More Christmas

I've been trying to keep up with getting gifts done for Christmas. Plugging away doesn't sound so great, but I think that's what I'm doing. Having lots of health stuff going on.

Here's a simple patchwork I did for a very dear friend. I used two charm packs of Le Poulet from Moda, sashed it, backed it and bound it with yardage from the same line. I also used a red perle cotton floss to add a little pizazze! Washed in cold water so it wouldn't bleed. I think it turned nice. = )

My friend's home decor is primary colors with a nautical theme. Don't know that these particular fabrics are nautical, but it seemed like a good fit.

Back in the Saddle

Yeah. It's been a while since I posted anything. A lot has been going on in our lives. That's putting it mildly. Vacation. Major health turns. Oh well. God is good.

I did manage to finish up the Christmas surprise I took on vacation. It's all labeled, quilted, washed, folded and ready to go. = ) No pics. It's a surprise!

Despite major back pain and some neurological deficits, I had several WONDERFUL quilt shopping days in Northern Michigan with my dear friends, Bev and Alice! I think we hit a total of five shops on 3 different days. It was a good trip. = )

I guess I'll just show you all the stuff I got, while I work on it. A little at a time. First things first.

Georgia B's Quilt shop in St. Ignace on the UP was a find! and a keeper!! She had a 40% off everything sale going on--to try to make room for new inventory. Got several charm packs and some yardage to go with precuts I already had at home.

Two of my charm packs were Sunkissed, by Moda. I wanted something sunny, maybe a little girly, to do a baby quilt for my niece. She's having a baby girl in October. I just did simple square piecing and chose to do some of the hand-quilting with a pretty green perle cotton floss. I love how it turned out--really cute!!

Purple Plus

    Here's a quilt I made for my niece, Mandy. She's headed to a new job opportunity in South Korea and I figured she might like to take a little piece of home with her.

    I started out with purple, gray and black scraps. Cut them into 5 inch squares and laid them out according to my index-card-sketch. This quilt was my inspiration.

    Sewed them all together and bought a piece of purple cotton to put on the back. I stenciled on four hearts in each square and began to hand-quilt. It took a little longer than I'd figured. I was still hand-quilting the night before her going-away party, Saturday--but I got 'r done. Saturday morning I added the binding and threw the finished piece into the washer and dryer.

    I think it turned out pretty cute. Most importantly, Mandy loved it! = )

Two More Finishes!

    I got TWO projects finished last week! It was a very productive week, indeed.

    First, I put the final touches on my Summer placemats. If you'll remember, I did some Grandmother's flowers with hexes and scraps. I decided to applique them onto solid white, back them with a sunny yellow tonal, and bind in yellow, too. I started out hand quilting them, but quickly gave that up. Hand quilting through 5 layers is no picnic! (At the edge of the flower there's 1. flower fabric, 2. turned under hem, 3. white background, 4. batting, 5. backing)

    Anyway, I resorted to machine quilting. It's the first time I've done that (other than practicing on scraps). Didn't turn out too bad. All straight-line, of course. Not nearly confident enough to try free motion ...

    Second, I finished the scrappy baby girl quilt I made for my friend. I decided to machine-quilt it, too. Again, all straight lines. = ) It turned out cute. However, I think I like the look of hand-quilting better. Looks a little more ... oh ... primitive, unique.  I just like it better that way.

    So, now I only have four things going. Addison's big quilt is on my frame and about 30% quilted. I have almost all the blocks done for Jericho's big quilt. Will probably start laying it out and putting it together sometime in the next week or so. I have a couple "surprise" Christmas gifts in the works, too. = ) Oh! I almost forgot, I purchased a charm pack of the Grand Finale fall collection to use in my Autumn placemats. Need to find a pattern!  Plus, I think I want to try a rag quilt sometime soon ...

    So many possibilities!! = )

Liberated Wedding Ring - Finished!

    I got the inspiration for this beauty here. I got the fabrics for her at the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio the first week of April. And now, she's finished!

    I ended up not using the black quilting thread. It looked awful. I think there was too much contrast between the cream background fabric and black. It just didn't look right. So, I pulled it out and started over with cream colored thread.

    The center of the cream square has an eight-point star in it. Not sure you can see it too well in the photos. I also quilted in each individual piece of colored fabric. It took a little while! = )

Blessing Quilt - Finished!

    I finished up the hand-quilting and binding on the simple batik quilt I made to donate to Connections for their "Be the Scream" awards banquet this past weekend. I wanted to get rid of the penciled-on quilting lines on it. So, I tossed it in the washing machine and dryer. It came out all crinkly (which I love)!

    This is the first time I've used some kind of a pattern for my quilting. The other two quilts were hand-done just using the pieces for a pattern, stitching either in-the-ditch, around the outline or with perpendicular lines. I penciled on a swirled pattern around the white borders, using this book, and quilted with purple thread. I think it turned out really cool, and was amazingly easy to do. You just follow the line! = )

    So far, I haven't made any labels for my finished quilts. Both of them were for the grandkids' nursery here at our home. So, if and when I get around to it, I'll just add a notation somewhere on the back with a permanent marker or something.

    Here are several shots of the finished quilt, after washing/drying.

I've linked this post to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday!! = )

Grandbabies Quilt - Finished!

    I finished up the scrappy HST quilt I was working on for the crib in the grandbabies' room. Here are a couple of photos.  I took them before I washed the quilt. I wanted to get the pencil lines I'd drawn on out. Anyway, it turned out very cute after washing. It's all crinkly and comfy looking!

    Pray you have a Blessed Easter!  He is risen!!  Hosanna!!!

   

Quilt #1: Finished!

    Ashley's Journey--my first quilt ever--is finished! I did the last of the hand-quilting on Monday and put the binding on Tuesday evening. Here's a photo of it, taken from above our two-story foyer. I took one of the back, too. Can't really get much of an idea of scale from these, but it finished at 65 x 88 inches. It fits on a twin-sized bed.

    It makes me smile everytime I look into the grandkids' room. = )  Such a sense of accomplishment and gratification. It's been about 9 months since I purchased the fabrics. And those 9 months have been quite the adventure--in more ways than one!

    God is good ... all the time!!