Uptown Stripes

I saw this quilt pattern in a McCall's quilting magazine that I was skimming through one day. I don't generally buy quilting magazines and I didn't buy this one but I instantly regretted it. It had three patterns I was liked and I thought I would remember them and make them up on my own. Yeah, I'm too cheap. Uptown Strips was the only pattern I remembered. So I began collecting striped fabric and voila!

This is another quilt that I'll be donating. I don't love it because of the difference in values with some of the fabrics I chose. Some quilters would have left those high value blocks out but I thought they would tone down a bit once it was quilted. That didn't happen. I think I'll continue to collect striped fabric to make a bigger quilt like this in the future. But for now, it's also being donated to the silent auction at work. I'm curious to see what the bidding will look like between the two donated quilts.

I do love the back!

Charmed Stars

I purchased a charm pack of a Moda line that I can't remember the name of. I loved the bright colors and it just so happened that a friend gave me a coordinating jelly roll as a birthday present. I used both to make this:

It's so bright and colorful but I wasn't sure what to do with it. It would be a perfect baby quilt for a girl (the back has a lot of lime green and pink) but I don't have any baby girls to quilt for in the foreseeable future. So I've decided to donate this quilt to a silent auction being held at work. Funds will be used to help employee families in need.

I have so many quilts piled up around my house that I'm actually starting to feel guilty about starting new projects. So I've decided to give away some of the less desireable quilts I have. I'm also going to take several of the bed size quilts to our families lake home this weekend. We need more blankets at the Lake and I have lots of quilts to share. They'll stay in the family and I won't have to look at them and feel guilty.

A Solids Challenge

Last February, the Cover in Threads Quilt Guild decided the 2012 guild challenge would focus on solids fabrics. The challenge rules said that we had to construct a quilt entirely out of solids; no prints allowed. There were no size, pattern, or shape restrictions.

 

I LOVED this challenge. It's been my favorite to date. When it was decided I had a pattern in mind, something I'd seen on Pinterest. I considered a few other options but my original pick stayed as my top choice. Below is the result:

I love how the back turned out too. I think it can hold it's own as a top and that's how it's currently on my bed.

I have seen a few other quilts from the challenge and they're all fabulous. I can't wait until we get together again so that we can do a guild wide show and tell.

Traditions Quilt

Another finish! I have been working on this quilt for months. It was made for a friend who so generously gives me IU basketball tickets to games she doesn't want to attend. She won't let me pay her and I've been trying to figure out how to reciprocate in some way. While at her home one day, I noticed a wall with clamps to hold a quilt. I mentioned them to her and she didn't realize what their purpose was. She was excited to finally figure it out. I immediately decided to make her a quilt; she asked that I match her decor and use a traditional block.

The traditional block was hard for me. My quilts usually have a contemporary twist to them. So while I didn't enjoy the process and the colors weren't my favorite, I looked forward to finishing this quilt for my friend.

Shadowboxes

It's time to post another finish! I love, love this quilt. I actually started the top several years ago. I saw the pattern in a book I'd checked out from the library and thought it was stunning. I made the blocks pretty quickly and put the top together, intending to make it a baby quilt.

 

The top sat and sat and sat around until about a year ago when I decided to add borders and quilt it. For the past year, it's been hanging on a project quilt rack, waiting for the binding. I don't know why it's taken so long to complete. Maybe it's because I love it so much and I wanted to have a great reason to finish it?

That reason presented itself last week when our friend delivered a baby prematurely. Teensy little 2 lb, 4 oz Hudson was born at 27 weeks gestation. This little guy is stubborn and strong - just like his parents - and he's doing well.

It's hard to part with my Shadowbox quilt but I'll do it because Hudson needs all things good in his life so he can grow up healthy and strong. You can follow Hudson's journey at Ben and Kim's blog.

Gretchen's Quilt

One of my dear childhood friends has struggled to have a second baby. Several years of emotional ups and downs led her and her husband to adopt a daughter from China so that their son would have a sibling. Fast forward four years and I was thrilled to learn she was expecting (and in her second trimester!) I knew I had to make a special quilt for this little one.

Candy was excited about my offer and trusted me to pick out the pattern. She asked for a color scheme to match the nursery - light and dark pink and spring green. I decided on a chevron pattern because it's so modern and Candy loves mid-century style.

This quilt is entirely made from my stash - even the back! I wanted to add a little something extra to the back and ended up with the beautiful green strips breaking up the pink. I didn't think about it at the time but now it reminds me of a present which is SO FITTING because baby Gretchen is truly a gift to this special family.

Here is a close up of the quilting. It took some time but was well worth it to emphasize the chevron effect.

Here is photo of Gretchen with her quilt and her kickass chair. What a lucky little lady.

And here I am visiting little Gretchen. She's a cutie!

Stacking Blocks

I've had some quilt finishes lately but haven't had the time to get them posted. Since I'm hosting a quilting getaway this weekend, I thought I better get my finished quilts officially out there so that I can hopefully post one or two more after the weekend!

 

This quilt is one of my favorites. My mother-in-law, Bobbie, and I needed to do a baby quilt for a family member. The recipient asked that we incorporate the color of the nursery walls. It was a fairly specific green. Since we didn't have much to go on in terms of requests so we decided to try this pattern, which I saw on Pinterest.

 

 

I have to say, I got the easy part of this project. Bobbie made the blocks and put them together so she had to figure out the measurements. I just quilted it. It turned out great and I hope to make one for myself some day.

 

Ryleigh's Quilt is One Year Old!

It's been quiet around lately. I seem to be working on multiple projects and not actually finishing anything. Hopefully that means I'll be posting lots of finishes soon.

In the meantime, head over to check out Ryleigh's Quilt, used in a recent photo shoot for Ryleigh's first birthday. That girl is a cutie!

Kappa Sorta

I have another finish to share with you though this quilt was completed in 2011. It was a gift for a family member and I forgot to take a photo before wrapping it up.

I came across it while visiting with family during a recent trip to Chicago. I was so happy to finally take some photos.

I started this quilt in 2009. I purchased much of the fabric during my 10-year wedding anniversary trip to Las Vegas and drew up a pattern over Labor Day weekend that year. I love all the colors! I had several people in mind as recipients but never got around to finishing the quilt. It was even packed away for over a year. I thought I lost it but finally found half finished blocks at the bottom of a box.

I finally finished it in December, just in time for Christmas.

I'm happy that I have another quilt to post as finished in 2011 - the eighth one. Now I just need to get working on my 2012 quilts. I've finished four and I have several I've started:

• My version of City Blocks
• A solid quilt for the Covered In Threads Quilt Guild Challenge
• A wall-hanging for a friend (in traditional, brown blocks - yuck)
• A baby quilt - which I love but needs to be finished in two weeks.

Three of these are tops just waiting to be quilted. Too bad I quilt my own quilts or they'd be finished by now. Ha!

Quinn's Quilt Part 2

It's always a special treat when one of my baby quilts makes it way in to a photo shoot.
My recollection of Quinn as the cutest baby every (after the Kubatski kids) can be verified with his 4-month photos:

Green with Tiffany

My latest quilt project was a commission quilt. The owner requested something done in Tiffany blue and and lime green. What great colors to put together!

I decided on a wonky log cabin block. It seems appropriate to make this more contemporary take on a classic quilt block, given the color scheme.


I spent more money that I wanted to on fabric for this quilt so I decided to use the leftover to piece the back.


Every quilt I've made for this customer has this phrase on the back. Special thanks to my friend Christy for embroidering it for me.


I quilted it with wavy lines throughout. I especially like the wavy lined borders which made the quilt especially crinkley.

Hippo-tastic

I love it when I plan to make someone a baby quilt and before I even tell them, they put in a request. This was the case with my friend, Jess, who is due in April. She sent me this photo for the inspiration.



It turns out that I was able to find fabric to match the bedding. Good hippo fabric is hard to find! I was feeling a bit modern/contemporary for this quilt (which is reflective of Jess). I've never made something like this and it was a bit out of my comfort zone.

I finished the quilt in early January but saved it for Jess's baby shower which took place over the weekend. I couldn't attend but the Polack did and texted me to let me know that Jess was tearing up before she even opened the present. She immediately contacted me to say that she loves it and she's planning to have professional photos taken once Gronk (a temporary name for baby-to-be) is born. I can't wait!



Here's a close up of the quilting - straight free motion lines.

Lazy Days of Gray Quilt

This quilt has been an ongoing project full of love.



Around 18 months ago, I bought some charm packs about the same time I fell in love with gray quilts. I didn't want to cut the charms up so I chose to surround them with different shades of gray. I finished the top last year and added a border that I ended up hating. I took off the border and kept with my gray theme. The top sat in a tub in my quilting room for several months and I finally quilted it during this year's January quilt camp. I recently finished the binding and put it through the washer and dryer so it would have that crinkly look I love.



The highlight of making this quilt was when I was working on the top during the February 2011 quilt camp with Blue Underground Studios. During the weekend, Amy Walsh asked me what pattern I used. I told her I made it up and then she asked if I was interested in submitting it to Blue Underground. What an honor! If I was actually any good at writing patterns, I definitely would have followed up with her. Just having her ask is one of the most exciting things of my quilting career.



I'm keeping this quilt. It's going in my downstairs guess room which currently has white walls but guess what color I'm going to paint it? Yep - gray!

Solid Challenge

The ladies that I quilt with have decided our 2012 quilting challenge will be to create an all solid quilt. The quilt can be any size, any pattern, and shape. The only requirement is that it must be made entirely of solid fabric.

I started my quilt yesterday. Look at these lovely fat quarters!



The bundle was so pretty, I didn't want to cut in to them. Even the schnibble pile is gorgeous.


I love watching the ribbon effect during chain piecing.


I am so inspired by this quilt that I wish I could spend the weekend finishing it but we have lots of plans with friends plus activities to run the boys to and fro. And I'm pretty sure I haven't done laundry or grocery shopping in a few weeks.


I also need to finish up a commission quilt that I started a few weeks ago. I don't like the fabric I purchased for the border so I'm going to do some shopping for it this weekend. I keep telling myself that I need to finish the commission quilt before I work on the solid quilt but oh boy, do I really, really want to keep going on the solid quilt.

Blues and Browns

Here's a sneak peak at some strips and fabric I used for a recent finished quilt. I completed the project two weeks ago at Camp Tecumseh but I'm keeping it a secret until it's delivered to its new home.

Reed's Quilt

My first finish of 2012! Some dear friends of mine are expecting their first bundle of joy. I can't wait to meet Reed Joshua who will arrive sometime next month. When I asked the happy couple what they'd like in terms of a baby quilt, I was told to make it colorful and bright. Happy to oblige....


I started this quilt in November and decided to go with wonky stars. I made a few different sizes and I love how different each of the blocks are. As a result, I quilted each block differently too.


I machine sewed on the binding with fabric I purchased in Las Vegas over three years ago. I also used it on the back (though darn, I didn't take a picture of the pieced back).

Here is a photo of the parent's to be opening their present at their baby shower. It received an appropriate amount of oh's and ah's so I was satisfied.