I'm sharing with you a little doll quilt that I completed this year, using all fabrics from my scrap bucket. I had made a large lap sized Merry Go Round Quilt last fall and I wanted to challenge myself to a mini version. It was really a lot of fun to put together. I just loved matching up all of the fabrics! I was able to practice a new-to-me quilting technique because it was such a small size. Hope you enjoy and have a jaw-droppingly good time looking at all the gorgeous quilts!
My youngest went off to Kindergarten this year. I'm caught somewhere between *sniff* and Yay! Well, anyway, each child needed a nap mat. The teacher sent home a note saying that they could simply bring a towel for a mat, but there was no way the son of a quilter was taking a towel for a mat :) I saw this great I Spy pattern written up by Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Fabrics for Craft Hope. I knew that I wanted to make one, but I made a few changes (as usual!) Check out the great FREE pattern!
Quilted in an allover stipple using variegated thread. I "enveloped this quilt and backed it with Minkee. I'm not thrilled with the result. As you can see the edges are pretty wavy. But little guy likes it and that's really what it's all about. I have a feeling it won't help him nap, though, in a room full of kids :)
Here is the little quilt I did for my partner on the www.sewingmamas.com doll quilt swap. I saw a mini Trip Around the World in an old (at least 20 years!) quilt magazine and sketched out a version in my handy dandy graph paper notebook, adding it to my to-do someday list. Just a few weeks ago, I saw that the super talented Red Pepper Quilts had done one of these in stunning primary colors. LOVE! Well, that quickly moved this project up from the TO-DO to the MUST-DO :) I was pretty sure that I didn't want to just cut and piece all those little pieces so I used a very thin fusible web and ironed on all the squares (cut 1 1/2" each), then sewed the vertical seams first and then horizontal. I used some of my favorite bright summery fabrics all framing that one little Heather Ross mushroom.
I quilted this little one in an all over diagonal pattern and bound with a solid red.
The quilt is in the hands of my partner now and I think I might need one for my wall, too :)
Happy Memorial Day! And a huge thanks to all those who have faithfully served our country in the armed forces. Most of you are volunteers, some of you were drafted, but you all gave of your time and energy to make our country a GREAT place to live!
I was really going to sleep in this morning, but my puppy and my bladder had different ideas! Anyway, it's so nice to be up before the crew and enjoy a few peaceful moments before I need to be making my potato salad and apple pie :)
Above is my most recent finished project. I have a spot at the end of my hallway that has displayed seasonal quilts. The problem is, I only have a fall and winter one that fits. The empty space was bothering me so I picked up this Shnibbles pattern (LIttle Bit O' Country, I believe) and found some leftover Recess charm squares and went to work! It was a quick, fun project to do and I couldn't be happier with the brightness it adds to the hall!
So, I recently decided that I was going to make a picnic quilt for my cousin and his bride-to-be. He has two young boys involved in sports and I figured they would be spending a bunch of time sitting outside watching ball games :) I was checking out her gift registry and saw that her basic house colors were grey, brown, and green. I don't know the bride very well, so I wanted to go with the colors I knew she liked. I'm just planning to do large simple squares. Anyway, I saw that Elizabeth from Oh, Fransson had put together a FQ pack for SewMamaSew and it was just perfect! I went to order it and the site said Sold Out :( I thought I would just look for something similar and I saw the pack again in another section of the store and this time I was able to order it.. Hmmmm...not sure what happened, but I'm tickled! Not only was I able to order it, but the package was here on my door step in 3 days! Way to go, SMS!
This quilt was my inspiration. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. A huge thumbs up to this quilting bee and especially to ritapizza for her fantastic finish!
I also happened to have a few layer cakes of Tula Pink's Neptune line hanging around just waiting to be used and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I'm sending each participant 7 layer cake pieces along with a 2 1/4" strip WOF.
I spent some time on Flickr looking for quilt blocks reminiscent of the sea and found quite a few. Snail's Trail looks a lot like waves to me. Marinier's Compass, Storm at Sea, Geese in the Pond. I could go on and on.
Just look at this gorgeous Storm at Sea by quiltedoma...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27027073@N04/4103894530/
In a nutshell, my "guidelines" are:
1. Be inspired by the sea.
2. Use the Neptune fabric only (if you must add one fabric to make your vision complete, use a solid-ish white)
3. 12 1/2" Pieced blocks- no applique this time
4. One or two blocks, whatever works :)
5. Know right now that I will probably be thrilled with your idea and execution, so relax and have fun!!!!
I really can't wait to see what the group comes up with!
And finally, an easy peasy way to bust through the knit scraps....washcloths! These are way more fun to use than the boring, plain washcloths you buy at the store, just ask my kids:) Knit tops with terry backs.
5. Sew on the elastic using a zigzag stitch, stretching the elastic to match your marks.
Place the cover on your bowl and admire your work! Thanks for looking and as always, feel free to ask any questions!
And here's the pattern. Easy Peasy, great directions. I would make the handles a bit longer next time, though.
Yep, one more to go. This one is actually a re-schedule from mid-December. We were hit with a snow storm and had to cancel our 3rd Annual quilting group get-together. There was NO WAY we could squeeze it into December, so January it is!
We each had a challenge to use a specific FQ, in this case it's the holly berry, and make a gift for someone. You can use as little or as much of the fabric as we choose. (One year, I used just 1 sq. inch! )
Here is my gift this year. A hot pad, a tea towel and a White Chocolate Scone Mix in a fabric bag. I sure hope one of my quilting friends loves it!
I thought I'd share some of my favorite quilts from 2009. I just had to throw in my Amy Butler Weekender in there because it was so much work and I LOVE to use it. I'm so glad I took the time to make it :)
