There's a Granny on my gate....

Well that made you look didn't it!

Here's a little Granny Square quilt that I made for my sister in law for a friend of her's who is having a baby. As soon as she saw mine, she said "I want one like that....only smaller and for a boy." So that's what she got.

Like my larger version, I've added some little cornerstones to each of the blocks. It's a lovely way to use some 2.5" squares, albiet 4 in this instance!

The back is an argyle from DS Quilts, Denyse Schmidt's range through Spotlight in Australia. I don't know what it's called or from which range but I just love, love, love it as a back for a baby quilt. Without any fancy joining, it looks really smart. And, because of the busy-ness of the back, I went with the last of my Kona charcoal to frame both the front and the back.

I've said it before and I'll say it again....oh how I wish I'd quilted when my babies were little. But then again, we may not be able to get out of the front door for them all being stacked against it!

Sharing the Granny love....

A few months back the 'Sew and Sews' girls decided that we would contribute a bunch of 2 1/2" scraps into an exchange pool so we could make granny squares out of different fabric to our existing scrap piles. We all agreed that we were a little jaded by some of the scraps that we'd been recycling (over and over) in our own scrappy quilting endeavors.
We had the best fun diving into the pool and playing the matching/contrasting granny game. It was hard work avoiding what you were comfortable with and trying to dodge fabric that you had actually contributed! Many a "what about this one?" shout out was heard as we begged for ongoing colour combination reviews.
I think after that first night I finished up with enough for 7 blocks. At the time I was regretting not bringing my phone to take photos of the combinations I'd concocted....even more so when my sewing bag fell off the back seat on the way home, spilling the contents over the floor of the car! Sad but true.
After stitching those initial first few blocks the lure of the granny square pulled me right in and I couldn't wait for the next catch up so I delved back into my scrap bin completing my 25.
And here she is....a Granny Square Quilt just for me!

I've made 3 grannies now and I've loved them all. The first I gave away for a fundraiser and the other was a joint gift for a friend so the whole time I had me in mind for this one.
For 'my granny' I've used cornerstones which I incorporated into the block. That worked quite well and was less stressful than matching up blocks using long sashing strips.

The backing fabric is a piece of fabric that I bought in Melbourne when we first went interstate on the first 'Sew and Sews' fabric buying extravaganza! It was in a discount basked at GJ's for about $4m! It's a bit vintagey-nanna looking so it has been kept in storage all this time for just the right project and this was certainly it.
Because of the vibrant back and the mixture of fabrics on the front, I struggled for the perfect binding. In the end I opted to go plain and chose Kona Charcoal. I love it. No....I really love it!
If you want to make a Granny Square quilt of your own head on over to Jolene's blog for her tutorial.

This quilt is 5 x 5 (25 blocks with borders) which finishes up at around 65" square and is free motioned stippled.
And for the last word. I placed my absolute favourite 'exchange' block right in the middle. It's purple...a colour I NEVER use let alone own. Thank you girls for sharing the Granny love...we should do it again!
I've linked up to Crazy Mom's Finish it up Friday!

Another Granny....

The Granny Square quilt that Clare and I have been making for our friend is finished. It's just lovely ...even if I say so myself!
We shared the block making and it's surprising what you can find in your scrap bin to turn into a Granny block. Together we brought a bunch of random and donated bits of fabric (thank you Kay and Michelle) that stitched together into an eclectic colour mix to create nothing short of a wonderful quilt top and backing.
We had a splendid time sorting and balancing colour choices. It sure is a fun task playing with someone else's 2 1/2" pre cut squares! So much so, the girls and I have already spent another evening throwing fabric scraps into the centre of the table to cut into 2 1/2" squares for us to divvy up next time we meet. This is a great way to move around some fabric that we've pulled and used just one too many times! So stay tuned for a bit more of the Granny Power!Clare stitched this top and I quilted and bound it. The binding is a quite wide stripe of red and the palest of pinks that I've had in the cupboard for a while now. The red works with the front (we both do red...a lot!) and the pink works with the back....(which I do...a lot!) I love it....we love it, I'm sure J will love it too!

More Grannies....

Clare and I have decided to make a quilt for a friend who is facing a major health issue. We thought we'd make a Granny Square quilt, sharing the block making. Plus our other lovely Sew and Sews friends have gifted 2 1/2" precut squares and fabrics.Here are 9 of my 10 blocks. I was amazed how many Granny Squares you can eek out of scraps....even having already made one of these quilts recently!
Here's to good health and speedy recoveries.

In the bag.....

I made some little bags to store the two quilts I'm giving away as part of a fundraiser. Just to add a little bit of special!
The granny square bag sits in a nice little envelope style bag and features similar fabrics to the quilt.

And the 3 1/2" scappy quilt will live in a draw string bag which also features co-ordinating fabrics used in the quilt. The drawstring bag makes this little quilt the perfect travelling picnic quilt.

They're now both bagged up and ready to go to the school for raffles. Farewell lovelies.

Granny square finish....

I haven't been sitting on my hands, although my lack of posts probably looks like I have been! Not that I have to make excuses but sometimes life gets in the way and it's not really blog-able or we get busy and just miss the opportunity.
However, the quilty gods must be happy with this offering. It's my Granny Square quilt that I'm going to give away to R's school as part of a fundraiser for the music student's forthcoming trip to Ireland. Did I hear you say 'lucky'? I got a lovely email from a dear friend recently who said that the only overseas trip she ever got with the school band was to Kangaroo Island! Thank you Bev, I laughed for hours after that.I loved making this quilt from start to finish. I adore each and every block and when it all comes together with the sashing (I used Kona Snow), it's nothing short of divine. And, against this dull late Autumn sky it's like a little bit of springtime has been delivered to my clothesline. The back is a really pretty aqua with white polka dot that was recently gifted from another gorgeous friend. It's a fabric colour that I probably wouldn't have been drawn to in the past but I'm smitten with it now. It goes perfectly with the whole quilt. The back also features a band of left-over 2 1/2" squares to help join the fabric.I haven't quilted anything for ages and I don't know about you but I tend to get really nervous before quilting...in case I muck up all the hours of piecing I guess. But the size of this quilt made stippling really manageable and it went like a charm.
Finally, the binding. It's the last of my Amy Butler Martini Dot in orange. I love how it frames the whole scrappy-ness of this quilt. Sigh....it's going to be hard to give away. I'll just have to make another one for myself I think.

Granny...how I love you...how I love you...

....my dear old Granny....!
If you sing this like Jolson sings Swanee, you'll have an ear worm that rolls around your head all day. Just like mine did as I sewed my Granny Square quilt top together.
I'm still loving it and will let it sit while I ponder a backing and how to quilt it. In the mean time, it's "Granny....how I love you, how I love you, my dear old Granny...!"

It's hip to be square....

Granny Square that is!
As soon as I saw this quilt and this quilt, I knew I had to make a Granny Square Quilt. (Along with virtually every other quilter in the blogosphere!)
Following Blue Elephant Stitches' tutorial, I gathered my 2 1/2" square scraps and have spent these past few nights piecing. I had made 20 blocks by last night, then this morning I decided I wanted a bigger quilt and went scouring through my scraps to create 5 more. With 25 blocks I should create a quilt around 60" square. (20 blocks and sashing yields a 50" x 60" quilt.)
I'm totally smitten with these scrappy blocks. Blocks that I spent some time considering what was in and what was out. A process I find difficult and generally avoid as I tend to use fabric stories in my quilts. But of course, that leaves bits of everything left over so I eventually have to take the plunge and start mixing and matching! Mind you, maybe it takes a long time because I look at all the little squares and remember where they came from, what quilt their metreage, jelly roll or charm square created, who it was gifted to and where it might now be laying.
Now they're all together, I'm thrilled to see all my lovely left-overs looking so gorgeous and playing so nicely with the rest of my scraps. Every single block is beautiful and I love how they all work together.
This quilt is destined to be a fund-raiser quilt for R's music department who are planning an overseas trip for the students early next year. We're not sure if R will make the cut but every little bit will help.