Quilt 32: For the Bridesmaid's Baby

I'm the very first to admit that this quilt has not turned out like I planned. The moment I heard she was expecting, I had visions of flying geese in a scrappy low volume background. I was certain it would be fairly do-able. I was... not right. Flying geese triangles aren't the easiest for me. They are do-able, but not in the amount of time I had to do it.

So, after a total rethink of the project -- after buying fabric -- I wound up with a split rail inspired top, and a very happy baby quilt.

This came together so, so quickly, but the result? I absolutely love.

Sharp eyes will catch the spot where the binding didn't quite catch the top. I've since fixed it. Yet another reason why washing and taking photos -- and processing them -- are part of the 'pre-finish' action. Sometimes I see things in the photos that I completely missed when I check every edge in person!

Have I ever been the kind of quilter to talk about texture? Because I am now. This quilt looks so ready to snuggle now that it's wrinkled up a bit more! I love it. Quilting around those pop blocks was a challenge -- nothing I'd do on a domestic machine with a larger quilt, but the result was exactly what I wanted. I'm so glad I pushed on through it.

I felt like I was taking a little bit of a risk with this amazing Cotton + Steel Wonderland backing, but with the addition of red binding, it's a perfect finish. The fabric is incredibly fun to look at, and I love the extra touch the little bit of gold gives it. Fun without being particularly 'nursery' looking.

 I'm just in love. I hope the new mom and her little one will like it half as much as I do.

The finished size is just about 40 inches square, which I think is a perfect size for those newborn months.

Now, to put a snap in a bib, take a photo of the whole package put together, and get it in the mail asap! I'm so excited to get to 'meet' this baby when she arrives. And more excited for my friend to get to be a parent (it is so not for everyone, it's hard, but it is also so much fun -- I could gush about my kid for an hour solid if I get started).

Quilt #31 -- Starburst for CGQ

This quilt took all of 2016 to finish. Not because it is time consuming or because I was taking extra care with each step, but just because.

The initial goal behind this quilt was to have everyone in the group start with the same pattern and do their own thing. It was a good idea -- but not something we'll be doing again. Without the pressure of working together, we all kind of wandered off into other projects. I won't lie, that helped me get other things done as this is about my only time to quilt. But it did not help any of us get these quilts done.

Having done the central 'starburst' block several times in the past, I knew I wanted to go big and then take on a medallion quilt inspired challenge. While I like what I did, I learned that I need a pattern to follow for future medallion attempts.

Some of the fabrics came from my stash, some came from the group stash. But I'm really thrilled with the way they all worked together. The black floral print and the light pinks really work together, and while the dog print and the candy hearts on the back seem a little bolder, they really work well with the colorful quilting.

Seriously, I love the quilting so much. And I love that I kept the lime thread in for attaching the black and white binding. It's a little thing many people won't see at all, but it brings me great joy.

Now that it's all done, I have no idea why I put off working on it for so long. But that's my process: initial love, massive amounts of questioning, putting off basting, and renewed love. The less of a plan I have, the more the questioning lasts -- another thing I'm constantly working to overcome, and focusing on especially in 2017!

So, it may have taken approximately 1 year from start to finish, but it's done now and I'm thrilled. Now I'm off to research my links of 'where to donate quilts' until I find the right home for this one, and the other quilts the rest of the group made.

Quilt #31 -- The Scrappy X Plus Quilt

Whew! I kind of raced to finish this one in the little free time I had, but I think it turned out great -- especially for having been forgotten about for so long!

 Maybe it doesn't look much different to anyone else, but there is something about that final step of washing and drying a quilt that takes it from 'eh' to 'oh yes!' for me. I was feeling pretty 'meh' about this one for a long time -- probably part of why it was left to languish under other projects until I completely forgot about it -- but here it is freshly washed and I am in love again!

Oh, I did remember a photo of the back this time:

I was so close to finishing the whole back in yellow -- but I used up every scrap of yellow flannel I had and was just that short! That's okay. I think the dark green goes well with the top.

Actually, that dark green piece of flannel and the dark green/pine tree scraps on the front of the quilt were the two very first fabric purchases I made when I started quilting about 6 years ago. Walmart fat quarters. I worked with them until I was ready to try bigger, more precious pieces. And that memory made them precious to me. So, it's kind of nice to see the last of them (aside from tiny, tiny scraps) turned into a project -- and nice that they got to go together. No one else will ever know, but that's one of the fun things about working in scraps!

While I love the crazy colors, it is obvious that I pulled these together a block at a time with no thought for how they would all work together. I wish I'd been a little more specific about where the different intensities of colors would go -- like all brown/dark plusses with the mid tones on the x parts. But, this was a more or less 'blind' scrap assembly, and not the most exacting piecing either, so let's call it a scrappy little learning curve quilt and know that I'll be coming back to this quilt pattern when I have a little more time in my life.

Scrappy and wonky? Yes. But it turns out I do love it after all. And that roller coaster ride of will it or won't it is part of what I like about the way I quilt. I like the artistic freedom of not having to be perfect, even if I think I might like perfect results too.

When I started this top, I had my baby in mind, but he's got more quilts that I know what to do with -- and I bet he gets more before he's much older! At this point, it's going into the stash for a baby shower (though as always, with a little mental note as to who I'm hoping it'll end up with).

Quilt #30 -- Purple and Black Modern Baby Quilt

Okay, so I think of this one as the "Motor-cross Princess" quilt. Because if all goes as planned, it is intended for a child whose parents once called her that. Then again, because of the size of the planet, by the time I have a chance to give it to her, she might be far, far too big for a baby quilt!

 It's not a very large size for the toddler she will probably be before I get to meet her -- or a chance to mail this overseas -- so there's a chance this will end up going to someone else between now and then. Life is tricky that way sometimes.

It's really too bright outside to get good photos of this one. The colors are so much more powerful than this photo makes them look -- though not too loud for a nursery with all the grays and neutrals in there. It certainly isn't what I'd call a typical 'baby girl' quilt, and that was exactly the point. The colors are a little unusual for 'baby girl' (purple, grey, black, and yellow) and the prints are all quite neutral and sophisticated. 

I quilted it quite simply with mostly echo or in the ditch quilting. To add a little bit of jazz, I did swap over to some dark purple thread for some extra quilting in the black fields. You can kind of see that in the photo of the backing and binding -- but it turned out much more subtle than I expected.

Now to sit back and see if I get a chance to give it to the motor cross princess before she's far too old to appreciate it!

Outgoing, and Soon-to-be-Outgoing

I'm usually quite content to be sitting at home interacting with no one. But there's a big difference between having nice, quiet, introvert time alone and being wonderful, busy, Mama all the time. I'm not really alone anymore, and while my little 'co-worker' is a lot of fun these days, it's just not the same as any introvert time. Since there simply isn't more time to turn into introvert time, I'm looking for new ways to feel like I'm rebuilding myself, new ways to find a little more energy.

So, in terms of trying something new... well, what's newer for an extreme introvert than getting out and doing something interactive?

In June, I sent out a message to someone about sharing hand-me-downs, joined a local caregiver/child group, and joined a facebook group: Quilting for a Cause.

To some, that might not sound like much, but for me, that was a lot of 'risk' -- and so far, I think it is paying off.

These are the two blocks I made for the first quilt I'm participating in. I really wanted to do a #QuiltsforPulse, but I know there's not time in my life to do a whole quilt myself right now, so I'm glad to be participating in a group project.

What I learned so far? I made all my paper pieced butterflies backwards (mirrored?). Since I was working with myself, it didn't matter. But the first heart I started making for this project was mirrored, so it turns out I've been doing it wrong! I was able to print off another pattern and make another heart, but I did lose the green I'd really been hoping to use. I found an alternative -- not my favorite, but most of my greens turned out to be yellow-green, which wasn't what I needed. So, it was a surprise make-do moment, but I think it turned out alright.

I'm a little nervous my background choices on the orange one might be a little bit 'out there' too, but, I like it. I think it's more fun than the background choices on the green one.

Anyway, so I'm getting ready to ship these off.

Just participating in this, it's been a lot of fun. And yes, it's helped me feel a little better.

The other two 'outgoing' things have yet to turn into anything I can do yet, but I'm still feeling a little better than I was for a while. It's not quite getting out, or having coffee with friends, or whatever moms are supposed to do to help refill their personal cups, but it's helping.

Part 3: Mini Quilt : Panda-monium

In theory, we are taking turns going 'to bed' with the baby so we both get nights off. In practice, this doesn't work quite as well it should. Still, it has worked a few times -- each of which gives me about 2 hours to work uninterrupted.

I used one of these sessions to finish up the Panda-monium mini quilt.

Sadly, the weather has been completely uncooperative for getting natural lighting pictures of it, so this afternoon I snatched a quick shot while the baby was sleeping.

The most obvious quilting is the exterior echo I did in the background, but I also did some tracing around the white part of the body, the eyes, nose, and on the inside and outside of the bamboo. It's easier to see in person, but I think it looks pretty good. I really like the way the bamboo 'pops' in person.

The scrap I chose for the backing doesn't do much to show off that extra quilting either. I should have chosen something with a smaller pattern, but I was in the get-it-done mindset.

Straight-cut binding to finish it -- and the perfect color and pattern I think.

As with my previous pattern based mini (Hazel Hedgehog) there's certainly a little room for improvement in my precision work... but I love this panda. Not just for sentimental reasons either.

I still need to find a good way to safely display these in the nursery. Everything I've tried seems unsafe for grabby little hands. I'm beginning to think I should hang them from the ceiling or on the closet door or something to keep them farther away -- unless I come up with a really child friendly option. Maybe snaps or Velcro to a bigger 'board' that can be safely wall mounted? Hmmm...

Wonky Star Compilation -- Celebration

I thought I had shared these a couple weeks ago... but I don't see them now. No surprise -- these days I don't know if I'm going or coming or somewhere in between. I can hardly keep track of myself, much less anything I'm supposed to be doing.

After way too much time, the Wonky Star quilt my local group made blocks for is quilted and washed and ready to be given away in November.

Everyone in the group contributed at least one wonky star block to the top -- with some people stopping at one and others contributing several. It's a lot of fun to look at the variety of degrees of 'wonk' -- and the variety of fabrics -- and try to guess who made which star.

I took on the process of puzzling it all into one quilt, as well as quilting and binding. Those two steps got a bit of a short-shift, since my free time took a big cut recently -- but the end result still looks good to me.

The quilted lines are a challenge to see, but I chose to go with 'random' lines across the body of the quilt, and rather than using a stark/contrasting white thread, I chose a red/blue/green/yellow thread for both the top and bottom of the quilt. The result is nice, but actually more subtle than I'd intended.

I had planned to do a thicker binding, but I fell into the familiar pattern and wound up with the same width I always use (a 2.25 piece folded in half) -- something I only noticed when I had already ironed it and attached it to half the quilt. So, although it wasn't quite as intended (and as usual, my ability to 'catch' the binding the second time around wasn't good), life is too busy to undo it now.

We've come a long way since October/November 2014 -- from a stack of blue fabric and a bunch of scraps, to this beautiful quilt:

It was a blast to see come together, and like I said, I love seeing all the different stars and different personalities working together in one gorgeous quilt.

This one took longer than any of our previous quilts -- mostly because it was waiting on me to get things done! -- but I can't wait to see what we come up with this year. The first couple business meetings are out of the way and we'll be getting back to sewing and quilting in October.

Quilt #29 - Oceans Quilt

If I'd been thinking when I started on this one, I might have called it something a little more beautiful, like "Sea Glass" or something... but it's always been just "Oceans" in my head, so that's what I'm sticking with.

The early steps were a challenge -- piecing the top, getting my math to turn out anywhere near where I thought it should, and I thought I would never get this one basted.

Fortunately, the later steps came together fairly smoothly. Quilting it went as quickly and smoothly as any project I've worked on, and the binding (despite being non bias style) went on quickly as well.

Since I'm not too familiar with the temperatures in Florida, I went with a really light weight batting, which makes this quilt light and something I'd consider more summer weight. Hopefully that lightness means it has a greater chance of being used year round down there -- though I'm sure there are times that are actually cold too.

Although I started with a plan for the quilt top -- and eventually grew that plan into the size I needed -- the back was more of a surprise to pull together. That said, I really can't decide which half of the quilt I like better! I think if absolutely forced to choose, I would probably go with the front, but I also know I'm not alone in being fond of the back; last night I showed it off to three people, one of whom thought the back was much better than the front.

I think the quilting is a lot more 'fun' when viewed on the back side of the quilt, while on the front it is more about the pattern of the blocks. Which are also lovely and a lot of fun, but the back is just a little more unexpected. I don't know. Either way, I love both sides, and hopefully the recipient will too!

I had high hopes for perfection on this one, hopes that were repeatedly dashed. But it still turned into something absolutely beautiful, something I'm still proud to offer to my friend as a gift.

Hedgehog

I think I forgot to come back and show my completely finished Hazel Hedgehog mini quilt.

I did an absolute minimal stitch in the stitch in the ditch kind of quilting around the outside of the hedgehog, as well as an outline around the face. If this mini quilt were going to be in use as something other than a wall hanging -- a pillow or quilt -- I would have quilted more heavily to ensure it would really hold up to washing, but I don't intend to wash this one -- famous last words? I hope not!

I pulled two scraps of binding from my stash, one of which happens to match the hedgehog body perfectly, and even happened to arrange them with green on the 'ground' and blue on the 'sky' so I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself.

The mistakes and fixes I made turned out not to be too noticeable -- hurrah!

For the sake of having the nursery looking a little more 'finished' when people were here for the baby shower, I hung the hedgehog and a few other mini quilts on the wall over the twin floor bed. It was great positioning --until we had to rearrange! One of our friends made a beautiful but massive toy chest for the baby's room. For the moment, we're keeping it in the 'headboard' area of the floor mattress (with two thick cushions between the mattress and the chest) and filling it with all the 'too big' baby clothes -- but I haven't been in to rearrange the mini quilt wall since we rearranged the furniture.

I'd probably better come up with a better way of hanging them too. Straight pins in the corners doesn't seem 'baby safe' and certainly isn't 'toddler safe' as we learned when the toy chest maker and his daughter came to visit!

Quilt #28: Flannel + Minky Quick Quilt

I haven't got a cute name for this quilt, or a story to go with it, but this is one of the little quilts I whipped up for future nursery needs.

The flannel print is interrupted by some patchwork-ish blocks -- all the scraps from my failed initial attempt at this quilt. See -- saving all those scraps can be a good thing!

Although it is backed in minky fabrics, I did use batting to make it extra thick. This makes it a little harder to snuggle with, but it should work better for a floor mat or play space -- which is one of my worries right now.

This is my first time really quilting on a minky back;  in the past most of my minky backed projects have been finished around the edges or given very minimal quilting. I had worked it up in my head that quilting against a minky background would be a real challenge, but this project wasn't bad at all. The relatively small size might have been a factor in that. This was also my first time putting binding on a minky backed quilt, which also turned out not to be as challenging as I thought. Whew!

So in the end, for way less stress than I thought I was taking on, I wound up with a thick and semi-snuggly blanket that I think will work well for a play mat area and eventually as a blanket / napping option.

Quilt #27: Autumn Woods Patchwork + Panel Quilt

I realized last week that I put this quilt away without taking post-wash photos or noting that I'd actually finished it. So, I pulled it out of storage and ran outside the next day for a quick, somewhat wrinkled, photo shoot! 

I have bought and used two different patterns of Kate and Birdie Paper Co fabrics -- one for the Christmas Star Quilt and one for this Autumn Woods quilt. I complained about the fabric a little bit while working on the star quilt, as it seemed to ravel a bit more than the other fabrics I was mixing it with. This time around I had no such troubles, but I did work faster and I only used same-brand fabric on the top. Whether the issues were mine for being too slow to work or due to some less than ideal quality fabric that first time, I still adore the prints and patterns used in these lines, and I suspect there will be more Kate and Birdie Paper Co fabrics in my future.

This quilt really came to be thanks to a sale at Southern Fabric -- one of the daily deals if I remember correctly. I knew I liked the fabric, and it was such a great deal I couldn't resist. I was restricted to only one charm pack, so when I saw there were coordinating panels, I jumped at the chance to add one to the order. The whole stack sat in my 'waiting for inspiration' pile until I came up with the perfect reason to start on it -- knowing I was pregnant but not yet knowing the gender. Everything about this looked like a baby-quilt-to-be to me, without being tied in to any specific colors that might say something about anticipated gender. It was perfect, and gave me something to do instead of pacing the floor with nerves.

It came together incredibly quickly, and I managed to have binding fabric in stash -- so all in all, the project really flew together. Although it isn't as colorful as the rest of the things I'm working on for the nursery, it is one of my favorite things in the room so far.

It quilted and washed like a dream -- no issues at all. As far as I can tell, it seems well constructed and should be able to hold up to lots of trips through the wash, though I am looking forward to learning if I'm right on that! I've given away so many quilts, I hope I'm not about to learn I ought to be double stitching the binding on or something else equally embarrassing to learn this late in the process!

Quilt #26: Wonky Star Sampler

My first finish of 2015!

I was taking my sweet time in getting this one washed and truly finished -- and it's a good thing I dragged the process out! I managed to catch two potential issues in time to fix them pre-wash and avoid making them any worse. After recent tragedies that eventually resulted in a quilt being abandoned to cat bedding -- because he doesn't mind the issues -- it was a relief to catch these problems before they had a chance to really ruin things again.

The glamour shots of this one leave something to be desired -- it's never been an easy one for me to photograph and this proved no exception at all.

The white thread just vanishes into the white background, but in reality, the quilted 'star' shape gives a lot of great texture without being overwhelming. It's a little more noticeable in the next photo.

I was worried that the interior of the quilted star, which was heavily quilted in more of a 'burst' than a star, was too deep a contrast compared to the rest of the quilt, but now that it's been washed, I think the two quilted areas work well together.

This is the perfect backing material for this quilt. I love it so much. I wish I had more of it -- or something similar. And multiple color versions of the same thing would be welcome too. Oh well.

This was another quilt I'd initially thought I might keep, but for the moment it is joining the short list of quilts that I'm considering as a gift for my summer-arriving niece. The mom-to-be self describes as 'not a girly girl' so I don't want to over-do on the girly colors or themes, which makes choosing a quilt to send for her a little bit of a challenge since I think 'girly' tends to be a bit of a default for me in color and fabric choices. Fortunately, I've got a few months of waiting to see how their nursery plans come along and hopefully that'll provide me some guidance. But whether this one is a keeper or not, I'm very pleased with the outcome -- though the binding job isn't as perfect as I'd like.

Christmas Table Runner

Since I had so much leftover fabric after the Christmas Quilt was pieced, I've been working on a couple coordinating things to accompany it. I don't think I'm going to manage to finish the other projects I started -- though I'm hopeful I can pull together 4 coasters before Christmas gets here -- I did finish a coordinating table runner.

I used the same blocks as in the Xs and Os Quilt that's been giving me such a hard time most of this year. I love the way the blocks look, and I know I'll be working with this block again in the years to come. It's so quick and easy, but the outcome is so charming.

See -- adorable. 

I even did a little bit of outline quilting, so the back has a hint of the xoxo pattern as well. I know hugs and kisses aren't really a Christmas theme, but I think they could be! 

All in all, I'm thrilled with how this came out -- and I can happily say that it came through the wash with no visible problems, which I cannot say for the Xs and Os Quilt -- which happened to get a second, equally disappointing wash, at the same time as this runner. More on that soon.

For today, I'm going to focus on the good.

Quilt #25 - Christmas Star

What a difference a few hours makes! When I took the pre-wash photos, the outside world could have passed for summer still. Not any more. I only managed a couple of photos before my fingers were too numb to continue, but here's the Christmas Star quilt finished at last!

And not a binding issue or a new pucker in sight -- I'm so grateful for that. This one has not been the easiest to work with. I'm not sure if the fabrics just didn't mesh well, or perhaps it was trying to quilt without my inset desk, or just the scale of the thing, but I struggled from start to finish. Which isn't to say I don't love this quilt. I do. I think I love everything I work on. But I am ready to wrap this one up for gifting.

I love how the dark brown binding really sets off the back. I think it was totally the right choice. The green would have done something similar, but I think this happy accident worked out for the best.

I do love the fabrics and colors. Which is good, because I'm not quite finished working with the leftover scraps from this quilt. I've got a couple more things to work on to coordinate with this project -- if I get them finished in time -- before I'll be saying 'goodbye' to it completely.

I hope the recipient loves it even more than I do! We'll find out in a few weeks. Yikes -- that's coming up too soon. I'd better stop typing and get back to sewing!