"With many serviceable substitutes it is not really necessary for women to make quilts now, but the strange fascination about the work holds their interest."

Marie D. Webster, in Quilts Their Story and How to Make Them, 1915

Week 4 Gifts

Share the love!
Do you have a quilt top that you have been holding onto, not sure how to proceed?
Share it with a wounded soldier!
Quilts of Valor will connect you with a long arm quilter, who will turn the quilt top into a soft warm quilt to comfort a soldier.

Giveaway Winners!

We have winners for our October giveaway! Ruth Anne S., Sue C., Amy F, and Liz, please contact me with your addresses! Stef@Blackberryquilts.com

Week 5 Gifts

Here's another recession proof gift: recover an old, tired potholder! You know those potholders that won't get clean in the wash anymore? The potholders from 80's color schemes that don't match anymore? Recover them! Make them cute again with a fresh new fabric cover.

Pick a color or pattern that makes you smile everytime you use it!

Week 6 Gifts

Use your scraps and tidbits to make a custom cover for a planner. I found a 2010 planner for $1 at Target. Score! You can turn an ordinary notebook or diary or planner into something special in about an hour.

How to Make a Book Cover:

Make fabric out of scraps: Sew together scraps into chunks of fabric, then combine the chunks into a larger piece of 'fabric'. Press as you go. Make it 6" wider and 4" taller than your planner. Press well.

Place the planner on top of your fabric. Draw a line to mark the top and bottom of the spine of the planner, extending it about 1" on either side of the spin, and making it a smidge taller than the planner. Clip straight down to the line, as shown below. Press this flap down. Topstitch close to the edge of the flap.

Lay planner on fabric, and press it down flat. Draw around it, about 1/8" from the edges.

Trim the edges nice and even, leaving 1-2" on the top and bottom, and 2-3" on the sides. Press under 1/4" on the sides and topstitch.

Using the line on the sides as a guide, fold the sides on the line, placing right sides together. See the right side of the picture below. Sew across the top and bottom of the flap, along the lines.

Turn inside out, shown below on the left side of the picture below:

This is what the inside will look like. A mess!

Tuck the planner into the cover. No more mess!

Quilting Designs

Leah has posted a dresden-plate inspired machine quilting design! (Day 66) I think it'd look fabulous in a border. Check out her 365 days of quilting designs.

Halloween Memories

This was my favorite costume. I was a prairie girl. Little House on the Prairie books were my favorites. My Mom and Dad and I picked out the fabric-at a Sprouse Reitze?-and Mom sewed it up. I also wore it to school throughout the whole 4th grade year.

When Mom cleaned out her patterns and gave me this I smiled. This month it's on display for my viewing pleasure.

(Check out the price-$1!)

Do you have a favorite Halloween memory?