summer blocks

several months ago the ladies at Sew Hip magazine in the United Kingdom contacted me about doing a quilt pattern for their magazine. 

Of course I said yes, and the magazine arrived in my mailbox a week or so ago.  I honestly forgot all about it, and thought to myself, "I don't subscribe to this magazine"...I started flipping through it and my memory came back once I saw my quilt in it.  

What an honor.  It wasn't until later that evening, when my husband mentioned it that I even noticed it on the cover!  I am thrilled. 

I have to admit that it wasn't always thrilling.  I was contacted on my due date, and the craziness of a newborn plus 2 other young children took over my life, the realization that I had very little free time, and the weariness that comes with a newborn had me second guessing my ability to get it finished.  We even had a week or two where we thought it was lost in the mail...none of this was thrilling.  But seeing my quilt in a magazine is beyond description.  So, thanks to the gals at Sew Hip.  It looks fabulous!

I showed you the binding a long time ago...It's one of my favorite parts.

my other favorite part is the quilting.  Straight lines about an inch apart.

(they even named it for me, which is an extra bonus, since I consider myself very uncreative in the quilt naming department.)

fairy tales

it seems that about once every year I go into my serious baby quilt making mode and that time has arrived.  this quilt will be for the baby girl of a close family friend.  I found this fairy tale panel several months ago, and just love it.  I know I say this alot, but I really LOVE baby quilts, they are so fast which leaves NO time to get sick of the quilt.

update

once upon a time, i had a hustling, bustling etsy shop...then we moved and i got pregnant, and i just don't have time to spend with it.  i've updated my shop, i'm cleaning out my supplies, what you see is what you get. Items include hair clips, ponytail holders, and headbands, they make great gifts!

positively quilt

My own plus quilt, inspired by this quilt.  

this was a fun one to make, and went together really fast.

I quilted with vertical straight-ish lines (about 1-2 inches apart), and then horizontally about a half inch from my seam line of each row. (that sounds so confusing).  you can see it in the following picture.

 I am trying really hard to use up the fabric and scraps of prints I don't like much anymore, so my plan is to use some of my less desireable fabric in every quilt I make.  This is one of those prints, dark green- gingham-ish, and you know what, it's one of my favorite blocks.  It works perfectly in this quilt.

bound in dark green.

crazy geese

I finished my first virtual quilting bee quilt, and I am so happy with it. I had my reservations at first, but as usual, once it's all quilted and bound it takes on a new life.

I debated what to bind this quilt with, and ultimately chose this great ruler print from American Jane. I love it up close, but kind of think it looks a little "dirty" from afar. Oh well, this will likely be used by my kids who love to make messes anyway.

For the back I used some sheeting, and showcased one of the blocks (that was stitched by HAND). It's a lovely block.

thanks to all those involved in this quilt! i love that it has a piece of each of you. what a fun year we had.

new project

my bowls are working for me again. i fell in love with this color combo (especially the dark green and aqua), and then saw this quilt, and a new project was born.

my own version of this quilt.

olives quilt

it's been the year of the baby in my family, and i think this is the last one for a while. my husband gave me this pattern (single girl by denyse schmidt) for christmas, and i thought a baby quilt would be the perfect way to try it out. can i just say that i LOVE this quilt. it might be my favorite.

i have been in a green/grey mood lately, and i am still not sick of it. it also helps that my high school colors were green and grey, so it's a nostalgic color combo for me.

hope my new nephew (who's coming even as i type this) enjoys it.

i'm also trying to step out of my stippling comfort zone, i quilted this in lines about 3/4 of an inch apart--i am so pleased with the result.

***updated: grey is kona coal. on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being hard), i'd give this a 6. not too hard, not easy. it's somewhat time consuming, but different than quilts I normally make so it kept me interested.