SPOOL QUILT

I am taking a quilt class that my good friend, Julie Isa, teaches every other Friday night.  It is fun to get together with a bunch of quilters and make something beautiful from cut up fabric pieces.  We are going to make some of the most awesome quilts this year and I am so excited about the quilt patterns she has selected. This SPOOL QUILT pattern is the first of the year.  I chose to do mine smaller than the pattern so I could use it as a wall hanging in my sewing room and hang it above my cutting table.  I love looking at it while I'm cutting up fabric.  The thread area of the spools is from a charm pack called Wiscasset by Moda.  I loved all the fabrics. I'm going to make a table runner from the extras. To me, quilts are artwork and should be enjoyed and cherished either while your sleeping, sewing, or whatever you are doing.

MOM'S BIRTHDAY QUILT

 Well - the BIG PROJECT QUILT I blogged about a few months ago is done. And, it is beyond beautiful. The pattern is called "Tag Sale". I used Moda Fabrics, many of which were designed by "Three Sisters." There are over 1,100 pieces in this quilt and no two squares are the same. Each was stitched together piece by piece and I loved every moment of it. There are 110 squares and a special thank you to Trina who complete about 30 of the 9 patch squares . I love this pattern and I loved making it. I created a label for the back on my computer. I will make a post on labels separately, but it turned out great too.  The monogram pillow was pieced by Trina and Sharla made the 9 patch pillows for completed awesome look.  Happy Birthday MOM!!

VINTAGE 50'S STYLE CRIB SET

I try not to post too many pictures - but I couldn't resist showing you this adorable custom ordered crib set I just finished. I was given the vintage style cowboy print and then added the faded washed yellow dot and soft blue cotton that has a denim look. I cut the squares from the fabric of the cowboy print in 6" squares and then organized the fabric on the point. This is not as hard as it looks and very fun. The back of the quilt is soft minky fabric in cream as well as one side of the bumper pads. Quilt is quilted around the squares making a diamond pattern on the reverse side. I added the prairie point trim to the bumpers which ties in with the rick rack when it is inserted into the blue band so you only see half of it. In addition to the quilt and bumper pads, this set includes 4 valances which are lined, the crib dust ruffle with a center pleat - both with the blue band and two pillows. Trina, my daughter, does embroidery and she found this adorable font that has fence posts for the letters and a horseshoe for the U. So cute.

HUGE QUILT PROJECT

Here is a sneak peak at the first 3 rows of a king size custom quilt that will have over 1100 pieces. The colors are soft pastel shades of pink, cream, blue and green. In the true spirit of quilting - each piece was cut and sewn together individually - with each square being unique. No duplicate squares. All the squares are now sewn and I am piecing them together to form the top. Next up will be the borders. I will post more photos as I get more done.

ICED MOCHA IS FANTASTIC!

The iced mocha quilt is now complete and on my bed. This fabric collection is what inspired me to start quilting again. I loved it at first sight. After much contemplation, I made the commitment and bought the fabric. First I cut all the strips and Trina helped sew the blocks which was a blast. Then, I gave it to my good friend Julie Isa who did the machine quilting on her long arm. She did such a good job. I picked it up last night and then stayed up late working on the binding and finished early this morning. I washed and dried it in my front load machine and it turned out so beautiful. It puffed up around all the quilting and I love it. I've given away most of my handiwork. Not this one. Now and forever - my inspiration quilt.

Taryn's first quilt

Taryn wanted to make her first quilt this summer. We decided to make it for Sister Jones and her new baby boy, Henry. This is a simple rag quilt. We chose flannel because it frays well. We cut the flannel into 8 inch squares and the warm and natural batting into 6 1/2 inch squares. She sandwiched the two flannels with a batting centered in the middle and sewed and X from corner to corner to hold it secure. After all the squares were sandwiched together she just sewed the rows together using a 3/4 inch seam allowance. Then sew another stitch around the entire quilt edge. Then clip all the seams about 1/4 inch apart and trim off all your threads. Throw it in the washer and dryer and WOW - it curls up and turns into this adorable soft cute baby throw. I made one for my brother in chocolate brown so yes, adults love it too.

Grammie's Quilts

I've decided to make baby patchwork quilts from fabrics I already have and then save them for my "grandbabies". This is a purple and yellow one I'll save for Tiffany when she has a girl (someday - not now). Everything is done on the machine - including the very cute blanket stitch I used on the binding. I even did the stippling myself using the darning foot, dropping down the feed dogs and then just moving the fabric in a free form design. If you don't pre-wash the cotton fabric and then wash it when the quilt is completely done, it shrinks up to look like an old fashioned heirloom quilt. I love it. This would be an easy project for the quilt top assembly - but intermediate if you wanted to do your own stippling.

Iced Mocha

I looked around my house and realized that I have given away most of my sewing creations and projects. How depressing is that!! So, I decided to make myself a quilt. I went to the quilt shop to just "look around" and found the most beautiful collection of fabrics by Moda called "Iced Mocha". I had to have it. I selected a quilt design called "Don't fence me in" (appropriate for me) and started the process of cutting the 420 triangles and tons of 2 1/2" strips. That was a few weeks ago. Then, Trina surprised me yesterday by her coming to help me sew the quilt top - giving me her time as a special Mothers Day gift. We spent a wonderful day together piecing the quilt squares and talking and eating brownies. One more day like that - and I'll be ready to ship the quilt top off to Julie to quilt. It's going to go on my bed and be my summer quilt.

The strips

The Blocks

Taryn's Minky Quilt

Taryn loves minky fabrics because they are so soft. She asked me to make her a quilt using her favorite colors. I made it big enough for her to wrap up in and she loves it. This would be an intermediate level project because minky fabric stretches and you need to match all the corners of the blocks.