Allie's Quilt

 Another recent finish was this graduation gift for my son's girlfriend. A week before her graduation, I was cleaning up my sewing area and rediscovered this fabric. I knew it would be perfect for Allie, so I started cutting and stitching.

 I started with 3 mini charm packs of Kate Spain's Paradiso line. The mostly blue squares were combined with Kona Snow for some yummy 9-patches. Those were set on point, and alternated with plain square-in-a-square blocks with Kona Bahama blue. Very simple piecing. The points were extended around the perimeter to complete the design. I used every bit of Paradiso yardage that I had for the borders.

I absolutely love quilting a continuous curve (aka orange peels). It's an effective design for the 9-patches, so I marked a grid in the alternate plain squares to repeat the design. I normally don't do any marking but it was necessary on this one and well worth it.

Below, you can see the Angela Walters-inspired quilting in the large triangles. You can also see what happens to my thread when I use a needle that is too small! I was using Superior needles and thread and they very quick to respond on Instagram with some suggestions. The right size needle was all I needed.

 

 Allie and Pete came in just as I was finishing the quilting (the day before graduation). I asked her if she liked it and told her it was hers! Surprise!

 

Check out the awesome texture on the back!

 

I used an ombre on the back. It is light at one selvage and dark at the other. I pieced it along the light edges so it glows in the middle! 

I found out toward the end that Allie loves flamingos. I dug deep for this paper pieced pattern by Margaret Rolfe. In a previous quilting life, I used to shrink all these patterns to make lapel pins. It was fun to be reminded how much I enjoy tiny paper piecing. We've known Allie since she and Pete were six or seven years old. I'm hoping she'll stop calling me Mrs. Craig soon!

 

 I think she likes it. As soon as she got home, she put it on her bed and sent me a picture of how well it matches her decor.

Allie's Quilt

60" X 77"

Started May 1, 2017

Completed May 20, 2017

Delivered June 20, 2017

Pieced on Singer Featherweight

Quilted on Bernina 153

 

WIP Wednesday

I have three finishes to report this week, only 2 with pictures. I hemmed Julia's gown for the ROTC ball. I'll show you a picture after she attends the ball with Fred.

Class 2 of the 46 pocket bag project was last Saturday. I love my new bag, but I'll never remember where I put anything!

I also finished this 9-patch class sample. I decided to donate it to the school band boosters' raffle. My kids gained so much from the music department, I'm happy to continue to support the program.

9-Patch Swing, 58 x 70"

The musical prints had been in my stash for a few years.

It was fun to use them all up! I just needed a bit of solid red to fill up the back.

The blue jazz combo print is my favorite. I need to print a label and then this quilt will be ready to go.

Linking up...

Rainbow 9-Patch Finish

 Some finishes are more exciting than others. This one is a huge relief. I'm just so happy to have it done and off the UFO/WIP list!

It started out as a 9-patch swap in 2009! It was my first online swap and I was so excited to participate. The center was assembled within days of receiving the third batch of blocks. It took some time to accumulate the border squares and strips, as I would cut an extra strip from every piece of fabric I used for other projects.

I purchased a 90" wide piece of fabric for the backing about a year ago. I wasn't happy with the gray border corner, and really wanted to pull it out. On the advice of friends, the gray stayed.

It went off to Pat for quilting a few weeks ago. I found the vintage-looking green in my stash for the binding. Green goes with everything! I hand stitched the binding while watching the Olympics on TV.

I'm so happy to have this done as my #6 UFO in the Ninigret challenge.

Rainbow 9-Patch

Started May 2009

Completed February 2014

Swap hosted by twiddletails

Quilted by Pat Harrison/ Ocean Waves Quilting Co

74 X 92"

A Quilted WIP

I picked up this quilt from Pat on Friday and I love it again! When I brought it to her there was not much enthusiasm on my part. Which quilting design did I want? Which thread? At the time I really didn't care much. But now I'm really happy with our choices!

The quilting design is called Ink Blot, and Pat had it stored in the juvenile file. I'm not sure what that says for my taste, but I really like it on this quilt. The thread is a rainbow variegation from Superior. Variegated thread has become a theme for me in the past week!

My new mattress is ridiculously high, so this quilt does not begin to drape far enough on the sides. Bummer. It will need to live at the foot of the bed.

But it still needs to be bound, probably in green (another recent theme). Hand stitching the binding to the back will be the perfect job for long nights watching the Olympics on TV.

Scrappy Quilts

I almost forgot to tell you. I entered the Quilting Gallery's Scrappy Quilts contest this weekend. Hop over for the scrappy inspiration and look for Ninnie Nines.

WIP Wednesday / Sew Every Day 16

 It's amazing how much you can get done when you decide to sew every day! Thank you, Pat Sloan, for issuing the challenge.

Actively in Progress: 

Star Crazy Plan B is almost done. It needs a batik border to make it a decent lap quilt size. I will shop for that soon.

 

Ninnie Niner is a completed top. Most of the 9-patches were collected in the Ninigret Quilters' 9-patch swap. The layout is Thimble Blossoms' Niner quilt. I need to find a backing for this one.

Sew Every Day 16: I got the rest of the fabric cut for Pete's album quilt while he was volunteering at Cub Scout camp. (There are stacks of white background pieces, too.)

I only managed to sew together one block. Now that all the fabric is cut, whenever I have a few minutes, I can piece a block. I have 13 of 40 blocks needed for this quilt. Ten of them were made by my friends in the Modern Stash Bee.

Coming soon: My nephew and his wife announced last night (at a Reveal Party!) that they are expecting a baby girl in November! This will be the fifth great granddaughter for my mother- no boys! I started a Baby Quilts Pinterest board last night, with fabric and pattern ideas. What is your go-to baby quilt pattern?

Back burner:
Tops to be quilted:
   Vintage Modern- needs backing
   Chevron & On- needs backing
   Magenta Crayon Challenge- ready to baste
   Swap Soup- ready to baste
   3X3 Swap- quilt by check after furlough
   Bears in the Farmhouse- needs a border and backing
Blocks to Assemble: 4X5 Modern Bee

Have fun visiting other WIP Wednesday posts!

Sew Every Day 15

I've made it half-way through Pat Sloan's challenge to sew every day in July. 15 for 15!

Day 15: Stitched together the top of the nine patch swap quilt. The layout was inspired by Camille Roskelley's Niner pattern. It currently measures about 50 x 75".  I might just add a 2" border of the white print to square it up. I'm planning to use up all my saved binding scraps.

I hope you are staying cool and comfortable in the midst of another heat wave. If you need me, I'll be in my air-conditioned bedroom.

Sew Every Day 13 & 14

 My "cottage" garden is bursting with perennials and scary looking iridescent blue bees.

 Sew Every Day 13: I stitched exactly 4 seams. I did a quick paper piecing demo at the RI Modern Guild meeting. Going to the meeting and shopping for fabric has to count, too!

Day 14:  I needed 10 more 9-patches to add to the swapped blocks for the layout I chose.

By dinner time, the large units were all pieced. It shouldn't take long on Monday to get the top finished.

Julia finished piecing the top she's been working on.

 

 She's really happy! The goal is to get it quilted and bound next weekend.

 When Bill was in his basement office last night, he heard something scratching the window screen. A turtle was trying to climb out of the window well! This morning, he found this baby snapping turtle dug into the mud in the bottom to keep cool. 

I won't be digging a hole in the mud for myself tomorrow, but I think I will need to move my machine back to my air-conditioned bedroom. It's going to be another steamy week.

Sew Every Day 12

 I finished piecing together this much of Star Crazy Plan B last night. It currently measures 36 x 52". It will need borders to make it useful. I only have enough of the background left to add a small border. Since I chopped up my entire batik stash during my arrowhead obsession, I'll need to purchase something special for the outer border. The LQS in my town has the best selection of batiks, so I'll be headed there soon.

The stained glass effect always looks cool.

 

Ninigret Quilters completed our 3-month nine patch swap this week. Here are the 48 blocks I collected. I think I've decided on Camille's Niner pattern for the layout.

 

Let's zoom out for a reality check. The design board is leaning up against the fireplace. I'm in no hurry to take down the garland I made for Pete's party. I don't mind finding the ukulele left lying around, but do I really need a machete and a tomahawk on the hearth? I suppose the hearth is a better place than the couch!

 

Have a happy, quilty weekend!

Naked Bed Challenge

I joined the Naked Bed Challenge today!
Why is it that everyone else has a quilt on their bed except the quiltmaker?!

I have been planning to finish my three by three swap quilt as a bed quilt for Bill and me. This challenge will give me the push (and deadline!) that I need! Two more small borders have been added since I took this photo- one with pieced squares and another solid white. And I've started cutting for a wide piano key border. I'm trying not to repeat fabrics in the border. Fun!


My bed looks so bad, I'm showing it to you in shame. Faded, ugly comforter. yuck. I bought myself the floral pillowcases recently to make me feel a little better.

I think I might need a fresh paint job in here when I get the pretty quilt done. I do all the painting around here and I love it! Pete's room is at the top of the list, so my room will need to wait.

Are you sleeping on a naked bed?

Muddy Fun

I sewed! My last batch of three by three blocks is ready to go. I hope they aren't too late.


And a little gift for a new friend.


Bill took us on one of his "adventures" yesterday. It was actually my idea to go on a hike, so he brought us back to a trail we hadn't been on in 10 years. We hiked a lot when the kids were little, before soccer, softball and baseball took over our weekends.


It's a beautiful trail through a beech forest. Since last month was the wettest July on record, we had some mud to deal with.


Wildflowers are like gems in the forest.


On the way home, we stopped at a farm store for blueberries and pie.
Yup. We ate it right out of the box!


A perfect summer day!