Monday, December 29, 2014

Christmas gift from GB

We saw this on the Sew Kind of Wonderful website. https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/post/4275983/3753915595 
She has given great directions in her tutorial.  I just warn you her directions are for an eight foot rack. It is huge!  

My husband decided to make it for me as a wonderful gift for Christmas.  And of course I had to get in there and put as many quilts as I had lying around up...even before it was anchored to the wall. 










2014 Review


My goals for 2014 were a bit ambitious for a beginner. 

Stats: I have finished 17 quilts this year :  
      lap quilts                          5
      Child/baby quilts.             5
      bed quilts (dbl/Qin)           4
      small test doll quilts          2
      Wall hanging.                   1

As follows 
1. Goal:  10 quilts for kids. Although these are not specifically for kids they are quilts that were not specifically identified:
  
     Done - brown tumbler for Keith 
     Done - orange and brown for Alma  
     Done - Kathleen's double bed child's quilt - done
     Done - Disappearing 9 patch  
     Done - rag quilt for baby Gus
     Done - one for Charles' baby  
     Done - baby hexi  - done  
     Done - green test quilt 
     Done - green doll quilt
     Done - green chevron lap quilt and a 
     Done - wall hanging - red

2.  Goal DONE my step dad's queen memory quilt. 
3.  Goal: DONE Make a lap rag quilt that I promised my son in law for his birthday. 
4.  Goal: DONE Make a queen quilt for my sister in law. 
6.  Goal: DONE quilts for Kasey and Rylee, two little preemies born April 14 and just now able to go home.  
7.  Goal: DONE Make pink lap quilt for mom.  

Other goals: 
5.  Design a series of modern design quilt sketches representing work and emotions at work.  I have designed about ten quilts with my little quilt studio.  Made two so far. 
8.  Blog weekly- started blogging in mid/late June 2014. I have done 25 blogs so on an average that is a blog a week. 


        


My present to my granddaughter (9 yrs old)

Last Christmas I sent my granddaughter a sewing machine.  In August, for her birthday, I sent her a beautiful jelly roll of material and instructions for a strip quilt.  My promise to her was that when she came to grandmas' at Christmas I would teach her how to use the long arm and she could quilt her first quilt. 

I had an ulterior motive (or two). First I wanted to pass on a love of mine ... My first love being sewing in general and now quilting.  Second I wanted to give her mother an opportunity to do something with her and/or to have something in common and build a bond with her step-dad's mom who is a great quilter.  Third I wanted to have the opportunity to develop a special bond between us.  

She and her mom sewed the top together and she was extremely excited albeit a bit intimidated with the giant machine. Despite some problems at first with tension and the side holders she took control of the machine and whizzed her way through it.  


We were all so excited that we forgot to take any good pictures and I had to parse this little one out of a phone video. It's not well focused but it will be a nice reminder.

After she was done I bound it and she slept with it Christmas Eve. 

Merry Christmas Sam!

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Kathleen's quilt

I am so excited to finally be able to show you Kathleen's quilt.  Kathleen asked me to piece and quilt a fantasy quilt for her little daughter. She gave me some guidelines (her daughters initials within a circle on a plain band  and two bands of colour at the top) but basically left the quilting up to me. Because I have some material left I am making two pillow shams.

I incorporated a bunny, house, umbrella in the rain, and a kitten into a pattern of swirls, bubbles, flowers, leaves, and feathers.  The top border was swirls and the bottom border had a large pattern similar to one I saw on Angela Walter's blog.  

All the material is cotton. The batting is a cotton-poly and I used so-fine thread throughout. I backed it with a soft beige/brown Minky.  I bound it with the same material as in the stripes and I think it adds just the right extra pizzazz to the quilt. 


I love how the name band and bottom border turned out! 


Here is a picture of the centre panel.  


And another of how the panels look together.  


The back is beautiful too!  


I washed it and it looked wonderful but when transporting it it got creased.  I am hoping that with the next wash the wrinkles will hang out. 



Thank you Kathleen for allowing me to do this for you.