Archive for the ‘Quilt: Free Quilt’ Category

Donation Quilt #2 completed

Thursday, April 30th, 2009
Yesterday morning I pulled out this donation quilt and quilted it up. I sewed the binding by machine, so everything finsihed up quite quickly. It was fun to do some random quiting.
If you remember, these are all the scraps leftover from my Free Quilt.

This one has a real WACKY back.
(When I was in Idaho I took a picture of the cow blanket- the beginning of all these wacky back! Next week I will have to post and write about it.)

Tommorow I hope to give a detailed entry of finishing and the story of the Generations Unite quilt.

Posted in 2009 Completed Projects, Donation Project, Quilt: Free Quilt | 2 Comments »

I DID it!!!!

Monday, November 24th, 2008

I just finished sewing down the binding on the “Free” quilt this morning!!!!!! I made it with weeks to spare before my 50th Birthday!!!!

(Below is what is printed on the label)
Free Quilt

Pieced and quilted by Mary Anne Ciccotelli
Pelham, New York

Started: March 2000 – Completed: November 2008

Pattern: Sunbonnet Sleuth’s Y2K Mystery

One Saturday in March 2000 (at the beginning of my quilting adventure), my husband Tom went to Washington, DC for the day. While he was gone, I started surfing the web. I entered “QUILTING” as my search. Little did I know that my quilting life would be changed forever! One project I found was: “Sunbonnet Sleuth’s Y2K Mystery with 2,000 Charm Squares”. This mystery project was for all the quilters on the internet who had exchanged charm squares. I had not participated in any of these swaps, but I did have LOTS of fabric (with various fiber content) in the attic. I climbed the ladder into the attic with scissors in hand and started cutting strips of fabrics. When Tom returned home, I told him what I was up to and his comment was – “a FREE Quilt”! Little did he know what this “FREE” quilt would lead to and the real costs involved.

After completing 40 of the 81 blocks, I realized that my placement of the light, medium and dark values could have been better. To prove it, I set this project aside and started working on my Y2K Frenzy quilt (which also ended up on my UFO list). I decided that it would be nice to complete this project before I turned 50 years old as a visual example of how far my quilting has come. The one restriction I imposed on myself was that I could only use the strips of fabric that I had cut from fabric in my attic so long ago.

The big dilemma came when deciding what to use for the back. It felt wrong to take fabric from my quilting stash (which I have plenty of). I debated about piecing all the strips and squares that were left, but I didn’t want that many seams in the back of this quilt. So I compromised – I used some of the squares and strips along with fabric from the attic.

Posted in 2008 Completed project, Quilt: Free Quilt | 2 Comments »

Free Quilt meet George

Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Yesterday I intorduced the “Free Quilt” to George. It was love at first sight.

Now I am working on quilting the small inner border. I used my Bernina to go along the edge. Last time I used George for straight stitching it wasn’t that straight. Maybe I should have kept practicing with George in this quilt because with all the wild fabrics you would have never realized if I was stitching straight or not.
But an interesting thing – I quilted on George for the entire top with free motion and my shoulders were relaxed and no strain. After just quilting (with my Berinia) part of the in-the-ditch on the white borders I started to feel the shoulder strain. Have to figure out what I am doing differently and correct it.

Posted in Quilt: Free Quilt | 1 Comment »

Grandma would be proud!!!!!!!!!

Monday, November 17th, 2008

After I finished the back for the “FREE” quilt I was just going to throw away all the strips and squares that I had left. But then……………….I found these four patch blocks that I had made to use in the border but hadn’t used them because I decided to go for a more random apporach. So, I couldn’t through these four patches away. I just kept thinking about Emily and here saving the 1 3/4″ polyester squares last Fall when we were cleaning out my parents home. You can read all about this on her sewing blog. Anyway, I decided that I could make one of my 36″ donation quilts from the four patches. Here is the top. To be true to this project also, I decided that I would only use fabric from the box that I had found in the attic with the scaps from for the Free quilt. I knew there were a few pieces that would be big enough for the back. But…………………

When I went to throw away the leftover strips and squares, I just couldn’t do it. I kept thinking of Emily and how happy she had been when she thought of Grandma and saving her squares. So, I decided that I would piece of few of the strips together. Well, between the stripes and the remaing squares I had enough to piece the entire back. It worked out perfectly, I used pretty much everything in making the back. Yes, I think my mom would be happy. Reminds me of all her color nine-patch quilts that she made.

Posted in Donation Project, Quilt: Free Quilt | No Comments »

Crazy!!!!!!!!

Friday, November 14th, 2008

Yesterday I went up to the attic and found a box that had alot of the fabrics that I had used in the FREE quilt – so I was all set with my plan for the back. When I was piecing the front I was short four blocks. I thought that I had counted better than that, but I guess not. So I made four more blocks. Well, as I was straighting up my sewing room I found the four blocks. So of course they would also be used in the back.

Late last night I finished the back. I think these fun backs are CRAZY!!!!! — Emily & Jennie — look what you have done to ME!!!!! But I just didn’t know what else to do on this quilt. I guess I could have used bigger pieces of fabric though. Oh well, it’s done now.

I hope I’ll get a chance to pin baste it today and start quilting it. Tommorow is Tom’s birthday so I need to spend some time getting things ready for that.

Posted in Quilt: Free Quilt | 2 Comments »

The Big Dilemma

Thursday, November 13th, 2008
The top is complete –

Now the big dilemma — what to use for the back. It feels wrong to take fabric from my quilting stash (which I have plenty of). I have been debating about piecing all the strips and squares that are left, but I didn’t want that many seams in the back of this quilt. So I came up with a compromised – I am going to use some of the squares and strips along with fabric from the attic.

Posted in Quilt: Free Quilt | 1 Comment »

"Free" Quilt

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

One saturday in March 2000 (at the beginning of my quilting adventure) Tom had to go to Washington DC for the day so I was on the internet just surfing around. I did a search on QUILTING. My quilting life would be forever changed. I found a mystery quilt that used the squishies and siggies that people had from their Y2K swaps. Well I had no idea what these squishies were but I had LOTS of fabric (of various contents) in the attic. I climbed that ladder with scissors in hand and set out to cut a bunch of stripes from the various fabrics. When Tom returned home and I told him what I was up to he was pretty excited, it was going to be a FREE Quilt. Little did he know what this Free quilt would lead to.

While working on this quilt I wondered what this Y2K swapping of squishies and siggy squares was all about. I went to the computer to find out. Each quilter took 25 fabrics and cut them into 80 – 2 1/2″ (or 3″) squares. You made a package that included one of each of the 25 – 2 1/2″ squares (which when put in an envelop is squishie) and a signature square. You made 80 of these. When you were done swapping you should have 2,000 different 2 1/2″ squares and 80 signature blocks – thus the Y2K swap. There were different sites that people could put a listing on for those that wanted to swap. So, I purchased 25 different 100% cotton fabric and made up my squishies and started to arrange swaps with other online quilters. When the squishies started to arrive it was so exciting. I spent hours sorting the fabrics into light, mediums and darks. I also realized that my knowledge in values what not the greatest and the you get what you pay for.
The FREE quilt was not that great. I ended up putting it away and started working on my Y2K Frenzy quilt (which is also on my UFO list).

After the quilt show this weekend Tom is on board with planning my QQQ Birthday party. I started to make plans of having a panel for each of my decades that I have been alive. I have at least one quilt that I can put in each panel. In brainstorming about this I decided that I wanted to finish this quilt (before I turn 50) so I would have a very visual example of how far my understanding of values has come. I have learned ALOT!!!!! So I pulled out The Free Quilt and started to work on it. I put the restriction on myself that I could only use the stripes of fabric that I had cut from fabric in my attic so long ago. Lot of these fabrics are pretty crazy to be used in quilts.

I do understand value alittle better and even with working with those attic fabrics I have been able to use my understanding of value and make the design stand out alittle more instead of just have a bunch of squares and half-square triangles sewn together. The block on the right (with some color enchancment with crayons) was pieced back in 2000 and the block on the left was pieced yesterday. Still not perfect but much better than what I did back in 2000.

Here is 15 of the 81 blocks that will be in this quilt. You can see part if the design if you squint your eyes. Guess I had better get back to work on this jumbled mess.

Posted in Quilt: Free Quilt | 2 Comments »