Baby Quilts!

My sewing / quilting time has been greatly diminished the past few months. For a short while I was working 2 jobs.. both part-time but they added up to full-time together. Then one of the 2 asked me to go full-time and so I have been settling in to that position since the first of October.. and settling into balancing life working full-time (I came home when we had a newborn and 4 year old who are now 21 and 25).. add to that normal life stuff. and oh yes.. a wedding.. our baby boy is getting married Jan. 4, 2014 and so we are in wedding mode here.

So I accepted that some things would have to wait.. like my Granny Square Christmas quilt... and instead finished up the have-to stuff and now sewing central is packed away for the year. Sewing Central is setup in our dining room and any time we need to use it for holidays or such, it has to be moved. That will change this spring!  We will have 2 extra bed rooms with our empty nest and one is going to be a sewing room! I am thrilled!

The Have-tos were 2 baby quilts. Our soon to be daughter-in-law had put together a top for a cousin's baby but had not had time to quilt it.  She also had fabrics for another cousin's baby, but had not made a top. I had a top for my latest great-nephew just waiting for his arrival in Oct.

So... I whipped up a top with the fabrics she had chosen.. hubs and I sandwiched everything and he put on his mad quilter hat and went to town. Got them quilted and bound.  I think they all turned out too cute!

This first one is the one our soon to be DIL made.  Her cousin (the baby's dad) is a big Mississippi State University fan and so she decided his son needed a Bulldog quilt. I love the companion shirting fabrics we found at Stitch N Frame (This is a LQS for me, but you can also order online. Sign up for their Thursday deals. Great selection and prices!)

 Next is her other new little cousin.  Future DIL and I went to Stitch N Frame and browsed their fabrics. She picked these out and brought them home. I decided to do a simple patchwork pattern to highlight their cuteness.  I really like how it turned out. This is (I think) my first borderless quilt. I love love love the biding fabric.  Really sets everything off.

And last is the top by I had made earlier for my great-nephew (born in Oct.)  This is absolutely one of my favorite quilts ever!  I love the pattern... love the fabrics... love hubs quilting.. it is just precious, I think.

And now we are settling in.. not for a long winter's nap (which we need!) but for a busier than normal holiday season as we move towards the Big Day! I'll be back in January.. there's a Granny Square Christmas to finish up... another baby coming in February who will need a quilt... a rag-t-shirt quilt I have been trying to make for 2 years... and a Wedding Quilt to make for the happy couple (the goal is to have it done by their first anniversary!)... oh and a sewing room to create!!!!

"Belle"

Changing Seasons

Big changes coming our way.. the nest will be empty after January 4, 2014.  And so when the hubs and I decided to create a Fall Wallhanging it seemed appropriate to name it "Changing Seasons."  My sweetie loves batiks and has been buying up scrap bags of them from our LQS (Stitch N Frame).

I found a maple leaf block.. he pulled out those batiks.. we looked at various layouts and came up with one we think like and off we went. The results is a lovely collaboration between 2 creative people with different tastes and preferences.  It is hanging proudly in our breakfast area for now. Soon it will be put to rest until next fall. Can't wait to see what that change of season brings!

Baby Wyatt

Another baby on the way in our family.. a great-nephew.. Wyatt.  I did a bit of research via his Mom's Pinterest account and found great inspiration for his quilt. Lots of blue and orange... some jungle things... and I knew I had to toss in a bit of U of TX fabric for these Longhorns!

This went together very quickly and I think turned out great!  It will be quilted after Wyatt is born and I add the label with his name and birthdate.  I like to add labels before quilting, so they stay nice and secure!

"Belle"

A Colorful Summer!

My husband loves batiks and has wanted to make a quilt using them for some time. He has bought up several scrap bags of batik scraps at our LQS and been saving them for just the right project. Well, he came up with 2.. so far!  Both of these tops have been shown on here, but he quilted them in the last few weeks and I wanted to show off the finished product!

Here is the first one.. Summer Breeze.  Very modern looking quilt.

And here is the 2nd one that we were calling Summer Breeze 2, but its final name is Island Breeze. Not quite as modern looking as the first one, but still not super traditional. This one is my favorite of the 2. I love the purple border and the focal fabric.

So when I am cold next winter, I will pull out a bit of summer sunshine to warm me up!

"Belle"

Starflowers

Earlier this year I saw a lovely Starflower quilt on a quilt blog. I have always loved this pattern, but have never made a quilt using it.  I shared it with a group of online quilt friends and we all commented how lovely it was and started sharing pictures of other Starflower quilts. And then... we decided a swap was in order. 4 of us participated.. small group, but still fun!  We made 5 blocks for each person participating.. the thought being you would receive a total of 15 blocks and then could make how ever many more you wanted to complete your top. Because we were small, we were able to choose individually what we wanted.  One friend wanted all primary colors and she wanted each quarter of the block (so 2 points) to be the same color family.  And she wanted white backgrounds.  The other 2 ladies wanted each point a different color using fabrics that had an old timey look.... small prints.. darker shades.. not 1930s repros.  One wanted cream and light tan back grounds.. the other wanted tans and creams and really preferred tans.

My original request was cream or white backgrounds with any colors other than pastels or neons... and I wanted each point to be different.  I later changed to say cream or tan backgrounds. I never thought of tan as a background.. felt it would be too dark, but once I worked with it and saw these blocks I fell in love!

I have received 1 set and they are great.  Will post pictures of them and the other 2 sets once they arrive.

BUT here are the ones I sent out...

The primary colors with white backgrounds...

And the "old timey" ones with the cream / tan backgrounds...

I can't wait to see all the ones I receive together. I have 2 made to go with them so far. Will probably make 3 more to end up with 20 blocks. I like square quilts. :-)

"Belle"

A bit of fun...

One of my favorite things to do is take figure out how a quilt or block is made.  I will see a quilt I like or a block and be intrigued by it which starts my mind to whirring.  This happened recently as I was looking through some of the quilt blogs I enjoy.  I saw a block and it intrigued me. So I played around on paper and came up with what I thought was a close proximity to the block.  It was a fun process.

Here is the block I saw:

I found this and others at Pleasant Home.. one of my favorite blogs!

Here is my version:

Baby Quilt Fun...

I love making baby quilts.. they are without a doubt my favorite quilts to make.  2 years ago I made 2 baby quilts that I loved.. one was for a sweet little girl and is, to me, the prettiest baby quilt I have made ever.  The other was a fun cowboy quilt for a little fella.  Well this year I have made 2 more quilts.. same mommies... different genders. The little girl is now a big sister and the cowboy has a big brother.  I had as much fun making quilts for their younger siblings as I did for them.

 

When I found out the little fella was on the way, I immediately new I had to do a quilt based on his dad's alma mater.. Mississippi State University. This quilt shows how much I love this family... because I am a dyed in the wool Ole Miss fan who bleeds red and blue!  LOL!  Still I watched this little ones daddy grow up into one of the finest young men I know, so I wanted to do something he would love.  So Bulldog fabric was purchased along with some fun coordinating fabrics and this quilt was created..

Very simple strip quilt with simple straight line quilting.  I love how it turned out. I wish you could really see the fabrics up close.. that maroon and white gingham is great!

I learned that little girl's room was going to be done in gray and white and shades of pink / rose... not bright, but light and dusty.  Chevron or Zig-Zag quilts seem to be all the rage right now, so when I saw a gray and white Chevron I knew it was the quilt for this wee one. But how to add some pink into the mix?  Easy!  What little girl doesn't need a few flowers in her room. 

 I was so excited to find the polka dot fabric in my stash and there was literally enough for the flower and the border. I think it adds a great touch!

I think my favorite part is the quilting on the back!  I had a blast quilting this!  

Thought I might be done with baby quilts for 2013 but I am not. Yeah!  My niece in TX has baby #2 on the way.  Her little daughter was born 2 years ago too and yep, she is having a boy this time around! Not 100% sure what I will be doing for them. Mommy and Daddy met at University of Texas and are huge Longhorn fans.. so I thought about another team themed quilt.. but I also love the idea of a little boy quilt and his name is Wyatt.. doesn't that just scream cowboy hats and boots!?  Gonna be fun coming up with something special for this little buckaroo!

"Belle"

Summer Breeze Take 2...

Earlier this year my husband made a quilt top with batiks and very summery tropical beachy fabrics.. I dubbed it Summer Breeze.  He decided to make another top with those type fabrics.. and here it is..

We've been calling it Summer Breeze 2.. but I think it needs a name of its own. Maybe Tropical Breeze  or Island Breeze? Who knows!

He plans to sandwich these 2 (a 2 person job for sure!) soon and start quilting on them, so I need to figure out a name for the label soon!

No matter... it turned out lovely.... as always.

"Belle"

Kiddie Quilts...

I whipped together another Quilts for Kids quilt. This one was super quick and easy. I was going through a box of novelty fabrics and found a stash of nine-patch blocks.  I do not remember what I made them for or why!  I pulled out 10 that seemed to go well together.. all are bright fun fabrics that lend themselves to a girl.  I then pulled 10 coordinating fabrics. Tossed it all together and here is the result:

I am thinking I will call it ColorFilled Hope.  It is definitely bright and cheery and I love this smiling face..

Hubs has been busy working on kiddie quilts too.  A friend asked him to make a quilt for a "new" baby girl.  He came up with this...

And if you are thinking that is a big baby quilt, you are right! Hubs never does small.

He decided the wee ones big brother (age 3) needed a quilt of his own, so an I Spy quilt was born.

No doubt all of these will be loved. "Belle"

Goodies in the Mailbox!

It has been a long week... a long day... Often when I am coming home from errands, work, etc. I pull up to the mailbox and grab the mail before parking the car and heading in. Lazy I know!  I was delighted to open the box today and find 3 package.. 2 small... 1 big. I knew what they were (and there is one more on the way!).. FABRIC!!!!!

I needed a bit more variety in my granny square blocks for the Christmas quilt. I have a good bit of red and greens, but wanted some more black and cream / gold background fabrics. So here are the ones that arrived today..

I love all of these creams, although I think the middle one may be a bit too yellowy for this project. No problem... he can rest nicely in the stash until that moment when the perfect quilt for him is underway!

I adore the black background Christmas prints I have been using and these fit right in. That bit of black adds depth and richness to the blocks.

OK I said I had reds and greens, but I really liked this one.. and it was a great deal through Thousands of Bolts

And here is the final fabric...

Not very Christmassy is it!?  That is because it is NOT for the granny square quilt... it is for another project.. a joint venture between the hubster and me!  It is going to be a fun one! Wait and see...

"Belle"

Chugging along....

Sewing Central has been chugging along..... Hubs has finished a top for a friend's new granddaughter...

and is working on an I spy quilt for the baby's big brother...

I whipped together another top for Quilts for Kids...

and the Christmas Granny Squares production line continues...

A run for some batting is needed soon so these tops can become quilts!

Photos of finished products will be forthcoming.

Belle

It's all in the planning....

I don't always have chunks of time to sew... between being a full-time wife, working part-time, normal house stuff, 2 young adult kids (young moms it does not get easier!), my 81 year old mother, church activity and life in general, I have to find the time and energy sometimes to work on a project.

So when I can, I like to set things up for those times when I have 15 or 20 minutes to play with fabric.

Here is how I have sewing central set up now....

I sew on our dining room table. Normally I use a task chair, but I haven't taken the time to roll it from the computer in the other room to the dining table this morning. I have 2 Granny Square Blocks set up and ready to sew.. as well as piles of fabric cut and ready to set up more. I have to add a BIG advantage is a husband who cuts fabric for me! Of course I am often cooking supper or doing laundry while he cuts, so it is a win-win.  :-)

I may only get these 2 blocks sewn together today.. but that is ok!  It will be 2 more to add to this small, but growing collection...

And once the 2 are sewn today, I will lay 2 more out for the next bit of sewing time.

If you struggle with finding time to sew and if you are able to leave things set up, I encourage you to try something like this. Get fabrics cut.. layout a block or two.. have machine ready (correct thread, plenty of bobbins, fresh needle if needed) and then when you have a few minutes to breath, do it at the sewing machine!  You will accomplish more than you think!

Granny Square Block

Last year I was reading through some quilt blogs and discovered a group of bloggers making Granny Square Quilt Blocks. I fell in love with this block!  It is a great way to use up scraps (I am a true scrap quilt fanatic!) and it connected me to my grandmother.  My dad's mom has a great deal to do with my love of quilts.  She made one for each of her grandchildren... my was her last and the only one for a girl and she made it several years before I was born.  My folks were told about a year before I came along that they could have no more children.. 1 in a million chance. My grandmother was certain that her granddaughter would have the lovely dutch doll quilt she made. (She did everything by hand... never touched a machine).  Sure enough, a year later I came along.

BUT I did not get the beloved quilt then.. in fact, I was 18 before I got it!  I would often get her to pull it out of the Cedar Chiffarobe and let me look at it.  It was a great treasure to me.  My grandmother came from a time where you didn't use "fine" things and this was a fine thing.

I still have it. It adorned the bed in my daughter's room for many years. It needs a bit of repairing, but is still lovely and usable and, Lord willing, will one day be treasured by a granddaughter.

So what does this have to do with Granny Squares? Well I never saw my grandmother quilt. She was done with that by the time I came along, but I watched her crochet.  She tried to teach me but my fingers would not cooperate at all! I remember when she started working on the granny square afghan.  The squares are made of bright colors (she loves bright colors.. must be where I get it!) and they are put together with navy yarn. It is a large bed-size afghan with bright multicolored fringe. I love it!  And she made it for me.  As far as I know I am the only grandchild who has anything she crocheted and the only one who had something made especially for her.  Makes it more special!

Quilts and Granny Squares both hold a special place in my heart because of my sweet Mama Rush... Bessie Case Lea Rushing... and this block combines those 2 and stirs memories of days with her.

I knew I wanted to make a Christmas quilt this year and while looking online for inspiration, I ran across a pin on Pinterest of a Christmas Granny Square Quilt.  This was it!  So I pulled up the Granny Square Tutorial.. pulled some fabrics.. and whipped up a practice block.

It takes a bit of time and focus to keep things order, but it is a fairly easy block and I think it turned out lovely! I will be pulling more fabrics this week and start cutting lots and lots of 2.5" squares.  My plan is to have a box full of squares, so I can make blocks in between other projects when I just need something different to do.  The blocks are essentially 9" blocks and I want to make a pretty decent size quilt, so I have a bunch to piece!

Cate's Quilt

Over the Christmas holidays we ran into a young couple we know who live in another part of our state... and they had a surprise. A beautiful little girl named Cate!  We knew immediately that she had to have a quilt.  And so once the holidays were done, I whipped up a top and hubs finished up with the quilting and binding.

Another Disappearing 9 patch... seemed to be the quilt theme for January.  We found this precious birdie fabric and added in fabrics from our scrap boxes.

I love love love how it turned out!  I would never have thought these colors would look so well together!

Off this goes next week to Cate.  I feel certain she will like it!

Gone Fishing...

I posted in an earlier post that my one real quilting goal this year is to make more charity quilts... at least one for every quilt I make as a gift or too keep.  I have chosen, for now, to make quilts for the Quilts for Kids Organization. (You can find their link and other info in my earlier post. )

This weekend I finished up my 2nd Quilts for Kids quilt for 2013 with the help of my hubby who took care of the binding for me. :-)

Quilt for Kids often runs short on quilts for teen boys, so this one was made with a young man in mind.  When I was digging through my novelty fabrics for inspiration, I found some fish fabric scraps I got when I bought a box of scraps some time ago. I knew they would be perfect for a teen boy's quilt.  Also, fishing has a special place in my heart and life.  My father was an avid fisherman and I was in a boat from the time I was just a few months old.  So this one is in memory of my sweet daddy.

Gone Fishing....

I have prayed for the boy who will receive this quilt... that he knows the Lord, that he feels God's presence and comfort. My dad knew the Lord.. loved Him.. felt His presence throughout his life and especially while battling cancer... and while I miss him even after 16 years, I know that God answered our prayers by giving him the ultimate healing.

I took time this weekend to clean out my huge box of novelty fabric and straighten them up.  I have focus fabrics pulled for 4 more charity quilts. I have decided on a pattern for 2 of them and have pulled fabrics from the scrap boxes to work with them. We have boxes here where we cut up scraps into 2.5" - 6" squares as well as 2.5" strips.  Takes time to do, but so worth it when it comes time to pull for a project!

Be watching for more Quilts for Kids' quilts soon!

Summer Breeze...

My husband loves batiks and has wanted to make a quilt using them for some time, so it was no surprise when he found a bag full of batik scraps at a local quilt shop (Stitch n Frame ) he snatched them up.  

He chose a very basic modern geometric look that highlights the batiks.. and one he got started making blocks, he couldn't stop. I have shared here before, hubs is a big tall guy and he tends to make big quilts!  This one is NO exception!  Here is the top laying over our kingsize bed...

It is very summery looking to me, so I have dubbed it Summer Breeze... which of course means every time I see it I start singing Seals and Croft (anyone here old enough to know who that is?)

This one is going to be a booger to quilt!  But I have no doubt the mad quilter will knock it out in no time!

Wiggly-Giggly

I have made quilting goals for the year in the past and rarely do they all get met. So this year I am keeping things simple. I know of 3 baby quilts that will be made this year.. one is done and waiting to be bound.  I have one other quilt I plan to make this year... cannot tell what it is here since it is a surprise.  Other than that.. no set plans except.. I really want to do more charity quilts this year. I love making quilts and giving them away and I especially love sending them to organizations that use them to bring comfort and love to others.  My goal is for every quilt I make to give as a gift or keep, I will make a charity quilt. 

So far in 2013, we have made (finished) a wall-hanging and made a baby quilt. So that means 2 charity quilts are needed. No problem!

I whipped 2 tops up a couple of weeks ago and have one quilted, bound and ready to mail.  Both will go to Quilts for Kids  I love this organization ... love quilts going to kids in the hospital to comfort them.  You can request quilt kits from them and will receive fabric for the top and a pattern. You provide the backing and batting. I did that a few years ago for my first Quilts for Kids quilt.  Since then, I have just used their guidelines (found at the site) and made them from my stash.  

NOTE -- there are very specific size requirements. These are small quilts and go together quickly!  No excuse not to whip a few up.  Truly one could be made.. start to finish.. in a day by most any quilter.  There are also requirements concerning fabric (new, washed, 100% cotton) and quilting (tight so the quilt will hold up to use and washing).  

This first one is for a girl.. any age really.. I read that they needed quilts for teen boys, so I was pulling fabric for a boy quilt (which is next to my machine ready to be quilted) and while pulling 5" charms, I kept seeing these fun bright ones left over from some other kid quilts. So I pulled enough for a girl quilt too.  

I used the disappearing 9 patch pattern. It is soo fast and so cute... can be laid out in a number of ways. I have a lot of 5" charms, so I can get started quickly on one of these.  I will probably make some with other patterns as the year goes on. That is one of the fun things.. you can try out new patterns as you create something to bless a child.  

You can name your quilt and register it here: Downy Touch of Comfort  Then include the name and your first name with your quilt. Quilts for Kids sews a special label on every quilt, even if you add a label at home.  They can link up your quilt via the name so you can see who got it.  You can also read stories and see photos of the quilts and kids at the Downy site for inspiration.

This really is a great way to use the gift God has given to brighten someone's life!

So here is my first charity quilt of the year.. Wiggly Giggly...

The boy one will be posted soon and no doubt there will be more on the blog in the months to come. I already have ideas for 2 or 3 more!

Belle

Wearing Hearts on Sleeves...

The end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 was tough. My mom fell in Oct of 2011, right after her 80th birthday. She fractured 2 vertebrae, broken her shoulder and her pelvis. She is recovered and doing great these days, but the journey from there to here was a long one.  Lots of days staying with her.. helping her.. going to the doctor.. wondering if she would rebound or if this was our new normal.  So very little quilting (or anything else for that matter) got done during that time.

Shortly after 1/1/12, I was home one day and determined to make SOMETHING.. I just needed to create! So I pulled fabrics and started a heart wall hanging.  It required large four-patches.. some for back grounds, some to create the hearts.. which were fused to the backgrounds and then appliqued. I got all the four patches made,  got 2 blocks fused and appliqued, 2 or 3 others fused and that was it.  

I just did not have time to work on it, I was tired and unfocused and that led to frustration. So I put it away. Thankfully I didn't let my frustration take over and throw it away!

Fast forward to 1/12013... my sweet hubby said "What ever happened to that heart wall hanging you were working on?"  I didn't remember where it was, but he thought he knew.. so we went and found it and looked at what was there. Decided it might be worth salvaging. So I started 2013 reclaiming a UFO and I am so glad!  

I finished up the blocks and got them pieced together. Hubs and I brainstormed about borders and decided a thin white followed by a pieced outer border would be good. Got those added. He quilted it using Connecting Threads Red-Violet Essential Cotton Thread.  Looks so good!  It is all done and ready to hang on the wall come February 1 (Snowmen are hanging there now and I'd like to enjoy them a bit longer).

This is NOT your typical heart / Valentine's quilt.  Yes there is pink and red and purple in it.. but lots of other colors too. I love the plaids!  They are either from 100% cotton plaid shirts I bought at thrift stores (Thank you Bonnie at Quiltville for that idea!) or from some 100% cotton shirting fabric I found on sale at Hancocks a year or so ago. Bright fun plaids. 

In a weird was this is a combination of our 2 kids. Our daughter was born on Valentine's, so the hearts connect us to her. And our son loves plaids, so the fabric connects us to him.  

Catch-Up Time.....

Starting off 2013 catching up from 2012. There wasn't a huge amount of sewing / quilting that happened late in 2012.  Life continues to get in the way of fabric time!  Hopefully in 2013 I will find a bit more balance to it all.

A young woman in our church is away for a year working with a church in Ireland. She has to raise all her financial support for this mission, so my daughter (her sister-friend) has been making various things to sell to help financially. She asked me to make some mug rugs. Here are a few of the ones I made:

For several years, I have wanted to make stockings for our family and finally this year it happened!  I think they all turned out great! Not perfect, but perfectly suited us!

My daughter is in seminary getting her masters (the exact name of the masters is a mouth and mindful!).    Her fella is working on his PhD. They are both very academic and intellectual and yet there is a very playful side to them! They really are big kids at heart, so their stockings are fairly whimsical.  Fella loves things that go... planes, trains, autos etc. So when I saw this cute fabric with all those, I knew it would work well for him.  Daughter loves polka dots, so I was thrilled to find a coordinating fabric with those.  I used some denim and adding the heal / toes for a bit more fun.

Son and his girl like the urban / anthropologie vibe. She loves burlap and we have these table coverings we made a while back that are from a fabric that looks a bit like a cross between burlap and linen.  They borrow them regularly, so I knew this was a good fabric choice.  She also loves the color peach and fabric flowers. So those became part of the mix and I tossed in a big ole wooden button to add a bit more rustic flare.  I had planned to use the same fabric for my son with a plain cuff and small wooden buttons, but then I saw this gray herringbone fabric that looks a bit like the fabric used for a man's suit. Perfect for him!

Last but not least, Hubby and I.  I am love anything to do with snow and fell instantly in love with Moda's Blitzen fabrics.. especially this whimsical snowman. My cuff is a white on white that is snowflakes.  I wanted Hub's to coordinate in some way, but knew whimsical snowmen didn't fit him.  We did some digging through the stash here and found this lovely golden olive snowflake print we purchased at some point in the past. Very classy just like him.  His cuff is a white on white paisley (he loves paisleys).

Everyone was pleased with their stockings.. especially when they were filled!  And I love how they looked hanging from the mantel.

I used this tutorial / pattern:

Tie-dyed Diva Stocking

Very easy to follow and make.

The other main end of the year project was a new quilt for my mom. Hubs and I made her one last year for her 80th birthday. We used 1930s repros (her faves) and made it especially for a large four poster wooden bed that belonged to her aunt. Mother loves that quilt, but sadly she no longer sleeps in that big tall bed due to a bad fall last year.  She now prefers a smaller and lower to the ground twin bed. We have been taking various utility quilts over there for her to use on the bed, but I wanted her to have another repro one. So we pulled charms and Hubby cut lots of white fabrics and we got to work. It is a simple 9 patch pattern.  The highlight, to me, is the quilting. Hubs did it and used a dark honey thread that shines against the repros and looks amazing on the back (which is a soft steely blue).  Add a fun throw pillow to match and it's done!  Mother is thrilled and able to snuggle up each night under a quilt made especially for her.

Here's to more quilty projects in 2013!  "Belle"