Jack's Quilt

Does this look familiar? It's the leftovers of this quilt. Of course, there are still more leftovers. I do love all these colors together. This one was for my son's first-grade teacher who was also my second daughter's first grade teacher. Her husband was my oldest daughter's 7th grade history teacher and my oldest son's football coach. So, you see, we have connections. It's their first baby, and they needed something special. I don't always give quilts to my kids' teachers.

A lot of Riley Blake's Wheels in there, plus some It's a Hoot by Momo, some Riley Blake Rainy Days and Mondays, Love Birds, plus some orange that I dyed myself. The back is a Michael Miller robot print.

Loopy meander -- my go-to pattern.

Bound in brown Quilter's Only.

Already in its new home.

MY Easy as Pie

I have been out for quite a while. Two weeks of my MIA status can be accounted for by the flu, during which no sewing and very little standing or sitting took place. After that it has been catch-up as well as making samples for some classes I will be teaching here. They aren't scheduled yet, and we just have beginner classes added for now. But keep checking back, because I'm ramping up.

Anyway, so I finished my Easy as Pie quilt from Amanda Jean's tutorial. I never put it on my list, and I was hoping to finish MUCH sooner than I did. Again, I'm going to blame it on the flu. But it is done now and getting ready to be wrapped and given to its intended owner.

All from my stash -- including backing and binding. The backing wasn't quite enough, so I added a single row of coins to widen it -- just leftovers from what I cut for the front.

The girl's favorite colors are blue and purple, so I'm hoping she loves it. I quilted a loopy meander in grey.

Simplicity

I was looking back to see if I could link an earlier post about this quilt. I had to go back to 2008. Yup, she's an oldie. Back in September of last year I blogged about my husband going on a Scout campout and getting five quilts basted. This was one of them. Then I quilted all five of them over the next couple of months.

This is the only one that has been bound, and it's only because my friend, Andie, took it home with her in November and bound it for me.

It is so crinkly because I did a very close, small stipple. I think it looks vintage with the soft colors and all the scrunchiness.

Star within a star.

Log cabin in a star.

Strings within a star.

Andie, pretty please, come and bind my other four so that I can snuggle them too! :)

Marcus' Quilt

Elizabeth's pattern again. I made this in a different colorway before. Love it! It makes a fast baby quilt that is so striking. This time I didn't chop any of the squares in half though. It went so fast. My 7-year-old son was helping me. It's for his friend's new baby brother.

Riley Blake's Wheels fabric line and some aqua solid. I think it's Kona, but I'm not sure of the exact name. I used the same quilting as in the last one -- straight-stitch zig-zag. I love the wavy look it gives.

Leftover love

This quilt is for a dear friend (baby shower was Tuesday), and it is just made from all the leftovers from this quilt. Of course, the original isn't finished yet. And I had to take pics of this pre-wash and drying because I was running late. So late, in fact, that my dear husband had to deliver it to the baby shower after it was (mostly) dry. =/

It's kind of hard to see, but I did swirls in the whirligig that are all connected to each other -- swirl in, swirl out, go to the next one to swirl in, swirl out. I stippled the outer white border with a small stipple. It looked so fantastic once it was washed and dried -- so crinkly.

It was a Spring Magic by April Cornell jelly roll. After I made the coin quilt, there was just enough left over to make these little whirligigs. The finished block is 4 inches. Jelly rolls are great for that. Now, I think I've mentioned before how I manage to mess these whirligigs up. I made a previous one and cut some of the pieces upside down, going the wrong way, so I had to make more going in the correct direction (and the incorrect direction). I ended up putting the opposite ones around the border separated by white. That one is finally to quilt-top stage but not finished. Maybe you'll get to see it soon, but it's not in my QAL list, so maybe NOT. You can see in the above pic as well as the below pic how the whirligigs are going the opposite direction. In this one, since I didn't have any more of these fabrics -- these were the scraps -- I just decided that I would just put all the different ones in one row.

So you can see how the white space surrounding the opposite whirligigs does not create a whirligig shape. Whatever. That was my solution. I didn't point it out, and if the mama wants to give it back, so be it. = ) Because I love it. Some melon-colored Quilter's Only on the back, bound in a green print from Lila Tueller's Santorini. Because I didn't have any more Spring Magic. This was seriously all that was left. Kind of a nice feeling, actually. I used the whole jelly roll!

Guitar SupaStar!

So, the baby this is going to is already like three months old. Sometimes I'm ahead of my game, and sometimes (mostly) I'm WAAAAYYYY behind. Here I think I would call it moderately behind. This is why I'm so thankful to Jacquie and her Spring to Finish challenge. This is number 10 of 11. I finished it before the deadline, but I didn't get it posted before then. (Same thing with the previous two quilts.) Number 11 didn't make it, but I am just amazed that I finished 10. I'm going to have to challenge myself in June to finish some more -- maybe all my quilt-alongs. =/

I LOVE these Maverick stars. I did some for Amanda Jean's Quilts of Valor project last year, and then I just had to do some more. I saw some of Ashley's Maverick star quilts, and I knew I wanted to make a quilt similar to hers (and this one too).

I quilted a swirl in the centers of each block, and then I bisected each star point and followed it to the edge of the quilt. It made a lot of crisscrosses -- scrunchier in some places than in others.

It was this piece of flannel that inspired the color scheme. Little guitars -- probably came from Jill. She sent me a bunch of flannel at one point. Here's the lesson for the day -- use the exact same fabric when piecing each block on a quilt where you want the stars to look like they're floating. White is not always white. Now, normally I like the variation I get when I use different whites, but in this particular quilt, I was looking for a uniformity in the background that I didn't get. The difference was not extremely noticeable until I got it out of the washing machine, so at first I wondered if some of the green bled into it. That may still be the case. It just looks kind of yellow. I'm not going to take it apart, mind you. It's just an imperfection that is going to bug me whenever I see it (which, admittedly, will not be that often, since I'm giving it away.)

So that's a lesson for next time -- because I'm having my Common Threads group make me Maverick stars in citrus colors (mostly based off of Riley Blake's Summer Song). Use the same white.

Black Raspberries and Cream

This is another of Elizabeth Hartman's designs. It is the Mod Sampler Quilt-along. I finished my first one last year, and then my quilting group wanted to do it as well. So I quilted along with them and did another version. I need to post theirs as well. Everyone's turned out so different. That's what's so fun about this pattern. Well, I suppose that's really true of most patterns. Same pattern, different fabrics = completely different feel to the quilt.

Her pattern calls for a 5x6 layout of blocks -- making six of each block and saving six to go on the back. I decided once again that I wanted it slightly bigger, so I did eight of each block, thus creating a 6x8 layout. Finished quilt is 62x82-ish. All from scraps laying around my house, but I did try to make each set of six out of the same two fabrics -- some had to be substituted a little.

I had no blocks leftover for the back, but I did have this crazy piece of black and white that is pretty much perfect for this quilt -- and that I really didn't know where else I was going to use it. That pink was yardage I got from my LQS when they had a finish-the-bolt sale last year. It's Santorini by Lila Tueller. Very soft. I must confess that I don't like this one as much as my first one. I think it's just all the colors on the other one. I do like each individual fabric on this quilt though -- very fun and interesting. There are lots of vintage black and white prints (read: very, very old and unidentifiable). It's for my SIL -- well, soon to be SIL. The wedding is on Saturday and it's a wedding gift. I started the quilt not necessarily FOR her, but when it turned up that these are actually her wedding colors, I decided it had to go to her. I have plans for another quilt for my brother. I didn't finish it in time for Jacquie's challenge, but I still have to finish it before I leave the state on Friday.

Giraffe Quilt

Some quilts I have no problem naming, and others are more difficult for me. And don't even ask me about labeling. I'm terrible at labeling them. =/

I pieced this quilt a good eight years ago. My SIL had gotten some of the giraffe fabric with pink, and I liked it in the green colorway. I let it sit so long before quilting it that I had a hard time matching the back to the front. And of course, I used every ever-loving piece of it to make the front, although, if there were any scraplets left, I wouldn't be able to find them anyway due to their advanced age. Anyway, so I quilted it last year, but I had the same problem with binding that I had with the backing -- the greens were not quite the right match -- all the ones I could track down. Admittedly, it wasn't a hard-fought search to find the perfect binding, but at the same time, even in my lackadaisical quest, I was unwilling to settle for a weird color for the binding. So I finally decided on brown -- I'm pretty sure it's Quilter's Only from Joann's -- that chocolatey brown color. And I think it's growing on me.

Diagonal crosshatch (which has ever been my go-to mode of quilting should ideas fail me). It doesn't make for as scrunchy of a quilt after washing, but at this point I'm going with, "Hey, it's done, and it's another boy quilt to add to my stack." And I really do still like the colors.

Calen's Quilt

In case any of you don't know it yet, I love Elizabeth Hartman's designs. She produces such clean lines. This is another of hers, the Charm Squares Baby Quilt. However, true to form, I modified it slightly. She uses charm squares in her version. I just had some half yards, so I cut my squares 5 1/2 inches instead of using charm squares. So hence, I also cut the rectangles 3 x 5 1/2 inches. For the sashing strips between the rows of blocks I cut four strips that were 3 inches by about 38. The upper and lower borders were cut 5 1/2 inches wide by about 38. Well, I cut them WOF, and then trimmed them. My washed and crinkly quilt measures approximately 37 1/4 x 44 1/4.

Back

I used the straight/zigzagged stitch on my regular machine. I guess I don't know what it's called, but it's the one where it stitches three straight stitches up, then three stitches down to form a zigzag. I just liked the wavy look it gave to the quilt.

Fun striped binding.

Michael Miller fabrics except for the gray, which is Kona Coal. It's for my baby nephew who was born at least a month ago. Counts for my Spring to Finish Challenge, so I can check it off my list!

Friday Night Sew-In Results

This quilt has been hanging around for a long time. I mean, a LOOOONNNNNGGGG time. I made a bubblegum pink version of this for my niece when she was born. Nearly seven years ago. Ladies, that is how I roll. If you didn't know it before, you know it now. I just had seen a vintage quilt that looked like this, drafted my own pattern. That's why if you look closely, the scallops have issues. So don't look too closely.

Initially I had left that big white border empty of quilting. I just had the crosshatching in the center blocks. Mistake. It just wasn't right. So last night, I added the floral quilting.

This is actually the quilt that I stayed up late on New Year's Eve binding for Jacquie's Joy in the New Year challenge. I finished the binding at like 12:08, so I didn't count it. Then I decided it wasn't complete, so it sat for a month and a half.

My friend had a baby shower for her third girl this morning. She's doing the nursery in purple, so that was perfect. I guess this quilt has been laying around waiting for her. I just didn't know it.

Other things I worked on last night were some stitching on some thank you cards I made for her -- which I neglected to take a picture of -- and then I did a few whirligig blocks for Cathy's whirlygig quilt-along. They weren't worth taking a picture of, because I just did some chain piecing. No actual blocks were finished last night. Maybe next month (hopefully before then).

Thanks to Heidi and Bobbi for hosting this!

Lazy Gal Red FINISH!

Pin-basted. Yep, that sure took up a lot of floor space!

Quilted, not bound.

All finished. Washed and crinkly.

Back. I added the red to the bottom, since I didn't have enough of the black.

Can't go wrong with polka dot binding!

For those of you that are counting, that makes six finishes for Jacquie's Joy in the New Year challenge. I have one other finish that I haven't posted and one small quilt to finish binding that may make it in. Of course, I have TONS more wips to finish, but this is a good start, I'd say. I'll try to post the other two later tonight. Off to bind that quilt! Good luck with your finishes. I'll race ya!

Nine Patch, Round One

Yes, it's just round one. Don't criticize. Round two is still in the works. I haven't given up on it yet. I finished round one; I can finish round two.

Back -- some of my home tie-dyed fabric -- just regular muslin, some RIT dye, and a whole bunch of rubber bands.

Diagonal crosshatching using the squares as my guides. I try not to mark any quilts if I can help it at all, so I just eyeballed this one. Don't look too closely, or you'll see the imperfections.

Low, wide stippling-type quilting around the borders. On its way to its new home.

The Celebrate Spring Baby Quilt Saga

This quilt came from a charm pack of Celebrate Spring by Sandy Gervais. (I just love her stuff!) I had put the center together with the charm pack, and then I was unsure what to do. I hadn't purchased any coordinating fabrics to go with it. So it sat around for a year or so. Could be two. I can't be 100 % sure.

Then I was at my LQS, and I saw some FQs of the green floral and yardage of the red polka thin border (also on the back). Then I got it to quilt top stage, and it sat around again. Then I got all serious and this summer I quilted it. I even made binding and had it mostly finished when I realized that my back was slightly -- like 1/2" too short on one side, and I was seeing batting on the back. I'm sure this never happens to any of you, but I was working with limited resources, so I was trying to eke something out of nothing. Needless to say, I abandoned it again. Jacquie got me motivated to finish it. So here it is, finished and now in transit to its permanent home.

I'm not sure the photos do it justice. I guess I'd better work on that. It is the sweetest little baby quilt.