Oma's Quilt

Of all the quilts I've made, I really do think this one gets top billing as a favorite.  I made this for my Mom for Christmas in 2010.  My kids call her "Oma", which is German for Grandmother.

The pattern was adapted from a Moda Bake Shop tutorial.  The "recipe" called for a layer cake, and I substituted charm squares and added borders.

I'm consistently drawn to Fig Tree fabrics.  The color palettes that she uses are always directly in line with my liking.  But this Fresh Cotton line was particularly captivating to me.  So soft and fresh.

I love the tiny, dainty prints and the general "old time" look of these fabrics.  The colors are intense, yet calming.  It's just a great look.  I think this pattern really showcased the fabrics well too.

I stippled this quilt with a creamy yellow thread.  I did this on my old machine (my new one was a gift that year!) and the thread gave me absolute fits.  I bought it for its color, but the entire experience caused me to forever pledge my loyalty to Aurafil, which is my FAVORITE brand.

I went whole hog on the back.  I usually piece quilt backs because in addition to giving it a fun look, it is far more economical.  However, I bought yardage of my favorite print for this back.  It was a worthwhile splurge.  This print completely reminded me of the wallpaper in my grandmother's spare bedroom that I used to sleep in as a little girl.

I love this fabric.  Bunches.

The flower basket embroidery design was a freebie from my LQS, and the verse Hannah chose was Psalm 33:4.

The Lord has indeed been faithful to my sweet Mom in so many ways throughout the years.  I knew she would be grateful for the reminders of that truth.

I couldn't believe my Mom actually let me put the new puppy on her quilt for photos.  :-)

(I won't show you the ones where the dog has big mouthfuls of this quilt hanging from her jowls.  That would only prove upsetting to my mother.  Hee hee...)

Thanks for letting me share Oma's Quilt.

Gran Gran's Quilt

I mailed a quilt yesterday to a very special lady.

I made this for my husband's grandmother.  Can you believe she is almost 95 years old and just lately moved into assisted living??  She has been active in her apartment at that location for many years, hosting bridge club and working on her artwork.  She recently transferred into the assisted living portion to get a little more help with her daily doings and meals.

My MIL suggested that GG might use a light weight lap quilt in the air conditioning.

A reason for a new quilt??  I'm on it!  :-)

This is the embroidery design that I did for the back label. It was a free pattern from birdbrain designs.

The front of this project is pieced using fabrics from  a fairly recent Carrie Nelson line.  I thought the bright and happy colors were good for springtime, but they were too light, in my opinion, to back a quilt that was made for function.  I was so happy when I found this April Cornell print at Joann's.  Although I wasn't specifically looking for green, the overall print coordinated with the rest of the fabrics, and it was dark and busy enough that GG can put this to regular, vigorous use without having to worry about spots, stains, or spills.   

I designed the pattern myself, and made it small enough to be used as a lap drape while sitting in a chair.

It is my daughter's job to choose a verse for every quilt I make.  She chose a Psalm for GG.

"I trust in your unfailing love;

My heart rejoices in your salvation."

Psalm 13:5

Here is the quilt in my favorite corner.  (Never model a quilt that you are about to mail away in your favorite corner.  It makes it hard to part with!  Ha!)

GG is an artist and writer, and has completed hundreds of paintings, sculptures, rugs, and books in her lifetime.  The painting on the wall is one she did of her husband, who was an avid fisherman.  It is one of my husband's very favorite paintings.  We "share" it with one of his cousins....we agreed to trade it back and forth every few years so both of our families could enjoy it.  The green pot on the little wooden chest was also made by GG.

I admire GG for her creative spark.  Papa (in the painting) was an amazing artist in his own right as well.  They shared a love of creative endeavors, and his many of his sculptures are on display in the community where they lived.

It's always fun to start a project when you know from the start who the recipient will be.  It gives you time while you're working to really think of that person, recount memories, and give thanks.

GG has two children, five grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren......and one new quilt.

This has now been sent to Kansas to live with GG.

A Golden Oldie

Today I'm sharing one of the first quilts I ever finished.  I made this in 1994.

It was a Christmas gift for my parents.

Clearly, powder blue and mauve were all the rage in '94.  :-)

Why I decided to pair it with that purple floral background?  Anyone's guess.

Ha!

It's funny to see how fabrics change, but I do still love a good old fashioned sampler.

This pattern was a sampler class that I took at a LQS.  I originally made this in Christmas fabrics, then reused the pattern to make this quilt.  That original Christmas quilt is still just a topper, packed away in a cedar chest waiting to be quilted.........someday!  (Maybe.)  Hard to get motivated on some of those golden oldies!

Mom still keeps this on her guest room bed in springtime.

I'll always be sentimental about this one.  I was so proud to have finished a quilt!

Baby Kate's Quilt

I'm rather tickled with the latest project to roll off the machine.  It's always fun to get to work on a small project in bright spring colors!  My neighbor just had her third baby girl in less than four years.  She has her hands full!  In an effort to get to know her a little better, I thought it would be fun to put together an over the top GIRL quilt.  So, I pulled out the sweetest, brightest, most feminine colors I could find.  This is an older Moda line....Spring Magic, I believe??

I designed the quilt myself based on the types and amounts of fabrics that I had available.  Of course, this design begged for straight line quilting, which always gives such a clean and classy look, but I did add some stippling in the vertical striped border, just to add some interest.

I backed this one with a solid piece of yellow micro-dot.  I normally piece my quilt backs and add a hand embroidered label.  Since I had not done that here, I felt the back was just too plain.  I went to bed last night wondering what I could add to give it a personal touch.

Then it hit me.  So I got up, turned on the lights, grabbed a needle and two lengths of embroidery thread, then crawled back under the covers to stitch this little lamb. I knew if I didn't just get up and do it I would lay awake thinking about it, which probably would have taken twice as long.  :-)

(I know.  I have quilting sickness.)

I pieced together odds and ends to make a scrappy binding, which also gives some extra color to the back.  I just love polka dots, and the micro dot seemed like a great fit for a little baby.

I did a running stitch to make a circle around the little lamb, which served as the perfect guide for this quilt's verse, which is from the book of Matthew.

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me...For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

The little label made me very happy, and compensated for the simple backing.

My favorite part of the quilt is this little monogrammed panel on the front.  Emma loves fairies right now, so that was my inspiration in choosing this little design to embroider.

It washed up beautifully, and is completely soft, crinkled, and cuddly.  It is all bundled up and ready to swaddle a mighty adorable little baby girl.

Thanks taking a look at my latest!

Boy, Oh Boy!

I just finished a baby quilt for a little boy due this spring.  I chose some bright, contemporary fabrics that made me happy.  Of course, the oranges are my favorites.  The dark brown fabric has vintage cars on it, and that piece was my inspiration fabric.  The other fabrics were chosen to match the colors in the cars.

Both front and back are rather simple on this one.  I machine quilted using a tight stipple.

I embroidered the label with the baby's name.

The verse for this quilt comes from I Samuel 1:27,

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."

I took a cue from Rita at Red Pepper Quilts. She is forever binding quilts in a black and white stripe, and I love it.  Every. Single. Time.

So, I copied.  And it was a good decision I do believe.

This one is ready to travel to Houston, Texas to welcome a new baby boy!

Fresh Flowers

I'm excited to finally be able to share this quilt with you.  I've been diligently pecking away over here, but it was a surprise so I was sworn to secrecy.

My daughter requested a quilt for her good friend Melanie's 18th birthday.  She specifically chose these exact fabrics to match Melanie's room months and months ago.  Too bad I didn't actually purchase the fabrics back then because it was a bit of a scramble to find what I needed over the internet.  (I know, Hannah.  You warned me.)  I'm really glad that Wendy and my Mom talked me into the yellow background.  It is Kona Buttercup and it works really well with the colors in this line.

The pattern is from the book Scrap Basket Sensations.

I tried something new.  I used a variegated thread, a first for me. I also tried to teach myself the art of free motion flowers in all the yellow portions.  The thing about trying something new is that invariably it isn't going to be perfect right away.  It's always difficult to have imperfections on a quilt, especially one that you give away.  But I think I would get bored too easily if I weren't always pushing myself to learn something new.  I will however note that mistakes show up a bit more readily in variegated thread!

Melanie is a bird lover, so when I spied this Robert Kaufman fat quarter at the LQS I snatched it right up.  The colors worked beautifully, and those who know Melanie will completely understand why birds cropped up on the back of her flower quilt.

I hand embroidered a label.  The verse for this project comes from Song of Solomon.

'

My favorite thing about this quilt isn't the quilt at all, but the little accessory that was born during a fit of insomnia last week which led me to putter quietly in my scrap pile.  My sewing machine is in my bedroom and out of consideration for Mr. Eight-to-Five I refrain from running it all night long, even though I tend to be a bit of a creative night owl.  However, by the gentle glow of a small lamp, one can quietly rotary cut and shuffle snippits of fabric around while remaining quiet as a church mouse. 

My first pillow.  Ever.

So THIS is what all the fuss is about.  They are really fun to make.

I embroidered the owl to mimic the fabric on the quilt back.  I offset that block in my layout to achieve a contemporary look.  I then machine quilted each section of the pillow using a different technique.  For instance, I pebble quilted along every single polka dot on the outer borders.  It's so much fun to try new things on such a small project.

I fiddled around a little and figured out how to make an envelope backing.

A matched set.  All future scraps are now destined to become matching pillows.  :-)

Bound in a colorful floral print.  The line (which has mostly disappeared from retailers by now) is Fresh Flowers for Moda by Deb Strain.

The birthday girl was here for dinner Friday night and I could finally let my secret out.

My daughter is now in college in Tennessee, and was really sad to miss Melanie's birthday for the first time since the girls were two years old.

So we solved that.  We skyped with Hannah while Melanie opened her present.

A very modern and high tech birthday.

With an old fashioned, quilted twist.

Happy 18th, Melanie.

And many more.

XOXO