Quiltmaker Dream Catcher



Finished Christmas Dream Catcher



                

    Quiltmaker's Scrap Squad

Dream Catcher -  My Christmas  Memories     by Donna Amos  

                     for Nov/Dec 2011         

Each year over the past ten years or so I have made a Christmas quilt. 

When I first saw this pattern, I immediately thought of the stash of Christmas fabrics setting on my shelf and knew that it would become my 2011 Christmas Quilt.  I have had more fun selecting the fabrics to use in this quilt than any of the quilts we have done this year.

The black with “Christmas trees” and “snow” was the first fabric selected to be the background, and then I chose all the brightly colored “packages” to go around the trees.  The peppermint stripe was used in a border and for the “candies” along with the brown/gray which was the “Choclate Chips” for the cookies.  In the border background, candies and cookies, are the “white sugar cookie” fabric with the red and green sprinkles.  Then last but not least would be the brightly colored strings of Flying Geese “Christmas lights.” 

This a paper pieced quilt, so with all the copies that I needed, I folded the paper on the sewing lines.  I had pre-cut the approximate sizes that I needed, so then pinned the fabric to the back side of the paper pattern, sew the lines, pressed on the right side and trimmed the bock. 

 For the way I chose to put the blocks together, it took 4 blocks with the tree fabric and 4 blocks with the various colors of the "packages"



8 Paper pieced blocks



I tried several different layouts, but ended up with this one, always trying to put some version of  blue, red, yellow and green in each quarter of the quilt.



Checking layout before sewing



After the blocks were sewn together, I press all seams open to make a flatter surface for the quilting, expecially where the "candy" came together at the centers.



back of quilt, seams pressed open



The flying geese units were made, not as paper pieced units, but using my Fons & Porter Flying Geese ruler.  It is so accurate and doesn't waste any fabric.  It was easy to measure the paper piece pattern and cut the geese to the proper size.  I thought they made a good string of Christmas Tree lights!



Dream Catcher before quilting



For the backing, I selected some Christmas fabrics from my stash.  They turned out cute enough that I now have a two sided quilt.  I also put a sleeve at the top so the quilt can be used as a wall hanging.



Backing on Dream Catcher



Dream Catcher as a wall hanging



Or used as a sofa throw



Check out other versions of Quiltmaker's Dream Catcher the Scrap Squad blogs.

Linda

Jane

Ruthie

Kimberly

Pat

Dionne

Carol

The Story of Quiltmaker's Scrap Squad 2011

The Story of the Quiltmaker’s Scrap Squad 2011
And How the Scrap Squad Stars & Bars Quilt was made for Diane Harris

By Donna Amos

November 15, 2011

The Quiltmaker Scrap Squad 2011 was formed in December 2010 when Quiltmaker sent out emails to subscribers to see if there were quilters that would like to get a quilt pattern to try it out before the magazine was published.  The Scrap Squad members could make the pattern in any size, fabric, color they wanted, and include their ideas into the quilt.  They had to have a quilt top finished before the magazine with the pattern was printed.  The magazine is printed every two months, so there would be 6 quilts in one year.

Quiltmaker suggested that each of us have our personal blog and post pictures and how we made our quilts, including any problems we encountered.

Many entries were received by Quiltmaker. The following were selected to be the Quiltmaker Scrap Squad 2011.

1.    Linda Ferguson              California
2.    Carol Vickers                  Ohio
3.    Jane Jacobson               Tennessee
4.    Ruthie Wasmuth           Indiana
5.    Donna Amos                  Arkansas
6.    Kimberly Brandt            New York
7.    Pat St-Onge                    New Brunswick, Canada

8.    Dionne Gordon              Washington

The Scrap Squad quilts would be posted and reviewed on Quiltmaker’s blog, QuiltyPleasures.  Diane Volk Harris, Interactive Editor would supervise the group.  All photos, patterns and instruction were done through e-mails.

There have been literally hundreds of emails between the Scrap Squad members and Diane, sharing photos of what we were doing, asking and giving suggestions and advice, just enjoying talking quilts and getting acquainted.

The patterns selected by Quiltmaker for us to make quilts were:

1.    Rhapsody in Bloom by Doug Leko – Mar/Apr 2011

2.    Raspberry Dessert by Julie Herman – May/June 2011

3.    Spinout by Barbara Cline – July/Aug 2011

4.    Linkin Logs by June Dudley – Sept/Oct 2011

5.    Dream Weaver- Artist Unknown-Collection of Joanna S Rose-Nov/Dec 2011

6.    It’s Hip to be Square by Elizabeth Dackson Jan/Feb 2012

We all have enjoyed the projects this year and as we started getting closer to the end of our time with the Scrap Squad we started to think about what a good leader that Diane had been to all of us.  She always had words of encouragement, did wonderful reviews of our quilts, came up with several “stash enhancements” for each of us, and is just an inspiration.

We decided that we wanted to make a friendship quilt for Diane.  Ideas flew over the internet. As we put out ideas, voted on them, and agreed that we wanted to each to make a star block with our name in the center and would like to use some of the blocks that Diane had designed for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks magazines.  Paula, from Quiltmaker sent a pdf. file with Diane’s patterns and Jane began her magic with Electric Quilt and made several patterns for us to look at.

We all agreed on the pattern Jane drafted with Diane’s  Bar None Block, Writer’s Block, Block Positive and an individual Signature Star Block each of us could choose.  The quilt would be blue and yellow.  Jane let all of us know how many blocks to make, contacted Paula about Quiltmaker helping us with the backing and borders, which they did.  Linda volunteered to set the blocks together, Donna volunteer to machine embroidery the Scrap Squad center block, Pat volunteered to provide the batting, to quilt and bind the quilt.

The group decided that we wanted to give this quilt a name.  Several made suggestions, actually there were 11 possibilities put out.  We voted on a name for the quilt and we called it  Scrap Squad Stars and Bars.

Scrap Squad Stars and Bars has got to be one of the most traveled quilts ever!  Fabric from Quiltmaker in Colorado was sent to each of the states mentioned above.  Blocks were made in the different states, and then sent to California to be set together.  Linda sent the top to New Brunswick, Canada to be quilted and finished.  On November 8, 2011, Pat mailed the finished quilt to June in Colorado for a surprise presentation to Diane. And then, Diane will take it home to Nebraska.  All made with much friendship and love.

The Label for Scrap Squad Stars and Bars  made for Diane Harris by Quiltmaker’s Scrap Squad 2011

Our many thanks go to June Dudley and Paula Stoddard of Quiltmaker for their help in this project.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Tour

Have been enjoying seeing all the blogs and the designers comments.

Looking forward to seeing the new 100 Blocks Magazine.

I'm now working on  the last quilt for this year that Quiltmaker's Scrap Squad will be making.  It will be in the Jan/Feb 2012 magazine.  It is a great pattern and the photo's that I am seeing from all the Scrap Squad ladies makes it something to look forward to.

Also, for any of you that are in the Golden, Colorado area, Quiltmaker is having a Scrap Squad Show during November and December 2011.  Each of the Scrap Squad members have sent three quilts that we have made this year.  The show is at

 Creative Crafts Group, 741 Corporate Circle, Golden, Colorado