What do you love most about the spring? The warmer weather? Gentle rains with opportunities to get out your galoshes and umbrellas – and splash in the puddles? Watching the birds and the bees? Seeing the flowers begin to bloom? This charming Kimberbell quilt celebrates all things spring!

Just look at the beautiful spring colors! And the embellishments just make me smile!

I took at class at Missouri Sewing Machine Company and learned so much! I am pretty new to machine embroidery, but the Kimberbell classes, patterns and kits are amazing. Their directions are so easy to follow. This pattern is one where you quilt block-by-block. Look at those cute little birds and toadstools!

You quilt each block and then stitch the blocks together in rows.

My favorite has to be the bee block! Don’t you love these little wool felt bumblebees? They look so happy buzzing around their little hive! Many of the embellishments are added once the quilt is completed. I used a hot glue gun to attach these.

Just as cute as the wool felt bees – these little appliqued bumblebees have 3-D lacy wings. So adorable!

Every class I take, I learn new tips and tricks! You make these wool felt flowers by stitching the design on the felt with your machine and then carefully cutting the strips out. You then roll up the strips, adding drop of glue to hold them together as you shape them. The cork makes perfect pots! Kimberbell also has You Tube videos and weekly tips to help with their new projects.

Everyone needs a little red wagon to help with their gardening!

And the galoshes – just makes you want to find a puddle to jump in! Iron-on vinyl is applied to the fabric before the design is cut out to make them look like real rain boots.

Everyone loves it when the birds start gathering and singing their spring songs.

The dancing umbrellas look like they are ready for our blustery rainy weather!

Isn’t the little green frog cute?

I loved all the fun background quilting options!

We all need a good puddle once in a while! This puddle has a layer of Mylar that you stitch a design onto, then it is topped with vinyl to give the illusion of a spring puddle.

And the toadstools and butterflies are such a great combination! The toadstools are made of a combination of fabric and felt. Sparkly glitter sheets were used for the butterfly wings.

The special embellishments, like the little ladybug, made the quilt so unique and extra cute!

This was such a fun learning experience! So many different fabrics, materials, stitching techniques and embellishments. I loved the opportunity to learn and be creative! Plus in a class, you get all the expertise of the teacher – and all your classmates. So much more fun and efficient than trying to do it all by yourself.

Happy Spring!

Growing up sewing was a hobby and a necessity. Mom taught all five of us girls to sew and we made most of our clothes. I remember one summer we had three sewing machines set up in our home. When my husband was in dental school I worked for Harper’s Fabrics and stitched up everything from prom dresses to tailored suits. When our kids were growing up the sewing machine was mainly used for costumes and to sew on scout patches. In the past year I have started to sew again, just for fun. I have made several baby quilts and worked up to a throw. This is the Sparrows Quilt pattern from Pen and Paper Patterns.

I remember we used to spend hours in Stephenson’s Fabrics in Maryville picking out fabrics, patterns and notions. I still love walking through fabric stores and it was fun working with Penny Linley at BoLin’s Fabrics to pick out the fabric for the Sparrows Quilt. I really liked the color combination on the pattern, so I used that as a guide.

The pattern does require a lot of cutting – but what quilt doesn’t? This pattern provided labels to pin to each set, which made it so much easier when assembling.

This pattern has been used for a Sewalong, so on the Pen and Paper Pattern blog, you can read six newsletters that give you tips and tricks for each stage of making this quilt. The blog also has a Scandi Collection Testers Quilts section that has photos of many different Sparrows quilts created from a variety of fabric colors and collections.

Stitching together a quilt is similar to putting a puzzle together – it is so exciting when all the pieces come together!

Have you noticed that so many of the new quilts have bright floral backings and borders? I found this at Missouri Star Quilt Company. They have so many beautiful quilts displayed in all their stores.

Mary Kay Lambert did a wonderful job of quilting my project.

All done – decided to take a few photos of the little Sparrows outside in the flowers.

I love seeing all the creative quilts in stores and online. So many traditional and contemporary quilts to inspire you to dust off your sewing machine and begin planning your winter projects. I have found that they are many sewalongs and quiltalongs – which provides inspiration and motivation. Have fun being creative!

https://penandpaperpatterns.com/

March is National Quilting Month. I love old quilts and some of my most treasured keepsakes are quilts. Quilts are works of art, family heirlooms and for many of us, are full of memories, love and sentiment.

This flour sack quilt was pieced by my Grandma Davitt, I just love it. When I see it, I think of all the good times we had visiting her and Grandpa Davitt and playing with the cousins. I remember my Grandma Steinhauser using my Grandpa’s old suits to make comforters. They used what they had on hand to create necessary items, and now they are part of our family history.

I want to continue that tradition, and this past year I have learned so much about piecing and quilting. During the pandemic I participated in a couple of quilt-a-longs and read about old techniques and new methods. I have pieced several quilts this past year and have learned so much! Now I am getting ready to take another class, where we will do the background quilting on a embroidery machine.

My sister, Laurie, makes a rag quilt to welcome all of her grandchildren.

Now quilting has become a popular hobby. The repetitive motion of quilting and sewing helps relax the brain and feel less stressed. I also enjoy the creative process of cutting up the fabric and arranging it to create a special quilt. Baby quilts are an easy way to ease into quilting.

How will you celebrate National Quilting Month? Get out treasured keepsake quilts and enjoy them! Create a record of your keepsake quilts so future generations will know who made them. Start a simple quilting project, such a wall hanging, table runner or Christmas stocking. Get out that quilting project you started earlier and work on it.

Enjoy these facts about quilting from HolidaysCalendars.com

• Quilting goes back to Ancient Egypt—approximately 5,400+ years ago.
• The word quilt comes from the Latin world “Culcita”, which means stuffed sack or bag.
• Medieval knights used quilted pads under their armor to protect against chaffing and to prevent the armor from rusting from sweat. 
• The earliest American quilt made is from 1704.
• During the 19th century, it was customary for girls to make quilts to show off her quilting skills to her new husband.
• Quilting was popular 100-years after the sewing machine was invented at the end of the 18th century.
• There are three basic quilt types. These include Plain Quilts, Applique Quilts, and Patchwork Quilts. 
• The most expensive historic quilt ever sold was a Civil War-era quilt that was sold in 1991 for $254,000.
• The average quilter is 63-years old. (I am guessing that this average age is lower now.)
• In 2017, the quilting industry was worth over $3.5 billion dollars. 
• During the 1960s, quilting became popular again after interest had waned in it during the early part of the 20th century. 
• Patchwork quilts became extremely popular in areas that only had leftover fabrics for people to quilt

Enjoy today!