A Basket of Quilts

I just cleaned out and organized the quilt patterns and other papers (like tutorials) that I have in my sewing room. I've been keeping the pattern for this quilt:



While we were waiting for our daughters to come home (we both were in the process of adoption), another mom and I decided to join this Block of the Month from the Fat Quarter Shop. I was just in the very beginning stages of learning to quilt, but I thought it would be a good way to pass the time while waiting for our girl to get all the paperwork in order to come home, and I figured one block a month would still be doable once she was home. (I would have two toddlers, so time was limited for quilting.)

Well, I tried the first block and FAILED. The pattern didn't allow for trimming down HST's to the needed size. You just had to sew them and hope they were the right size and nicely squared. I'm not sure I could make that happen now with all the years of quilting that are now behind me! Anyway, I tried to figure out how to adjust all the remaining blocks that would be coming up, but the math seemed overwhelming. Even now, I look at the blocks and while I LOVE this sampler quilt (it reminds me of the sampler in the Elk Creek Quilts first book), I don't want to work that hard to make those adjustments. I'm finally letting go of the pattern pages, and I'll use the fabric to make a simple patchwork quilt. I wanted to write about it, though, because it does bring back memories of waiting for my girl and the start of my quilting adventure. :)

I'm still sewing, but just a bit every day (for the most part). I have some other interests I've been working on (learning Spanish and taking piano lessons again), and there are only so many minutes in the day!

But I thought I'd catch up on the things I've finished lately...

I should have posted these first two back in March, but for some reason I had decided not to. I've changed my mind, though. ;)

In February, my daughter came home from serving an 18-month mission to Central America. I had converted her bedroom into my sewing room back when she first left for college, so I needed to make the guest room into a cozy room for her. I wanted it to be nice enough that she would stay home a while before moving back closer to college! I made her some new pillowcases to go with the quilt I made for her a couple of years ago, plus a new valance, and an "hour basket" stuffed with welcome home goodies.

A little collage of all that stuff.

The "hour basket" before stuffing. I love making these. They are so satisfying.

 I also made these Easter pillowcases for the two little ones...


I should have cropped this next picture, but I didn't. Oops. I had this quilt to the quilter back in February, but it took a while to get it back, so I actually didn't finish getting the binding on until early April. (Thank goodness for General Conference, when I can sit and bind for hours on end.)

I call this quilt, "Radioactive Love," because the fabric is "First Crush" by Sweetwater for Moda, and the pattern (Playgound by Camille Roskelly) kind of looked like radioactive warning signs to me with those black and red colors. Haha...

I took this at dusk, so the colors aren't showing up so great.

I mixed a few of my scrap fabrics in to give it more variety.

I LOVE the red and white striped binding.

Just a handwritten label. I wish I could find the perfect marker that wouldn't fade in the wash. :(

I just finished this quilt a week or so ago...


I just used some very old homespun fabrics I had received in a fabric exchange the once or twice I attended a quilt guild back in the day. I never quite felt "in," so I didn't keep going, but I did end up with this pile of fabrics, which I mixed with just a few more homespun choices from my local quilt shop. I decided to do a simple patchwork for my son. (He grew too tall for the last quilt I made for him.)

FYI, the homespuns from a quilt shop are way better quality than the ones from Joanns, which is where I think most of the old, fabric-exchange fabrics came from.

When the squares were on my design board, I wasn't really loving how it looked. I had planned to give it to my son for his birthday, but because I wasn't loving it, I decided to ask him if he liked it. He gave sort of a non-commital answer, and we agreed that it was kind of boring.

I determined that it would make a great picnic quilt instead, so I just quickly finished it up (didn't even care too much about fabric placement) and used it as a "practice quilt" for my fmq'ing.

Once it was finished, my son decided he thought it was cool, after all. He said it made him want to go build something with wood. (It's got that manly feel to it, I guess.) So I ended up giving it to him, although it was too late to be a birthday gift. I'm glad he likes it!

The back is just half dark tan and half light tan

Just a simple handwritten label. If I had actually given it to my son for his birthday, I would have been more personal with the label... but since it didn't work out that way, this label will do!) I was pretty happy with how the fmq'ing turned out, although I did have to go back and fix quite a few toenail catchers. They weren't huge, but I tacked them down anyway. I also had one tight spot where I had to do a major cross-over on my previous stitching to get back out in the clear. But, practice is what I need, so I gotta just go for it even if I make mistakes!

 I was pretty proud of myself for being brave and basting this quilt by myself. My friend taught me the Harriet Hargrove method when she helped me baste my Christmas quilt, and that's what I used for this.

The backing was clamped down on this table and the batting and top were spread across, ready to be pin-basted.

It works really well, although my back was sore by the time I was done basting the whole thing! I have since bought a chair with a cushion, so maybe that will help next time.

"It's a fabric store!" :)

I have been terrible at keeping up this blog… but then, I don't have a whole bunch of new things to share. Well, there are some little things, but not much in the way of quilts.

Here we go! First, I made this apron for my husband for Christmas. I know, some might say that's not a very manly gift, but look how manly it really is:

He loves it. He is our designated barbeque-er, plus he likes to make cookies, so there you go. The man needed a manly apron.

Then I started a holiday pillowcase… um, tradition? I'm not sure what to call it, but I made the two little ones Christmas pillowcases, and that started me down a path of making them for every major holiday. Here are the Christmas ones:
Remember the "mug rug" I made from the hexi class at Quilt Bliss? Well, my friend started one and didn't feel like finishing it, so she gave me her kit. I finished it up and now my husband and I have "his and her" mug rugs on our nightstands. The first time I attempted the binding, it just didn't settle in nicely, so I took it off and re-did it with a new method of easing those corners.

Before

After

I did finish this big Christmas quilt! I really love how it turned out.

I had a couple of mishaps with it, though. I knew the points were going to be tight with the binding. I debated putting a white border on, just to give me a little wiggle room, but you know how you get to the point where you are just DONE and you don't want to do one more thing with a quilt? That's where I was, so I sent it out to be quilted and hoped for the best.

I did cut a few points off with the binding, but this was the worst one:

I really tried to live with it, but I couldn't. I unpicked that small section of binding and moved it out a bit. It still wasn't perfect, but it was something I could accept. :) It was worth redoing.

But this was even more sad! As I was stitching the binding down, I saw this:

WHAT??? I couldn't believe it, and I also couldn't figure out what happened! After thinking about it for  a while, I realized it must be from my chair in my sewing room. It's one of those hydraulic chairs, and the kids had gotten grease on their hands before when they played on it. Needless to say, the chair is now out of my sewing room. I was so sad.

I washed it over and over, sometimes using Fels Naptha and then clear Ivory Soap dish soap, and then Shout. I did each one a couple of times. (I asked my quilty friends on IG what to do, and tried some of their suggestions.) FINALLY, it came clean enough that the spot was hardly noticeable.

See? I bet you can't find it! I'm just hoping all those cleaning agents won't end up damaging the fabric in the long run.

Some more little projects…

Valentine pillowcases for the little ones:


A quilt block for a friend who is fighting breast cancer. One of the IG ladies invited a bunch of us to send in a block to put together in a quilt for her. It's going to be a really pretty quilt, and I hope it helps her feel surrounded with support and love. It's a blessing to be part of the quilting world.


Haha… this hardly counts as a sewing project, but I added stars to yellow tshirts for Dr. Seuss week at school. I did this last year, too. I'm not really very creative. haha. My kids were happy, though, so I count that as a success. (You know, Sneetches on Beaches?)


More pillowcases… this time for St. Patrick's Day! My kids really like them, and they are fun to make with the Dilly-Dally method by Me and My Sister Designs. (aka The Burrito Method)


My husband and I visited My Girlfriend's Quilt Shopped in Midway when we went out for a Valentine's Getaway, and I found this pattern (The Olivia Skirt by Butterfly Kisses Patterns) and fabric (Lil' Red by Moda) to make my daughter a skirt. She had been asking for one, since she only has dresses, and I guess that's a bummer of a thing. :)

I'm really happy with how it turned out, although the gathered edge gave me fits. Next time I'll use polyester thread (the cotton thread broke while I was gathering it) and maybe I'll get better at sewing that gathered edge in. Otherwise, it was really simple and my daughter loves it!

She LOVES it! And I found a red shirt that matches the skirt perfectly.

Last, I finished this Lone Star paper pieced block! I took the class by Anna from my quilt group, and I really enjoyed it. I say that even though I did a lot of seam ripping and had to do a couple of sections more than once.  I could also mention that I needed more paper patterns, and the one I printed didn't match the others in size (which I found out AFTER I sewed it… and yes, the 1-inch sizing guide was on, so go figure). Anyway, Anna was so sweet and met my husband in town to give him more patterns for me to finish up. What a nice lady!

It's done, though! And I really like it. It's not perfect (which it should be, with paper piecing, right?), but I'm happy with it. I still need to figure out how to finish it off into a mini for my sewing room wall.



I have one quilt at the quilter and one on my wall that I'm working on. I'll share when they are finished!

I fmq'd it myself. It's the first "big" quilt I've done on my own.  Excuse the folding crease down the middle. It's been hanging on a quilt rack and I didn't feel like ironing it just for these pictures.

I added a little strip down the back so I didn't have to match the design of the backing fabric.

Most of the quilting went pretty well… although I did hit a safety pin once and broke my needle. It made my machine make a bad noise and I was so scared that I messed up my new Juki! Thankfully, everything was fine.

Can you see that thicker stitching up in the right corner of the green? I have quite a few spots like that where I had to go back and tack down some stitches that were too long.

That green and red dot! I love it, but it was a bear! I could not see the thread at all while I was fmq'ing, so I ran back over my stitches more than once when I encountered that fabric.

I just added a simple, handwritten label… and it really does have my last name, but you know. I'm that kind of private person. ;)

It took me about six hours to quilt the whole thing. It wasn't so bad. And I think it might be even better next time, because my husband made that drop down sewing table for me. The quilt might move a little better, even though it wasn't bad with this one. We'll see. In any case, my kids love pulling this quilt off the rack and snuggling with it. That makes me happy.

Also… we have a new baby granddaughter. She is super sweet and we're excited she's come along. I knew her parents liked the flannel quilt I made for her big brother, so I went flannel again. I would have never thought to put greens with pink and gray, but the quilt shop had a kit and I liked it! I added a couple more greens for variety.

I just kept it a simple pattern of squares.

A strip of leftover grays to break up the backing a bit.

You know by now that I protect the innocent. :) I had finished the quilt itself in October, but it took me a little while longer to bind it and label it, so I gave it to her in November. My friend, Stacey G. longarm quilted it for me.

I also made this cute snowman wallhanging. I had bought the kit one day a year or so ago when I was feeling like I needed retail therapy. I made an impulse stop at a local quilt shop and it was on a good sale. Then it just sat there for a long time…
 I decided I should get it done in time for Christmas this year. It was a fun process!

The backing isn't so pretty. Sewing on the buttons and all that made me glad it's a wallhanging so that nobody is really looking at the back.

All done, except...

... later I found this cute carrot button for a perfect finishing touch!

I have a handful of things I've finished up in the last month. (And a handful of things that I'm still working on…)

First, though… a Throwback Thursday to one of my earliest quilting efforts. I finally labeled it, so I can post it!

I used all Joann's fabric. It still looks okay in real life, but it definitely doesn't have the density of higher quality fabrics.  It feels thin and floppy.

 That's a horrible picture, I know. My real camera has broken and I took this with my phone in a room with bad lighting. Here's a closer view with a more accurate representation of the colors:

I went the greatest distance possible when I hand quilted this. At the time, I must not have had a walking foot or something. I had machine quilted another quilt at around the same time, but it was fmq'ing, so I don't know. Was I afraid of straight-line quilting? This was before all the quilting blogs and all the information available like we have now. I think I just didn't know what else to do!

Haha! And my stitches were sooooooo even on the back!  So happy I have discovered the art of machine quilting!

I thought the colors looked like Spiderman colors - or maybe that's just what I told my 4-year-old (at the time) son so that he would think it was cool to have a quilt hanging in his bedroom.

 Another Throwback Thursday… although not quite as far back…
I made this quilt for my now 8-year-old… probably when he was about a year old. I have pictures with layout possibilities that were taken in October, 2008, with what looks like a final sew-together in early 2009. Then I had it quilted by Stacey G. in 2011. By that point, I realized my boy had outgrown it, so I mentioned to Stacey that I would donate it to a charity. She was so sweet and did the quilting for free as her part of the donation! So nice. I finally put the binding on this month, and it's ready to go to a new home.

I just found a backing that was on sale, if I remember correctly. I'm actually a little confused about if I had washed the fabrics for the top and then if I did or didn't for the backing… I'm going to wash it now that it's all done and see what happens.  (ETA: I washed it and I still can't tell! So I guess that means it's all good. And I find it's a little hard to let this go, mostly because I know it was originally meant for my youngest boy. BUT… I'm strong. :) I hope it brings some comfort to someone who could use a warm quilt hug.) I didn't put a label on, since it will be going out as a donation.

At the time that I made this quilt top, I also made a pillow to match. It was in "kid size" and it got lots of good use. I took this picture that happens to include the pillow… even though I was really taking a picture of how my son had arranged his toys on his bed. LOL. I love little boys!

After more than a few years of lots of love, my son decided he was too big for his pillow and he was ready to let it go. My sentimental heart cracked a little (hence taking a picture), but my practical side is all about decluttering, so we sent it on it's way. Oh, if they only could stay little a bit longer…  :(

I ended up doing a wrap-type hood for hers. I had just had it with dealing with that stretchy knit!

The patch was from a reversible cape that we had purchased years ago. Batman was on the other side. It ended up tearing at some point, so I decided to make new capes and use the insignias from the old one. The Batman one has been done for quite some time. Funny (?) anecdote: While I was away at a quilt retreat, my husband was trying to put together a pirate costume for my son's "pirate day" in first grade. He decided to make the eye patch out of some black felt… which he cut off the bottom of the Batman cape. I was like, "Whhhaaaatttt???" He claimed it was only 1.5 inches, but when I got home, it was really like 2.5 inches. OFF THE BOTTOM OF THE CAPE!!! Who does that??? Anyway, my kids have pretty much outgrown these capes, and I just have them for the grandkids' dress-up box, so I didn't make a new one, even though my perfectionist self wanted to.

They were super quick and easy to make!

I actually made six total, but the other two didn't make it into this picture. :)