewing station for two people:

We had lamps set up for better lighting but this photo

was better with the lamps turned off.

Another sewing station for three people, plus a pressing station:

Another pressing station:

Our sign:

Goodies from the retreat bags. A candle, a drink coozie, chocolate, a yard of fabric, scissors and a tape measure, and a pincushion / thread catcher that was made by my Mom and sister Rhunell.

This is a close up of the front and back of the drink coozie. My Mom and Rhunell made them! I love it! Everyone had their initial on their coozie.

Our retreat mates from left to right, my sister Simone, myself, my sister DeAnna, my Mom and my sister Rhunell.

The first full day of the retreat was a day spent shop hopping! We managed to make it to three shops and lunch with my brother and sister-in-law. 

We visited Cottage Creation and Quilts located in Saint Gabriel, Louisiana.

What a lovely shop!



Rhunell and DeAnna looking at an LSU Tiger quilt.

Rhunell, Mom, DeAnna, Me, Simone

(We tried to get a photo of all of us in each shop.)

My brother Bryan and his wife joined us for lunch at Sammy's Grill in Praireville, Louisiana.

Added to these photo's that you haven't already met

is my sister-in-law and brother Bryan.

Our next stop was Red Stick Quilt Shop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana



Our next and last stop was The Quilt Corner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

They have an LSU / Louisiana room.

These are all the items we purchased on our shop hop and how we helped the economy in the Baton Rouge area! :-)

The next series of photos are us working on our projects:

Rhunell sorting fabric for her umbrella quilt.

Simone cutting fabric for totes she's making.

DeAnna and Mom cutting fabric for a quilt Mom is making.

Rhunell ironing fusible webb umbrella's to her fabric.

DeAnna working on a quilt a friend gave her. It's a cheater

quilt, partially quilted. It had a lot of issues and she had more

patience than I would have had. The mauve and blue told

it's age. You'll see a completed photo later.

Mom sewing the top of one of the quilts she is making.

I'm using DeAnna's serger to overcast denim fabric 

strips for a quilt.

I'm quilting the denim quilt.

Simone top stitching one of two totes.

DeAnna working on a Thanksgiving wall hanging.

The next series of photos are our finished or mostly finished projects:

Completed denim quilt made by me!

Peppermint quilt top made by DeAnna.

It's the periwinkle block.

Thanksgiving wall hanging top made by DeAnna. The blocks

were already made, she sewed it together during the treat.

A quilt top by Mom, she still needed to add borders.

It has since been completed and gifted.

A quilt top by Mom. It has since been completed and gifted.

The totes made by Simone. She and her

husband are members of an antique car club

in Texas. The car club has an annual tour and

she made these totes to fill with goodies to

give away as a door prize.

This is the mauve and blue cheater quilt

DeAnna completed for a friend. It was

really a salvage project and she did an

amazing job from how it started out.

The umbrella quilt Rhunell is making.

She has since sewn the blocks together.

I challenged everyone to participate in the Tie One On Day for a charity project. We all made a reversible apron. You can read about Tie One On Day here. We made the Church Ladies' apron pattern by Mary Mulari.

One side of the aprons.

The other side of the aprons.

We all had a great time! We learned from each other and helped each other too. Our schedules are all over the place and between the five of us we live in four states (Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Arkansas), so it was a blessing we were able to sync our schedules. We hope to do it again in 2015.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  The links in my blog post are simply to give credit where credit is due. I don't receive anything if you click on the link.

Blessings to you!

Gina