A New Quilt for Aidan and March Stash Report

This cutie pie, my 9-year-old grandson, Aidan, has informed me that it's his turn for a new quilt. 

In his (barely) nine years I've made him not one .....

..... not two .....

..... not even three .....

..... but four quilts .....

..... AND a quilted Christmas stocking.

After being a dedicated Miami Heat fan for several years he has just changed his loyalty to the Golden State Warriors, so he thinks he needs a new Warriors quilt.  I convinced him that a wall-hanging would be an even cooler idea.  

  


















I enlarged the logo and bought the fabric.  I'm planning to just make a simple raw-edge appliquéd top and free-motion quilt it.  It set my stash-busting back a little, but that will motivate me to get it finished quickly.

Besides, I need to get it onto his wall before he changes favorite teams again.

March

Fabric Added in March - 2 yards

Fabric Used in March - 19.48 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date - 2 yards

Fabric Used Year to Date - 55.30 yards

Net used in 2015 - 53.30 yards

My New Project for October -- Another Quilt for Aidan

It's already time to share my October project for the 2013 NewFo Challenge.  A few weeks ago my grandson, Aidan, asked me to make him an Alabama quilt.  (As in the football team -- The Crimson Tide.)  The last quilt I made him was his Star Wars Quilt in March 2011.  I was thinking that one would keep him happy a little longer than this, but my grands can ask me for just about anything these days.  (Well.....since always, I guess!)  The only fabric I could find locally was this print which I paired with my favorite black, Michael Miller Jet Black.  

Since it was the only Bama fabric my local quilt shop had left I was really hoping Aidan would like it.  He was here the other day and in a very casual way said, "I really don't like Star Wars anymore."   Where did that come from?  Could he possibly be thinking about the quilt he had asked me to make?  I told him that just happened to remind me that I bought some Alabama fabric and got it out to show him.  He looked at it closely, thought about it, then gave me a "thumbs up" and said, "Good job!"  Whew!  Good for me.  

I decided to keep the quilt pretty simple (he's only 7 after all!) so went with one of my favorites - "Over and Under" by Paula Hughes.  

I love this pattern because it's so simple!  4.5" x 6.5" focus fabric with a 1.5' by 6.5" strip on each side.  When you alternate the blocks and then but a border around it you get a woven effect.  

I'm using this pattern for the fifth time on this quilt.  I think I'll have it ready in record time.  

I am linking up to Barbara's Linky Party.  Go take a look at all the NewFo's started this month!

Aidan's Star Wars Quilt

I hope you have been watching the progress on Aidan's Star Wars quilt because this one has been a lot of fun.  (Yes, I really mean it!)  It had its challenges, but it came together well and took less than a month to complete.
To give the quilting a little more interest, I decided to use Rainbow Threads in "Zebra" by Superior Threads which alternates black and gray and white thread.  

There's a little more white in it than I had hoped, but I like the way it turned out.

I ended up using orange for both the inner border and the binding and then piecing the back to use up all the fabrics.  

Here's the back.

I can hardly wait to give it to him.  He was SO excited when I told him I was working on a Star Wars Quilt for him.

This is Aidan when he's just being Aidan.....

.....and this is what he looked like the last time I saw him.  I think he may have been a Storm Trooper.  

I know that's a light saber.  Just about everything IS!

How I Spent National Quilting Day

I actually spent National Quilting Day working on a quilt!  In my last post I showed you the progress I had made on Aidan's Star Wars quilt.  I am happy to report that because of National Quilting Day the top is complete.  On my way home from visiting my grandchildren in Huntsville the other day, I stopped at Hancock's of Paducah and bought these two fabrics for an inner border and binding. 

Yesterday I finished filling in the black background and added a half inch inner border of orange before putting the Darth Vader borders on.  I am loving this quilt!

Now, to piece the backing.  I have these two pillow panels that I want to use on the back along with the Darth Vader fabric and some black and orange scraps. 

I am really excited about getting this finished.  I know Aidan is going to love it!


On a serious note -- I think we should have a MONTHLY National Quilting Day.  Don't you!?!?

Did I Really Say That?

Seriously.  Did I really say, "All I have to do is finish filling it in with black and it will be ready to quilt" in this post??  I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.  Thinking it would be done in about a week, I started cutting pieces and sewing them into place.  Well, it isn't as easy as it looks!  It certainly isn't like making blocks and sewing them into rows and then sewing rows together.  The more I sewed, the more I ended up with places like this to fill in.

I ended up sewing that piece into place like you would sew a "Y" seam, only it really was more like sewing an "L" seam.  It worked, though.


It's coming along nicely now, and I have hopes of finishing it in March, which was my original goal.  


It's shaping up!

In case you wondered what that blue spot is in the middle of my design wall, here's a close-up of it.  

My grandson Gavin decided several years ago, when he was about 6, that if Gramma can put her art work up on the design wall, then so could he!  Take my word for it -- water colors are not easy to get off your flannel design wall.  Awww, I love it, though!

It's Not Like I Haven't Been Busy

I guess I was so busy I managed to let an entire month go by without blogging.  Or maybe it's that whole February hibernating thing I have going on.   Oh, let's just go with the "Busy" thing.  Here's what I've been up to.  

My February finish!!  A baby quilt for a little girl being born any day now. 

I worked from my stash for this one after I found this cute pink print in my novelty fabrics. 

Then I made 26 of these scrappy pineapple blocks for a block swap with some online friends......

......and 5 of these blocks for another swap.

I found some scrappy blue strips in my sewing room so I started putting them together for a quilt for our great-nephew due in May.

After that, I started on a Star Wars quilt at the request of our grandson, Aidan.  There isn't any Star Wars fabric currently available, but I found some Darth Vader fabric on eBay for the backing and borders and also this panel by Lucas Films Ltd.

I cut up the panel......














......then made some filler blocks (still trying to use up that stash!) 

  

All I have to do is finish filling it in with black and it will be ready to quilt. 


And, needless to say, I will have one happy Jedi grandson!   


I also made some pillowcases for the Million Pillowcase Challenge and I got a LOT of work done on the UFO I told you about in this post.

So I guess I haven't been hibernating at all.  Just not talking about what I've been up to as much as I should be!