Paper-dolls on a Quilt

Wow! Just realized that I never shared this post once I gave the quilt away! I made this quilt when I was making quite a few other baby quilts for friends (link to all posts about baby quilts), but then I saved it while waiting for someone to have a baby girl :)

A friend of mine finally had one this past summer, and this quilt made the journey to New Mexico. As it turns out, that friend actually moved to my town just four months later, right after Christmas - I am loving having my friend and her family so close!!!

The quilt was made with panels of paper dolls - I don't have any information about it, as it was a gift when we were still living in Montana. I made the corner blocks from some 30s reproduction squares that I had in my stash. The yellow was also in my stash, along with the backing fabric. Since I didn't want to machine quilt through the paper doll blocks, I did some straight line quilting around the blocks and then used embroidery thread for inside the blocks.

There is nothing like quick baby quilts for stash busting! (My goodness, she was so little... but I guess these were taken two years ago!)

Two Baby Quilts Finished! {February Goal Success}

My February Goal is complete :)

I finished two baby quilts this month. One top was already ready for the quilting/binding process, but I ended up making another top for the 2nd quilt (even though I have several tops ready to go - I really wanted a boyish I-Spy quilt, which I didn't have on hand already!).

Here is the quilt that already had the top and binding ready. All I had to do was baste, quilt and bind. Both quilts were basted and quilted at my parents' house when we were there the first weekend of February. Mom's workhorse of a Viking sewing machine has a much better walking foot than my machine, so I know I can trust hers to work well (and quickly!) for me! 

The top fabric came from Fat Quarter Shop several years ago when I realized I didn't have many fabrics on hand that would work for boyish quilts. This is the second and final quilt made from this line. You may still see a few matching squares here and there in I-Spy quilts, though! 

The backing came from a destash purchase a year or two ago. Both quilts are quilted with straight, diagonal lines... simple yet effective!

 "Oh the Places You'll Go!" Perfect for a little baby boy!

And here is the I-Spy quilt! This baby boy has an older brother who may need some entertaining while Mom is busy with the new baby... so really, this quilt is for both the baby and the brother! 

This backing also came from an Instagram destash back when destashing over social media was just taking off. I haven't looked on the destash hashtag in a long time! But, what I did buy back then has surely come in handy :)

I hope the two babies feel loved and prayed for when they are cuddled with (or crawling over) these quilts!

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WIP (works in progress) List

• Pattern Testing a Dress for E     (Finished! - link and link)
• Several dresses/tops/etc for E and me (patterns and fabric chosen... need to cut and sew) - up next are the birthday and Easter dresses, but I have a bit of time before they are needed :)
• Baby Quilt for a friend ~ the top is finished, now to baste, quilt and bind - completed!
• Baste a baby quilt for another friend... then quilt and bind - completed!
• Onesies! - 3 finished (link and link), several more to go... the pregnant friend list just keeps growing!

UFO (unfinished objects) List

• Twin size quilt top needing a border then quilting and binding
• A quilt top from my grandma needing quilting and binding
• 5 baby quilt tops needing quilting and binding 
• A pile of Christmas half-square triangles that need to be trimmed and then organized into a table runner/table topper/pillow/etc
• A new table runner from a mini charm pack won from a giveaway recently

DIY Projects Update

Lately, I've had some DIY fun...

We did some canning! Applesauce and tomato sauce (apples from my in-laws and tomatoes from our garden). I also tried apple butter, but I still haven't test it... I'm not a huge fan of it, so I made it especially for Dan and my dad. 

I quilted my Christmas quilt! Now I just have to finish the binding... 

I'm working on some wall-art. Some of them cannot be hung until we get some dry-wall on the basement walls (so, it will be awhile....), but others just need some hangers and nails in the wall!

Making these wall-art signs is really easier than I ever thought they would be. They provide a great remedy to my crafty-itch when I've been sewing too long :) I like variety in my DIY projects!

Quickest. Finish. Ever.

About two weeks ago... well, maybe 2 and a half weeks... I received an invitation to my cousin's baby shower. I had always intended on sewing her a baby quilt, but in reality, nothing was planned - I mean, she wasn't due until November; I had plenty of time!

Well, that invite was the kick start I needed! That same day, I went to my charm "scraps" and picked out a mix of charms... 48 charms of colors, texts, patterns and other i-spy items. I even dug in my stash to see if I had anything suitable for the border, backing and binding. All in the same day. That's a lot of planning, ha ;)

No need to run to the store with an over-energetic toddler when you have everything on hand! Score!

Quick quilting of diagonal lines...

... and a pieced backing of tractors and monkeys.

I still can't believe I got it finished in time. Most of it was actually sewn the week before... because 2.5 weeks just isn't exciting enough... why not wait to just have one week?! 

Yeah, I don't understand myself all the time either :)

Happy last few weeks, cousin! 

My First I-Spy Quilt

I finished another quilt that I've been thinking about for awhile!

I've always loved the idea of I-spy quilts for toddlers and kids. When I finally went through my scraps and organized them by cutting them into specific sizes, I knew that I could start sewing a few I-Spy quilts up. I used my usual "pattern;" a 6x8 layout of 5" charms, 4" border and 2.5" binding.

I love how it turned out! Some of the charms have objects, others are color specific to help with color recognition and some are geometric to help with identifying stripes, circles, squares, etc.

This quilt is destined for my parents' lake cabin. Evelyn already enjoys sitting on it. As soon as I lay it out on the ground, she hurriedly crawls/walks over and sits right in the middle. She seems to enjoy the back more now. I used an alphabet panel with a Mary Engelbreit beach fabric as a border on the back. Both were purchased on Instagram (#thegreatfabricdestash) for this specific purpose :) I bought the front border special as well (also Instagram). It is perfect for an I-Spy quilt as it has wagons, houses, bikes, and dogs on it. Since finishing this quilt, I used the rest of the fabric on another baby I-Spy quilt for an upcoming baby shower. I'll be sure to show it after the shower!

Evelyn will enjoy sharing it with her cousins! I cannot wait for summer days at the lake cabin! 

Until then, we'll just keep checking the cattle. I am not jealous of this very pregnant cow!!!

ALYOF ~ March Goal Finished!

My March goal was to finish a quilt made with a quilt top that my Grandma made. 

Goal Post Here. 

(Number 85 on the Goal Setting Linky Post)

In that post, I wasn't yet sure if I wanted to quilt and bind it or if I was going to burp and tie it (also known as the pillowcase method).

I decided to quilt it with my walking foot with wavy lines from side to side. 

Many of the fabrics are from clothes that my mom and aunt wore (homemade) "way back when." :)

I made a scrappy binding out of 2.5" strips in my scrap collection. 

I used a white sheet from a thrift store for the backing.

 I look forward to working with another quilt top of my Grandma's soon!

What's a goal post without showing you my trusty cheerleader helping me take pictures.. and of course, there's Mute the Cat, too!

Linking up to several parties; please see my favorites' buttons in my sidebar.

Christmas Trees Table Runners

Before Christmas, Christa hosted a Modern Trees quilt-a-long featuring the Tri-Recs ruler set. I loved how the quilt looked and I bought the rulers at a local quilt shop on a whim with no definite plans on making it. Then, I made this tree skirt top and all of a sudden I had strippy, Christmas scraps! I cut the triangles - I got about 20 out of the tree skirt scraps. It wasn't until last month that I finally found the black fabric in my mom's stash and the brown fabric in my stash... along with the backings and the bindings.

It was time to make some table runners!

My quilting is a bit rumpled and some of my points are cut off, but overall I am happy with my two additions to my Christmas decorations! I look forward to using them next Christmas!!! When my mother-in-law saw my runners, she decided to make one, too! She hopes to make a few more for presents. I look forward to making more as well; maybe making more of those tree skirts will give me good reasons to make more ;)

February Goal... Success!

Using my time management ideas that I outlined on my goals post, I was able to whip February's ALYOF goal out in no time! I added the border, basted it and then quilted lines diagonally both directions through the squares. Here is little Peter's quilt (born in January to one of my college friends). It has already been packed up and mailed out. I hope the little baby (and his parents) enjoys it!

The fabric is from a fat quarter bundle I purchased from Fat Quarter Shop. It's called Amusement Park by Anton & Ink for Camelot Cottons. It was on sale (less than $2 a fat quarter if I remember right), and I thought it was a great collection for baby boys - I have plenty of options for girls, but my boy fabric options were a little slim. I cut the bundle into charms and 2.5" strips. I have enough for another baby quilt, plus some got put away into my scrappy 5" baggies and into my I-Spy charm baggie. I purchased 1 yard of the red dots to border two baby quilts.

I "stole" the backing from Mom's stash. We were going through her stash and organizing and cleaning out, and we decided that this panel would be a perfect backing. I love each of the bears. The sleeping bear is dreaming about what he'll be when he grows up and each letter of the alphabet has a different career (except X, Y, Z). It's definitely not a modern motif, but I don't think Peter (or my friend) will mind! Yay for stash busting!

Check out my sidebar for all my favorite linky parties... Linking up!

January Goal Update

The binding is made...

One runner is quilted and the other one is basted...

I have almost accomplished my January goal... and there is still plenty of time left in the month! I may even get a kickstart to my February goal :)

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• The spoons are flattened... I hope to stamp them soon!
• (Evelyn really wanted to play with this new fabric...)
• I won a gift certificiate to Fashionable Fabrics from Sew Mama Sew's Handmade Holidays series. I purchased three yards of fabric that will hopefully become dresses or skirts for a certain little girl ;)