Quilts I’ve made

Posted on February 19, 2026 by betsybeadhead | 2 Comments

First one – finished 9/3/21

#2 finished 9/21/21 55×39 inches

#3 finished 9-27-21 given away 6/8/23 A “jellyroll race” quilt with Halloween fabric

#4 Finished 10/11/21

Fabric for the top came from Jo-Anns and Etsy. Fabric for the back came from SmArt art and craft supplies. I bought the Jo-Ann’s fabric and the Smart fabric before I knew how to quilt, knowing that I wanted to learn. This was made for sitting on the grass.

#5 finished 12/9/21 Blue-brown disappearing 9 patch. Fabrics from a fat quarter bundle from JoAnn’s in Rivergate (before I knew how to quilt) and Make & Mend. Sold 9/10/23

#6 finished 1/11/22 Donated to Caris Hospice 7/23/23 54×40″

#7 Grandfather Mountain view in the fall finished 3/23/22 All fabric bought in Boone, NC

#8 Finished June 7, 2022, given as a baby blanket for my chiropractor. I learned how to do half-square triangles

#9 Finished June 14, 2022 Given as a baby blanket for a clerk at the pharmacy I use.

#10 finished 7/12/22 Disappearing Chattanooga. Disappearing 9 patch made with fabrics bought in Chattanooga TN.

#11 finished 11/9/22 Sold to a neighbor. First log cabin quilt. All fabric from SmArt.

#12 Scrappy X finished 11/10/22 I learned how to do this from a YouTube channel called “My Sewing Room”. Fabric from “My Fabric Addiction” and “Farfalla Originals” on Etsy

#13 Finished 12/16, 2022 6 disappearing 9 patch panels, made from 9 inch squares. Used 14 fat quarters. Given as a gift to my husband. It is flannel.

#14 finished Jan 6, 2023 I didn’t cut or sew the HSTs. They were in a bag from Make and Mend. I assembled them into this pattern, to resemble fish in a pond. 61×37 inches

#15 finished 3/4/23 Kantha, technique by Terry Rowland. Fabric by Smart. Now I know why to sew coming from alternate sides

#16 finished 4/12/23 Fence rail. 49×52 inches. Gifted 2/26/26

#17 finished 6/19/26 Sashiko quilting on shibori

#18 finished 4/27/23 Rainbow postage stamp. Colorful fabric from “Shanzay’s Sewing Co” on Etsy

#19 finished 5/24/23 Halloween nap blanket for my husband

#20 finished 6/20/23 Donated to Caris Hospice 7/27/23

#21 finished June 22, 2023 Fabric from “My fabric addiction” on Etsy

#22 finished 3/25/23 gifted 4/8/23 (forgot to take a photo of it so it got lost in the numbering) The recipient uses it as sound baffling because he is a musician. All Halloween fabrics. First picture is from him, second is the fabric before I sewed it (better light)

#23 finished 6/24/23 given 1/1/24 ‘L7″ quilt, fireflies at twilight. Fabric from JoAnn’s

#24 finished 7/7/23. Donated 7/27/23 All fabric from Smart. Autumn Leaves and Twigs

#25 finished 7/7/23 Patriotic Log Cabin. all fabric from Smart. Donated 10/18/24

#26 finished 7/14/23. Some hand quilting with perle cotton. Fabrics from Smart and Etsy

#27 finished 7/12/23 Autumn log cabin. Fabric from Smart

#28 finished 7/14/23 58 x 43 inches. A meditation on the “new normal” after Covid

#29 finished 12/6/23 Also made the back. Top- JoAnn, back, Smart

#30 finished 12/12/23 Gifted. Batman comic strip. Fabric from Hobby Lobby

#31 finished 12/12/23. Donated 10/17/24 Fabric from Smart. One-quarter log cabin

#32 finished 12/13/23. Donated 10/18/24 (yes, I made the same quilt twice)

#33 finished 12/29/23 63×48 inches. All Egyptian and African fabrics from Smart

the back

#34 finished 1/17/24 48×51

the back

#35 finished July 27, 2024 Mystic panels. Fabric from Smart

close up

#36 finished 7/27/23 fat quarter favorites. Dinosaur fabric from Hobby Lobby. Some from a fabric shop in Chattanooga

#37 finished 9/11/24 Orange/Pink orphan – created during a week when there was an ice/snow storm (Jan 2024) Learned Courthouse Steps, Wonky Star, Disappearing 4 patch, and practiced different sizes of make 4 at once HSTs for an upcoming project. Listening to “Otherland”

#38 finished 10/16/24 Blade Runner quilt as you go.

#39 finished 10/29/24 Panel from “Ready Set Sew” in Chattanooga, in 2022. Charm pack from “My Fabric Addiction” on Etsy

#40 finished 11/6/24 (after Election day). Scrap bundle from Smart. Given as a baby blanket to a local baker/ coffee shop owner. Good HST practice. Also, first time to bind it like normal quilters do.

#41 finished 11/9/24 Tilda X and O. Colorful fabrics from a fat eighth bundle from Smart. Given to my aunt who was in a nursing home.

#42 finished 11/21/24 Irish Chain

#43 finished 12/28/24 Lime/Liberty Liberty of London quilting fat quarters from “The Last Homely House” youtube channel. Lime Green fabric from JoAnn’s

Quilted using Aurifil thread that came with the Christmas packet

#44 finished 1/1/25 Fish in a pond. Given to my husband. Fabric from SmArt

#45 finished 4/2/25 browns from Smart, pink/blue/green centers from JoAnn’s Log cabin – but a Chocolate Cupcake with Sprinkles. Backing fabrics were a fortuitous find.

#46 finished 4/3/25 Train nap blanket. Fabric from Smart

#47 finished 4/9/25 Given to my chiropractor for his second baby. 4/30/25 Geisha in a tea garden. Fabric from Smart

#48 finished 4/17/25 Dpmated 5/1/25 Scrappy Log Cabin. Fabric from Smart

#49 finished 4/22/25 Dpmated 5/1/25 Panel from Ready Set Sew, rest from Smart

#50. finished 6/16/25 Donated 7/1/25 Fabric from Smart, by way of Stitcher’s Garden

#51 Finished 6/18/25 Donated 7/1/25 Potato Chip blue/yellow. All fabric from Smart

#52 finished 6/29/25 Donated 7/1/25 Fabric from Smart

#53 finished 7/3/25 46×35 inches. “round” roses fabric from Smart 6″ and 12″ blocks

#54 finished 8/17/25 Sushi Roll All top fabric from Smart. Back is from JoAnns, as it was closing

#55 finished 10/16/25 Sold. All Japanese fabric. From Smart

back is Chinese fabric

#56 finished 11/18/25 43 inches square. Donated 2/20/26 Parrot D9patch. All fabric from Smart

#57 finished 12/12/25 Science fiction landscape. All fabric from Smart

The back

#58 Finished 12/18/25 Donated 2/20/26 Terry Rowland’s color wash, Polaroids

#59 finished 12/31/25 Tokyo nights. Marcia Derse fabrics, on Etsy

#60 finished 1/20/26 Tilda/Kaffe

Since September of 2021 I’ve made 60 quilts. Of those, I’ve given away 14 (of that, 4 were for babies), sold 3, and donated 13 to Hospice.

How to self-bind a quilt

Posted on June 3, 2024 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

How to self bind a quilt

This is the easiest way I know to bind a quilt.

No faffing about with bias tape or wondering what color to use as a frame for the quilt top. All you see is the quilt.

This is what it looks like completed.

Lay out your quilt sandwich like this –

quilt top right side down

backing, right side up

batting

You can also do this in reverse, with the batting on top if you like. Just make certain that the quilt top and back are right sides together.

I use canned vegetables to hold the layers as I lay out the pieces.

Pin thoroughly. I use curved quilting pins.

Sew all around the edges, leaving a gap at the bottom for turning. I usually make it about 18 inches long. Backstitch the beginning and end of where you leave the turning gap. I find using a walking foot at this point is very helpful.

Here is a photo of the turning gap. Note how the layers are arranged. I often use muslin for the backing so I don’t have to think about what to use. Plus, there is no “right” or “wrong” side to it.

Lay the quilt on the floor and trim around the edges of the quilt about ½ inch. Be certain to trim the corners at an angle.

Remove the quilting pins.

Turn the quilt inside out, and use your finger or a tool (like a knitting needle) to turn the corners all the way out. You can finger-press the seams to make them flatter.

Lay the quilt back down on the floor and repin it with quilting pins.

Fold in the turning gap. Use clips to hold the turning gap closed. Sew it closed.

Quilt however you like.

I suggest you first try this out with some scrap pieces to learn how to do this.

L7 quilt instructions

Posted on July 13, 2023 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

I’m learning how to do the L7 quilt block. It is like Fence Rail (also known as Rail Fence) but there are only 2 strips, not 3 or more.

Making quilts doesn’t have to be hard. I’m trying to show you easy fun things that still count.

There are precut collections of fabric that make life easier for beginning quilters. One example is sometimes known as “jelly roll” or “roly-poly”. Different companies use different names. They are 2.5 inch by the width of the fabric (WOF). This is usually around 44 to 45 inches.

You need 32 strips to make this blanket – half blue, half yellow. Or use whatever combination of colors you like. Having a dark/light combination looks nice.

Here’s the basic idea –

Sew 2 jelly roll strips (2.5 x 40 inch) together. Press. Cut into 4.5 inch blocks. (Each strip set makes 9) Assemble into 4-patches that make the shapes of an L and a 7. Sew together. Repeat. You can get different effects with different colors, or go all scrappy.

Here’s a little more detail –

I’m all about short-cuts, but there are some things you shouldn’t skimp on. Ironing is one of them, and so is cutting off the selvedges.

Take 2 strips and sew them together. Choose one dark and one light.

Press open.

Yeah, I hate ironing too. Just do it. It will look better if you press your fabric after every seam. And your blocks will fit together better. Put on a good audiobook and get going on your ironing and soon it will be done.

Your life will be easier if you use a rotary cutter. The brand doesn’t matter – get one that fits your hand and is comfortable to use. Make sure you can replace the blades on it too. You’ll also need a quilting ruler and a rotary mat so you don’t damage your floor or table.

Trim off the selvedge ends. They don’t have the same texture as the rest of the fabric, so it will make it look better if you do this.

When sewn together, the two strips end up to be 4.5 inches high. To make a square, cut the strip sets (the two sewn together) into 4.5 inch units. You will get 9 squares out of each strip set.

You can save a step by not moving the fabric for the second cut, and use the 1/2 inch already cut on the right as your edge.

Assemble into 4 patches, making them look like an L for the top two and a 7 for the bottom two.

I had a variety of blues and yellows, so I had to make a decision on the layout. These are the 4 patches laid out in an ombre pattern.

Here is the final quilt. I call it “Fireflies at twilight”. It is 46 inches square.

You can use the same concept to make quilts without using precuts. I cut the center strips (the wood) into 2 inch wide, while the larger colorful pieces are 4 inches wide to make this Autumn leaves and twigs L7

It is about 40 inches square. All made from fabric from @smartartandcraftsupplies (including the backing). Finished on 6/30/23

Here is what the basic block looks like –