Quilt For Leslie...and Fun Chevron

I finally finished the quilt!  This was the biggest quilt I've quilted and had some challenges...I had 2 false starts (quilting followed by ripping!).  In the end I just did straight lines.  Kinda boring but once it was washed, it was a beautiful quilt.

I presented the quilt to Leslie the day before Thanksgiving break.  It was an honor to give it to her!

My next project is a chevron quilt.  I sewed, cut and pressed all the squares.  I initially skipped trimming the squares (laziness does not work well when quilting!) but when I realized nothing was matching up I decided trimming was necessary.

Because I'm a rule follower, I pressed all the pieces to the dark side.  This made it hard to sew the squares together... even though I pinned, the pieces slipped or wouldn't go under the presser foot easily. (insert mild swearing)  So now I'm trimming and pressing the seams open. I hope this is the right thing to do!  Does anyone out there know?

As you can see there are now different pieces and piles...some still on the floor, some trimmed and pressed, some sewn together waiting to be ripped out. :(  The squares are 4 3/4"

Oh, in case you are wondering why there are wine glasses so close to my sewing, it's not because I drink that much!  We are ripping out our carpet and putting in wood floors all over the house which means everything needs to be either moved to the basement or to the garage.

Happy New Year!
boo & my Joy

Quilting Graph Paper!

Printable Paper is a website that offers all kinds of different printable templates.  Check out this one for quilting graph paper.  Genius!

Me? Link up to a "finish party"?

Okay...I'm doing it!  I'm linking up to July's goal setting party - "A Lovely Year of Finishes"!  I started a quilt for a very special teacher in early May and haven't been back to it since Memorial weekend.  I did have a little basting setback.

I tried Sharon Schamber's method  for basting a quilt using her YouTube tutorial.  It looks so easy on the video and it was super easy!!!!  I basted the quilt on my kitchen counter in about 45 minutes.  The quilt is 68X54ish.  The front was smooth and beautiful!  I was ecstatic until I turned it over.  There were puckers everywhere!  I have no idea why it didn't work!  Next I'm going to try the same method and tape the sides of the backing to the counter as I go.  Maybe that will keep things taught.

So, the quilt is now rebasted and ready for quilting.  Since I have no experience in FMQ, I'll do some wavy lines.  

The other thing I must accomplish this month is to blog!  My Joy keeps nudging me so here goes...

easy basting - too bad it didn't work!

To Honor a Teacher

Both of my kids had the same wonderful teacher for 1st grade.  This is my Joy's last year at her elementary school and I wanted to honor this teacher by giving her a quilt.  I hope to have it finished and give it to her on the last day of school, May 30.  

This teacher was one who had a gift for connecting with each student and finding a way into their little minds and hearts.  She brought out the best in her students and gave them confidence.  Depending on the day, the hour, the moment, she was their friend, or mentor, or "mommy", or teacher.  She filled whatever gaps she needed to to help her students grow and learn.  It would have been easy to overlook both of my kids because they were quiet (back then...).  She treated them with kindness and respect and truly cared about them.  She took the time to get to know them.  She gave them her time, talent, and love...she was a wonderful gift from God to our family.

So for Leslie's quilt, I've chosen "Soul Blossoms" fabric by Amy Bulter that I purchased from Southern Fabric.  Not only is the fabric pretty, the name sort of describes her way with children.  The pattern I'm using is "Flowers in the Sunshine" from Sweet Jane's.

Here's the work in progress...

We've been crazy busy...as usual but still finding a little time to squeeze in some stitches and shopping. 

Here's a skirt my Joy made with a little guidance.  It only took a couple of hours and will go together much quicker the second time around.  We used Burda Kids pattern 9547.  It can be made as a two or three tier skirt.  

My Joy also made garlic knots a week ago...ymmmm!  Who cares if it gives us horrible garlic breath!

Here's another fun quilt my Joy pieced...last summer, I think.  The pattern is "Fanstastic-O! Fat Fun" from Threaded Pear Studio.  I don't remember what the fabric line.  We love the jumbo ric rac.  I quilted it using wavy lines (machine pattern, not free motion) to go along with the ric rac.

Cheers!
boo & Joy

Tonight's dinner, Spaghetti with Bacon, Onion and Thyme, with salad...from one of my favorite websites.  My Gourmet Connection is full of scrumptious, easy recipes.  

I purchased the 12 Trees kit from Oakshott Fabrics.  The fabric is absolutely stunning!  The weft & warp are different colors which gives the fabric depth.  I originally saw the quilt on Lily's Quilts.  It's from her Feb 27, 2012 post.  I hope mine turns out as well!  I'm pretty type-A and this pattern requires you to cut the background fabric free-hand...gulp!  Maybe I'll practice on a piece of muslin.  Chicken, huh?

My Joy and I have been following many (the list is growing!) quilting blogs.  What fun it has been to see what others are creating!  I'm in awe of the talent out there!

I've been quilting off and on for a number of years...honestly, more off than on.  I've not actually made very many quilts.  That's going to change this year!  Now that my kids are a little older, it's a little easier to sneak downstairs and quilt for awhile.  It's especially fun when my Joy is sewing with me.

Here are a couple of pictures of finished tops...my next goal is to figure out how to FMQ!

"Gi Gi Girl" pattern is from the book Let the Good Times Roll by Anka's Treasures.  The fabric, "Bazaar Tonga Treat Strips" is from Fat Quarter Shop. 

I made this quilt for our bedroom...or should I say this top?  The fabric is "Whimsy" by Pillow and Maxfield.  The pattern is "OliveRose" by Valori Wells.  The pattern used to be free on The Stitchin' Post website but I don't see it now.  I started it over a year ago and finished the top in February.

I bought the fabric for this quilt when my Joy was really little and just finished the top last year...I think.  I can't find the pattern and I have no idea what the fabric line is.

I really need to figure out how to quilt something other than straight lines!  I purchased a couple of books on how to machine quilt so I'm off to practice!