Finish Along Goals

I have a long list of things I'd like to get finished before baby comes. There is a Finish-A-Long going on over at She Can Quilt and I thought it might be just the accountability I need to actually get a few things finished around here. So here's my list of goals for the third quarter.

1. I REALLY need to finish up this swoon quilt. It is for a friend and they have been so patient but it is beyond embarrassing now. It is almost there so if I can just focus and finish up the quilting and bind it I can mail it off to a happy new home.

2. This is a baby size quilt made with flannel from Anna Maria Horner. The colors are a bit off in the picture. It is so soft and yummy. I'd love to finish the blocks and maybe even get the top finished before the end of the quarter.

3. And finally, I'd love to finish up this experiment. Originally, I was playing around with my own quilt designs and this is one idea that emerged. It is a fun project to work on because it is an appliqué quilt instead of a pieced quilt. The appliqué goes quickly so I think this is one I could finish up completely. I need to finish the top, baste, quilt, and bind.

Inspiration Saturday: Quilts

I am wishing for fall and cooler weather. Autumn is my favorite season. I love the cooler air, the sweaters, warm tea and cocoa, slow cooking soups and stews for dinner, making homemade bread every few days, and just about everything else that comes with the season. When the weather gets cooler I love having homemade blankets to snuggle under. I have seen some amazing quilts online lately and wanted to share some with you. So grab some tea or cocoa, pretend it is cold outside, and enjoy the eye candy.

Fabricworm recently shared this soft Bella By the Sea or by Land quilt. I love the gentle curves and color choices. This would be a great pattern to showcase some of your favorite larger prints.

Blue Elephant Stitches inspired me with this simple white and lime zig zag quilt. I love the playful backing she choose. I think something like this would look amazing in any kids room or even in a living room. Imagine something simple like this with a fun Anna Maria Horner print on the back or even one of her flannels to add a little warmth. Jolene already sold this quilt but go check out her store for more cheerful goodies.

Finally I saw this adorable heart quilt on Pinterest. It is a quilt from earlier this year from Heather Cartwright at Quilt Barn. The quilting on this totally makes the quilt. I am eager to try something like this. I don't know if I'll do a whole quilt though. I'm thinking some sort of winter inspired table runner might be fun. We shall see.

I love finding inspiration online. There are so many talented artists and sewers out there. If you have been inspired by a quilt recently share a link in the comments so I can check it out. If you want to see more of the quilts that caught my eye you can check out my Pinterest board.

Swoon Progress

I am anxious to finish the Swoon quilt. The blocks are all sewn together and I'm busy quilting it. Here's a little peak at it on the kitchen table with all the groceries in the background. This picture is from Wednesday when I was able to sew a whole one line of quilting. Sometimes that is how life goes. The baby needs changed, the 1st grader needs picked up, and the toddler needs a snack. Plus there was laundry and packing to do for a little vacation with friends. Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend filled with beautiful things like pretty quilts and laughing kids. Mine will include yummy food, late night games with friends, lots of mud, my favorite city, and hopefully a little relaxing too. What will your weekend include?

Swoon Quilt in Progress

I've been turning all these pretty little stacks into Swoon blocks. This pattern comes together quickly especially after the first block is complete. I'm close to finishing it up and I'll share more pictures soon. It has been good to practice half square triangles and flying geese blocks.

I have lots to learn for perfect piecing but I'm definitely happy with how they are coming together. Just needs a little ironing.

What are you working on right now? I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced today so if you have a few minutes go check out all the fun craftiness people are working on and be inspired.

Picking Quilt Fabrics

Picking out fabrics for a new project is one of the most creative steps and one of my favorite parts. As I look at different possibilities of fabrics and colors I try to imagine what each will look like in the finished quilt. How will the colors, values, etc. play off each other to help the quilt come alive? Quilts are like a piece of art where the fabrics are the artist's paints so things like composition come into play. I do not have an art degree but with an artistic husband who has an eye for design and many friends who are artists, I have learned a thing or two along the way. I can't always tell you why something works but I can usually tell what I like. So I try to keep playing with fabrics and layouts until something 'sings' then I just try to trust my gut. It is a little risky but in some ways all art is.

With all that said I recently picked out fabrics for two new quilts. The first picture is some charms squares cut out of blue fabrics from my stash with a little bit of yellow thrown in. I'm trying something new so we will see how it turns out.

This second bigger stack of fat quarters is for a commissioned quilt. I'm so excited to make it but I am still a little unsure about the fabric placement. I think I need a little more time to play with them or maybe a second opinion. It is a design I've never used so it is harder for me to visualize the finished quilt and I think that is part of my hesitation. I have loved the Swoon Quilt pattern from Thimble Blossoms ever since seeing it. It is so gorgeous. This is the first time I have purchased a quilt pattern to try. I have used tutorials and free patterns online. The blog community is so generous. I have also sketched my own ideas and sort of made my own patterns for different baby and toddler size quilts. I am really looking forward to making this quilt and of course I loved picking out fabrics to use. Any excuse to buy new fabric is good in my book. I will keep you updated on my progress with both of these projects.

Baby Quilt: Pink and Brown

Here is another quilt I made recently. I wanted to try out something a little different so I just sort of went for it. First I cut up all the squares using fabric I had in my stash. Then I laid out the squares before I started sewing them together just to make sure the overall flow of lighter and darker prints was even throughout the whole quilt. I originally planned to use a brown solid for the sashing but once the blocks were completed it seemed like the dark chocolate brown would be too dark and overwhelm the squares. Instead I decided to sash them all in a solid pink flannel, which came from a receiving blanket.

I saved the brown and used it on the back. I have always wanted to try a pieced back and since I did not have quite enough brown this was a perfect opportunity. I had cut a few extra squares for the front to give me options when I was laying out the quilt so I just cut those in half and sewed them all together to fit across the quilt.

For the binding I used a bit of two prints from Anna Maria Horner's Chocolate Lollipop line which made an appearance in the squares. They are the same print but in different colorways so it worked well. It is not something you would notice right away but I think it gives the quilt more interest as you look closer. Overall I'm really happy with it.

For the quilting I did cross-hatching through all the squares and also added a few straight lines on the sashing. I really like how the quilting shows up on the brown backing. I feel like I learned so much making this quilt. It was my first attempt at making a quilt with absolutely no pattern for reference which was intimidating but really fun. I already have a few more complex designs that I'm working on both in my head and on paper. This quilt measures 40 inches by 47 inches and is up in the shop if you're interested in it, check it out here.

Ravenclaw Mug Rug

A mug rug is a little quilt between the size of a coaster and a placemat. Perfect for coffee and a muffin or milk and cookies. I've been thinking they would be fun to make for a few reasons. First they would be a quick project since they are so little. Second, I could use up scraps and bits of favorite fabrics I have laying around. And finally, they would give me a chance to try new quilting techniques. Trying out a new pattern or quilting style on a large quilt is sort of scary. I worry about ruining fabrics or just plain making a mess of a project. However, with a mug rug at worst I would have to scrap a little 6 inch by 10 inch quilt: definitely not as intimidating.

When our dear friend, Frankie, turned 30 this August we wanted to make him something unique and special. He is a huge Harry Potter fan and he is a Ravenclaw. If you read the books or have seen the movies you know what that means, if not just know that Ravenclaw's colors are blue and bronze. So I decided to make him a little Ravenclaw mug rug for his desk at work. I went with a classic stripe for the front. Then used the bronze for the backing and blue for the binding. It includes a thin piece of natural batting and is quilted in straight lines with blue thread. You really notice the quilting when you look at the back. I really like the effect of the blue quilting on the bronze fabric. 

After giving Frankie his gift I had enough fabric left over to make another Ravenclaw Mug Rug. If you are interested you can find it here in the shop. 

Baby Quilt: Greens and Brown

 I have made a few baby quilts over the past couple years as gifts for expecting friends and family. This one is made from some of my favorite fabrics from Anna Maria Horner. The front is a simple patchwork similar to some quilts I've made before using her Chocolate Lollipop line of fabrics. I then added a soft flannel fabric for the back, from her Folksy Flannels. I really love putting flannel on the back of baby quilts. It adds just the right amount of warmth for a light blanket as well as adding a super soft feel for the baby. I used a solid brown Kona fabric to make the binding which was finished with hand stitching. The quilting is just a few straight lines to hold the layers together.

The finished size is 34 inches by 41 inches so it is perfect for a baby, toddler, or young child. It is also great for using as a play mat or even a wall hanging. This is the first quilt I've made for in my new Etsy shop. If you'd like to take a look you can find the listing here. The shop is new (like the blog) so let me know what you think. I have some more things to add in the next few days so check back soon.