Whipped Up A Baby Quilt

My husband is a quilting whiz. He can start a quilt top on Monday and have it done and ready to quilt by the weekend and that is only working at night after a full day's work. And he can quilt like the wind. I have watched him quilt a huge work in a day just chugging along on a standard Kenmore sewing machine.

Not so me. I tend to quilt in bits and snippets. 30 minutes here... 20 minutes there... it just never comes together quickly for me. I have so many unfinished projects it is criminal!

So a week ago when they announced in church that there would be a baby shower the following Sunday and my daughter said "Aren't you planning to make them a quilt?"... to which I replied, "Yes, eventually" and she said "Do it this week.. in time for the shower.. you can do it!" I thought "No way!" and then I thought "Why not give it a shot!"

She and I brain stormed and came up with an idea. I sat down with fabric that afternoon and pulled charms and border fabric and such. I worked a bit most every day this week and to my great delight and surprise I got it done! I know there are soo many quilters who could have made this quilt much faster than I did... and who won't see this as a grand accomplishment, but for one who struggles a bit with time management and finds that quilting (which she loves) causes lots of aches and pains when done for more than 30 minute spurts and who is not the best at actually finishing something, this is a big deal!

And I think it turned out really cute! There are imperfections... points that don't quite match-up... some quilting that slipped out of the ditch... but overall it looks good and I think the baby and her mommy will like it.

Now if I could just get motivated to be this diligent with all my quilt projects!

"Belle"

UFO turns into Guest Room Quilt

I am trying to quilt some of the tops that fill my hall closet! 3 became gifts for 3 special girls (see post below) and while looking through and making a list of all my loose ends, I found a green and white top I forgot about. The pattern is ZigZag from www.quilterscache.com This block and color (green and white) were chosen for a quilt lottery I sometimes participate in with my online quilt group. Well I pulled fabrics.... cut fabrics.... never got them sewn into blocks and mailed off! But I didn't want to waste them, so I made the blocks with what I had cut plus enough more to create a top. And then it sat and sat.. until I found it a few weeks ago. My hubby, who is a whiz at quilting and soo fast, was on a quilting jag so we got this one sandwich and off he went! It now resides on the bed in my mom's guest room and looks lovely there. And I can check 1 more UFO off the list!

3 Special Quilts for 3 Special Girls

A co-worker of my husband was expecting baby #3 (born in late Dec 2009), so we decided it would be nice to give her a quilt for the baby. We like to give the quilt after the birth so we can include the name on the label. Hubby had a cute bright scrappy top he has put together for fun a while back that was a little bigger than a traditional baby quilt might be, but still very cute for a little girl. We decided to finish it for the baby knowing she would be able to use it for many years as she grew. I made a label and we got the back together... sandwiched it... and then he quilted it and added the binding. It turned out so cute!

This co-worker has 2 other girls... 3 and 10. We thought "We need to make quilts for those girls too!" So we pulled out a very pink and girlie disappearing nine-patch top I had made and another bright top he had made. The disappearing nine-patch went to the 3 year old who we later learned adores the color pink!

And the oldest of the 3 got the bright scrappy 4 patch with yellow border.

They all turned

out cute and will hopefully bless these 3 special girls for years to

come!

Love Quilt for a friend

I am part of a wonderful fairly small online quilt group. We are sooo close... it is so difficult to explain how real our relationships are. These ladies are truly my sisters... we all love and support each other... and even offer hard to hear, but needed, advice at times! One of our sweet sisters has been going through a rough time... her husband had a chronic illness, she cares for her parents, cared for her mother-in-law who recently died, and more including all the normal life stuff we all experience. So we decided she needed a Love Quilt to reminder her that God loves her and so do we!

I chose the pattern and fabrics... she loves 1930s repros, so that part was easy. I decided to go with a traditional Churn Dash made with 2 different repros per block and white for the background. I made a couple of blocks and others in the group made blocks and sent

them to me. Once they were all here white sashing was added, a pieced flange and then a cheery yellow border. And then.. it sat.. and it sat.. and it sat.. until finally my sweet husband, who can quilt a quilt on the sewing machine in no time flat said "Want me to quilt that for you?" So I got the label made and on the back... we got it sandwiched and off he went! Basic in the ditch straight line quilting.. which would be true to a quilt made in the 1930s. Added a great purple repro for the binding and it was done! I love how it turned out. My dd wants one like it... my mother wanted this one (so I will be making her one soon)... and to be honest, I really wanted to keep it for myself! But I didn't! I was a good Belle and sent it on to my precious friend who loves it too!

I strongly urge you to use whatever gift God gave you to bless someone else. It is the best feeling! One I get to share with my sweet QWHT sisters who have the biggest hearts I know!

Reversible Table Linens

Hubby, also a quilter, decided to make some table linens for our breakfast room table as a Christmas surprise for me... but then we decided not to exchange presents this year! He finished them up and gave them to me AFTER Christmas! They are really neat. A bit like having 3 table runners. The cool thing is they are reversible. One side is strip pieced.... very colorful. The other side in a single piece of fabric with a border and some detailing on the ends. The ends also have fringe to add a touch of elegance. We have enjoyed using them!

Here are the 2 looks... I prefer the strip pieced runner in the center. I like seeing all those colors!