Starting them early.... part 2

I mentioned that I was helping two youngin's learn to quilt. Friday was fall break so the kiddos spent the afternoon with me. I wasn't quite sure how to go about teaching them. I didn't know which tools to allow them to use and what could be dangerous. I opted out of having them use a rotary cutter. I think second and third grade is just too young, especially since I didn't want to end up calling their dad to meet us in the ER. So after retrieving the fabric they picked out, I gave them a template to use to outline rectangles to cut out. They did a few while I used the rotary cutter to do several more. Once they had their pieces all cut , they placed them into groups of four so we could start sewing. Anna wasn't comfortable guiding her fabric through the machine so she worked the peddle while I did took care of the fabric. After about three blocks, she decided to take a permanent break to play outside. I finished her four-patches and moved on to help Julia.



Julia was much more interested in the process. She was able sew together all of her four-patches before getting picked up for the afternoon. I promised to add the background fabric and finish her blocks. Here is the progress:

We have 12 blocks for Julia that are ready to be laid out and sewn together. I'll probably let her lay them out and I'll sew them together. Then we'll layer everything and I think I'll teach her tie it. I've never tied a quilt so we'll be learning together. It's great to see her so excited about this project. Hopefully I've creating the next generation quilter!

Straight Lines

I rarely do any quilting that calls for my walking foot. But I loved the design of my Purdue quilt so much, I wanted to accentuate the zigs and zags. Normally I free motion quilt and can finish a lap size quilt in a few hours.



But this quilt? It's taking FOR-EV-ER. I spend about an hour doing each zig zag. There are 10 total. Doh! But I'm in love with how it's turning it out so it's totally worth it. Here's a sneak peak. I hope to have the binding attached by Monday.

A pinning we will go...

The the back is pieced, the top is layered and the pins are in. I'm actually looking forward to quilting this baby. (Quilting is usually my least favorite part of the process...)

Zigging right along

The Purdue quilt is coming along quite nicely. I've been itching to do a zig zag quilt for some time, using Amanda Jean's technique. No triangles - music to my ears!

I've since added the borders and started piecing the backing. I hope to get the backing put together this week and then move on to layering and quilting. I'm undecided on the quilting pattern but that's often the case. I don't usually decide how to quilt something until its layered.

I completed some other projects this weekend however they weren't quilt related. I made some corn hole bags for the brother-in-law who sells corn hole sets. I also started Seeger's Halloween costume. For someone who is NOT a sewer and doesn't know the first thing about making an article of clothing - seriously, I can barely hem a pair of pants - it's going pretty well. Not perfect, definitely home-made, but at least you can tell what he's supposed to be.

Purdue Style

I'm putting this away...

For this...

Not normally the colors I'd choose for a project. This is being made for a silent auction for cancer research.

Starting them early...

We had several families over to our house the other night and as everyone was chatting and snacking and the kids were off playing, one of the dad's let me know that his daughter had counted all the quilts hanging in my house and she really, really wanted me to make one for her. Of course I was flattered and even more excited about the idea of introducing Julia to the world of quilting.
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Julia is 8. At 8, I could have cared less about something as domestic as quilt making. So I promised Julia I would make her a quilt, but only if she helped me. She was super excited, especially when I told her to start looking through my fabric to pick out her favorites. I was excited too. Until I saw what she picked.
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I'm not sure what to do with this. I'm liking the aqua and lime green but the orange concerns me. (Although I've always thought about an orange and lime green quilt.) And the paw print dog fabric? Not happening.... I'm thinking a coin quilt of some sort but I'm probably going to have to nix some of her fabric choices and add others.
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Did I mention Julia has a younger sister? Anna is 7 and her father let me know that if I make a quilt for Julia, I have to make one for Anna. Here is Anna's fabric.
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Anna gave me a lot more to work with. The pinks and purples will probably dominate this quilt. Can I go all Project Runway on them and only use the fabric I think is best as a designer?

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And of course, Seeger wants to do everything he sees girls do. So now he wants to make a quilt. His fabric choices were crazy. I haven't taken a picture yet and I hesitate to make him anything because his grandma is making him a quilt for Christmas. We'll see how this plays out.

In the meantime, I'd like to start cutting Julia and Anna's fabric choices. If you have any suggestions for what to do with these piles of fabric, please let me know!

Nature's Best quilt contest

I just entered a quilting contest. I submitted my dancing stars quilt - one of my favorites. I love the colors and was so pleased with how it turned it. I'd seen the pattern somewhere but modified it a bit.

I spent more time quilting this top than I've every spent on a quilt. It's very heavily quilting between all the stars, making the big ones pop out.

I love the result but I hated how long it took. It was worth it though. I also love the pieced binding. I put all my scraps together to create it. I think it turned out very well. If you agree, feel free click on the widget above and vote for me. I'm in the small quilts category.

And while you're at it, vote for my pal Christy in the large quilts category. She submitted her fabulous Seven Sisters quilt. She hand pieced and quilted the entire thing. Very impressive!