baby bandwagon...

This summer quite a few new additions came to our town. [which meant some baby showers were on my schedule] As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy making baby quilts - you get to try out new techniques, you aren't committed to a giant project, + I get to give a personal, handmade gift! I hope that these little quilts will see alot of snuggle time :)

This is Zak. [really wish I could take credit for the adorable cap!]

I was completely inspired by this retro-esque backing fabric! It screamed to be made into something for a little cowboy.

The stars are paper-pieced and [I think] go along with the western theme. The patchwork was a great way to use my humble stash of American Jane 4-in-1 prints. Awesome backing fabric + stars +knotting = a great vintage vibe!

This is Emili. [this is a pre-delivery pic - but take my word for it, Little Miss Calli is ADORABLE!]

This is their bedding - I tried to stay in a similar colorway and this line has some plums in it. I've always been a fan of coin quilts and with a candy bar of Fandango in hand, I went to work. It went together fairly quickly, more than a few layout revisions on the design wall.

To personalize it a little more, I embroidered her name. This is my first real attempt at machine quilting with a darning foot. Not terrible this being one of the few things I have quilted, I was fairly happy with myself. I hope both of these quilts will be part of many fond memories for these first time moms :)

lovely baby twisters...

I've said it here before [and, you guessed it, I will say it again] I enjoy a good baby quilt. They are such great, personal gifts that last AND I get to try out some new patterns and tools in a relatively quick-finish project. Without further ado - Baby Miah's new quilt!

Though I have had my very own lil' twister for months, I have never found the opportunity to put it to work. Quilts made with this tool have been popping up all over the place with great result. You get a complex look with a little less complexity. My only issues: 1) I found it awkward to cut around all sides of the template, my arm/wrist just doesn't bend that way + 2) there is a lot of fabric wasted. I also worked on my machine quilting skills... kinda :) I chickened out and didn't use the walking or darning feet - I just used a wide stitch length, a lot of basting, and my regular 1/4" foot. Except for having to turn the quilt a little too often, I think it was smooth sailing and looks pretty good.

This project made quick work of a Lovely charm pack that I won in the Blogger's quilt along. I hope Baby Miah will have many happy memories with this quilt. What are you thoughts on quilts as gifts? [or any handy crafted gifts] How do you decide who will get something from the store or something from the sewing machine?

cotton candy pinwheels...

I think now might be a good time to share baby Liv's quilt with all of you. I took the pictures while there was still green grass to be seen. At the moment we have brownish/green lawns, but the weatherman has promised to take that away from us and cover them up with 4"-8" of snow! This is a particularly depressing time to have another snowmaggedon... it was 60 degrees this month! 6-0, you know spring time, grab your sandals and leave your jacket at home weather. So in the meantime, let's look at little Liv's quilt [and the green grass]!

This is a fun little quilt that was inspired by Windham's Simply Baby fabric that I bought at my lqs. I love prints with writing and text! I made some simple color blocked pinwheels and sashed them in white to show them off.

The backing is a delightful teal flannel [really cozy and a great color]. I used a light weight poly batting and hand quilted it with long stitches and perle cotton in yellow, green, and pink. It is VERY simply quilted, but I like the minimalism + I am not a quilter, so this was manageable for me.

I made a few coordinating pillows, they are in my esty shop :)

pink + blue + patchwork...

Surprise, I made a few more pillows. I'm sure that you hope to stop by here and see something different, but right now I am enjoying cushion making. I just love them - I can be creative, try out new ideas, but not be committed to a full size quilt. It also allows me to continue honing my skills as a machine quilter.

I am still working through some of my stash [hopefully back to the ufo challenge soon!] These panels were the remainder from a baby quilt I made for a friend. The fabric is from the line Simply Baby by Windham Fabrics. The blue one took quite awhile to complete with it's little checkered border, but it is probably my favorite of the three. I tried out a new-to-me finishing technique for the pink bear pillow. It's so simple - the pillow top and back are layered wrong sides together and then it's bound just like a quilt! I really like the clean lines you can get with this method; nice square edges! Need one for your nursery or a baby shower? All three are hanging out in my etsy shop :]

napping at the zoo...

I am excited to share with you a FINISHED ufo! Can you believe it?! Last summer I pledged [well, sorta - maybe hoped is a better word] to finish work on my massive stack of unfinished objects before begining anything new. So... I definitely have started new projects since this summer, but I am still steadily working through lots and lots of un-done craftiness.

This blankie was started a several years ago for a baby who no longer needs a baby blanket. It's pretty simple: I just fussy cut the animal blocks and added borders around a teal flannel center. This is the point where progress stopped. Time at the 'zoo' stood still. It was really tough to pick it back up - how do you make that project that has been lying around [I've looked at it a million times] exciting and new? I decided to back it with some oh-so-soft baby lime green fleece and incorporate knotting and some long stitch quilting using perle cotton. I think the finished project is a very cuddly one. As an added bonus, finishing this project required not one trip to the fabric store - binding, backing, and perle cotton were all located using my stash.

Seeing as the intended recipient isn't in need of a baby blanket, it is in my etsy for another tot to try napping at the zoo :]

pinky & the giraffee...

Welcome (soon) baby girl K! My friend Aimee has been a great source of comfort and encouragement this summer. Their family of 3 will turn into a family of 4 in September with the addition of a little girl.

I enjoy baby quilts - a sense of accomplishment without a major undertaking because of their small size. I like to think of this quilt as an altered ufo. I used a charm pack (Moda: Sanctuary by 3 Sisters), backing, and binding fabric that had already taken up residence in my stash. I was so proud that the only new purchase for this project was the pink polka dot (which is FABULOUS by the way)!

The little giraffe is fused using wonder under, then finished with a buttonhole stitch. I think hes cute! I hand quilted around him to give the block a little pop.

A source of pride: nearly perfect mitered corners on the binding! They are super easy once you get the hang of it and it makes such a difference in the finished project! (a little Marlene tip :0)

I had to add a tag. This is a small piece of rug binding and a sharpie pen. I'll be taking a look at tags later on - there are so many options to add your signature to handmade items! Finished size is approximately 36"x40" - which means a yard is the perfect size for backing!