Monster Truck Baby Quilt from Jedi Craft Girl

Extra fun and simple baby quilt from Jedi Craft Girl today!! And she gives a tutorial to boot!  I love that it's very BOY but still a BABY quilt.  A great combination.  Check out Amanda's really cute quilted tote tutorial and her iron-on image pillows...more to add to my list!!

  I came up with the idea for this quilt when I was invited to a baby shower for a friend who loves going to Monster Jam.  I wanted a cute, modern take on the monster truck and this what I came up with. To begin, select fat quarters  of various prints.  I choose gray, white, black and green.  You can choose any prints or patterns you like.  I only had 8 different fabrics, but I would have liked 12. 

Next, cut your fabric into 12.5" strips, then sub-cut into the following measurements:

Do this with each of your fabrics.  Now mix up the pieces and sew the following 12" (finished) block:  (quarter inch seams)

You want the top and bottom pieces to be the same fabric, and the center to be different.  Press the seams toward the 6.5" piece.

I love personalizing quilts, especially if they are gifts.  To add a name to the quilt block, print the name using your favorite word processing program.  I tried several different fonts until I got the one I liked.  If you can, reverse the image when you print.  Take yourHeat N Bond® Lite and trace the reversed name in pencil.  Iron the piece of Heat N Bond® with the name to the WRONG side of your fabric.  Then, cut the name out.  Peel the backing off and arrange the letters how you want on your quilt block.  Finally press to attach it.

I outlined the letters using a straight stitch.  I went around each letter twice to give it the "sketch" feel....which I love.

  After you make 11 of these blocks, lay them out.  For the truck applique block, cut a white square 12.5"x 12.5"

  

Next,  follow the same technique using Heat N Bond® Lite to applique the monster truck to the quilt block.  Click HERE for the truck pattern.

To finish the quilt, sew the blocks together to form rows and sew the rows together.  Quilt as desired

Note: These are big blocks which help make this a fast, easy quilt to put together in a day.  If you would like the same look, but with smaller blocks here are the measurements:

For a 10" finished block: cut pieces 10.5" x 5.5", 10.5" x 2.25", 10.5" x 3.75"

For an 8" finished block: cut pieces 4.5" x 8.5", 1.5" x 8.5", 3.5" x 8.5"

Essentially the bottom strip is 1/2 the block size, the top strip is 1/3 the block size and the center strip is 1/6 the block size.

Here is a little peek of the baby shower - we centered the colors and theme around the quilt.  We even hung the quilt in the entry way so it was the first thing people saw as the entered.

I love that we were able to get a stack of tires!!

Monster truck cupcakes - complete with "dirt" on the top.

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.

Keep Calm and Graduate On from The Blueberry Moon

Keithena from The Blueberry Moon has a fabulous quilt and story to share today.  Absolutely LOVE this quilt, such a great idea!!  The British side of me is very inspired!!  The Blueberry Moon has some fun places to look around, her quilts, recipes, tutorials...so stop on by after her feature :)

Remember When I said London was calling?

Well look....It did. And it was for Brontë.

Quilt and pillow ..... Jolly good I'd say.   

    WARNING!!

        Here comes the quilt story....It's a bit long winded.

     When I was 19 I read "Wuthering Heights". Oh, I loved that book! I read it over the summer of 1986. It was a challenge for me. I love to be challenged. It remains as my all time favorite reads. The author of that great tale, Emily Brontë, I found fascinating also. I remember telling myself at the time. If I ever have a daughter. I will name her Brontë. 

     Eight years and two sons later, I did. And she, like the book, has been challenging. In the very best way possible. I have learned so much about who I am by raising her. She is fascinating, complicated, silly, kind, smart, thoughtful, creative, strong-willed and beautiful.

     On tuesday she begins her senior year of high school. She has plans to attend college. She is thinking photo journalism. I am thinking..... I never want her to leave !!!

      Senior years are so tough these days. The stress can be overwhelming for these kids. I have watched some of my son's friends get crushed under the pressure. And some achieve amazing things. I know what lies ahead for her. And it is a lot. The best and most challenging of times. As a mom I can only comfort her. The work and results are all up to her.

      So comfort her I will...

 With this pillow.

                               

 And this quilt.

    This idea came to me a while back.I was going to wait until graduation. 

But for all the reasons I will give. The time was now....

        I know in the days ahead, 

She will come home mad at something some dumb girl said....

"The Boy" will bruise her heart....

The testing will melt her brain....

The teacher just won't understand....

There are sure to be,

Rejection letters......

Failed awards....

Grades that didn't come out as planned......

Plans that seem like they will never succeed.....

But then again there will be,

Great test scores....

Amazing teachers....

Homecoming ........

The Prom .....

The acceptance letter...

Graduation celebrations....

The acceptance letter....

Saying goodbye to friends.....

For each of these moments in time. She can run home  cuddle up with these gifts of love. She can cry tears of anger, happiness or fear. Scream into the pillow. Hide under the quilt.

But she will know she has a Mom that loves here......

And the goal is to just......

Keep Calm and Graduate on !!!!

More pics....

 If any of you out there have a Senior in your life...... I think this makes a great gift idea. 

In the next few weeks, I will have the PDF template for the the letters and cap. Also included will be cutting and finishing instructions.  So keep a look out.......

Gingham Geese Quilt from The Life of Riley

Another fabulous finish to share from Rachel of The Life of Riley.  A sweet modern flying geese quilt! I myself just finished a flying geese quilt top...such a great block you can do so much with.  Rachel's a lot like us and probably many of you...stay at home mommy of four little ones, likes to cook, sew, craft!  My kinda girl :)  Check out her great tutorials and finishes from this year.

 This quilt ended up with Three names!

 Mr. Riley dubbed it The Mario Kart Quilt - because in the game you drive over arrows to speed you up.

 I dubbed it the Bubble Wrap quilt after all the circles were quilted in.

 Officially I think I would call it Gingham Geese.

 It went to my sister, who just turned Thirty!  I figured there was no way a mostly white quilt would survive long in this house.

 It is backed with a woven turquoise gingham.  Nice and soft!  Bound in a solid magenta.  Final measurements: 49" x 69" (I think.  I wrote it down, but of course now I can't find it! Grr!)  Anyway, its a good couch snuggling size.  Not quite twin.

A huge Thank You to Elizabeth at Occasional Piece-Quilt - who sent me the gingham and got me going! 

A quilt from Diary of a Quilter

Another obvious intro for you today! :)  Amy from Diary of a Quilter is sharing a quilt that she made for her husband's grandmother.  Great story and great quilt!  Amy is an excellent quilter and one of the nicest people ever.  She is seriously so sweet, we love her! :)  Make sure to stop by and see her many fabulous tutorials (quilts and more!) and stop by her shop for some one-of-a-kind patterns.  Thanks Amy!!

This weekend my husband's grandmother turns 87! When I looked up how old she would turn this year I was shocked by the number. For as long as I've known her (14 years) she has been such a goer and doer. How on earth did she get to be 87?  We visited 'Grammie' this past summer in New Hampshire and Maine.  It was the first time we'd seen her in a few years and it was bittersweet to see her in decline for the first time since I've known her. So we (and by 'we', I guess I mean, 'I') decided to make her a quilt. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. 

Adding to the feeling of urgency, we had planned to visit my husband's other grandmother while on the same trip this summer and she suddenly passed away 2 weeks before we came. Sadly, she had been suffering from dementia for years and probably didn't remember us, but we would have liked our kids to see her one more time so that they could remember her. I also feel bad that I never made something similar for Nana Jean. That experience was a good reminder not to wait when Grandmas are concerned. Because you never know. So I feel relieved that this quilt is on it's way. 

I made the label using AmandaJean's tutorial. It was SO ridiculously easy. I am finally committed to doing this for every quilt. In the past I have been terrible - I never do it. Honestly.  I am finally getting my act together. 

Grammie decided when she became a great-grandma that she wanted to be called Nonna.  Both her parents and her husband's parents were Italian immigrants to the United States in the early 20th Century. So even though she grew up in Maine, her family was very proudly Italian.  (See? You can tell by the tomato harvest.) I'm glad she has passed that heritage on to her great-grandchildren and glad that they will always remember their Nonna.

This quilt has a good backstory.  See how the 9-patch blocks are rectangular? Well, that wasn't on purpose.  These blocks were part of a kit we sold at American Quilting. One afternoon I was working alone and a lady who'd purchased the kit called to ask for help and I (really helpfully) gave her the wrong measurements. As a result, her blocks ended up as rectangle instead of square nine-patches.  So I remade all 80 blocks for her. And in return I've had these rectangular blocks hiding in my fabric mess collection for the past 7 years or so.  

I came across the blocks again this summer, right before our trip and halfway thought of trying to pound a quilt together in a couple of days while trying to get ready for the trip itself. Then I came to my senses and decided to take my time and put it together for her birthday.  Good decision.  I pulled all the fabrics from the stash and was happy to use some patiently-waiting fabrics that have been sitting around for a long time, and finally give them a good home.

Two quilts finished in the past two weeks - one modern and one that's more traditional. It's been good to have quilts to bind recently so that I have a good excuse to just sit still and watch Downton Abbey. :)

Another Amazing Mini from Cut to Pieces

We featured Angela from Cut to Pieces last week...and if you haven't been by her blog yet...WHY!!?  She is sooo talented and inspirational!!  I just love her creative talent, she is unique and amazing!  She made this quilt for a swap (I need to join that swap now!) and also entered it into a fun modern mini quilt challenge at Ellison Lane Quilts.


I'm finished with my most recent mini that I've decided should be entitled "Dream a Little Dream". It all started with an inspirational sketch and post by designer Sarah Jane. This mini is part of a swap over at flickr and my partner doesn't know this is for her yet. So I can't tell you a heck of a lot about her. But I will say that I identified with my partner (and also Sarah Jane) on the need to de-stress this year. Life gets in the way quickly and it is easy to become overwhelmed by our own particular circumstances. So I thought my partner would appreciate the simplicity yet emotional nature of this quilt. And so Dream a Little Dream was begun.

The girl in my mini is completely inspired by Sarah Jane's illustration...but I'm quite pleased with how she turned into fabric and thread. I did this all with raw edge applique, a steady hand, and a lot of thread changes.

Her dreams are made up of all things lovely, sweet, and fantastic. Which just so happens to coincide with my love for Heather Ross fabrics. There's definitely a reason I'm drawn to her designs. You will see that they appear often. And don't mind me when I start waxing poetic and pulling out my love of Disney when I say " A Dream is a wish your Heart makes".

I also did a little stamping on this quilt. My very first time stamping on fabric! I did just a subtle (read: I didn't want to mess up) stamping along the quilt with the title. The free motion quilting is also supposed to be dream like... flowing, relaxing, and wavy.

The details are big in this mini, but I think the overall effect is Simplicity. I worked to keep things a little less overworked and I hope that it "works". 

So, dear partner, I hope that you love this mini as much as I do. She's been peaceful and joyful for me...just what I think you will enjoy about her. I've loved having her finished for a while and getting to her enjoy her on my design wall. I don't always get to spend much time with the items I make for a swap and I feel lucky to have had her for a bit.

Quilt for a princess from Stitched in Color

Did anyone watch the much anticipated wedding??  I recorded it.  Heather is probably dragging her feet somewhere right now...silly girl spent the night at my parents, ate Shepherd's Pie (what "commoners" would eat to celebrate) and got up early to watch the wedding with my dad.  Really I'm jealous and wished I lived near them so I could join too!!  Our daddy is from England so it's fun to get to do these things from time to time.


Rachel from Stitched in Color needs no introduction to must of us!  Her blog is inspiring and a really fun read.  Just check out this latest post where I spent probably AN HOUR reading others comments!!! I can hardly see my computer screen my eyes are fried.  I can't wait to feel free again (ie when Market is over) and can try out her Bottled Rainbow quilt-a-long.  In keeping with a royal theme, here is a quilt she made for her princess:


This picture (finally) brought to you by the inspiration of Quiltstory!

I can't believe I never got my act together and took a finished picture of this quilt!  When Heather and Megan of Quiltstory asked to feature Fairytale Patchwork, it was the push I needed to get it done.  So, welcome to Aria's room!

Do any of you remember this quilt?  I made it last summer for my daughter, inspired by my wildflower curtains (there in the background) and Heather Ross' simply stunning Far Far Away collection (FFA1 on double cotton gauze).  The Far Far Away unicorns had my heart on first glance, and Aria was starry eyed over the Princess and the Pea!



Combined with Anna Maria Horner Little Folks Voile and a few Good Folks, this stack of fabrics was sooo invitingly plush and silky.  Fabric heaven!  Still, I was a little nervous to cut into them, being so pricey and all, which is why I did a mock up of my quilt layout like this: 



The quilt design was inspired by Lauren's quilt for her daughter, Mira.  I added the occasional pieced block, to accommodate the tall pattern repeat of those picky princesses.  



And sashed the whole thing in natural linen (rather than white or pink), in hopes that the linen would temper the uber-girlishness of these fabrics.  Because, ya know, I'm hoping Aria will love this look for years to come!

Piecing this quilt top was a breeze, even with a near-shocking interruption, thanks to the large cuts and simple design.  And, I'm still such a fan of that approach!  Large cuts really allow my eyes to appreciate the fabrics. Simple is beautiful.  Simple is fast. Simple is fun.  Yeah for simple!!!

Fairytale Snapshots from atop my Dogwood Tree!

And then this new quilter was faced with the problem of quilting and binding this pretty young thing.  Gulp.  First off, I decided to skip binding.  This quilt already had a linen edge border and I wasn't keen on hand-sewing so much binding.  I did right sides together, sew, turn right side out and close up edge.  Quick and painless.  I'd do it again!

For quilting, I tried machine quilting straight diagonal lines.  Marked them with ruler-drawn lines, marked them with masking tape - nothing worked!  It may have been my lack of experience or it may have been the slippery fabrics, but I couldn't stitch straight lines on this for the life of me.  Frustrating and sad.

Though in retrospect, it was just not meant to be. Hand-quilting was the absolutely delicious alternative!

I started work with needle and pearl cotton thread. And, oh my, how I enjoyed hand quilting Aria's Fairytale Patchwork quilt!  The entire process was so relaxing and satisfying, especially experimenting with different quilting patterns.  Here are a few more.

This pattern, quilted diamonds, ended up being my favorite style for quilting on the Princess and the Pea blocks.  It looks especially nice on this Diamond Mine (from Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks collection) block, which actually inspired the quilting pattern.

Here's another fun one.  I only used this star pattern on a few unicorn blocks, as I came to the idea a bit late in the game.  I like how it works with the layout of the print!

And, a simple pattern.  It creates a clean-lined, understated effect that works on almost any block.

I've been asked how long the hand quilting takes.  Let me start by saying that 95% of the time, I was stitching while watching a show with my husband.  So, given frequent breaks to watch the screen and an overall level of comfortable distraction, each block took me about 45 minutes to complete.  I would begin a block by marking my stitch lines with a chaco pen, and then carefully centering the block in my quilting frame.   On the few occasions that I stitched sans TV, the work came along much faster.

All too soon, I had completed all 26 blocks.   The overall effect is fairly random, since I varied the quilting patterns enough so that no 2 touching blocks share the same pattern.  I reasoned that this sparse quilting pattern was "enough" since I had used a repurposed blanket for batting, which wasn't going to fall apart or bunch up within the quilt.  



But I'm not perfect, and it wasn't enough.  If you were reading Stitched in Color in December, you may remember my confession post, Sew Imperfect.   Here's what happened...



Weak Seams.  I had to wash Aria's Fairytale Patchwork Quilt recently for the 3rd or so time.  One of the children found a hole in the quilt top along the seam soon thereafter.  When I went to repair it, I noticed that several (and one was too many) of the seams were coming open.  Only the Far Far Away gauze and Little Folks voile were effected.  The sturdier quilting cotton seams showed no wear.  It's not as if the stitches actually came undone.  Instead the fabric frayed away.  What did I do wrong?  I wonder if a 1/4" seam allowance was not generous enough or if the fact that I only sparingly hand-quilted it just didn't give it enough strength to withstand normal pulling.  Ugh.  So, my solution was to zigzag quilt around most of the gauze and voile squares to close up opening seams and reinforce the others.  I'll confess, that was not a happy sewing morning.

Your kind comments on that post included so many suggestions for working with delicate fabrics like voile, including using interfacing and a wider seam allowance.  If I were to do it again, I might go that route, but I'm more likely to just avoid quilting with voile in the future.  Not that I think it's unwise or impossible, just that I'd rather save voile for projects that capitalize on it's lovely, drapey, silky properties such as clothes-making or a simple flannel-backed baby blanket a la Anna Maria Horner.  

Since the December incident, Fairytale Patchwork has held up beautifully and it's been enjoyed everyday.  I made Aria a matching pillowcase too!  It's such a privilege to be able to make these beautiful things for my daughter and so rewarding to express my love and creativity in this kind of tangible, practical way. 

I bet you know exactly what I mean!



Thank-you, Quiltstory, for prompting me to share my journey with this project!