Granny Square Quilt-a-long

I have long been a part of this Old Red Barn Co. flickr group.  But I have only done one or two of the projects as quilting has taken a back seat in life with 4 kids.

Blogging also had to slow down, though maybe that is the fault of my iPhone!  Anyway, Dana and the group is starting this great quilt-along on March 1st.  I'm sure I can fit this in with the other 3 quilts already in progress! More on those later.

Click on the photo to go to the original instructions

tickertape quilts

We had a double party to go to last month and it coincided with the ORBC of Ticker Tape quilts. We had another snow day so it was the perfect chance to play. I dragged out the scrap bins and gave the two oldest kids the chance to design their own quilts to give.  They laid out the designs and I did the quilting. William made one two but I literally haven't made anything since we did these in February.

By Liz, age 9.  She wanted it to be a scene.  She she did the cutting and layout.  I love the frog in the pond and a butterfly too.

Here is the back of the quilt.

The backing.  He wanted something cheerful and fun.

Made by my 7 year old son. Love that he wanted every last inch filled up!

Blogger's Quilt Festival--Spring 2010

I have been out of the blogging loop for a few weeks and just now see that we are up again for another fantastic round of quilt inspiration with the Blogger's Quilt Festival Spring 2010!

Thank you Amy for organizing us again!

I have had a hard time choosing a quilt for the round. One of the beauties of blogging is its journalistic effect. I had to go back through all the older posts to see what I had made. I have chosen my Dad's quilt that I made last summer.

I have been quilting for eight years and haven't made him one yet. So this is it. I chose batiks because he spends his winters in Mexico and I wanted something cheerful and fun. This is also one of the quilts that I made with the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along last August.

I adore this quilt. I've never really worked with batiks before and their vibrancy really gave the quilt the feeling I was going for. The back is by far the biggest departure for me. I love the way it turned out. The only thing I would have changed is that I wish I had made it one row wider. It is just a bit short for their bed (which I had only intended it as a throw!)

Projects in progress

One of two triangle quilts I am working on for two nieces. They have been cut out and waiting for this step for far too long. I am very hopeful that I can get these twin quilts done before Halloween. It will be a big stretch to get big quilts done in a timely manner.

So I am in charge of the baby quilt for a new little nephew due in about a month. I am torn between making a simple square with sashing. Or a zig zag (or here) quilt. Any thoughts?

Quilts completed

So it's been a long while since I last updated. I don't seem to be at all able to quilt etc. and actually find time to update a the blog about what has been going on. We took a family vacation to Washingtion state and Canada (Vancouver Island) to visit with my family. Lots of fun and two quilts delivered.

This first quilt is for my Dad. I have been quilting for eight years and haven't made him one yet. So this is it. I chose batiks because he spends his winters in Mexico and I wanted something cheerful and fun. This is also one of the quilts that I made with the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along.

This one is for my mum. She was one of the first to ever receive a quilt from me. A lovely bed quilt. But she needed a smaller throw over the knees type quilt. The requirements: small and light weight but soft and warm and thicker than the cotton quilt but thinner than a duvet. Not a tall order at all :) I knew that I wanted to use Minki dot for the backing and it had to be blue. The top was a little more challenging. Over the years I have sent her many Mary Englebriet journals. So when I saw this fabric I knew that this was the right choice. I also decided to use a double layer of wool batting and tied the quilt (actually my sister tied it for me!) I used satin quilt binding for the extra touch of cuddliness. The end result is great. She loves it.

This little quilt was made in a hurry for a baby shower. While I rarely make baby quilts anymore for shower gifts (just not enough time) I hated to go with nothing home made. I have been hoarding this darling farm fabric for at least 4 years. It was time to send it to a better home. I didn't have any extra batting on hand so I used two layers of cotton flannel for the middle. I love the way it turned out. If I had had more time (I think this took 2 hours to make) I would have added a little more quilting. I hope the wee baby enjoys dragging it around.

Old Red Barn....

You really need to check out OLD RED BARN. She is hosting a sewing machine give away for a Janome 6600 machine. You need to post a comment and then we just wait until next Monday when the random number will let us know who wins. Yeah! Hopefully it will be someone I know...maybe me? Well I can always hope right?

I almost hesitate to make this post but...I like sharing good things!

Good Luck

P&C backing sneak peek

I finally finished the backing to this baby quilt. I like it almost more than the front. It takes so much longer the piece a backing than to use one large piece of cloth. The result though is worth it. I hope baby Madeline will enjoy it. More pictures when it is finished.

Chocolate and Peppermint quilt top

I am participating in the Old Red Barn Quilt Along. This is a quick quilt and I have modified it a little bit by adding some blocks that inspired the colorway. I am working on the backing right now and need to catch up and finish it this weekend. It is a smallish quilt that is going to a friend for her adorable new baby.