DS Doll Quilt Swap 2 shipping off!

This is "DS in Blues" a doll quilt I made for this Flickr swap.
We were stipulated to use the DS Quilts line by Denyse Schmidt for Joann Fabrics. We could also use a solid, both my partner and I like white, and I had Kona Snow handy.
I also snuck in a bit of the 2nd edition Flea Market Fancy (the inner border and binding. They just played well together.

It measures 18" by 18"

I made my favorite HSTs and arranged them to have a diamond with a lot of white ground to fmq.

The inside of the diamond is a nice, tight stipple, while the white outer triangles are a swirl with a leaf. This required some backtracking, but it was so fun. This is also a quilt where I layered polyester batting over cotton batting for more weight and loft. I really love how this worked out. Altogether a great experience for me!

This view and lighting allows you to see the Baptist Fans I fmq-ed in the border.

This quilt shipped today. I included some DS and random charms. Just for funsnies.

I have another mini, for the Modern She Made Swap. It will ship in 2 weeks. Then my final mini (for the near future!) will be given at our TMQG June meeting. These little quilts are a great way of trying new patterns, techniques and fabrics, without letting size overwhelm. 

Beautiful mail treat

Look what arrived in my mailbox today:







Isn't it awesome?

It came from my blog-friend Anya. She has a tutorial on how to do this here. This is so fun and colorful and I am hanging it up in my office for inspiration! I love it. Thank you, Anya!


I am playing with scraps (sent by Jenny R.) and wanted to expound a little on the subject of the value of scraps. Indulge me please!

I love scraps. It is like a treasure-hunt when I receive a bundle. I enjoy plowing through to see the different colors and patterns I do not buy. Of course, if money were no object, I would try to buy them all, but, you know what I mean! So many beautiful fabrics, so little time and not enough storage!

Back on topic: I love scraps because I look a them (even my own!) as "free". I have explained it this way to my hubby: I buy a specific amount of fabrics for a particular project (and it is always better to have too much than not enough). I make my project and have scraps left over. Therefore, I "paid" for the fabrics for the project, but the left-overs I didn't pay for. FREE. And free gives me the courage I need to experiment. We need to experiment as part of the creative process, but, what if I lose my job and have to go without fabric? Anyway, the scraps liberate me from feeling what I am working on has to be perfect. I also love getting scraps (from my Mom and friends) because these are new fabrics to me and I get that delicious rush of creativity when I fondle new fabrics!

What have I made from scraps? Several quilts (I love the scrappy look!), handbags, little zipper bags, pillows. I have used scraps to create "quilt sandwiches" for practicing my free-motion quilting. And it takes a lot of practice for me! And I really like the fact that they are useful, and not going into a landfill. Do any of you have "scrap" projects?