Christmas 2011 Sewing

AND..........



A GREAT JOINT VENTURE!

Every year I "plan" to sew some Christmas presents and every year I end up with ... not much done.

This year I'm hoping that I will be inspired by the Sewn With Grace Blog and the Handmade by Heidi Blog to make at least one gift each month all year.

The third Monday of each Month, Sewn with Grace will feature a different Christmas gift idea.

I think a great idea would be if I dedicated my "Friday Night Sew In" projects to Christmas, 2011!

Just one more way to be consistent in 2011.

A Southern Girl Can Never have too much Pink!

Thanks to my extra hour today, I was able to finish this baby girl quilt, label and all. I enjoy making this pattern very much and will definitely use it as my "go to" baby quilt pattern when I need a baby shower gift and don't have a lot of time. There are so many color combinations that can be used and it turns out beautifully.

I need to give credit where credit is due. Thank you Crazy Mom Quilts! The pattern can be found HERE.

Little Miss Lily Marie Progress

Sometimes you just have to keep going and keep your goal in mind. I am determined to finish the 2 projects I have been working on this week, no matter what.

Last night I finished quilting "Little Miss Lily Marie", but not without mishaps! Twice when quilting near the edge the excess backing fabric was turned under and got caught in the stitches. After very carefully removing the stitches, thankfully I was able to make it look ok. Then I discovered I was almost out of white thread, but made it right down to the last quilting stitch. I kept stopping to fill the bobbin, trying not to use up all the thread on the spool.



One bright spot in the quilting of this quilt is that my thread didn't break a single time! That is a first and I'm not sure what, if anything, I did differently. I have quilted quilts when the thread broke constantly.

I am trying to branch out into new machine quilting patterns. I love the basic meander stitch I have been doing and have practiced it enough to produce decent results. I thought for this little girl's quilt a looping meander stitch would give it a fun, whimsical touch. The jury is still out on whether or not I really like the way it turned out, but what's done, is done!



After finishing quilting the quilt, my attention then turned to the binding. I wasn't happy with the fabric I originally planned to use, so I looked through my "pink" fabrics and found another one that I thought would look nice. Of course, there wasn't "quite" enough of this one to go all the way around the quilt.

SO.... a visit to the fabric store is in order today to purchase white thread and enough fabric for the binding.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2010 - My First Real Quilt

Be sure to visit AMY'S CREATIVE SIDE for literally hundreds of quilts and their stories, in the Blogger's Quilt Festival for the Fall of 2010.

The quilt I am showcaseing is very special to me!

In 1998 I made my first "real" quilt for my daughter. She had just left home for college and I wanted to make something special for her.



I had always dreamed of making quilts and quilt making was a part of my soul, even before I actually made one.

My first memories of this quilt obsession was when I was about 10. I collected squares of fabric in a box, but never made the quilt. I Don't know what ever happened to that box of squares.

In the early 1980s I ordered Georgia Bonesteel's Lap Quilting book through the mail. I would sit and study this book for hours. I didn't have a quilt frame, so lap quilting was the answer!

So my first real quilt was a Sampler Quilt made from the patterns in this book. The anchor fabric was a "cat" print in blues, browns, and beiges. My daughter liked cats and the color blue a lot when she was young.

Here are close ups of a few of the blocks:

GRANDMOTHER'S FAN



MONKEY WRENCH



PINWHEEL AND CARD TRICKS



CRAZY PATCH



LITTLE DUTCH GIRL/SUNBONNET SUE



SAILS IN THE SUNSET



HOUSE ON THE HILL



THE BACK OF THE QUILT



Not shown is the top right hand block which is a friendship block. In the center is a square that I cross stitched my daughter's name, the date and my name, with love, of course.

A Quilt For My Sister

I finally finished binding this quilt and also made the label tonight. This will be a gift for my sister.





I wonder what Summer Quilt Project I will tackle next year? I think making one block a day is a great way to get a project done.

My Quick Quilts Quick Pic

My December/January Quick Quilts came yesterday.



Without a thought I flipped it open to this page! What a surprise!



I will receive 2 of the issues of the magazine the picture appeared in and a free quilt batting from the Warm Company, but not sure when it will come.

A Quilt, or simply a Quilt Top?

This Quilt belongs to a coworker/friend of mine who after telling me about it, brought it for me to see. It was given to her by another friend whose aunt had made it. From her description I thought it would be a quilt top that had never been quilted.

But, after seeing it I decided it was meant to be used as it is. It consists only of the top with no quilt batting or backing. Its COMPLETELY hand sewn using polyester fabric, which makes it quite heavy. Since the squares are set on the diagonal, this makes the edges have a pointy edge, like "prairie points".

Its a beautiful pattern and lots of work went into it! Have any of you ever seen such a quilt that has no backing or batting?

An Iron-On Quilt Label

I posted about making quilt labels HERE. In this post I mentioned and posted a picture of a book full of iron-on quilt labels that you can color with crayons and markers. Well, I needed to make a label for Maddox's Jungle Babies Quilt II, since it was finally time to deliver the quilt to him.

It worked out pretty cute! I did need to go over the words with a black permanent fabric marker to make it look nicer, in my opinion. I had my doubts about using crayons, but it actually worked really well!

It was really easy. Here's how you do it:

Iron on the label according to the directions. Then use freezer paper to stabilize the fabric so you can write and color on it. I guess most of you know how freezer paper works, but you iron the fabric onto the shiny side of the paper which makes the fabric stick to it. When you finish, just peel it off.

To set the crayon coloring, just place a pressing cloth over it and press with the iron.

I was very happy with the results.

A Fall Strippy Runner - Here we go Loopdey Loo

**** A little note: I hope its not too much of a problem that I will be posting some of the same things on this blog as my Homemaking Dreams Blog. Any time I post about quilting here, I want the readers of both blogs to see it. So, if you follow both blogs, you might see duplicate posts. If you haven't read my Homemaking Dreams blog, check it out. Thanks for your understanding.

This is the first runner I have made and the first time I've done a different kind of free motion quilting other than meandering. I love the loops! It was just like making cursive small "e"s. Easy and I think cute!



Every time I see these loops I want to sing that children's song: Here we go loopdey Loo, here we go Loopdey Li, on a Saturday night. Not sure of the words, but its something like that... isn't it?

Thomas The Train Quilted "Big Boy" Tote

My grandson turned three this past weekend and I just had to make him something. As a quilter and seamstress, I can't seem to pass up an opportunity to make a handmade gift for my loved ones. But, I do try to make sure its something they can use.

Recently I bought 2 yards of Thomas the Train Fabric on clearance for $2.50 per yard. I decided my grandson already has enough quilts made by Grandma,for the time being. But, what could he really use? Well, any toddler just beginning preschool needs a bag to "tote" his blanket and pillow and big boy underwear around in. No more diaper bags, this is a BIG BOY BAG!



If you would like to make a bag like this, my "Reusable Grocery Bag" tutorial might be helpful. It can be found on my other blog, Homemaking Dreams. The only change is that I quilted the outside panels before putting it together.



I meander quilted the outer panels like this.



This is what the outer sides look like after being quilted and trimmed.



I used a heavy fabric for the backing of the quilt sandwiches and for the inside of the handles. My sewing machine could just barely go over the seams when sewing the top together. For my next quilted tote I will use a regular weight fabric for the quilt sandwich. But, I think this bag will hold up well to whatever my little preschooler puts it through!

Free Motion Quilt Along and Give Away

I am excited to be participating in a quilt along that concentrates on the quilting part! As Christina said in her blog post HERE, most quilt alongs work on the quilt top with just a little bit of information about the quilting of the quilt.

And don't you hate those quilt patterns that say, "Quilt as Desired" at the end and that's it? I do. There's more to making a quilt than just making the quilt top.

Christina is also doing a great give away for free motion quilters that I would love to win!

My Summer of 2010 Nine Patch Challenge Quilt Top

Let me just say one thing. I may have worked on these 9 patches most of the summer, but the real work was in doing the borders and sashings! I hope to show the completed quilt after quilting it and binding it soon.

I am completely enamoured with Nine Patch Quilts now that I have completed this quilt top and am planning two more already!

For the directions for making this quilt see CRAZY MOM QUILTS HERE.

Sneak Peak - Summer Nine Patch Challenge

Sewing one block, or more, a day is a great way to get some quiltmaking accomplished! Several times I got behind, but it was easy to catch up. I think I will use this method in the future. Doing a small amount each day really does add up!

Quick Quilts

The one quilting magazine that I allow myself to subscribe to is McCall's Quick Quilts. There are so many quilting magazines to choose from, but the name of this one says it all for me. What kind of quilting magazine to any of you subscribe to?

In the center of each Quick Quilts issue is a page that showcases quilts made by readers using patterns from the magazine. I decided to enter this picture of the quilt I made using a Quick Quilts pattern called "Cozy Cabins". I named my pink and brown version "Early Autumn". If a person's picture is used in the magazine, you win a free quilt batting and 2 issues of the magazine issue the picture appears in. I'll let you know if my picture makes it into the magazine.



I'll let you in on a secret! THIS QUILT WAS NOT QUICK!!! And besides that I am a Slow Poke Quilter. I've decided to enjoy the process and not put myself under so much pressure to finish a zillion quilts per year. I might as well give into this, because it ain't happening anyway!

In this one I was trying to hide behind the quilt.



I also enjoy the books called "Weekend Quilts". Another secret, there's no such thing as a weekend quilt. Maybe a quilt top, but not the whole shabang!

Friday Night Sew In Results

My Friday Night Sew In has turned into a Saturday Morning Sew In both times I have participated! Although I did cut out and sew a little on the apron last night, I did the majority of the work on it this morning. I was just too tired to work on it past 8:00 last night.

I had no one to take a picture, so I took this one in the bathroom mirror:



Close up:



You can see the other side of the apron in this picture.



I have some small scraps of this fabric left and am thinking of making myself a lunch bag from them later today. I have been taking my lunch on a regular basis for a while now and am tired of using plastic grocery bags to pack them in.

Have a great Saturday! Its going to be 100 degrees or more here today with a heat index of 115, so I will definitely be inside!

Fourth of July Sewing and a Quilt Finish!

I made this "Jungle Babies Two" quilt top during June's Friday Night Sew In. This weekend I pin basted it, machine quilted it, made the binding and sewed the binding on. These pictures were taken early this Monday morning.





I made this little quilted tote bag/purse Thursday night. Its hanging on one of the old doorknobs in the farmhouse.




I hope to do more sewing today and tomorrow while I am still off work.

A couple of quilting smiles for you today:

Quilting forever.... housework whenever!

A clean house is a sign of a broken sewing machine!

Friday Night Sew-In - JUNGLE BABIES BABY QUILT II

Last night I joined in with many other crafting ladies doing a Friday night "sew in". I didn't decide what I was sewing until the last minute, but had been wanting to make another "Jungle Babies" baby quilt. I had most of the fabric needed already on hand and made a quick stop on the way home from work yesterday to pick up a little more of the Jungle Babies Fabric with the big animal faces.

My intent was to make a quilt top from start to finish and so I chose this simple pattern. As hard as I worked I couldn't finish it last night. So, as you can see in one of the pictures below, the morning sunshine was shining in on my work!

You can see the FIRST JUNGLE BABIES QUILT HERE that I made for my grandson, who is now almost three years old.

Here is my JUNGLE BABIES BABY QUILT II:



Finishing up early this morning:



Up close:



I had to laugh at myself when I realized this quilt is a just a really big 9 patch! It definitely is turning out to be my summer of the 9 patch quilt challenge!



9 patch squares are one of the easiest patterns to use when using the leaders and enders system, so as a result, I also made four more 9 patches for my summer 9 patch quilt. It is going to be made totally from scraps. I am digging through all my bins and containers of scraps to find some very interesting combinations.



I loved doing the Friday Night Sew In! It gave me the incentive to really get something done. I plan to finish quilting and binding this quilt as soon as possible and then it will go into my Etsy Shop. I am often in need of a baby gift and my theory is that if the quilts in my Etsy Shop don't sell, I can always pull one out for a baby gift as needed.

Have a great QUILTY day!