Start with Extra, End with Extra?

My daughter's preschool is having a fundraising auction today.  Don't ask me why, but I felt compelled to make them a quilt.  Everyone loves a quilt right? 

Having limited time to do the job though, I decided to start with some star blocks that have been sitting around my house literally for about 6 years.  That's when I took a block of the month class using Thangles and went a little crazy creating star blocks.  I love stars!!  Then I found a pattern I had purchased from Southwind Designs that I hadn't tried yet and the center of the quilt was born!!

The Southwind Design dragonfly.  It's easier than it looks and I love the results. 

Deciding on what to do for the border literally took me 3 days, but when it was done I did a quick meandering quilt stitch with stars thrown in for good and measure and ta-da!!  A quilt is born. 

The irony is that in figuring out the border, I now have several dragonfly blocks left over that I didn't use!  Apparently there's another quilt in my future . . . 

I can't wait to see what it auctions for!

It Takes Time

I love hand quilting.  But it certainly takes time!  I saw this quilt in a shop maybe six years ago?  And fell in love.  But it was a finished quilt.  An AMISH finished quilt.  In other words, more than I could possibly afford.  So I tried to recreate it.

I've been working on these diamonds for so long that once I finished the central medallion, I kind've gave up.  In other words, no borders -- just as is.  So it's small, but it's GORGEOUS!  And it's all hand pieced and hand quilted.  

 I'm kind've proud of that.  Even if it did take me six years!

 My next hand project will be one inch hexagons!  Six more years . . . here we come!

Geese Over Vancouver

My brother and sister-in-law are having a baby boy in May in Vancouver, Canada.  I've wanted to try flying geese for a while but didn't want a whole quilt full of them and so the back of this quit was born.

The wind obligingly kept the quilt pressed against the fence for it's first photo op and you can see the lines of quilting -- almost an argyle pattern.

I'm pleased with the results and I hope that they like it as well.  Of course I won't know for at least another two months.  The quilt flies with my mom to Michigan and then will go with her to see the baby -- postage to Canada is expensive!!

 The girls will miss it -- they think that every quilt should stay here.  I guess I can't complain about that! 

Decisions, Decisions

One of my favorite things about a weekend is that my husband is home to help wrangle kids and I can get some more sewing time in.

The squares have been ironed, trimmed, and arranged on my "design wall" since Sunday.  I keep walking in to make sure I still like it -- it seems very nautical and I'm worried that it's too much for my sister-in-law.  I like it.  Will she?

And no, the hearts are not part of it -- design wall on a budget: flannel backed plastic tablecloth from Valentine's Day decor.  Perfect!!

I also now have a deadline!  My mom will be visiting at the end of the month and then going to Canada when the new baby arrives.  I need this to be finished so it can ride along for free!  Wish me luck!

Quilting Process: Part 1

I love reading others' blogs for inspiration, fabric, color, etc.  But I am amazing at what some people can produce in such a short time.  As much as I love to create, there are a few things that stand in the way:

Budget (oh how I wish I had more!)

Munchkins (3 to be precise)

Reading (I'm currently entangled in Stephanie Meyer's The Host, which is interesting given that I DO NOT like Twilight.)

The House (I loathe cleaning bathrooms -- but it must be done!)

Friends

Church

Maybe that's it.

Anyway.  My sister-in-law is having a baby boy in May and I'm making her a quilt.  I love making baby quilts primarily because I can see the results faster.  But I thought it might (might) be interesting to document just how long this process will take.  So here's a wrap up of the beginning.

January -- I purchased some awesome Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander for the quilt because it spoke my name.  And my sister-in-law's.  And then I promptly went into quilter's block on what to do with it.

February -- my HUSBAND (who is amazing) finds a quilt online he likes and I think my sister-in-law would like it too.  But it does entail more fabric (oh darn).  So maybe I'll use Architextures on the back?

I finish cutting 162 triangles and last night finished sewing them all into squares.

So here's where I stand currently -- a fantastic banner of colorful squares waiting to be pressed open and trimmed (which I debated just hanging in the darling boy's room for a while).

In other words I need to find time and a great movie!

 

Begin With Inspiration

The dust has settled.  The Muncher and the Artist are now sharing a room and the Darling boy is also moved so that leaves me a spare bedroom once again.  In moving (yet again) my fabricandpinsandneedlesandbooksandquiltingparaphanelia out of MY bedroom, I rediscovered these books that I love:

I read them to my girls for the first time (the stories are long) and marveled again at how absolutely beautiful they are (the books -- not the girls.  Ok the girls too but that's another post!).  I love the values taught through the stories -- charity, kindness, selflessness, and what is really important in life.  And the illustrations!!!!  

Needless to say, as soon as I finished I wanted to go and quilt.  Lucky for me I have several projects that need working on.  But the reality was that lunch dishes were still on the table, breakfast dishes were still in the sink, diapers needed to be changed, and naps needed to be taken.

But they are perfect for banishing quilter's block.

Inspiring.