Finally a Finish!! Gavin's Quilt is Done!!

I have a happy boy at my house!  I finished quilting Gavin's quilt last week and stitched down the binding at retreat.  When I asked him how happy he is with his quilt he said,  "I --- am overjoyed!"  And so is Gramma.

When he saw it on the design wall he just had to hug it.

When he realized I was taking photos he wouldn't let me take any more, especially if there was any chance I might post them online.  (Almost a teenager, you know!)

I seriously thought about getting rid of the book with the paper-piecing patterns in it.  I am so done with mythology quilts.  But then I got to thinking, what if Gavin meets a little gal some day who also loves mythology?  And I need to make a mythology wedding quilt.........

Update on Gavin's Quilt

I just looked back at the last time I posted anything about Gavin's quilt, and I was surprised that I've only posted one update since I first talked about it in this post.   I showed you the hippogrifs in this post.  Since I'm really close to finishing it, I thought I should give you a real update.   The castles were the next section that I worked on.  I really wanted to add a little color, but Gavin is making all the decisions on this quilt and he wanted brown or tan for the castle.  

I did manage to work in a little red and yellow with the roofs, doors and windows. He likes it.  

It stayed like this for a while.  I think I was a little over-whelmed at this point.  All that paper-piecing, you know.......Since most of the top was dark I had to order black batting, Quilter's Dream and wait for it to get here.   Then it sat there, basted, for a while. 

I finally realized that there was a slim chance Gavin might outgrow this one before I finish it.  That's all I needed to get quilting -- motivation!!

I started in the middle with the BIG Centaur and just stippled.  

And stippled. 

And stippled some more.

I always think a little embroidery helps, so I added a little to the windows.  The owls look better with eyes than without eyes, don't they?

Gavin is doing a great job with color selections, isn't he? 

At this point the entire thing is quilted except for the black background areas, so there is hope that it will be done soon.  Maybe even tomorrow???

My New Project for May --- and a Finish!!

The project I started in May for the 2013 NewFo Challenge is almost exactly like the one I started in February - appliqued stars on a neutral background.  Only this time the stars are pink!

I got all the stars finished and all the strips cut.


When I got the other quilt top put together I decided I didn't like it because there wasn't enough contrast.  Most of my neutrals were so similar that it looked like the stars were appliqued to a solid background.  Quilting it made all the difference, though.  I hand quilted it with aqua thread which made the individual strips stand out a little more. 

Of course, a quilt always looks better when the quilting is finished!  Now I love this baby quilt!

I am linking up with Barbara at Cat Patches.  Now to see what other quilters are up to!

My New Project for April -- Tile Tango

When you make a little girl a baby quilt, and she loves it so much that she keeps it on her bed long after she has outgrown it, she deserves a new quilt.  A big girl quilt!  There are so many pretty quilt patterns available from which to choose these days.  I decided to use the Tile Tango pattern by Atkinson Designs for Aemarys's quilt. 

You can see that I starting pulling from my "Brights" stash when I came across this colorful version! I wish I knew where I found this photo; I would certainly give credit for it.

So far I only have one block completed, but that's enough to qualify as a new project for the 2013 NewFo Challenge!

I'm getting a little nervous about all these new projects.  If I don't get them finished this calendar year I'll have to move them to my UFO list.  I don't like that.........


Linking up to Barbara's Linky Party.  Go over there and check out what other quilters have started this month!

Last Retreat Report

I was really glad to be invited to this retreat.  I had heard about Red Rooster Retreat and was anxious to see it.  It's perfect for just about any kind of group.

It's in a beautiful area right on Smith Lake near Crane, Alabama. 

They can sleep up to 23 guests and all the beds had quilts on them.  In fact there were quilts just about everywhere.

The sewing room was a great space with a nice sitting area next to it.  

The meals were really delicious.  A varied menu with everything freshly made and great desserts.  (I decided ahead of time to not eat desserts that week, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings!)


It was a good week.  I got some sewing done and made some new friends.  Well worth it, I'd say!  

More Retreat Projects

I got three pillowcases finished for St. Louis Children's Hospital!  

I am only 10 away from my goal of 50 for my self imposed June deadline.  I really like these.  (I just realized that I say that every time I make pillowcases!  LOL)  I bought the fabric for the two on the left at a quilt shop in Florida on our vacation in March, and the other fabric I bought here at Quilter's Combo.    

After I got the pillowcases finished I dug into my box of 2 inch squares and stitched together a bunch of scrappy 16-Patch blocks.  

Not sure yet what I'm going to do with these, but I have a lot of ideas!