100 Quilts for Kids

There's still time to participate in 100 Quilts for Kids! The final day to link up is October 14. I'm pretty sure Kate is going to have to increase her goal next year--I think she's going to far exceed 100 quilts.


Here's the quilt I donated.


Luke and I took it to Children's Hospital in Birmingham. If you're looking for a place to donate in Alabama, consider Children's. Just drop them off at the info desk in the main lobby.


I wanted to involve Luke so I could explain to him what we were doing and why. I think he got it...although he was not pleased that we couldn't play on the hospital playground.

Make sure to head over to Swim, Bike, Quilt for more info on 100 Quilts for Kids!

WIP Wednesday

I know I say this every week, but this week flew by. For real. Here's what I've been working on.



Finished:
Nada.

Ongoing projects:
My Lucky Stars quilt

Quilt top finished! I used Kona Ash as a sashing for these blocks from my VIBees friends.


And...here's the back. I based it on Jeni's Giant Vintage Star tutorial, just made it smaller and out of one fabric. Kelly suggested echo quilting on the inside and outside of the star, and I'm thinking that will be awesome!

Deer Quilt

I put this guy together. Pattern from Dare To Be Square Quilting. I need to see what I have on hand for the backing. I'm thinking red binding.

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Postage Stamp quilt
Kaleidoscope baby quilt #2

To do:
Deer quilt
superhero quilt
do. Good Stitches word block

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone is working on!

Oh my deer!

Heh heh. So...I finished my deer quilt top (pattern from Dare To Be Square Quilting), and I think he's kind of awesome!


Look at that cute face! I'm not sure how I'm going to finish this one. I'd like to put together the backing from my stash, but I need to see what my options are. I showed this to Luke (he thinks it's a moose--I'll take it), and he said, "Mommy, why don't you ever make any covers for me?" Now, he sleeps with at least two of my "covers" on his bed, but I think I need to get started on his superhero quilt soon!

WIP Wednesday

Lee is taking a WIP hiatus to work on her fabric design, but this weekly post keeps me on track, so I'm posting anyway!




Finished:

4x5 bee blocks

I'm glad to be finished with these! I used Lee's Herringbone pattern (from Fat Quarterly issue 5).

Ongoing projects:
My Lucky Stars quilt

I made one more block for My Lucky Stars, because I'm afraid Rene's is lost in the mail (boo!). I used the Starflower block from Ellison Lane Quilts, just scrappy-style. I might put this quilt top together soon.

Christmas quilt

October is my month in the Sew Beautiful Bee, and I'm sending my bee friends some Christmas fabric. I can't wait to see what they come up with! Since taking this picture, I got the fabric all cut up and packaged, so now I just need to find a time to go to the post office sans 4-year-old. (Dear Post Office, Please install a drive-through. xoxo, Katie)

Deer Quilt

Lots of cutting in my future! (Do I have a new rotary cutter blade? I hope so.) I'm excited to get started on this quilt, although I'm not sure how I'll tell these four blue fabrics apart...

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Postage Stamp quilt
Kaleidoscope baby quilt #2

To do:
4x5 blocks
Deer quilt
superhero quilt

4x5 blocks

I finished up my blocks for the 4x5 Bee this weekend. In this bee, the members of the bee give their chosen colors, and then each person makes a block design in those colors using her own fabric. I used Lee's Herringbone tutorial from Issue 5 of Fat Quarterly.


Jill asked for apple green, robin's egg blue, and touches of red and white.


Oranges and blues for Lauree


Muriel asked for aqua, brown, and touches of red.


Denise requested orange, aqua, and red. (I hope I can keep these straight when I mail them out!)


Angela asked for lime, aqua, and cerise. I made the herringbones go in opposite directions in this one. When they were going in the same direction, the solid cerise strips were almost lining up (but not quite), and that bothered me.
(Shh...don't tell the other blocks, but this one is my favorite.)


And here's mine, in all of its yellow/gray glory.

Glad to be finished with these! Can someone tell me how to take less sucky pictures of bee blocks?


I'm linking up to Sew Modern Monday!!

Aw, yeah!

My For the Love of Solids swap package arrived yesterday! It's from Michelle, and I couldn't be happier. Michelle blogs at City House Studio. She's super talented, and also genuinely kind.


She made me this mini quilt, and I'm going to hang it up at work. I love the piecing, and the diagonal quilting is awesome!


The back is just as fantastic as the front.


Michelle sent this library tote as my "small" item, although it matches the mini in size and awesomeness! I'll be honest--I fell in love with this tote when I first saw it on Flickr, and I would've been a little disappointed if it wasn't mine! The pieced letters are incredible.


And the bookshelf on the other side is excellent too. Luke and I always come home from the library with 15-20 items, so this will be getting lots of use!


Michelle's attention to detail is very impressive (it has pockets!). Check out the green topstitching!

Thanks so much, Michelle!!! I'm in love!

Garden Fence Finish!

I know I said I wasn't in a hurry to finish this quilt...but it just kinda happened. I remembered that I had a 50% off coupon from JoAnn's to use, so I picked up my backing fabric. After I had that, it went together quickly.


Woo hoo! A Christmas gift finish! This will be for my grandma. It's a small throw (about 45x55), but she's a small woman, so it should work. The Garden Fence pattern is so fun to work with. The tutorial is from Hyacinth Designs.


I chose to stipple this. It really seemed like the logical choice. The DS Quilts Picnics and Fairgrounds has a vintage look, and I thought the crinkly finish would pair well with it.


I picked up some of the new DS Quilts Sugar Creek fabric for the backing. The typo on the selvedge drives me nuts!!


After I bought the fabric, I remembered my grandma gave me this red floral print awhile ago. I think she said she got it on a trip she and my grandpa took to Hawaii. I decided it would be fun to incorporate this into the back, so I made a jumbo Garden Fence block. Yes, this pleases me.


I was worried about this red fabric of unknown origins bleeding on my white fabric, so I soaked it in a vinegar solution and prewashed it. I threw in a few Color Catchers when I washed the quilt and had no problems (whew!).


I had lots of the Sugar Creek print left over, so I used it for the binding too. I know I got some of my sewing genes from my grandma, so I'm excited to give this to her.

WIP Wednesday

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.

WIP time! Not much to report. My list is getting frighteningly short!



Finished:

Garden Fence Quilt


What's this? Oh, yeah, I pulled my finished Garden Fence quilt from the dryer yesterday morning. I'll be back soon with a post! Here's a little crinkly tease.

Ongoing projects:
4x5 bee blocks

I'm using Lee's Herringbone pattern (from Fat Quarterly issue 5) for my blocks. I made a test block in my chosen colors (yellow and gray). I was a little concerned that I wouldn't have enough fabric in my colors to make my block...turns out those fears were unfounded. I'm really happy with it, except for the fact that I accidentally cut the patchwork rectangles too short. No biggie, but I'm glad I made that mistake on my own block! I'm looking forward to making these for the members of my bee. They're simple and fun to make!

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Postage Stamp quilt
Kaleidoscope baby quilt #2

To do:
4x5 blocks
Deer quilt
superhero quilt

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

For the Love of Solids

I was nervous to join the For the Love of Solids swap on Flickr. It was my first swap, and they seem like a lot of pressure! But I joined anyway, because I figured it would be fun and maybe a bit of a challenge. When I found out my partner was my friend Elizabeth, I was even more nervous (she's one of the hosts of the swap, after all) but definitely excited. The first step of swapping is to stalk your parter's blog, Flickr photo stream, and favorites. I've been following Elizabeth for a while, so no problem there! Elizabeth gave lots of specifics in her questionnaire (thankfully!!), so had lots to go on.


This is what I ended up sending.


(The colors are more accurate in this photo.)
Elizabeth requested a cover for her sewing machine, Betsy 2.0. I used this tutorial to construct the cover. For the patchwork, I used the pattern in Malka Dubrawsky's Fresh Quilting. A few other swappers used this pattern too--it's perfect for solids! Elizabeth gave me her sewing machine's dimensions, but I was still worried about it fitting! She posted a picture of it on her machine, so I think it worked out.


For the small item, I made a notebook cover. I know Elizabeth is a sketcher and a list-maker, so I figured she could use these. I sent a journal and a graph paper version. (Note to self: buy these in bulk next back-to-school season!) Tutorial here.


I sent this little Batman mini for Elizabeth's son. Our boys are kindred spirits, and I know they'd be buddies if we lived closer together.


I also threw in this Kona Solids charm pack. I figure if she didn't like anything else, she could at least use this!

Everything arrived safely at Elizabeth's house, and she seems really happy with it, so I'm calling it a success. Thanks to Elizabeth and Megan for hosting! I can see how this swap business can become an addiction...

Garden Fence on a Fence

I love this pattern! (Tutorial from Hyacinth Designs.) I think it would look great with so many different fabrics. I decided to use my stash of Picnics and Fairgrounds by DS Quilts.


I'm not sure how I'm going to finish this. Maybe I'll see if I can get some more DS Quilts fabric next time I have a JoAnn's coupon. It's a Christmas gift, so I have a little time to figure it out.

WIP Wednesday

Tropical Storm Lee dumped 8 inches of rain on us on Monday, so instead of celebrating Labor Day weekend with cookouts and trips to the pool as our forefathers intended (right?), we stayed inside wearing pajamas, napping, and sewing. And my long weekend got even longer because my work was closed Tuesday (no power), but we have power at home...let's just say I'm not complaining. I'm glad I got some projects done so I feel a bit less like a sloth.



Finished:

Sew Beautiful block for AnneMarie


Dutch pinwheel using AnneMarie's tutorial

September do. Good Stitches blocks

Star blocks from this tutorial. Very fun!

VIBees block for Natalia


VIBees block for Melissa


And I made an excavator for Melissa. Do you like how I say "I made an excavator" like I'd say "I made toast"? It was a challenge, to be sure, but this tutorial from Teaginny was really helpful! I think the scoop thing should be bigger, but I'm pleading excavator ignorance.

Whew! That feels good.

For the Love of Solids Swap


My swap package is all ready to ship out later this week! I can't wait to get this to my partner. This is a sneak peek of the large item. I'll show you the rest once it reaches its destination.

Ongoing projects:

Garden Fence Quilt


I finished four more blocks after I took this photo, bringing my total to 15. I love making these!


Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Postage Stamp quilt
Kaleidoscope baby quilt #2

To do:
4x5 blocks
Deer quilt
superhero quilt
do Good Stitches Sept block
VIBees block for Natalia
VIBees block for Melissa
Sew Beautiful block for AnneMarie


Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!