First Quilt Finish of 2011

One of my goals was to finish more quilts than last year, well today I finished my first quilt of the year. And that makes me even with last year.  Which means I only need to complete one more to reach my goal... sort of.  I would really like to finish more than that! 

I decided to make my brand new niece a quilt for Christmas. Yes, I know it is after Christmas, but this is the first time I have seen her since she was born Dec. 7th. My sis and the kids came over today and since I waited until the last minute to finish this quilt, I finished stitching the binding on about one minute before she walked through the door!

I actually took this photo as my photo of the day. I have seen a few bloggers who have done this and I though That sounds fun, I am going to try to do that~

I made this quilt in a couple of days, which is record speed for me.

I was in love with this quilt & this quilt, which were my inspiration.

Hard to see in this photo, but I hand embroidered her name on the quilt before I quilted it.

A little vintage doily added on the back.  I used vintage sheets for the front- except the orangeish one is from the shabby chic collection at target that I found at the thrift.  I backed it with pink flannel.  For the quilting I did random lines vertically and horizontally, which was a new technique for me.  I also free motioned hearts randomly throughout the quilt.

This is the first quilt that I have made for someone outside of my household.

Here she is taking it for a spin:)  And yes, that is her hair ... not a hat!  

Made it Monday

Went to the Dr. today and cervix is 80% now and 3ish cm and she thought it would be really soon. Have been having contractions every 5 minutes or so. Hopefully she is right and it will be soon~

On to the projects I have been working on to keep from going crazy with all this waiting around.

I finished another quilt. This one was for this quilt a long and I love it!

A different angle.

A close up
Baby girl is going to have a quilt for every day of the week!
Chad wants to know if we have enough quilts yet, and can I start selling them.
I told him, I am too new to quilting and they are not perfect enough to sell.
Someday maybe~

The back
Lots of vintage sheets in this one. The only thing I had to buy for this one was the actual tree fabric.

All folded up.

I made these letters for Graham to play with and at the moment Chad and Gwen are playing with them.
You can find the tutorial here.

This photo is funny because my big yellow belly is in it.


All the letters in their bag.
Graham ran around with the bag on his arm like a crazy person for about 5 minutes.

The beginning of the Zig Zag quilt for this quilt along. Not sure how long this one will take to finish.

Back to contractions and pictionary with the fam!

I Finished Another One

Yep, another quilt. This is a big accomplishment for me:)
This one is for Graham too.
I wasn't planning on making him another quilt soo soon, just saw this quilt on Amy's blog and had to make it. She also has a tutorial for the blocks on her blog.

Aren't the Robots the cutest.

It is a nice little throw size, perfect for the boy to snuggle under.

Here is the back.

I have decided I am OCD about stippling, I just get crazy with is and have to cover every square inch! I am currently hand quilting Gwen's quilt, which I will not be doing again any time soon, it is too time consuming! Still need to finish our bed quilt, but am not going to tackle it until I have the baby. It is too hard on my HUGE prego body to sit on the floor and baste the quilt together!
I am going to try to do the zig zag quilt a long that starts next week, we shall see how far I get before baby girl comes!

Quilt Interview

Today I am posting a quilting question and answer session with Amy at parkcitygirl. She is an amazing quilter and is super helpful.

Tell us a bit about you and your quilting:
Well, I'm a wife and mom of 4! We live in a small house, in a small town, in the Utah mountains where life is relaxed but busy in our household. Over the last two years quilting has become my creative therapy. The dishes and laundry are never completely done, but the quilts I make never talk back and usually stay folded the way I left them. :)

Another lovely sample of her work!

When piecing the quilt top, what foot do you use on your sewing machine?

I use a 1/4" foot, with a little barrier on the right side - Love it!! I also move my needle position 1 mm to the right for an accurate 1/4" seam. That little bit can make a huge difference in my finished block size! If you aren't sure you have an accurate 1/4" seam, try sewing 2 - 2 1/2" squares together. Press it and measure. It should measure 4 1/2" across, if not then try moving your needle a bit - not too much, and try again.

Hand quilting-any tips?
Nope! I have only done a tiny bit on mini-quilts. Just try it if your curious - break all the rules! That's how we find what works for us :)

Do you use matching thread to your binding color? I have a problem having my binding being wider on the back then the front and suggestions?

When I'm stitching down the binding (a favorite part) my thread is usually matched to the backing fabric. Or cream, which tends to disappear! If your binding is wider on the back you need a bigger seam allowance when attaching it on the front! I usually attach with a 3/8" seam allowance.

Do you press your seams open or to one side?

I learned to sew garments as a girl. Pressing my seams open is ingrained in my brain! I only recently realized that most (if not all) quilters press to one side. Even still I mostly press open - I like how flat the blocks lie, and personally find matching seams easier.

Best online sites to get fabric?

I love browsing at Fat Quarter Shop - it is organized amazingly, and shipping is fast! http://fatquartershop.com/
I love browsing on Etsy too, finding combinations that I would not think to try!
My Heart and Sew http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5352328
Sew Love Fabrics http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5811728
Fabric Supplies http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5680709
And Fabric Shack always has a deal on something! http://fabricshack.com/
Just a few favorites - there's so many good shops!

Free motion quilting- Any tips?

Taking that first plunge into free-motion quilting is a bit daunting! Practicing on paper first helps get a feel for the movement that want in your quilting. Many are surprised to learn it's just like drawing with thread! I also like to turn my machine (so it's perpendicular to me) -- it cuts down on the stress in my arms, and seems to give me more room to work! Just try it once :)
A sample of her quilting. I love this quilt, such fun colors!

How often do you change needles when quilting?

I probably don't change my needles often enough! I like to start each new project with a new needle, and then change it again before quilting. If you hear a *ping, ping* while sewing - your needle is dull!

Are there any special tools you can not live with out besides the basics?

Not that I can think of! I'm a pretty basic girl, and my sewing space is the kitchen table - I have to keep it all portable.

How often do you change your rotary blade?

Every other month usually.

How many bobbins do you wind when quilting?

As many empties as I have! Usually 3 or 4 - I'm getting ready to quilt my monster quilt, hopefully I can find 5 empties before I start :)

Do you get to a point where you don't want to keep every quilt you make?

Not that I'm aware of! I do have a couple listed in my etsy shop, but so far I have been glad to not ship them off :) I always love the project that I am working on - the fabrics have been carefully selected and cut, and the time put into making each block, while therapeutic, is costly. However, I do love blessing others with a handmade quilt full of love - it's fun to see it loved by someone else too!

These were questions I had and thought it would be fun to share since I am sure there are others out there with the same questions! Pop over and visit Amy and check out her beautiful quilts. Amy is also hosting the next sew along for the old red barn group if you want to join click here.

Before & After- The nursery

I am finally getting around to posting the pictures of the nursery before and after. It is sad that it is all done and we are only going to be living in this house a few more months. Oh well.
On to the MILLION pictures!

For those of you who are new to the blog, we are having baby number 4 in Aug and Graham and the baby girl will be sharing a room. So I had to come up with a plan of how to decorate both for a toddler boy and a sweet baby girl all in one room.

Before- When it was just Grahams room.
Not sure why I didn't tie up the curtain, it looked much cuter that way.

You can see where I started testing paint under the shelf. I would love to sell the long curtain panels, if you are interested email me, I made them to help keep G's room warm in the winter.
Notice the ceiling, we had them scraped before we moved in and had not yet painted it.

The toy box is now in the closet and the rocker is in my room, need to recover the seat still.

Closet view.

More paint testing. We repainted the shelf and changing table.. see after photos.
Blue rocker is on the porch, it may get painted a girl color once we move.

Last Before Shot.

On to the AFTER>>>>>

You will have to try to block out the ugly crib tent. I was not about to take it off while 8.5 months pregnant!


Graham's side of the room.


Graham makes me read both poems to him every night. He giggles at the frogs and snails part every time.

Shelf with fresh paint.

He was also very excited when I hung the vintage dog pictures on the wall.

His crib, which will not be making the trip back to CA with us. We will be putting him in a darling vintage toddler bed I have for him. God help me.
Hanging over the crib is the cowboy quilt I made him.

We painted the walls a light tan and the ceiling a light blue.
Our neighbor gave us the dresser and all it needed was a coat of paint and the knobs needed a coat of paint and some spray varnish.

I made this pillow awhile ago. The image is an actual page from a vintage cloth book.
The pillow will eventually go on Grahams bed.

Cute little shelf with vintage goodies on it.
The "Boy" banner is from a shower some of my friends had for me in Napa.
I would love to have a "Girl" one, but the store they got the letters from no longer carries them:(

More cute stuff on top of his dresser.
The little football guy is a vintage bank I got on ebay for $2.99.

Laundry hamper and His hat rack.
I spray painted the rack. It is perfect for hats.

Now on to the girlie side.
Changing table with a fresh coat of paint and vintage inspired pink glass knobs and a pink organic, bamboo changing cover.
Diaper stacker and curtains I made.

I had the small pink frames and stuck vintage baby cards in them for now. The little dresses hanging are all vintage, two of them were from the above mentioned baby shower. My friend Heidi(napa) had used them as decorations for the shower and gave them to me. The third dress I think was my mom's when she was a baby.

I did the lettering on her side of the room in a more girlie font, both I did free hand.
I stole the vintage wicker cabinet from my sewing room. It is the perfect place for all the diaper cream, nail scissors etc. It is still a little bare as I am still looking for the perfect vintage items to sit on it. The little girl sitting on top is a night light that my friend Heidi(napa) gave me for Christmas I think. You can see the little vintage girl planter that Shara gave me, it is holding Q-tips. I stole the book from Gwen's room as she is kind of beyond the nursery rhyme stage at 9 years old.

Baby girls side of the room.
You can see more detail by clicking on the pictures.
The tutu is I suppose vintage..... because it was mine when I was little.

This shelf is a bit bare also, still collecting.

Different view of her side.
Basket full of pretty handmade blankets and quilts.

Another view of her crib.

A close up of the bedding since it took forever for me to make.
Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Quilt

I started this quilt months ago, even before we found out we were having a girl. You can find the tutorial on Moda Bake Shop.

I used swell charm packs.
I love the vintage feel of that fabric.

Even Chad showed some interest in this one, he actually asked me questions about it. He also pointed out the different fabric he likes. Which tells me I did good:)

Backed in an aqua toile. Machine stippled, only the second time I have done that. I have noticed though that experienced quilters stippling is a little more regular and loopy.

I am super happy with how it turned out.
It is now in baby girls basket waiting for her to arrive!