The Baby Boom is Over

For the foreseeable future, there are no baby quilts.

I love making baby quilts!!  They finish up fast and loved by the parents and hopefully the children someday.  I always hope for them to be well-loved and used and passed on perhaps to future children or grand-children.

But for now, none of my relatives or close friends are pregnant.  I guess this gives me some time for a new project though.

Most recently I used a pattern from Cloud 9 fabrics to create this beautiful throw-size baby quilt for our new niece Remi.  Mom picked the colors and I adore how it turned out.

The back is just the scraps and a tumbler template with a slight sashing in the middle and a pretty bold space.  I ran out of scraps.  In thinking about what to do with that space, what came to mind were the drawings of another sister-in-law -- 2 of which are hanging in my daughters' bedroom.  With her permission, I used a lightbox to trace them onto the white fabric and then raw-edge appliqued leaves onto the branches with smaller scraps.

The entire quilt was then free-motion quilted in my usual meandering stitch and bounded in a gray and yellow floral.

Then it was a very small, think carseat size, "quilt" for a friend's baby boy.  I bought an adorable farm print at a quilt show and straight-line quilted it to a flannel backing with no batting. 

I do NOT do needle arts.  A friend of mine crocheted the raw edges using a fun, fuzzy yarn.  My pictures are terrible but the quilt is adorable! 

Last but not least is a quilt I like to call "Tail End".  I made it for the 5th, and most likely last, child of a very good friend and I think that the staggered chevron/arrows look like little bird tails flying by.  It's all half-square triangles using a method that starts with 10" squares that the Missouri Star Quilt Co. has a video tutorial for.  It came together pretty quickly but I didn't think that my squares were any better than the traditional method, just easier to put together. 

The back is a Cloud 9 fabric by Eloise Renouf called Nimbus in Navy. 

The red square on the grass?  That would be the results of my son breaking my camera.  It's working but not well and definitely needs to be replaced!!!

Now with all my self "required" quilts done, I can work on a few for me!!  One that I've been wanting to try is the appliqued US map quilt.  And with the 4th of July right around the corner, I've been thinking of doing it in red, white, and blue.  So today I printed a blank map and began identifying the colors.  Each state would be a different fabric of course so it wouldn't necessarily be the same but I'm not sure that I love limiting the states to just red and blue (on a white background).  Too political?  Too stripey?  Not sure!!  But I do think it's going to take a little more planning before I start into the actual cutting and quilting.

First Craft Show!!!

Around the beginning of November, a friend of mine decided to host a craft show.  She was able to do it in a local school on a Monday night and had maybe 30 vendors participate.  And I got to be one of them!  The turnout wasn't great in all honesty but it was the perfect first craft show: no fee for the table, 2 hours in the evening, etc.

So this was my table:

I don't love it but it was a cafeteria table so I worked with what I had!  I sold Hot-Bottoms, book cover pencil pouches, tote pockets, bows, and nest and pea necklaces.  I really should take better pictures -- more pictures!!!

But this is a Hot-Bottom

It's about the size of a cookie sheet and it's quilted with 2 layers inside -- one of regular batting and one of Insul-Bright batting which is specially designed for oven mitts, potholders, etc.  It reflects the heat (or cold) back towards the object and away from your table top or counter.  Functional and beautiful if I do say so myself!!  

In fact, I have three of them that I use at home on a regular basis.  If you ever have to put a hot pot or cookie sheet on your counter (instead of the stove) or want to put it on the table -- this is the product for you!

Nice sales pitch huh? 

Anyway it wasn't a resounding success but I totally have the craft show bug and am going to hopefully do one or two in the spring and summer and then gear up for the holiday season again because I had a great time.  I also learned a lot and need to put those lessons into play.  

Meanwhile, if you want to purchase a Hot-Bottom and you missed the show (or don't live here) check out my Etsy shop!!  This is also a learning process but I've had one sale (ok to a friend, but still good!) and I'm going to add things to the shop in the future hopefully.  And maybe blog more about quilting and sewing stuff in the meantime!

Motherhood and Art

Let's start again shall we?

Because I would consider quilting to be my art, and because I am a mother, I'm finding that I spend more time cleaning counters and managing children than I do finding fabric and sewing projects.  

And that's ok.

Because I love being a mother.

However, there are days.  Yesterday was one of them.  My toddler took a nap and my girls were each banished to separate rooms for 2 hours because they fought all. morning. long.  Literally.  And I used my own anger and frustration to clean a house that isn't clean anymore.

But today I found it!  The pattern I want to use to transform a duvet cover that I love into a quilt that I will adore.  So I'm eager to get to a sewing machine, of course instead I'm typing.  

But I wanted to quickly post the projects that I HAVE accomplished over the past year because it hasn't all been in vain!

A chocolate and pink quilt with matching table runner for a friend. 

 A pair of large twin-sized quilts for another friend's twin boys.  Yes these are denim and the backing is flannel.  They were a bear to do, but they turned out fantastically! 

A miniature folded fabric quilt for a dollhouse. 

Some table runners for Christmas. 

A baby quilt for our sweet baby boy.

And another for a sweet baby girl.

Normally the motherhood part pops in when the kids help me take pictures.  This time, they refused so I held the quilt and my oldest took the pictures.

I'd like to pay more attention to construction and inspiration but honestly I don't know if that will happen.  In the meantime, I'm finally caught up!

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!