Sweetie Baby Quilt

First winners announced for First Friday Giveaway here so check it out and see if you won anything! :)

I have had some finishes lately!!! I can hear the applause around the world, so thank you, thank you :)  It feels so good to FINISH some things and not just START!!  I'm really really good at starting! :)

I have finished 4 baby quilts that were all started at different times and a few weeks ago were baby quilt tops in my cupboard.  I basted 5 quilts in 1 1/2 days, that's a miracle for me as I hate hate basting.  Quilted them all that week and binding the next.  I feel quite accomplished if you can't tell :)

I'll share one quilt everyday this week!  Hope you'll join me!  First up;

Sweetie

36" x 45"

Hello Luscious

I made this sweet little quilt with a vintage look from a Hello Luscious charm pack (5" squares).  I love love the palette of this collection, I think it is so pretty and sweet.

I decided to make some traditional quilt blocks to throw in with the squares.  I wanted to give it a little more personality.

I stitched-in-the-ditch for quilting, meaning in the seams of the quilt.  I always use a thin cotton batting, this quilt will be so sweet and crinkly when it gets washed up!  I used a soft pink print for the backing.  And raspberry herringbone for binding.  I'm adding this to my mental list of prints I like on bindings!

I love this sweet little quilt!! It is very much "me" from the prints to colors.  When it comes to babies I'm traditional in wanting super sweet and simple things.

I've decided to sell all of my quilts I'll share this week in our shop.  They're all currently listed.

Quilt Story's Shop

And I've decided to offer blog readers and instagram friends a special deal

save 10% with the code MEGSFRIEND

Thanks for stopping by!! Come tomorrow, Wed and Thurs to see the rest!!!

For Baby Kate

I told you all last week about my best friend Amanda.  Her baby Kate was born seemingly healthy.  After a couple days Kate was losing weight and became jaundice.  What seemed like something a lot of newborns go through quickly turned into a very dangerous situation. 

Amanda and her husband were told that Kate was fighting a vicious virus.  In her current health condition they couldn't do any testing to determine what the virus was.  They were giving her several antibiotics to cover all possibilities.  All the knew for sure was that the virus was attacking  her liver.

They were then told that Kate was dying.  It would take a miracle.  Told to call all their family to come and say goodbye to their sweet newborn baby girl.  It was unbelievably heartbreaking.  Still grieving for my dad when I heard the news I couldn't bare it.  I was so sad and really angry.  I've been so angry feeling like we were "cheated" with my dad...and now my best friend losing her newborn baby girl??

Well they did all come to say goodbye to Kate..but there have been miracles.  A month later Kate is still fighting!!!!  She has an uphill battle but she is here and there is hope.  There is a high probability that she will need a liver transplant which comes with it's own set of health risks and problems.  But the hope (and belief) that Kate can go home and grow-up with her family is real.

The weekend Kate was born I finished her name blanket and quilt.  And a couple days later the morning Amanda told me the sad news I rushed to send her the gifts.  (Unfortunately we now live states away)  I just wanted her to have them.  If Kate only had a few days on the Earth I knew anything tangible would be precious to Amanda.

I started the star blocks this past Summer with no real plan.  When Amanda and her family came to stay with me over Thanksgiving we were talking about what type of quilt she wanted for baby girl.  I showed her the blocks and she loved them, so I took it from here.  They're 6 inch blocks, 1 inch sashing and then a couple of borders.  I just kept building this quilt each step of the way :)  We also made the name blanket with no name while she was here...and I added her name after Kate was born.

Kate is baby number 3 for Amanda and Ryker.  Their oldest daughter is the same age as my oldest son (6).  They'll probably get married one day because they love each other and fight with each other equally :)  Kalil has wanted a name blanket for ages and we've just never put one together.  Last week I sent this to Kalil, after all siblings need just as much love when all this craziness is around them.

I am so so glad that Kate is still here.  That she is fighting.  I am so happy that even though handmade things don't change the situation or lessen the pain, they can maybe bring some comfort to our hearts.  Making these things for Amanda and her family has probably done more good for me than them.  I can't wait to meet Kate and hopefully be able to hold her too!!

You can follow me on instagram (@quiltstorymeg) to stay in the loop or you can also follow Amanda (@rykerandamanda) to keep posted on sweet baby Kate.  I'll keep you all posted here as well.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read today :)

Darling Clothes for Lucy Lulu

Megan here :) My mom came earlier this month and stayed for three weeks. We had many practical things on our to-do list (like organizing and cleaning projects). But she did indulge me with some sewing for my little Lucy.  I haven't sewn a lot of clothing and my mom has, so anytime she comes I try to get her to help me with some.

I am so in love with these Ann Kelle prints.  They are over the top adorable.  There are mermaids, ballerinas, and princesses in this collection...  She is one of my favorite designers, no doubt about it. 

We mostly went for peasant tops, simple and sweet.  As you can see they're all finished a little differently.  Pom-poms, a bow, a pocket, ruffles.  My mom just used the shape/sizes from the pink dot dress pattern to create the peasant top pattern.

starting top left and clockwise: Heather Ross' "Briar Rose" strawberries with Michael Miller solid, Ann Kelle for R Kauffman "Girlfriends", Michael Miller pink dots, Michael Miller red dots and Riley Blake chevron

I don't have a problem mixing fabrics or being bold as you can see :)  I think it works when using the same color for two bold prints.  My mom saw a chevron pocket somewhere on Pinterest and fell in love with the idea.  I agreed!

This little dress gave us the most problems. :)  Apparently the pattern I grabbed at Joann was just not so easy.  My mom made this one and she swore up and down she wouldn't make another. Yep she totally took home some cute hearts and is making another one right now :)

This little Heather Ross strawberries was our first.  It turned out a little full so we gathered it around the chest.  It is so sweet and vibrant on little Lulu!

There you have it!  We made her some little pants too but they're being washed :) And my mom my have taken home a stack of fabric to make her some more clothes...I'm so excited!

PS

Tomorrow we're having our first ever Giveaway DAY!  Several fabulous giveaways tomorrow from our sponsors all in one spot, easy peasy.  So stop by tomorrow for sure :)

Baby Burp in style burp cloths....

REPOST FROM OUR OLD BLOG FRESH POPPY DESIGN...

I made up a few gerber diaper burp clothes...super fun, easy and cute!  Just a little heat and bond, I did a straight stitch right close to the edge...

If your machine has the capability, play with the embroidery stitches. Makes is personal and a little extra cuteness doesn't hurt anything!

I used my funny little animal prints. Love how they turned out...

And if you think your baby only needs burp clothes for the first few months, I have been using these on my 3 year old girl. Yucky noses, faces etc. I think I will need them around for quite a while!

First Quilt Ever from HGK Handmade

A first ever quilt finish feature today from Audrey of HGK Handmade.  As she proclaimed "the longest WIP ever!" :) I know we all have those, lol!  I love that she set out to make her first quilt, it didn't go as planned but she persevered until she finished.  Quilts are all about who made them and who they are made for.  Love this sweet finish!! Also check out Audrey's bead shop, she's got some really great pieces. 

3 years ago *gulp* this project started. It was going to be my first ever patchwork quilt and of course I didn't start with something small, but went for a blanket instead. And of course I didn't follow any pattern but made up my own. (if you would like to see the whole lengthy process, click here)

The last time I posted about it was almost 1 1/2 years ago: I realised I had miscalculated something and now my precious quilt had turned out very long and very narrow. I asked for help with fixing this, but even though I did get some tips the whole thing ended up gathering dust in a corner.

Until recently. All of a sudden I decided that I was going to finish it, even if it was 'wrong'. Because I loved it as I was working on it, because I had already promised it to Big Brother, and also simply because of all the time I put into it. I just decided this was NOT ending up an UFO.

So here it is. There is a lot that's not perfect about it: apart from the obvious size miscalculation, I also made the mistake of sticking it in the dryer after it was done, and despite the fact that I had washed and machine dried all the fabrics and the batting, it still shrank. The batting is 100% cotton so I suppose that is why. I'll never machine dry it again and hope it will stretch back into shape a bit over time.

But I love it. It's a really really boyish quilt and the pattern (or lack thereof) turned out exactly as I hoped.
And more importantly: Big Brother loves it. He sleeps with it every night, even though summer has finally hit us. And when both Brothers crawl into bed with us on weekend mornings, he brings it with him and cuddles up under it. 


* I hope you will use it for very many years to come, my sweet big little boy *

patchwork blanket 2013 may 1, a photo by HGK handmade on Flickr.

patchwork blanket 2013 may 1, a photo by HGK handmade on Flickr.

patchwork blanket 2013 may 1, a photo by HGK handmade on Flickr.

patchwork blanket 2013 may 1, a photo by HGK handmade on Flickr.

FRESH POPPY REPOST: NURSERY REVEAL...

Before Megan and I started QuiltStory we had another blog called Fresh Poppy Design. Because of a few reasons to boring to list, we started QuiltStory, and poor little Fresh Poppy Design has just been sitting over there, neglected. Over the next year or so we will have reposts from that blog, ones that we love and want to remember, and then we are going to delete the blog...Hopefully many of you are seeing these posts for the first time....

Okay, he is only 15 months old,

 but his nursery is finally finished...

let Little Dude take you on a personal tour...

These were an easy fix. Just bought Ikea white panels, and added the cute Amy Butler fabric to the bottoms. I plan to add a tutorial to the blog. Super easy...

My Husband did the board and batten (is that how you say it?) Walls. Well, he did the woodwork. I did all the painting and caulking. NOT FUN! However, I am in LOVE with how it turned out. I want it all over my house. But easily over 20 hours on that project alone...

Seriously! How cute is he sitting up there? There is the cute elephant painting my Mommy dear made for him. Also the quilts are from me and my aunt. I don't have all his baby quilts here. There are 5 of them. (If you count Megan's. And should we? I mean she still hasn't finished it!)

My Father in law built me this book case years ago for my girls. I repainted in this pale aqua. I need to give my Mom a little time to get her life back in order from her vacation, then I plan on putting her to work. I want gray fabric liners for the baskets. Pretty please Mama?

I found this vintage window frame at a little craft fair about 5 years ago. It has never looked so cute! I put some cute Rylee Blake fabric to back it, and I love how it turned out. Then I just added some little cup hooks to hang his hats. Cute?

I found this little shadow box at TJMaxx. It is so hit an miss there, but sometimes  you can find the perfect little gems. Inside are the hats I knit for him when he was a newborn. Heart pang...sparkly tears...  We want to freeze him in time and it isn't working!

My Mother in law made me the CUTEST baby blessing sailor outfit ever! It fit him for the 2 seconds he was blessed, then off it went. How were we to know he would be so huge? But I knew it would make for darling decor. The dandelions are made with vinyl on one of those cricuts I don't have but want desperately! I had a super nice friend make them for me :) 

I have a tutorial for this too. This cute fabric chandelier. It is from Ikea. I just remade the shade. Super easy, super custom, super cheap! ($13 bucks)

These frames above his bed are from Ikea too.  I took the photos inside. He was only 2 weeks old...man what is this salty discharge coming from my eyes???

The bedding I made with my Mother in Law. She is the best to craft with. I just cute and measure and she sews like a crazy woman in a labor camp. I let her have breaks occasionally, but not much. We had fun making them together. We didn't finish, so  naturally I send the crib skirt fabric back with her with detailed instructions and a deadline of when I would like it shipped back. She was several days early!

The children cracked me up goofing around in the corner (especially Sophie's face).

Okay, now that this post took me as long to complete as the room did...I am OFFICIALLY finished with his room and ready to move to another.

I am so happy with how this turned out. I kind of want to kick him out and move in myself. I had such a hard time with a boys room. No flowers or pink or ruffles. It took me a while to work it out in my head. 

What I love the most is that almost everything in that room is made by me or someone in my family. It is totally unique and custom.  The only problem with going this route, is that your baby may be 15 months old before it is complete.

Bunny Foo Foo: Tutorial for Baby

We're always late with giveaway winners...so sorry! Our winner from the awesome HoneyBeGood giveaway:

Tammy said...

I love the new leaf and the stitch by betx white and the soy batting. Thanks for such a great giveaway.
conn_and_vans_mom(at)yahoo(dot)com

MARCH 1, 2013 AT 5:51 AM 

CONGRATS!

Okay today is my stop on the Easter Bunny Blog Hop hosted by Lilac Lane!  I have a sweet and simple baby girl outfit to share and a tutorial as well!  Sometimes I call her and sing to her Little Bunny Foo Foo...so the title just fit!

Isn't she so sweet and springy!  And it was around 80 degrees in this picture, so I didn't freeze her :)  Oh her sweet little face...I could stare all day.

On to the tutorial!

Materials Needed:

SKIRT

1 Charm Pack (you may need more depending on child's size, see measurements) 

(Seen with Happy Ever After from Riley Blake)

1/2" to 1" wide elastic

Ric rac trim (optional)

SHIRT

Tee or onesie

Fusible web

Permanent Fabric Glue

1 pom pom

Skirt measurements:

Now the measurements will be according to your child.  If you're making it as a gift there are a lot of references online for sizing.  

For width you want at least double the child's waist, the more you go the fuller the skirt.  This is almost 4 times her waist on my baby's skirt.

For length you want to measure the child from waist to knee (where you'd like it to hit). Add the width of your elastic (ie 1/2", 3/4").  Add 3/4" for waist seam.  Add 1/2" for hem.  Since I was using charms I rounded to the nearest 2 1/2".  (That will make more sense when you see the skirt come together).

Assembly: 

Sew the charms end to end.  I ultimately was going to have 4 rows, so I sewed 2 rows to start. Next you cut the charms in half to get the "brick" effect.  See photos below:

Space the strips to create a brick effect.  Trim off excess on the ends.

Sew ends together to create a continuous piece.

Finish your hem. If your using ric rac, sew the ric rac about 1/2" from the bottom of the hem on the right side of the skirt, see below.

Turn trim under and press.  Sew a top stitch.

Next press down 1/4" from the top of the skirt. Then press down the width of your elastic + 1/2".  Sew around leaving a space to feed the elastic through.

Cut the elastic to the child's waist size (exactly or slightly tight).  Feed through casing just made on the skirt.  Join elastic by overlapping 1/2"-1".  Sew opening closed.

And a darling patchwork skirt in no time!

Bunny Shirt:

Download bunny image here.  Trace onto the fusible web paper and follow the directions to applique to your fabric.  Use a permanent fabric glue to add the pom pom.

Hope you like! Let me know any questions with the tutorial!

She was loving being outside and kicking.  And then she saw the birds and was frozen in awe.  I am so in love with this baby!!!

Stop by to see the other fun projects on the Easter Bunny Blog Hop!