Teal Squares: A Wedding Gift

August, 2013 (published later because the design is a surprise)

A close friend got married this summer, one who really understands what goes in to making handmade items like quilts. I decided to make a queen size quilt with two matching shams for her and her new husband. I love giving a  quilt as a gift when the recipient is someone who really appreciates what it is. 

The bride's favorite color is teal, so I used that as my starting point. I ordered a fat quarter bundle in a range of blues, and paired it with a black background and some teal dots for the backing. 

Here are some in-progress shots:

And the final layout...

The pattern is Impromptu by Rachel Griffith (http://shop.psiquilt.com/product/impromptu-quilt-pattern-108-pdf-version) and I love the geometric design and the colors I chose on the black background. 

Today I am piecing the quilt back, and then I will be ready to baste, quilt, and bind. 

Halloween 2013

Up until about a month ago, the Goose had insisted that she was going to be a penguin, and her sister would be the egg that sits on her feet. Then all of a sudden, she decided to be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. It took some convincing to get her to agree that her little sister would not be Toto, and I got her to settle on Glinda instead. Then she assigned me to be the Wicked Witch of the West (if the broom fits...) and her daddy to be the Tin Man. 

Here are some process shots of the costumes in production...

...And all of us on Halloween...

We all had a blast!

Caterpillar Quilt

My big girl has a quilt made with fabric based on Eric Carle's book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and it has become one of her loveys. 

So of course, when I saw this fabric based on the same author's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I knew I had found the perfect fabric for my little one's lovey quilt! I posted about starting it last year, but now I finally have it to the point that it's basted and ready for me to quilt it. 

Here are some photos in progress:

I'm looking forward to trying out some new free motion techniques when I quilt this one-- I have new books by Angela Walters and Natalia Bonner with lots of new designs!

Florida Girl Quilt-- Done!

My mother in law was finally able to take her quilt home with her this August. My little Goose helped me decide on a few of the special stitches I used when quilting her Grammy's quilt. Overall I quilted wavy lines over the long seams, but I added a few of the stitches that my machine does in individual blocks. 

I didn't manage to get a photo of the finished product before it was packed in a suitcase and brought to Florida, but here it is on Joyce's couch, where I know it gets plenty of snuggles!!

Baby quilts!

It has been so long since I've had time to post, so several posts are coming!! First up, the baby quilts I was working on in the spring and summer!

This quilt was made for Miss Ellie Jean:

I just love these fabrics...I was so glad to have a good reason to buy and use them!!

Next, I have one made for a little guy name Sebastian, who is being called Sebby. How sweet:

Baby Quilts <3

I am so excited to be able to make baby quilts for two of my friends who are expecting little bundles of joy this summer! One little boy and one little girl...and I know their mommies will love these special quilts made just for them!!

More Florida Quilt Progress

My last post was actually a draft from January that I never posted. Now that my show is over and things around the house are returning to a more normal routine, I have made a little more progress on the Florida Quilt for my mother in law. This was also aided by the fact that the Bug has a double ear infection and is cutting four teeth at once, so I ended up using one of my family sick days today. All of the blocks have been trimmed and I finalized the layout. 5 of 8 rows are sewn together, too, but I didn't take a picture of that yet! My mother in law is visiting this weekend, and I didn't get it done in time for this trip. I should definitely be able to finish it up before her next visit in June, though. The first photo is the final layout, and the second is a shot of our dog, Bo, helping. Good thing she's a dog lover!