Libberty's Baby Quilt

I have many nieces and nephews.  On my husband's side there are nineteen grandchildren.  Eleven of those kids belong to my husband's oldest brother Tom.  When Tom's second daughter was born (child number eight) I made her a Winnie the Pooh baby blanket.  I had just barely made a wall hanging where I had used stippling to quilt the project.  So I decided I would try my hand at other free motion motifs to quilt this quilt.

 I quilted butterflies in purple thread and squiggle lines on the sashing of each quilt block.

Fabric Trends

After working the past few weeks for Michael Miller I am all tired out of hounds-tooth.  I found that Michael Miller is not the only company using hounds-tooth.  Riley Blake have also been posting projects using hounds-tooth on their Pinterest feed.  The skirt that I made, the tennis bag and quilt (that I just finished) were all hounds-tooth.  I never thought to see this print in cotton because normally it shows up in tweed.  My last two few days have been spent quilting a black and white quilt.

This is the first time that I have sewn an all over pattern and I have to say that the process was quicker that most of my quilting projects.

New Adventure

I have been given the chance to test my sewing skills.  A few weeks ago I was given the chance to make clothing for an upcoming add campaign.  Apparently hounds-tooth is quite popular right now because all of the fabric for the clothing we are making is that print.  The fabric for this skirt came from Michael Millers' Houndstooth and Friends midnite jems, available in May.

The tennis skirt that I made

I'm pretty proud of how the skirt turned out.  I made a few mistakes(i.e. hemmed using a blind stitch when the pattern called for a topstich), but I learned the most important thing I can do before I start a pattern is to read the instructions word for word.

Every Bit Helps

So I have two very active children who do a great job of making a mess of their room and are not so great when it comes to clean up.  My solution?  Make fabric baskets to help organize things.

Spiderman to help Bean find his socks in the morning before school

My littlest one keeps her My Little Ponies in this one.

Both were really easy to make and using stiff interfacing helps reinforce the sides of the basket.  I just need to find time in my busy schedule to make more of them!

My Constant Companion

Currently I own four pets (I say currently because that number changes so often).  The one pet that has been with me the longest is my cat Eliot (ten years).  Now this blog is about sewing.  Eliot just happens to love the quilting process as much as I do.

Eliot's cat tree is in my sewing room.  I know that is a major no, no, but it is the only room in the house where she is not constantly bothered by my kids or the dog.  Before Eliot took up residence in my sewing room she would spend her whole day and night in the basement (to avoid the kids and dog).  My long arm sewing machine is down there and more than once I found her using it as a kitty hammock.

Eliot taking a sunbath right in the middle of the section I am working on.

I must explain what I mean by Eliot is a fan of the quilting process.  She has a sixth sense when it comes to when I am pulling fabric out for a project.  She typically steals some my scraps and plays with them.  Any pile of fabric is a perfect place for a nap.  When I am laying out quilt blocks to prep for sewing them together she always has to investigate and take a nap in the middle of it.

For my Sister

My sister is an amazing seamstress.  The clothing that she has made for some of her clients have perfect seams and wonderful detail.  Last night at dinner she asked me if I knew any hexagon quilt patterns that did not require "y" seams (she had found some fabric that was honeycomb themed).  I was excited by her interest because my sister knows as much about quilting as I know about sewing clothes, the basics.

I am not saying knowing just the basics is bad.  We all have had to start from the beginning.  I was wondering when she would turn to the dark side bwahahahaha!

Hexagon quilts can be challenging because of the set-in, or "y" seams.  There are a lot of tutorials on how to sew set-in seams, but mastering this technique does require some trial and error.

Example of a set-in seam.

I have found three different hexagon patterns that do not require the dreaded set-in seam: Rosalie by Valori Wells, Merry-Go-Round Quilt by Sandy Klop and Easy Breezy Hexies by Sonja Callaghan.  The first quilt, Rosalie, combines hexagons and triangles to create rows that are easily sewn together.  The last two quilts uses rows of sewn fabric to create the illusion of hexagons sewn together. 

Available at Stitchin' Post (need to scroll down most of the page to find it)

Easy Breezy Hexies available at QuiltMaker.com

Merry-Go-Round Quilt available at American Jane Pattern's (scroll 2/3 down to find the pattern)

 

String Quilts

The quilt that I am currently working on for a client is a string quilt.  Essentially a string quilt is a quilt comprised of strips of cloth typically left over from other projects.  The fabric that I am using are scraps left over from three other quilts that I have made for the same client.  Below are examples of the type of string quilt that I am trying to make.

From allbuttonedup.typepad.com

Each quilt block is built upon squares of stabilizer fabric and four squares help make the four pointed star with diamonds on the sides.  Below is the layout before I start adding the strips.

Figuring out background layout.

Lily's Third Birthday

Last year I made a shirt for my daughter for her second birthday.  I was inspired by Silhouette's blog.  For those who do not know, Silhouette is a company that make vinyl cutting machines.  I own one of the older models, which for now suit my needs, but soon I'd love to purchase a Cameo (the current model).

Lily's second Birthday shirt.

When planning for Lily's second birthday I wanted to make her something cute to wear.  I searched  Silhouette's blog and found a tutorial on how to make a cupcake with vinyl and ribbon.  The shirt was created by Amy from the blog Positively Splendid.  You can find Amy's tutorial here.

Lily has been obsessed with dinosaurs and My Little Pony this year.  This year I found a cute dinosaur and added a bow to her tail.

Lily's third Birthday shirt.

Close up of the dinosaur.

My First Twin Quilt

Up until 2011 I had only attempted to make baby and lap quilts.  To push myself I bought a kit from Connecting Threads and joined a local quilt group that met at the local library.  The end result is one of my favorite quilts.

When I made this quilt I had not even started to try free motion quilting.  I simply stitched in the ditch between the various rows.  I've thought about going back and quilting each brick, but I can not seem to bring myself to do it.

A New Adventure

I am super excited!  My older brother is getting married (second marriage for both parties) and I know exactly what quilt to make for them as a wedding present.  A year ago I was introduced to Judy Niemeyer's quilts.  I loved the way that the circles would twist and how perfect the points of the stars were.  So I started to research other quilts like Judy's and I discovered the New York Beauty.

An example of Judy Niemeyer's work

A "New York Beauty" quilt has an old heritage.  The quilt originated in the southeastern states and wasn't given the name New York Beauty until the 1930's.  Before that time the quilt had many different names, Sunrise/Sunrise in the Pines, Rocky Mountain/Rocky Mountain Road/Rail Through The Mountains, and Crown of Thorns, to name a few.  The quilt became known as the "New York Beauty" because of various quilts that won awards at the 1933 Worlds Fair.

Mountain Mist New York Beauty, c. 1930

The traditional "New York Beauty" quilts look quite different from the current versions of the quilt.  In the 1990's Karen K Stone released a book that changed how the quilt blocks were positioned in the quilt.  The end result was how most modern quilters create a "New York Beauty" today.

One of my favorite New York Beauties.

I am a little intimidated by creating this quilt, but I am so excited to learn paper piecing.  I'll post more of what I learn and create in the next few months.  If you want to read more about the history of the New York Beauty go to the blog Wonkyworld.  

Sprocket Pillow

I love pillows.  My opinion is more pillows the merrier!  I found the sprocket pillow on pinterest and new that I just had to make it for my couch.  Now I couldn't just make the pillow I had to quilt it as well. My reason for the extra work is inspired by an amazing quilter, Amanda Walters.  Her unique way of quilting is my favorite way finish a quilt.  Angela once said, "Quilting is like putting on makeup.  Makeup artists don't put blush all over the face; instead they use different types of makeup in different areas of the face.  In the same way we should consider the quilt top."  Now when I make something I can't finish it without quilting it.  This pillow is no exception.  Each section has been individually quilted.

A close up of the pillow.  You can find the pattern for this pillow at Cluck Cluck Sew.

Memory Quilts

I have four siblings who live all over the continental United States.  Last summer we were able to all meet in California for a family vacation.  To remember the fun we had I came up with an idea for a memory quilt.  Each member of the family made art work with their hand and each piece became the quilt blocks for the quilt.  The best reference on how to go about making this quilt came from Marcia L Layton.  Her two books, Handprint Quilts; Creating Children's Keepsakes with Paint and Fabric and Calendar Kids: Handprint Quilts Through the Year are abundant with ideas of how to make sea creatures or circus animals from a hand print.



  Calendar Kids is hard to find, but it is being sold on Amazon.  Each finished block is eleven inches square.  After the background is quilted I have gone back and added embellishments to emphasize what each hand print is.

Here is an example of a flower that my nephew made.  I will post more of the different blocks in the quilt as I finish them.

For Kathryn

This quilt is the second of three quilts that I was commissioned to make for a friend.  Denise has two small dogs that go to the groomers quite frequently.  Every time they do they come back with a bandanna around their neck.  I was asked to make three quilts, one for each child, out of these bandannas.  Kathryn, Denise's oldest child, loves pink.  The inspiration for this quilt came from an advertisement by Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting.  The free pattern, titled Paprika, was created by Chloe Anderson and Colleen Reale.

Trying to fingure out where each block went.

The borders were quilted with what Irena Bluhm calls "wonky feathers".

Each diamond between the stars and pinwheels had their own "wonky feathers" in them.

 This quilt accompanied Kathryn to medical school. 

For the Love of Witches

My mother-in-law has been collecting witches for over twenty years.  Every year I love to search for the perfect witch for "The Witches Inn" (a room at her house dedicated to her collection).  Two years ago I was able to create a small wall hanging for her special room.

Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting had and article in the September/October 2005 issue that sparked my interest.  The small quilt was designed by Lori Smith and called Halloween Night.

After some thorough investigation and article in hand I went to JoAnn's, bought a bunch of quarter yards of Halloween fabric and got started.  I did not have previous experience in machine applique, but I was armed with a Bernina and access to the internet for any questions that I might have.

The finished quilt is 19" by 16".

For Solomon

I have a dear friend who has been through the refiners fire over the past few years.  When her son Solomon was born, 12 years ago, she gave her son up for adoption, but kept in touch with the family that adopted him.  Through many circumstances Solomon came back to her care last fall.  Solomon arrived with only the clothes on his back.  Quickly I made a twin sized quilt to help keep him warm through the cold winter.

I had a layer cake from Riley Blake and a bunch of red painters canvas by Laura Gunn.

Each block was quilted with different camping motifs.

McCalls Quilting Bonus

Because of my great grandmother's quilt I have longed to try my hand at making my own lone star quilt.  The May/June 2013 edition of McCall's Quilting had a web bonus that I just had to try.  Their 42 1/2" x 42 1/2" lone star wall hanging is titled "Welcome".

Here are pictures of the modified lone star that I created.

For those of you that are new to piecing a lone star quilt I found this video on HGTV with Jan Krentz to be quite helpful.  I do caution to make sure that you do your research about how lone star quilts are pieced before creating one of your own.  If not done right the center of the star can pucker.

Why I Quilt

Before I started quilting the only notion that I had about quilts was that hand made quilts were too precious for every day use and were stashed away in the linen closet.  My mother inherited one of my great grandmother's quilts, which no one ever saw.  One day I found the beautiful lone star quilt and resolved that I would never hide it again.

That resolve has turned into a passion to learn about quilting.  My mother helped me make my first quilt, but since then I have experimented and learned what I could to create the quilts that I envision in my head.