Anna's Quilt

So pretty and feminine

Anna's quilt is coming along quite quickly because it is such a simple pattern. I am so happy for that because I had to work on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is a long work day so I had no time for sewing but I had a short day at work yesterday with a later start so I was able to work on the quilt both before and after work and I made good progress. The top is now 40" x 40" - just another round or two of blocks and it will be done.

I am glad that it is coming together so quickly because I have another project that I need to get underway. I purchased this fleece to make a couch throw for my son Adam and I plan to give it to him for Christmas. I need to do some prep work first to get it ready for me to take to my guild's Social Sew on Wednesday. While I am there, I plan to spend my time putting a blanket stitch around the perimeter using a gray and black yarn. I bought a skip cut blade for my rotary cutter and hopefully it will make it easier to accomplish that. I hope it turns out the way I think it will.

Starting a New Quilt!

Gosh...it feels so good to be able to spend more time quilting!!

Yesterday, I had the day off and I spent a good part of it cutting strips and making 4 patches. Before the day was over I had more than enough 4 patches made to start a new quilt.

This quilt will be for my eldest son's girlfriend, Anna. I have a list posted on my fridge for everyone to write down what they want for Christmas and when they visited a couple weeks ago Anna requested a quilt. When I saw what she wrote I had a panicked thought that there was no way I would have enough time to make one for her because of other obligations, but, I did continue to think about it. I was trying to come up with a design but I kept rejecting all of my ideas because of the time involved to make them. I have finally decided to make her one that looks like this....

It is a very simple design and really shouldn't take me too long to put together but it will still look great. I have a good start on the 4 patches and I think I have enough strips cut of the print fabrics but I still need to cut more of the white. Over the next few days I will do some more cutting and sewing and before too long I hope to have a finished quilt top!

A Finished Quilt

I finished my latest quilt creation a couple weeks ago but didn't post about it. I don't know why I didn't because I really am excited about the finish.

I called my quilt Smartie Party because the dotty fabric reminded me of the candy. There is a lot of movement going on in the quilt but I think the narrow borders really do give a place for the eye to rest. I think this quilt is perfect for a young girl.

I didn't have quite enough backing fabric so I pieced together some of the leftover floral border fabric and added the strip to the back to lengthen the backing.

I was a bit nervous about quilting it because I used a yellow thread on a solid navy background and I knew that every single flaw would show....but I should not have been worried because it turned out gorgeous. I love it!

My photos never really do any of my quilts justice because they are always so much prettier in person than in my photos. The quilt finished at approx. 52" x 58" and I quilted it using the pantograph Alfresco.

This quilt is hanging in the store where I work and it looks good!!

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

I have had the last couple days off work and I have been putting my time to good use. Over the past many months I really haven't spent much time quilting because of family commitments as well as working and I truly have missed it. I did finish a quilt for my SIL recently but that was from a top that I had already completed and I just made some modifications to make it suitable for her. This is the first quilt in ages that I have made starting with choosing the fabrics to getting the top stitched together.

This is what the quilt top looked like early yesterday before I started adding the borders.

Making border decisions can be such a challenge for me. I knew I was going to use the flower fabric as the outer border and I ended up making it a bit wider than I had originally planned. I also intended to use the orange and green fabric as inner borders but I hadn't decided on which one would go on first. When I laid them out I felt the orange and green looked too blah side-by-side so I added a very narrow navy border to separate them. I know it took me longer to make my border decisions than it took to actually sew them all on!! I had the top finished yesterday and this morning I just finished making the backing. Can I get a whoop whoop!!

When my husband saw the finished quilt top he said it looked quite psychedelic. :))

Remembrance Day

As I worked on making my latest quilt I have been watching the History channel with their Remembrance Day programming. I have been thinking about a young man that I never knew but who served in WWI. My grandfather's brother, Victor Ernest Morgan Greenland died at the Battle of Lens on Aug 21, 1917 - the day before his 21st birthday. He was not married and did not have any children. His body was never recovered and he is memorialized at Vimy Memorial, France  

LEST WE FORGET

He was so young that he barely even had a chance to live and yet he gave his life for our freedom.

Moving Right Along

I don't know why or for what reason but sometimes I can be just so darn productive...other times...not so much. I will take those productive periods whenever I can get them!!!

Even though I worked Saturday and Sunday I have made great progress on this quilt. Of course, it does help that I am making a quilt that I designed and made previously for my dear friend's grand baby.

I first cut the fabric into strips and then sewed them back together :)))) Using my Easy Angle and Companion rulers I cut the pieces to size.











At the beginning of each strip set I used the Easy Angle to get started and then cut as many units with the Companion ruler as I could. I finished the strip set with the Easy Angle ruler and then finished up anything that was left over that was usable.

These 'extra' pieces could very well end up in blocks for the back....or not. ;)

I now have all of the pieces ready to be sewn into blocks and if all goes according to plan I will get them all done today. Still feeling very productive.....

Starting a New Quilt

I need to make a quilt and I need it done fairly quickly. Luckily it doesn't need to be too large - something like a toddler quilt/lap quilt.

I have decided to use these fun fabrics with this wonderful colour palette. Navy, green, yellow and orange along with some coordinating dots and funky florals....what could be better?? Hopefully, it all works out according to plan!

I am not working today so I plan to get started cutting and sewing strips right away. Since I started back to work last May, I find I am lacking time and energy for quilting so I need to grab the time when it and some energy presents itself at the same time. ;))