4 Little Coasters

 Created for Project Quilting 17.6 A Happy Handful challenge. 

The instructions for this challenge were simple. "Your project should be held in just one hand."

So here it is.

Diane Lapacek, Poynette, WI.

size: one happy handful

Coolly Complementery

 Created for Project Quilting 17.5 My Complements challenge.

I read this challenge and thought, huh, that is the quilt in my head to make next. I would make strippy blocks of blue-green and use red-orange triangles in the corners. This was to be a lap sized quilt and that is larger than I usually do for Project Quilting, but I knew I needed to give it a try. I tried to stop with a 3x4 layout, but the quilt told me it needed to be bigger, so 4x5 it is. 

Diane Lapacek, Poynette, WI
48" x 60"

A Day in My Youth

 Created for Project Quilting 17.4 Of Another Era challenge.

For this challenge, I close to go way back to my childhood. I grew up on a dairy farm and was one of 13 kids. I did milk cows before school when I was a teenager and I'm sure it made me a better person, but it wasn't my favorite thing. I learned to sew in 4H and made many of my own clothes. It was where my passion for sewing began and I even won a trip to the state fair for a few days and modeled my dress in the daily style shows there. 

So, I decided to go back to those days and looked for some garment fabrics in my stash. There were a few, but, fortunately none that old. Polyester was the hot new thing then! I did find a few pieces that I thought I might use for an embellishment or something one day.  

I cut squares from them and stitched them together. And it was not fun. They slipped and stretched and I wanted to go back to cottons. I pinned every seam and I very seldom pin anything when I make quilts. When I got ready for binding, regular cotton did not go with these shiny fabrics and there was no way I was going to make a binding from any of the fabrics in the quilt. So I found some satin ribbons and braided them together and hot glued them on. Yes, I hot glued them to the quilt.....

Then, being me, I thought it needed a tree. This tree represents the apple tree that was in our back yard. I was home for hide and seek and home plate was under it when we played softball almost every night after chores. I never became much of a ball player, but I have many fond memories of those games. 

My youngest brother was 12 years younger than me and when he was about 4, my older brother decided this tree would be used to play monkey in the tree. That meant my little brother was put on a low branch and my big brother would ride up on his horse and grab him, then gallop back to the starting spot. Pretty scary for me to think about today, but nobody got hurt and it was great fun.

The tree trunk is miscellaneous fibers twisted together and stitched down. The leaves were made by sandwiching snippets of green fabrics between 2 layers of water soluble stabilizer and adding lots of stitching until they stayed together. 

Diane Lapacek, Poynette, WI

12" x 15"

Shade for My Horse

Created for Project Quilting 17.3 Year of the Horse challenge. 

The year of the horse is being celebrated in the upcoming Chinese New Year. Instructions were to "find your inspiration from the turn of the year, in the animal, in our hopes and desires for the near future". I was not inspired by the horse or the hopes and dreams of the near future.

I clicked on the link provided by Trish and discovered that red is used in almost all Chinese New Year decorations. Red is something I can be inspired by. So I went with that. Since I'm the scrappy strip quilt lady, I opted for string blocks using as many red fabrics as I could find and adding in touches of gold because all the images of the Chinese New Year included pops of gold. I sewed them together in rail fence fashion, then quilted it with gold metallic thread because it seemed appropriate.

I liked it, but thought it needed something. Not a horse because I'm not into horses. Maube a tree. I like textural trees and have added them to several quilts in the past. But did this fit the theme this time? Well, yes. I made a ltree and added it to my quilt. Next summer that tree will provide shade for my horse. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

And I have a quilt that will go on my wall and make me happy.

Created by Diane Lapacek, Poynette, WI.

16" x 20"

A Tree on Plaid

 Created for PQ 17.2 Scads of Plaid challenge.

I wanted to create my own plaid for this challenge. I have made several quilts over the years using Ricky Tim's convergence technique and have always thought it had a plaid vibe.

So I dug in my hand dyed fabric for a piece with enough colors flowing across it. I forgot to take a picture of it before I started. Sorry. Anyway, I cut 4 squares from it and converged them according to Ricky's instructions. 

I liked it, but, being me, I thought a tree would make it better. So I pulled lots of fibers from my supply, wound them together and stitched them down to make a tree, then appliqued it on. I bound the quilt and called it done.

Created by Diane Lapacek, Poynette, WI.

21" x 19"

Drunken Flowers

 Created for Project Quilting 17.1 Clean Slate challenge.

Last summer I got an inkling to make a low volume quilt. Low volume has never been my thing. But I made one. And then I made another one. And another and another until suddenly there were 8. I  was thinking maybe just 1 more before going back to my usual lots of color style. Then this challenge came out. It was telling me it was time to wipe the slate clean and go on to my next thing. I had recently seen a picture with drunkard's path blocks put together to make flowers and knew it was time to play with it.

So I drafted a drunkard's path block and ended up with this quilt. I thought I was making a table runner, but now am thinking maybe I'll hang it lengthwise. And, if I'd used a softer yellow instead of gold, I'd have made another low volume quilt. Hmmmm.

I think drunkard's paths might be my next series.....

Created by Diane Lapacek, Poynette, WI.

Squirrely Kim

 

 

Created for the Project Quilting This or That bonus challenge. Full disclosure here. Kim is my daughter-in-law. When she was dating my son, they would come for dinner at our house once a week. Then the guys would clean up the kitchen and I taught Kim to quilt. I helped her learn the basics and then she inspired me to be more creative. The ideas flying through her head always amazed me. They still do. So I got her bundle. Actually, I got Trish's, too, and Kim bought them both for me for my birthday in January. I decided to make both of them in the style of me. I love super scrappy. And Squarey has been a favorite of mine ever since Kim made a Squarey quilt for her bed many years ago. So Squarey it is for the Kim bundle. 

Then, because I could and I love textural add-ons, I added a tree. I used multiple fibers and twisted them together and stitched them down to a foundation, cut it out and sewed it on.

And I thought it should have a squirrel (or three), so I cut some out from the squirrel fabric in the bundle and fused them on.

In the interest of full disclosure, here's the rest of the story. I originally hung this quilt the other say so it had a branch coming across from the right instead of a tree. I took photos and was playing with them when I decided that I liked it turned this way better. It meant removing a couple of smaller branches that would have been too low on the tree when turned this way. I also had to cut away the hanging sleeve and add a new one to a different side. And I had already fused down the squirrels. I heated them up with the iron and pulled them off. I wasn't sure how it would work, but it was fine. There was only one spot that I ironed with a paper towel over it to remove the excess stickiness. A quilt is never finished until it's finished, after all. 

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.

35" x 27"

Button Blooms

 Created for Project Quilting 16.6 Button it Up challenge.

What a fun challenge! This is why I love Project Quilting. A new challenge comes out and you create something you had never imagined before. And, before you know it, your walls are filled with amazing quilts.

I was immediately excited about this challenge because I have a dishpan full of buttons that I've collected over the years. And using something that has been on a shelf for a long time always makes me happy. Of course, I started with a crazily pieced background. After all, why would anyone use one piece of fabric when 50 will do. I layered it and quilted it with wavy lines going top to bottom, then pulled out my buttons. Some were handmade, many had been recycled from things headed for the rag bag and many had come from who knows where. I chose a few to get started, then found some fibers to make stems, adding knots to them to make them a little more interesting.

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.
12" x 24"

Which Way???

 Created for Project Quilting 16.5 Follow Your Arrow challenge.

For this challenge I created string blocks with arrows in assorted sizes, then put them together pointing every which way. Then I quilted it with lines that went every which to add to the confusion. Of course. it needed to be named Which Way??? And, although it's not my favorite, I like it way better than I thought I would. 

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.

14" x 27"

Garnet Coasters

 Created for Project Quilting 16.4 Birthstone Challenge.

Interesting week around here. Suddenly it's Thursday and I have not made a start on this challenge. So, time to do something totally not me. No orphan blocks, no string quilting, no crazy scrappiness. Just some cute little coasters.  I've seen these around and decided to go for it. A couple hours later, I was done. 

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.

Each is 4" x 4".

Orphans in Purple and Pink

 Created for Project Quilting 16.3 Common Blocks Challenge.

This challenge said you must incorporate 3 common quilt blocks into your challenge. As I considered which common blocks to use, it occurred to me that I probably had many common blocks in my orphan block baskets. The pink and purple basket called my name and, not surprisingly, it had common blocks in it.
Flying geese in multiple styles, log cabin, shoo fly, pinwheel and even some pieces from New York Beauty blocks. Back in 2020, I was obsessed with New York Beauty blocks. When I had had enough of them, I ended up with some that were not completed. Not sure why. Anyhow, they were in with my orphan blocks along with anything else that had been sewn together and not used for whatever reason.

I made Warm Orphan Ombre for PQ 16.2 and decided I would make another for 16.3. So I puzzled them together on my design wall and started stitching it together, using strips and smaller pieces to make it all fit.

By late Wednesday, I had it sandwiched and started with some fancy quilting in the white areas where it would really show. Thursday morning I looked at the rest of my week and decided I needed an unconventional approach to get it all done on time. So I added some simple quilting that held all parts of the quilt stable, then added the binding. I started the hand sewing in the car while heading to a basketball game.

Friday I added more quilting, working the areas that looked like they needed it most first. After lunch we headed to pick up our grandson who was coming to Poynette to go to a Badger hockey game and spend the night with his cousins. I finished the binding and trimmed as many threads as I could find during the drive. Saturday morning I added some more quilting before leaving to go to my mother-in-laws 100th birthday party. Amazing lady! Amazing day! 

So this morning I just had to photo and post this. My quilt is done. (It might be a little more done next week if I decide to add some more quilting, but for now it's done.)

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.
39" x  47"

Warm Orphan Ombre

Created for Project Quilting 16.2 – Ombre – Challenge 2 of Project Quilting season 16.

I have never used a true ombre fabric, but I have made many quilts that use this effect. Often it's a rainbow theme floating across the quilt. That was my first thought here.  I actually started on a few blocks, but it didn't feel right. Too boring. Looks like I made a few new orphan blocks...

AHA!!! Orphan blocks! I have a couple of baskets of them. You know, all those blocks or parts of blocks or any pieces that got sewn together and not used. I had been messing with them a couple of months ago and stuck some up on my design wall, but was uninspired. I ended up sorting them by warm and cool, then putting them away because I wasn't feeling it. Maybe I could make something from them that would work here. Now, the rules for Project Quilting do say your project must be started and finished during this week. Yes, I know. I consider my orphan blocks to be pieces of fabric I previously made for myself. They have been sitting in a basket waiting to be used in something special. Much as my ONE ROOM of uncut fabric is waiting to be used. The biggest goal of Project Quilting has always been to inspire creativity. So, I think this is legal. If not, oh, well. There are no prizes and if there were I wouldn't be eligible because Kim, our brilliant Project Quilting creator, is my daughter-in-law. :)

On to my process. I started by placing blocks on my design wall starting with lights in the top left and going darker diagonally across and down. I had a few blocks that were half dark and half light. Didn't really fit anywhere in the layout. Some I cut and used only part or used both parts in separate areas of the quilt. I got close to the dimensions I wanted and started sewing together in sections. I added fabric or cut pieces from the remaining orphans to make things fit, squaring up each section. I didn't hesitate to just trim away a quarter or half inch or whatever of anything that was a little long. I love this process. It's kind of like putting a puzzle together, only, in the case, I can just cut something to fit.

In the end, I now have a small lap quilt that used half the orphans in the warm basket. I consider that a win and am inspired to go at the cool basket next. 

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.
40" x 58"

1. 
   

Go For the Gold

 Created for Project Quilting 16.1 Mythical Creatures

I have to say, this challenge was a challenge for me. (I guess that's what it should be, right?) Mythical Creatures? Not my wheelhouse. So, I did the smart thing and searched for mythical creatures. And I came across the leprechaun. I grew up a Donahoe and, although I was 1 of 13 children and my parents seldom left the farm, we always knew Dad would take Mom out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day every year. So a leprechaun seemed like a good inspiration for me. Leprechauns are said to bury pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. A workable inspiration  and a great memory of when my family with Mom, Dad, all my siblings and the grandkids would spend a weekend at Joy Lake camping each summer. There was a year when we had a rain shower and a wonderful rainbow. The kids ran through the campground looking for the end of the rainbow and the pot of gold. Great memory! So, I made a rainbow. And put gold at the ends.

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.

20" x 40"

Royal Irish Chain

 Created for Project Quilting 15.6 Irish Chain challenge.

 

For this challenge I did a pretty standard Irish Chain. Because I am incapable of finishing a project that isn't super scrappy, I made the entire project from 1 1/2" finished squares. I had thought to use blues and greens with gold for the chains. I even went so far as to pull out a collection of fabrics. I was straightening up my studio before starting to cut and came across this basket of scraps in pinks and purples already cut into 2" strips and left over from a project I finished last week. 

I decided it was a sign that I should change my color scheme and save myself some time. In the end I had almost the exact strips I needed. Good planning!

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI.

14" x 40" 

Wear No More

 Created for Project Quilting 15.5 Wearables challenge. 

I was on a road trip with my husband, Frank, on Sunday when I read this latest challenge. "RULE ONE: your project must be wearable, or have been made from previously worn items, or have another connection to clothes, shoes and fashion accessories." 

A very different challenge. We were to return home Tuesday evening, so I needed to have a good plan. I made lots of wearables in my past after learning to sew in 4H. I earned myself 3 days at the Wisconsin State Fair when I was in High School, so I did have some skills and made most of my own clothes for many years. 

I learned to quilt about 35 years ago and it's been my passion ever since. So, I had no desire to make something wearable. But, because I can see everything as part of a future quilt, I do have a collection of things that were once worn. 

Maybe denim for a background and some 3D flowers on top. 3D flowers seem to be a theme of mine. They've been made of many materials in the past and I knew I could come up with something.

I returned home and immediately started by cutting pieces from worn out jeans using a pinking blade on my rotary cutter. I simply layered them on a foundation square and top stitched them down. I probably made this more complicated than it needed to be, but, hey, it was fun.

I found a bag of previously made flowers in my magic dresser of future embellishments. I rejected all those that were not made from wearables and ended up with this collection.

You might say these were not started and finished this week. That is true. However, I consider them embellishments that I made instead of purchased. I decided on a wreath shape, and used hot glue to attach them. Sounds like cheating, but I am the artist and it works for me.

Here are some closeups where you can see the variety. There are t-shirts that had been hand dyed. Mesh bags that Matilda Jane clothes came in. (The bags were never worn, but the clothes certainly was and still is.) Those big beads that came from the ponytail holders my daughter used to wear in high school. Various other clothes that may have been worn by members of my family or hoarded by me after someone abandoned them at a garage sale because I thought the fabric was interesting. Buttons. An old chenille robe that I dyed. 

I wanted to add some leaves, so went looking for materials. I found a couple of things in a stack of cut off pieces from t-shirt quilts I had made. These are cotton and make great rags. I was thankful to find something green. A bridesmaid's dress and lining and the white net underskirt. And one of those Matilda Jane mesh bags. I layered them in different combinations to give me a little variation in color and stitched leaves. Then cut thin strips to form some twining vines.

Okay, one more thing. This is pretty heavy. Layers of denim and lots of flowers. So, I decided to forgo quilting. Instead I took a piece of cardboard and topstitched the front and back together around it. And I did stitch through all of it including the cardboard in a few places near the flowers to, hopefully, keep it from sagging in the future. Then I hung it on the wall by using straight pins through it all in each corner.

Once again, something it would never have occurred to me to make without this great challenge.

Made by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI

24" x 24"

Disappearing Hourglass

 Created for Project Quilting 15.4 Hourglass challenge.

Sometimes I see these challenges and need to let them incubate a bit before and an idea forms in my brain. This one I just greeted with a smile. I have been contemplating disappearing blocks for a project in my near future. For the Project Quilting 14.3 I made a 54 40 or fight block disappear. Fun! I was looking at pinwheel or hourglass blocks as future as possibilities. So, thank you, Trish, for making the challenge match the idea in my head. 

I started by string piecing half square triangles, then assembling them into hour glass blocks. Why string piecing? Because my basic philosophy is “Why would you use 5 fabrics when 50 will do?” Please note, tis is the hourglass in my project. It's harder to see it later because I made it disappear.

My unfinished blocks measured 9 1/2”. I lined up the 1 1/2” line on my ruler with the center seam and cut, then cut again 3” from the first cut. This left 1/4” inch waste at the edge and I discarded it. I rotated the block and made the same cuts on all 4 sides.

Next up, I needed to decide how to “disappear” the blocks. I tried 2 different layouts. The first was by rotating the middle piece on each side so the pointing out parts pointed in. 

For the second choice I rotated the corners and the center. I think both are interesting, but I went with option 2.

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI.

15” x 30”

New Life on the Outside

 Created for Project Quilting 15.3 Inside Out challenge.

When I saw this challenge my first thought was a simple rag quilt. After all, I had a stack of flannel squares already cut and I'm trying to use up all that random stuff.  And it fit the challenge. I even started it, but after a couple of hours I was bored. I reminded myself that Project Quilting was created to inspire all of us to do something special we wouldn't have done. So I dumped the rag quilt and decided to honor the challenge.

I have lots of things INSIDE baskets and boxes and drawers that I thought I might take OUT someday to be part of a quilt that would make me happy. Things that were too cool to just throw out, because, hey, I've made some pretty special quilts in the past using things any normal person would have thrown away long ago.

I decided to start with this one. It's an old picnic basket with selvages and shreds, which are strips of  fabric too skinny to be sewn in with a seam. Basically, anything less than 1 inch wide. I thought I could make a background. I cut squares to use as foundations, then took selvages and shreds that were "white" from INSIDE the basket and brought them OUT to live forever in my quilt. I made a decision to not iron or clip the loose threads from anything that came out of the basket. After all, I was looking for a very casual, raggedy look.  I laid them on one at a time and used one line of stitching down the middle of each, then sewed the squares together rail fence style.

I chose more pieces form the same basket, but decided I needed a little more pizzazz, so I went to my dresser full of treasures.

 

Yes, It's a dresser. But only the top 2 drawers are full of cool things. Fibers and ribbons and miscellaneous trims. Anything I thought was interesting enough to possibly use in the future.

That shiny red thing on the right is the foil bag from the Smithfield ham we ate last week. Don't judge. It might be something really cool in a future PQ quilt. I took miscellaneous stuff from INSIDE here and brought them OUT along with more selvages and shreds and created the vine running down my quilt, then wound pieces around my fingers and stitched them down to create the flowers. It's starting to make me happy! Now for some leaves.

  

I chose a collection of greens from INSIDE both the basket and the dresser and brought them OUT, then cut them into shorter pieces and sprinkled them on a piece of a damaged vintage tablecloth that I had previously dyed green. I laid a piece of solvy (water soluble stabilizer) on the top and used lots of free motion stitching to hold the pieces in place, wet it down to dissolve to solvy, and cut out leaves.

After stitching the leaves to the quilt, I figured I was getting close. Maybe some viny things. Pieces of fibers and ribbons curved around and scouched down. Almost there. 

I found another box with lots of flowers and yoyos and whatever that I had previously made. I usually have an idea and just start making parts. I preview them on the quilt and decide what stays and what does not. Often pieces are left over. 

I found a few little flowers INSIDE this box that wanted to come OUT and be added as the final touches on my quilt. Kind of like little flower buds .For some reason this closeup is upside down and for some reason I can't turn it right side up and it's my bedtime. :)

So, in the end, I have a quilt that makes me happy. I used some of the things that have been languishing INSIDE my sewing studio and brought them OUT where they can be enjoyed. 

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, WI

16" x 32"

Sky Colors

 Created for Project Quilting 15.2 Sky Color challenge.

I started with a quick pull of fabrics I thought fit the Sky Color theme.

I simply cut a 5 inch square from each, then stacked them in 3 separate piles. One pile was cut at 1.5 inches, one at 2 inches and the last at 2.5 inches. I worked with one pile at a time putting the top piece from one stack on the bottom and sewing them all back together. 

After all were done, I mixed them all together and made them into 3 new piles. Each pile was cut  perpendicular to the first cut, again using 1.5, 2 and 2.5 cuts. then sewed them back together working on one pile at a time and moving one piece from the top of one stack to the bottom.

Created by Diane Lapacek in rural Poynette, Wi.

11" x 33"

For the Love of Birds

 Created for Project Quilting 15.1 Bird House challenge.

For this challenge, I decided to create some little birdhouses hanging from a branch. I started by making a background, then layered and quilted it.

I sketched a branch on a piece of brown fabric, then added texture by taking assorted fibers and twisting them together and stitching them down. I cut out the branch and stitched it to the background.

I added small birdhouses cut from orphan scraps to give them a quilted look. All the birdhouse holes are hearts because I heard birds really like hearts.

Created by Diane Lapacek, rural Poynette Wisconsin, where the wind is blowing and drifting my LONG driveway in...again.

20" x 30"`

Disappearing Broken Dishes

Created for Project Quilting 14.6 – Conquer a Fear challenge. 

Trish, our PQ challenge mistress, says your project for this final challenge of season 14 must involve conquering something that scares you.

HMMMMM...... I'm no longer a young lady. As a matter of fact, I turned 71 in January. And my life is in a good place. I've got great kids who found wonderful life partners. And I have 6 grandchildren who are all PERFECT and the greatest joy of my life. 

I've been quilting a long time and haven't met a technique I haven't tried. Curved piecing, set in circles, hand stitched hexies. All comfortably in my wheel house. So I went looking for a block for inspiration. Broken Dishes. Maybe. After all, I've been famous for dropping things for a long time. Not sure how to conquer that fear, but here goes. 

So I made 3 oversized broken dish blocks. Since only 2 fabrics bores me to tears, I string pieced everything using a color scheme of blue green and white. 

Pretty boring. But when I was looking for inspiration I came across a tutorial by Pat Speth for a disappearing broken dishes block. Yes, I could conquer my fear by making it disappear!

I rearranged the pieces and put the blocks back together and made them into the final table runner. So much better. 

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI

13" x 40"