An I Spy Finish!

I know two very happy boys.  My 3 year old great-nephew Phenyx.....

  






















......and my 1 year old great-nephew Kingston.

They got their I Spy quilts in the mail last week from their very awesome Great Aunt Sandy (that would be me!)

There are so many fun novelty fabrics available these days.  Everything from bumble bees to candy corn to cupcakes and balloon dogs. Even lobsters!

I used the backing fabric to make some matching pillowcases.  I love this fabric designed by Wendy Bentley for Timeless Treasures. 

Paula Hughes' Over - Under Pattern came in handy again for this quilt, and I got two entirely different looks because of the background fabrics.  The dark blue fabric created a woven look, but the blocks on the green background look like they're floating.  Fun!

Phenyx is already playing games with his quilt and finding all kinds of fun things ---- even when he is supposed to be sleeping!

So, two well-loved boys have their I Spy quilts that I know will also be well-loved.  And that makes this quilter very happy.

I Spy a Cute Quilt for Someone!

My great-nephews Phenyx and Kingston recently got new beds.  Big boy beds!  I noticed that one of them has been sleeping with his Gramma's Hubba Hubba Quilt, so I decided they need their own quilts and set out to make them this week.  I have lots of novelty prints left over from other kid quilts.  This is what's on the design wall so far...

This Over and Under Pattern by Paula Hughes looks complicated but it's really simple.  The prints are cut in 4.5" x 6.5" blocks.  Then a green 1.5" x 6.5" strip is sewn onto each side.  

Alternating the blocks results in a woven pattern.  Black sashing gives a really distinct look as seen in this Halloween quilt.  


I'm making one quilt in green and one in blue.

I can't wait to get these done so the boys can have their own quilts.  AND so their Gramma can have her Hubba Hubba quilt back!

"Halloween Basket" for Christmas

Sometimes when a niece or nephew gets married I make a simple scrap comforter tied with yarn and give it to them as part of their shower gift.  Everyone loves comforters.  They come in handy for all kinds of things and last just about forever.  

Laura got one in 2002.   








Catherine got one in 2005.

As soon as Travis laid eyes on Vanessa in 2007 while they were both in the Army he decided she was "the one" and there was no need to wait, so they were married within months.  I barely had time to say, "Congratulations" much less make any gifts.  Other projects became priorities, including quilts as their babies came along, and the comforter just never got made.  

I bought Paula Hughes' pattern Over and Under because I thought I would make it "someday" out of oriental prints, but when I found out what Travis and Vanessa's favorite holiday is, I wanted to use the pattern for their quilt and all those HALLOWEEN prints I'd been saving would be perfect for it.

And a matching pillowcase for every one in the family!  

I had just the right amount of spiderweb fabric in my stash to add to the backing and make it even more fun!

So Travis and Vanessa, and Phenyx and Kingston have a quilt I call "Halloween Basket" being delivered this evening by my sister and the rest of the family.  

        Merry Christmas to you, Travis and Vanessa!     


                  (And Happy Halloween, too!)






By the way, just so you know, sometimes they really look like this!