Thursday, December 6, 2012

Wintery quilt top November finish

Tada! I present my largest quilt top to date and it is for our living room. For some reason that thought makes me smile.

 

While browsing around Hingeley Road Quilt Shop (a local-to-me quilt shop) back in October, I spotted a partial jelly roll (only 31 strips) of an older Holly Taylor line - Frosted Memories, brushed - tucked away in a corner under the cutting table.  Could hardly believe my good fortune!  I soooo like this fabric line.  I carried it around for a bit before spotting some yardage that I thought would go well and that made my decision.  Home it came with me (of course, it helped that it was on clearance sale : )  



In an effort to increase my odds of getting this top finished, I kept the pattern simple and was able to completely piece it before Thanksgiving. I really like how it  turned out even though a couple strips are out of place from their originally assigned location. Now my goal is to get it quilted over this coming weekend so that we can enjoy it during this Advent/Christmas season into late winter.  I have a red flannel all ready to go as the backing.  My final dilemma decision is which batting to use - cotton for a little extra weight (is it heavy enough with the brushed top and flannel back?) or wool for fluffiness and potentially more cuddliness??? Decisions, decisions...

Thanks for stopping by.

Anna

PS:  Liking up with Megan's jelly roll party at Crooked Seams.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Honored and a little embarrassed

Oh dear! I am potentially the most unobservant person around.  Just recently I have been poking around in Blogger trying to figure out how to change some things with this ole blog. Well, among the many things I have learned I discovered that I can view any and all comments left by lovely visitors. Oh my goodness! I didn't even realize some very kind comments had been left! (think I have it set so that now I should receive notification when a comment is left - I think : }  Thank you to one and all for being kind enough to comment.

Fast forward, back in May (yes, May) the lovely Marion of My Quilt Diet nominated me for  the Liebster Award.  Thank you, Marion, thank you for the kindness and the honor. I am still a little amazed that anyone has actually come across let alone noticed my blog enough to nominate it for an award. (an award - doesn't that sound so prestigious : )


What exactly is the Liebster Award? Good questions. I wondered the same thing.

"The Liebster award (German for favorite or dearest) is to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.  Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs of note. A way of introducing other bloggers to the blogs they enjoy." 

There you have it.  Now on with the terms and conditions : )

The acceptance conditions are :
1. Thank your award presenter on your blog and link back to him/her
2. Copy and paste the award to your blog
3. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that you think deserve to be recognised.
4. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Have faith that your followers will spread the love too!
 


Here are a few of the blogs that I enjoy and think are worth your time to check out:

So go visit and say Hi!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Fall 2012: Voting open

Wow! 600+ entries in the Bloggers Quilt Festival: Fall 2012.  So much inspiration. So many stories.



To nominate an entry, please use this form - Bloggers Quilt Festival: Fall 2012 nomination form.

For anyone who would care to take a moment to nominate my entry, I'm #616 and can be entered in the following categories: Favorite Baby Quilt, Favorite Home Machine Quilted Quilt, Favorite Quilt Photographer.  Thank you so much.

Also, if you would care to give me a favorite vote, page down to my entry here and click VOTE.

It has been exciting for me to participate for the first time in this inspiration-filled online Festival. Many thanks go out to Amy of Amy's Creative Side for hosting.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Baby V's Quilt

Well, here goes. This is my entry for my first time participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival: Fall 2012.  Am excited to be a part of this inspiration-filled event.  I have really been wanting to post about this special quilt and the deadline for the Festival is just the push I needed to get it done.



When I was gifted the kit (so wish I took a photo of the kit bundle before I untied it) for this quilt two years ago by a very kind and generous soul, I knew I wanted it to be for a special baby girl. I didn't know it was going to be a two year wait, but I'm so glad I was patient and waited for one of the sweetest little blessings to come into our lives - Baby V, my little niece and goddaughter. Because of the challenges that her family has been through in the last few years and because of the extra wonderful blessing she is, I wanted to make her and her family something special. This was it.


The kit consisted of strips of cotton wovens of varying weights and texture, minky, velour, and cotton velvet. The variety proved a challenge to work with, but in the end it was so worth it.  I made some modifications - I cut the kit strips into 6.5" squares and then cut some of these in half so that the squares would be offset. Also, I used the enclosed backing as binding and backed it with velour.

I quilted it myself using a walking foot and a slightly wavy stitch. I debated and debated about how to quilt it, but, in the end, I think the wavy stitch added just the right touch. Because of the velour backing I should have used more pins to baste (at least I think this might have helped) as there ended up being a few small tucks here and there, but I now know for future quilts and am quite happy overall with how the quilting turned out.


The different textures of the top combined with the velour backing make this an amazingly comfy and cuddly quilt.



It's a simple quilt. Simple is what I do. And sometimes, simple is best. 

A quilt getting used as it was intended. That makes me smile : )

I am totally thrilled with how this quilt turned out and that it is getting put to use with some serious cuddle time.


Blogger's Quilt Festival Stats:
Finished Size: 44"x48"
Technique:  Pieced
Quilted by:  me : )
Binding:  Machine stitched.
Best Category:  Favorite Baby Quilt, Favorite Home Machine Quilted Quilt, Favorite Quilt Photographer

For those who care to vote: entry #616.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

What I'm working on this weekend - Second Weekend of Sep 2012

The hardest part for me with any project is getting started. Well, today in between household chores and meals, I got started on a quilt for my youngest nephew Noah. The critters on the focal fabric are just the cutest.

All the pieces including sashing and excluding binding are cut. Now that the cutting is done I'm excited to start piecing. Can hardly wait to see it put together.  I'm hoping I picked a good pattern and the brown earth-colored sashing works like I think it might. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will find some time to get this one pieced - that's my goal and I'm sticking to it. (It's the Packers opening season game so well see how it goes...)

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Fandango Table Runner

Broke into a Fandango jelly roll, added a little bit of solid yardage strips and came up with this table runner.


Neglected to write down the finished size - 18" x 43"...I think.

Love how the quilting turned out and am thrilled with the corners.

Think I have finally figured out how to get a good looking miter on the back. They just look much neater and and lay flatter.

Gifted this tablerunner to a lovely cousin and her new husband.

Finally have a finish to link up with Megan's monthly jelly roll party @  Crooked Seams. Yippee! Skippee!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Let's Revisit Essence Table Topper


Here is my second entry for the Festival of Half Square Triangles hosted by Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations.  Linky party runs from April 16 - 22.



This table topper has been documented already, but let's revisit it because I'm kinda proud of it. It represents my very first try at half square triangles (HSTs).  And, I think they turned out pretty darn good.  To think I would have never tried them, at least not yet, if not for the encouragement of my dear husband to try something new. He things they are cool, loves that you can get some many different looks just by twisting them this way and that.


Here it is layered and ready to be basted. (the best photo I have of it, I think).


This one will always be special to me because of the teamwork of myself and my husband that went into it. It all started when I picked up Big Block Quilts by Moose on the Porch Quilts (love this little book) on sale at a local store.  My husband flipped through it a bit when he saw it lying around.

          DH:  These look cool. You should try something like this.
          Me:  Really? I don't think I'm ready for triangles.
          DH:  Yes, you are. Go for it.  I think you will like them.

And I do, a lot.

Linking up with the Festival of Half Square Triangles linky party.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Patriotic Half Square Triangle Table Topper


Here is my first entry for the Festival of Half Square Triangles hosted by Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations.  The linky party runs from April 16 - 22.



About a week or so ago my dear husband asked me if I could make something quilty "with triangles like you did before" for the employees' club auction on April 25. "I think I can, honey, but I need to get the baby's quilt done first." What was I thinking?? I could have, maybe should have, just put the baby's quilt aside for a couple days and done this topper for the auction, but, oh no, for once I decided to stick to my resolution, good or bad. So, I proceeded to work on baby's quilt while putzing at different designs layouts for a patriotic table topper. (Went with patriotic because I thought it would have the widest appeal and because I had a charm pack of Prairie Paisley II) Friday (April 13) he informs me that the auction has been moved up to April 18 (which also happened to be my birthday. OH Gads!! Planning and designing phase - over!  Pick a layout and go with it. No time to dilly dally now.

But first, determined to finish baby's quilt first I basted, quilted and bound it by Monday a.m. (will share later) then proceeded to the table topper.  (Sorry, no work-in-progress photos this time, folks.) Pieced triangles Monday afternoon. Cut and ironed triangles Monday evening and lay them out for a final look see. Pieced rows Tuesday before supper. Stopped for supper and evening going ons.  Then discover (Oh crud!) that I don't have a suitable binding. It NEEDS something navy. Not a snitch of anything navy in the house. (how can that be? Navy is one of my favorite colors??? Note to self: rectify the lack of navy and navy-like fabric in stash) So, ran out for something that I hoped would work.

Finally back at it from 9:30 p.m. until 12:30 p.m. - finished piecing top, ironed, made binding, quilted, and attached binding to front. Up at 5:30 with baby and to see dear husband off to work. "Honey, you will have to stop over and pick up that table topper you need this afternoon at 1 p.m. I need to finish the binding." He is so cool. "No, big deal, sweetheart. You have plenty of time."  Finished sewing down the binding by 8:30 a.m. Took some photos. Husband picked up at 9:30 a.m.
Not perfect, but another favorite. Wish my photos did it justice. 

Think it would work very nicely as a wallhanging.

Impressed my children, which is always kinda cool.  "Wow, Mommy! You did that last night?!"  It got finished on time and nobody went underloved or undernourished.  Teamwork, folks, teamwork : )

PS:  I think I more than earned that free motion quilting foot I got for my birthday : ) Yay!!!
PPS:  The French Silk birthday pie he brought home for me was delish!!!

Linking up with the Festival of Half Square Triangles linky party.  A lot of great handiwork has been linked. I wonder how I'll do?