Ashley's Wedding Quilt

If you're tired of me starting off my blog posts with "another niece needed a wedding quilt" I'll just say instead that Emily's and Paige's cousin, Ashley, needed a wedding quilt.  Yes, that would be my niece.  Another niece.  I have a lot of them.  

I'm still trying to use up those batiks, so this time I chose the "Bella" pattern by Timeless Treasures.  

The stars really added a lot of interest to an otherwise simple pattern.

Another interesting part of the process was sewing the first two columns on upside down .....

.....then ripping them off and putting them back on right side up.

Can you see the difference?  Please tell me you can see the difference!  I would have never experienced another peaceful night's sleep if I hadn't corrected it.  Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but .....

Either way, this beautiful bride loves it .....

..... and that's all that matters.

Linking up with So Scrappy and Oh Scrap!

[wedding photo credit Rachel Turner Photography]

A Wedding Quilt For Emily and Chris

So this beautiful couple .....

..... had a wedding coming up, and it was time for Aunt Sandy to spring into action.  I really did, too.  I actually finished and gifted in time for them to unwrap their quilt with the rest of their wedding gifts.  What a concept, right?!?!   

I was still trying to use up some of the batiks in my stash, and what better way to choose the perfect pattern than to check out Jenny Doan's tutorials again.  This time it was "Dream Weavers" that caught my eye.  

Cutting pieces and constructing blocks didn't take long.  (By the way, those hash marks mean absolutely nothing.  As you know, in addition to being math challenged I also cannot count.)

Making decisions about sashing and border fabrics took a little longer.  My original plan was to sash with a nice shade of yellow and dark cornerstones, but once I got that up on my design wall I decided it didn't work.  Especially when I saw it next to the option of dark sashing and yellow cornerstones.  It never ceases to amaze me how color choice can make such a big difference!

And if you had told me that I'd end up with a black and brown border with neutral accents, I would not have believed you.  It totally works, though!  See what happens when you let yourself "play" a little?

I thought naming this wedding quilt "Weaving Dreams" would put a nice twist on the "Dream Weavers" pattern name.  Especially for a sweet couple starting out their new lives together.

So, some more batiks bit the dust, I supported my Local Quilt Shop by buying borders and backing, and I was able to gift a quilt I love to people I love .....

..... and that will be loved for a long time to come.

Linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

A Hypnotic Finish

Well, this turned out to be a very quilty weekend!  On Friday I made a pieced backing for a 72" x 72" quilt, on Saturday I basted it and started quilting it, on Sunday I finished quilting it and made the binding, and today I finished stitching that binding down.  I made this quilt in about three weeks!  I am a happy girl.

I like the back as much as the front.  You might even say this quilt is reversible.

I made a little dent in my stash on this one, using more than nine yards of fabric. 

I'm really excited about gifting this because the couple receiving it has a special place in my heart.  I didn't decide until the beginning of this month that I was going to make it.  Getting it done this fast just goes to show you what I can accomplish when I put my mind to it (AND don't do any housework!)  

Old Wedding Quilt Progress

So far, this is going much better than I had hoped.  Of course, I still have a long way to go.  Thinking that I would just remove enough of the blocks to make it nine blocks square, rebind it, and put on a hanging sleeve, I got started.  The first thing I did was take off the outer border.

Then I started taking off the outside row of blocks which allowed me to get a closer look at the batting.  

Yikes!   That is some dried up , crumbly, old batting!   I started picking out the quilting so I could remove the batting and made an even more interesting discovery.

I have no idea what that is, but seriously, that batting really had to go!  (It makes me wonder about all those quilts I have that my grandparents made.)  I turned on the TV, tuned in to some cheesy Hallmark movies that don't take a lot of concentration, and got busy with my seam ripper.

So far, I have about 20 hours invested, an old backing, and a pile of blocks and sashing, all of which are pretty fragile.

I don't think I have nine blocks with no damage so I'll have to take apart some of the worst blocks and combine the pieces to come up with enough blocks to make it nine by nine.

The next decision will be how to stabilize the blocks before I put it all back together.  I don't want to lose the character of the blocks by pressing out the wrinkles that came from all those years of using and washing.

I have a few ideas, but I need to give it some serious thought.  I'll probably do a little research and ask advice from my quilty friends.

I have to say that I am really having fun working on this.  I knew it would be a challenge when I offered to do it, but I can already anticipate one huge benefit - a great feeling of accomplishment when it's finished.

....and Speaking of Wedding Quilts

I guess we weren't exactly talking about wedding quilts, but since I blogged last week about one of the quilts I made for my older son I thought I would show you one of the quilts I made for my younger son.  And it actually IS a wedding quilt.  

Aaron and Leah went through my magazines when they got engaged and selected the Christmas Star pattern from the 2000 issue of Quilt It For Christmas, published by Quilters Newsletter Magazine.  Then, after they got married we went shopping for batiks at Colonial Quilts in Savannah, GA.  (I have a good excuse for their quilt not being ready by the wedding --- I made Leah's bridal gown, and that kind of took priority.  AND it kind of took a lot of time!)  

This is the completed quilt:  

It finished at 112" square.  The thought of basting it was a little overwhelming to me so I had a friend baste it for me on her longarm machine.  Then I hand-quilted it.  And I finished it before their 4th anniversary.  I really love this quilt!
Here's the quilt on their bed:

This is a close-up of the little wall-hanging over the bed:

Aaron had chosen the pre-printed black whole-cloth panel from The Stencil Company. When I was almost finished with the quilting, I realized I was using dark blue thread to quilt it.  Of course, I thought I had ruined it, but it isn't at all noticeable and may even make the quilting stand out a little more.  Having a wall-hanging framed instead of using a hanger is a nice way to display your work.  And having it hanging in your son's home, is an even nicer way!