A June Progress Report

I've gotten sidetracked by a few things, but my June goal is slowly getting there.  I was nearly finished appliqueing some blue star blocks when I decided to make it my June goal to turn them into a donation quilt.  I started making nine-patches for the alternate blocks, but got tired of that, so I ended up making a second kind, too.   Then somewhere along the way I realized I was using two different shades of gray.  It's a scrappy quilt, though, right? 

The blocks look good together .....

..... and I was able to pull the perfect backing fabric from my stash.  It's the same fabric I used for the background in Natalie's quilt - "Essentials" by Wilmington Prints.

 That project is set aside for now.  My daughter-in-law asked me to make a quilt for her friend's twin grand-daughters.  I was pretty excited to be asked to make such a special quilt, and maybe a little excited to buy something new and fun to work with.  I found this collection called "Seashore Drive" by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda Fabrics.  It was hard to pick out only ten of them.  I fell in love with all the prints in the line.

It's even prettier when you add some Kona White.

I can't get away from those Half Square Triangles, can I?

But, just wait until you see what I'm doing with them!

Karlie's Quilt -- Stars and Hearts

When my niece, Karlie, asked me to make a quilt for her I was delighted to do so.  When she said she wanted it to be black and grey with white stars and red hearts I thought that might be a challenge.  I've made quilts with stars,  and I've made quilts with hearts, but I've never made one with both.  I wondered if I could come up with a design where the stars and hearts played well together.  I got out my handy-dandy graph paper and started with stars.  (Don't anyone tell me I need to learn to design on the computer -- I've tried -- I can't.  I like graph paper.)

Every single black and white print came from my stash.  I have a pretty cool supply of B&W prints!

My original plan was to just put a black border on it, but I didn't like the way the stars would be cut off.  

You know what that means, right?  Out came the graph paper!

This is how I made the components I needed to get the stars to extend into the border.

Does that make sense?  Anyway.  This border was going to look lots better.

I had to at least throw some hearts into the backing.  

A little bit of everything actually ended up there.

That was still not enough hearts to suit me.  Now it was up to my friend, Shirley (Custom Quilting by Shirley Jackson) to work in a few more.  I asked her to do a simple meander and every once in a while, throw in a heart.  It's all good, she knew exactly what I meant.  She used a variegated black and red thread which looked perfect.

The hearts needed to stand out just a little more, so I embroidered around just those in the border.

Yes!  That made me happy.  In fact, I love it.

Finished! 

The best part was yet to come.  Seeing Karlie's face when I gave it to her.

There you have it.  The perfect gift for a beautiful young woman.  I know she loves it.  These pictures don't lie.

Oliver's Quilt

Now I can tell you about the most recent baby quilt I made.  The last time I posted I was getting ready to mail it to our newest great-nephew, Oliver.  I had actually started this one in plenty of time instead of waiting until the last minute, I just couldn't post about it until now.  I wanted to make his quilt with black and white and brights because I had given this quilt to Oliver's mama, Nikki, when she was a teenager.

I decided to appliqué stars onto a black and white print marked off in 5" squares.

Then I found a great black and brights print to use for the alternate blocks. 

Love the green I used for a little accent border!

Hand-quilting is one of my favorite ways to relax in the evening.

I wanted to use another shade of green for the binding, but after I made it and started sewing it on, I decided I really didn't like it .....

..... so I tried out a red and a yellow and didn't like them either.

Do you ever find large pieces of yardage in your stash and you can't remember why you bought it?  I didn't think so.  Anyway, I found five yards of this in my stash, and it looked perfect.

I really love this quilt.  Hubby smiles when I say that.  I say that after every quilt.

The backing is pieced with a few bright strips to make it wide enough.

I think little Oliver likes his quilt.  I know his mama does.  

That makes this quilter really happy!

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework and WIP's Be Gone at A Quilting Reader's Garden. 

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Another UFO Finished

When I broke my arm earlier this year my goals were definitely set aside, and I wondered if I would get much done for the rest of 2015.  I am happy to report that I am definitely back on track.  That's thanks to Hubby, I must confess, who "talked me into" keeping the cleaning ladies we hired when I was unable to do much of anything, being one-handed and all.  

I just completed my fifth UFO for this year, bringing my total number left to finish down to seven.  I know, right?  There IS light at the end of the tunnel.

Using this Moda jellyroll I started a quilt in April of 2013 at a retreat and shared it in this blog post.  I made 13 blocks and then I lost interest in it.  That usually only happens if the project is not intended for a specific someone.  That's how it becomes a UFO!

I was motivated to finish it because I wanted to give the quilt to my sister-in-law, April, for her 40th birthday.  The blocks went together fairly quickly.  Deciding on a layout seemed to take longer!  I'm sure I rearranged the blocks at least a half-dozen times. 

My friend, Shirley (Custom Quilting by Shirley Jackson) did a beautiful job quilting it for me, using the "Willow"pantograph.

I wanted April's name in the title so with the help of friends (in other words, people who are actually good at naming quilts) I called it "Under the April Stars." 

I am so happy with the way it turned out.  It's one of my favorite quilts!

It was definitely a surprise for April when she received it in the mail last week.  (Partly because her birthday was three weeks ago!)  She was pretty excited when she called me.  Knowing someone really loves a quilt you made for them is so encouraging.  It makes me want to get the next one finished and delivered!

March Goal -- DONE!

March's ALYoF goal turned out to be a lot of fun.  Once I made up my mind about what to make for the fundraiser it went together fairly quickly.  After prepping all the reds in my stash and cutting squares, the sewing was easy.   Adding the stars was a new experience for me.  Even though I've made quite a few appliqué quilts I've never done raw edge appliqué before.   I like how it turned out.

I used a stipple design for the quilting and learned that working with red on red is almost as much "fun" as working with black on black.  I was thankful for the good lighting in my sewing room!

I pieced the backing as I often do, using all the red & white prints I had in my stash, which wasn't very many, and a red with stars print.

  






















A lot of love went into this quilt.  I hope it raises a large amount of money for the child in need.  That's why I'm naming it "Wish Upon A Star."

I'm linking up with the Finishes Party at Fiber of All Sorts.