Twiggy and Opal: letter blocks

I've been going full force designing and making quilt tops the past couple of months, and with that comes a stack of quilting that is waiting to happen. Not too many years ago I never would have considered starting a new quilt until what I was working on was completely finished. Gone are those days!

These days I have more ideas than ever and feel the need to unleash the monster every chance I get. Reality inevitably sets in. I see quilt tops laying all over and realize they aren't going to quilt themselves. Arguably my least favorite part of the process, but one that must be done!

That being said, I can always fit in something small...a mini...or two! Something that won't derail my plans, take up too much time and still feeds my need to design and create!

I'm a big fan of paper piecing and I'm a huge fan of reducing patterns. I also love to make mini quilts and give them as gifts. A little something to put a smile on someones face, say thank you, wish them a happy birthday or let them know someone is thinking of them.

One pattern I like to reduce is 'Geometric Alphabet' designed by Quiet Play I can take one letter and personalize a mini in no time at all.

Once the letter is finished I like to add my own personal touch to an already amazing design.

In this case a border using lots of tiny pieces! With that all that was left was some quick quilting and binding!

I'm not even sure what size this finished at! I was on a mission to make, quilt and send it as quickly as I could, that I forgot to measure it! It needed to hit the mail in order to make it to its destination in time for a very special day!

I thought the itch was scratched after making this one, but that was not the case! I can get easily distracted!

6" x 6"

Guess I was in a geometric mood! Mmmm...K! At least I remembered to measure this one!

If one was to save scraps on the tiny size, these letters are perfect for those golden pieces! I just happen to be one of those kind of people!

The border is always the fun part for me and I kept it pretty simple with this one. But I like it! I used two colors for the binding and before I knew it this one was also finished!

Minis like these go relatively quick, and I have to say I'm often left wanting to 'just one more'! This mini will be gifted over the weekend...more about that later!

I bought myself a present. It's nothing special and actually it's really a boring, not a big deal and practical gift.

A new ironing board cover! Isn't it gorgeous?! I really would rather not use it and keep it in pristine shape, but that would mean I'd have to give up quilting! And spray starch!

My last cover looked like a herd of cows in a rainstorm lived on it! By that I mean...it looked like POOP!

I use starch all the time and it really screws up an ironing board cover! You can't really wash these, trust me I tried on the last one and regretted it, so the only solution was a new one. Only this time it was not going to let end up like the last one.

I grabbed some Home Dec fabric and made a mat to go over the board for starching. Now I can have a beautiful clean cover for normal pressing and have a mat that can easily be thrown in the wash periodically.

You might be wondering why I just don't use a towel for starching, and to that I say...I have no idea! I'm hoping by making a dedicated mat it will ensure that I'll actually use it and my cover can stay pretty and pristine for a longer period of time!

Tell me about your ironing board cover...is it clean & pristine or does it look like a herd of cows walked across it?!

LINKING: