Sew & Tell Friday: Inspired

I only just discovered Sew & Tell Friday last week, and seeing all the great projects everyone posted really motivated and inspired me. In fact, two of my finishes for this week were directly related to last week's Sew & Tell, so if you're in need of some creative inspiration, I highly recommend visiting Amylouwho for a list of this week's participants.

Last week, Beth, from Love Laugh Quilt, posted a scrappy pin cushion tutorial, that looked like so much fun, I had to make one myself. I wrote about it in an earlier post, but here's a picture, in case you missed it.


Fun project, Beth. Thanks again! :o)

I also received a package in the mail this week, children's novelty charms from a Country Quilters USA charm swap. The original plan was to use them in an Ami Simms Picture Play quilt. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun and had already sewn 130 little charms together before I learned that they were cut a little too large for the pattern. I could have taken it all apart and trimmed down the charms, but I really didn't want to spend that much time with my seam ripper. What to do...?

Well, in last week's Sew & Tell, Rene', from Rene' Creates, shared a project she was working on for Maragaret's Hope Chest, an organization that is currently collecting quilts for homeless children, in their Hope Squared challenge. I wanted to donate a top, too, and started going through my fabric options.

But as I struggled with my off-sized charms, I found that by adjusting the size of the solid border strip, leaving off the last border of charms, and adding a 3-1/2" solid border to finish it off, it was exactly the right size for Hope Squared. Thanks, Rene', for sharing this great charity. I think this was another of those projects that was just "meant to be." :o)


So this top will be donated, and I hope to finish one more to send out before the November 15 deadline. I've already started stockpiling more charms (cut to the correct size) to try the Ami Simms quilt again. I showed this top to my one-year-old grandson and he just loved all the little pictures, especially the big, red apple. I think he needs his own I-Spy quilt...

And speaking of my grandson, his Halloween costume is my last finish for this week. Just put the finishing touches on it last night, and I can hardly wait to see it on him!


He's going to be the cutest little pirate in town! I'll post a picture of him in it later, IF I can get him to stand still long enough to take one. LoL