This is the second time I’ve made this Freewheeling Single Girl quilt. The first time was for our oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in 2017. Both times I resized the rings so you got more rings per quilt.
To make each block smaller I cut two inches off the side of each inner 1/4 circle of the circle blocks. I then had to create templates for hand quilting that fit my new ring size.
If the video below doesn’t show up on your device you can see it at theoriginalsewfrench on Instagram. Even the pattern creator, Denyse Schmidt, thought it was a a great visual story and shared it!
Fabrics from over 42 years of quilting, thousands of hours piecing, handquilting, two road trips from Michigan to Florida and back, a hundred Audible books listened to, too many hours of Hurricane Ian news coverage watched and so happy that Single Girl is finally gifted and resting happily on a sister’s bed! And yes, if you questioned this quilt being on a different bed towards the end of the video, you are right. I always sleep under a quilt, at least once, before gifting it!!! Don’t you do that, too?
When I saw this design I knew I needed it in my life!!!
And then I decided I needed to make it for all three of our children as Christmas quilt. I have made each of them many quilts over the years but never a Christmas one. This was a brilliant idea! On November 15. I had no idea how long it would take it I quit cooking and put my head down and got busy. Literally, I had no idea how long it would take.
But first I had to shop for fabric. My plan was to use all Robert Kauffman’s Kona Cotton but this years there was a shortage of a lot of the colors, most notably Christmas red.
I had the design, I had fabric. I then spent a week washing fabric that refused to stop bleeding. I just kept at it until the all finally stopped. Nine times, that is what it took. Nine long soaks and washes in hot water. All the color families had to washed separately. Then ironed…
Then it was pretty much sewing day and night. I would come up from my studio just to eat.
The first one to come together had no white in it meaning less bleeding. I was still continuing to wash other fabrics when I got this top assembled on November 21.
On December 1st the red and white one was pin based and ready to quilt.
And on December 4th the final one was pin basted. My favorite of all battings are from the Quilter’s Dream line. I especially love their wool for dimension and their request for hand quilting. Though you can’t go wrong with any of them! I chose the select weight for all of these. Flat but with nice crinkly dimension.
I was planning on machine quilting them because of the hand quilting time constraint. but needed a design. After flipping through many books I came up with one from the book Walk 2.0 from Jacquie Gerig, a blogger I have followed since the beginning. I own two of her books and what fantastic resources they are for machine quilting with just a walking foot. I can’t recommend her books highly enough!
I always use the blue markers that erase with water for all my quilt markings. I do make sure they are all spritzed away before I put them into the wash. Heat will permanently set the blue marker so I am very deliberate about getting all the blue off before I put it into the dryer. Because it settles into the batting, you will usually need to spritz it several times before it all comes to the surface. Every time you rewet it blue will usually continue to appear, until it has finally all disappeared. Spritz, air dry and repeat until no blue evidence remains.
On December 10, they were finished! I have done some ambitious quilting over the last 46 years but this may have been the craziest!
Our Michigan weather turned before I was able to get the green, white and red one photographed outside…
I had met my deadline in plenty of time to ship cross country! Next time you question whether you have time to create a project, just go for it!!! Worst thing that might happen would be that it could be a little late and I am sure that it will still be well received!
The kids all loved them! I need to make one for myself, now!
Our oldest daughter’s former college roommate asked me to make a memory quilt from her mother’s tee shirt collection. Of course, I agreed. How could I not, she is like another daughter to us.
I didn’t want the typical memory quilt with tee shirt squares with the slogan on each block. These were primarily solid tee shirts without funny sayings, logos, sports teams, or vacation memory shirts. I have made that quilt.
I made this one for a grand daughter after she graduated high school.
This tee-shirt quilt was for Christmas 2005 for our youngest daughter. It was made from her childhood vacation tee shirts. I added in a few photos and framed them all black Kona cotton.
For this quilt, which was for my husband, I used many of his favorite retired tees. I added some upcycled plaid cotton, for interest. I framed them out in navy Kona Cotton solids.
I needed a new idea using smaller blocks for this one. I scrolled through my quilt portfolio and wondered if this jumbo hexagon Honeycomb quilt design would work.
Below is a fun construction video if you want to see how this hexagon quilt went together. Feel free to ask questions. This was definitely a memento mori project. Grab a tissue, turn your volume up and sing along.
You can watch this video below on my Instagram feed if you can’t see it below on your device. My Instagram is theoriginalsewfrench. I had NO idea this wouldn’t work for everyone until I got messages!
This is definitely the most huggable t-shirt quilt I have ever made. Quilted full of love, making it into a giant hug for Holly, from her momma, for whenever she needs it. I think this idea worked! What do you think???
This was a fun wall hanging to make. Reminds me of the Mobius strips we worked with in Geometry! Once you understood the inside out/upside down paper piecing technique, it was quick to put together.
Click the video to see how foundation paper piecing is constructed and where it is hung!
You can watch this video below, also on my Instagram feed, if you can’t see it on your device. My Instagram is theoriginalsewfrench. I had NO idea this wouldn’t work for everyone until I got messages!
So many tiny pieces of paper to remove!
Mobius II by Sewfrench
machine foundation paper pieced and machine matchstick quilted
Back in 2015, when I first published this post, I had so many negative comments about this being an impossible pouch to make, I could not even publish them.
Obviously it is possible to make. I made it! Easy? No. But definitely doable.
So when I received an email from Anna Graham, aka Noodlehead, featuring her newest pattern design, the Yarrow Wristlet and Yarrow Pouch, (on sale for 20% off through Sunday, January 16th 10pm CST) I had a flashback to this advanced skill level, zippered card pouch I made so many years ago. I have used many of Noodlehead’s designs, over the years and have blogged about a few of them, The Open Wide bag and the Poolside Tote so I know her pattern must be easier to follow that the original Craft Passion one I used! Anna will also to be doing a sew-a-long, stating January 27, along with videos, which I know should make the construction go smoother.
This is in no way sponsored, I do not personally know Anna, but I do know her patterns are professional and I don’t remember ever having an issue with them. She also sells the best zippers, hardware and leather trim for her designs!
If you make this pouch, or Anna’s, I would love to hear your experience!
I don’t know about you but this pouch has been on my radar since I first saw it a really long time ago. I think not only the beautifully coordinated fabrics but also the adorable zipper is what hooked me. And the idea of storing all those grocery store cards, hotel cards, frequent travel cards… in one place that is not in my billfold sold me!
So when I finally needed a little pouch, to enclose a gift for my daughter-in-law, I decided I would have a go at it. This is the reason I took on learning how to shorten a metal zipper.
I followed the directions, exactly.
And magically it worked!
I feel like I am a very experienced seamstress. I sewed, for a living, for many, many years. I did alterations. I created bridesmaids’ dresses. I did upholstery. I made curtains. I made the family’s clothes. I replaced more zippers, coats, billfolds, jeans……
Happy Veteran’s Day. The freedoms that we enjoy are not free. Many brave men and women in uniform have sacrificed so that we can live as we do. Today is the day that we should thank them. Traditionally at 11-11-11 (11th Month,11th Day,11th Hour) tribute is given to all veterans. Please take time during your day and thank those that have given so much for this nation.
I recently made, and gifted, this Beachy Stars and Stripes Quilt, A Quilts of Valor registered quilt, to a dear friend as a small token of my appreciation for all she, and her family, have sacrificed.
We think of what it means to be free and what it takes to maintain that freedom… We thank you for your service, your dedication and the sacrifice you and your families have made on behalf of us, our country and for Freedom.
Stars and Stripes A Quilts of Valor Quilt Made for a dear friend who is a true hero 64″ x 80″
Quilt design by Thimbleblossoms, background fabric is a Wilmington Prints from their Cookie Dough Collection, backing is a Minnick and Simpson fabric from their Harbor Springs Collection, batting is Quilter’s Dream Request in cotton.
We welcomed two sweet new grand babies into the world this month, #5 and #6!
Identical girls and they each came in at just over 5 pounds and are healthy and strong! They are so precious! I can’t get enough of snuggling!
I was so excited to make the perfect quilts for them, as soon as we found out! I went through all my past quilt pictures looking for inspiration. I looked at all my inspiration folders, Pinterest, Instagram… and was stumped. I wanted something different. Modern. Clean. Simple. It took me a few months, and for our daughter to choose nursery colors, before I landed on a design.
When I chose The Dogwood Quilt design I knew I wanted to make the quilts significantly smaller, than a traditional baby size, because we knew, being twins, these were going to be smaller babies and I wanted them to be size appropriate. I couldn’t just remove rows, in this design, but needed to shrink the blocks.
The original design has the squares cut at 3.5″. After doing all my figuring, I needed them to be cut at 3″. My first thought, no problem, I haven’t been quilting for 42 years without learning a thing or two.
Figuring out how to change the radius of a circle so that the inner fits the outer, with seam allowances, to create any size Drunkards Path Template is a game changer. No more shopping for a new size template when I want to make a different size. All it took was figuring out a different way to use a tool I have had for ages and a rainy day. Rainy days are made for unraveling complicated techniques.
Then I started sampling out different sizes until the math created the preferred size quilt. I took these pictures to remind me how I did it in case I need to recreate this quilt. I am not sure this is the size I used for the actual quilts since I sampled so many. I do know the simple square blocks of the resized quilt are finished at 2.5″ if you are looking to do the same.
Liberty of London Tana Lawn makes for the most luscious baby quilt backings and windy quilt photography days make for the easiest way of showing the quilt backs!
As long as everyone swaddles a baby, in their quilt, the different backings will help to remind us, in photos later, which baby is which no matter which side of the quilt is showing.
After drawing out a lattice hand quilting pattern, from The Stencil Company, in both a 2″ and 1″ size, then test quilting them, I decided this double quilting of the lattice, times two quilts, was a lot of work but would be so worth it. It was exactly what I envisioned! The smaller size looked more appropriate.
The white quilting thread got lost so all the sample lattice quilting had to be removed. I then chose complimentary rose and yellow threads for the hand quilting and I think it really pops. I can’t remember the last time I used colored thread for my background quilting. My late mother-in-law made the teeny tiniest stitches and always stitched in color. This feels like a nod to her for her most recent great grand daughters.
Doesn’t everyone hang their quilts from the back of their husband’s studio for photographing?!!! I have king size mounts where I need the extension ladder and lower hangers that I can reach, without help, on a step ladder.
Quilt front fabrics are all Pure Solids by Art Gallery purchased through Elizabeth Bolton Studio, who was more than generous with her time in helping me put together my colors and my order. When ordering fabrics online it is always a surprise so I was tickled that they matched my Liberty of London backings so perfectly! If you have never used Pure Solids, they are very similar to Kona Cottons but a slightly lighter weight balancing better with the Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics.
This quilt has been a long time in the making. As scraps piled up I cut into them.
December 2013
I worked on it when I was between other projects. I paused for a while because I wasn’t sure what my finished size would be. Then as the quilt got bigger I dug deep into bins of fabric that has not seen the light of day in years.
May 2015
May of 2015 was when I decided it would be my gift to my youngest sister Tina, when her name next came up on our rotating Christmas calendar, 2018.
Because I would be shipping this quilt, and not be there when she opened it, I marked specific fabrics with safety pins denoting those that came from our Grandma Ellis’ collection. Because Tina spent more time with Grandma than the rest of us grands, I knew she would appreciate that I included several of the fabrics she might recognize. And she did!
Hard to get a feel for the size of this one but it is king sized!
And yes, I have hung curtain rods on the back of my husband’s studio where the sun is always good. This is the largest quilt I have photographed here. I had to add a longer rod as high as possible to capture this beauty. There are brackets for lap and baby quilts hidden behind this quilt. I can hang the smaller quilts without using a ladder but with this one even my 6’5″ husband had to use a ladder to help get it hung.
This unique culinary history of America offers a fascinating look at our past and uses long-forgotten recipes to explain how eight flavors changed how we eat.
The United States boasts a culturally and ethnically diverse population which makes for a continually changing culinary landscape. But a young historical gastronomist named Sarah Lohman discovered that American food is united by eight flavors: black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha. In Eight Flavors, Lohman sets out to explore how these influential ingredients made their way to the American table.
If you consider yourself a foodie and enjoy historical documentaries add this one to your reading list, you will love this book!
The history of food, in the United States, is something I had not given much thought to. To think about our foods coming from somewhere else, the how (and why) they got here and how they became “American” is fascinating to ponder. When it comes to food, that cultural diversity has given American it’s own unique cuisine.
Sarah Lohman has been dubbed a ” historical gastronomist” for good reason. She offers up lots of interesting factoids, myth-busters and trivia in this book along with several mouth-watering recipes.
A truly fascinating topic and what a fun book club read this one would be! Maybe a bowl of chili and Spicy Zeig for the cocktail?!!
Our family’s penchant for making, and appreciating, art comes from many places. There is no doubt these two ladies had an influence in that department.
These two sweet ladies are some of the strongest women I have ever known.
This pieced quilt top was given to me by maternal Grandma Ellis when we moved from my hometown, in SE Missouri, to Michigan, in 1987. She told me it was a collaborative effort between her and paternal Grandma Taylor in the 60s. It is put together with scraps of their lives, and clothing. Working closely with it, over a month, I have come to truly appreciate the labor of love that went in to it. As I quilted over each piece I had to wonder whose shirt was that? What was going on in their life when they wore it? What was going on in the Grandma’s lives as they pieced it?
It is obvious this quilt top was washed sometime before I received it. I have to wonder if that was the reason it was never finished. Who wants to risk quilting a quilt have might unravel? Just look at those loving stitches!!!
I repaired some of the seams but for the most part they appeared to have a wide enough seam allowance to not be a real concern.
It is completely hand pieced, by them, hand quilted by myself. I left all imperfections as I found them. I did replace six squares that were disintegrated, using fabric I received from Grandma Ellis’s collection.
I am pretty sure the cream, with brown diamonds, was one of my Grandaddy Sam’s church shirts. And that makes me think of all the times he came by to pick up us grandkids to take us to church, three times a week, every week. If the doors were open, he was there. And so were we!!
I patched a hole in the red gingham with red gingham from my Grandma Ellis fabric collection, most likely the exact same fabric. She gave me a whole tub of scraps when she downsized. She used to store it in a large suitcase under her bed!
Love the seaman with his flags!
In signing the quilt, I added both grandmother’s initials, and my own, my usual quilt signature. I say, give credit where credit is due.
This was a Christmas gift for my older brother. Another of our name drawing, creating a gift, that has happened every year for many years. Not the first time he has received a quilt, but never one with such sentimentality stitched in.
I know my older brother treasures “Perfectly Imperfect” as much as I do.
“Perfectly Imperfect”
a collaboration between two generations
My maternal grandmother Floye Lee Bryant Ellis
and my paternal grandmother
Ruby Mildred Wooley Taylor
Hand pieced by them, hand quilted by myself
Imperfections left because they make this heirloom quilt perfect
Vintage clothing fabrics
66″ by 79″
1960s-2016
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Sewfrench 
