Tuesday, July 27, 2010

One Thing: One Week Challenge



Amy over at Amy's Creative Side was having a challenge this week: to finish one project that we had on our to-do list. Well, I usually have at least 5 projects on my list at a time, and about a zillion projects in my head to do "some day"... So, I figured I would probably be able to finish one of my projects in a week. I was close to finishing up my nephew's quilt, so I put that as my goal. I had the top done, so I just needed to piece the backing, then baste it, quilt it, and bind it. Turns out my week was kinda busy, but I did end up finishing three out of four of the processes--I finished the quilting yesterday. So, I will be working on the binding today. But, I still feel good about my accomplishment since this quilt isn't "due" until September. This means I am still well ahead of my goals, and I will have time to make more quilts this year. Yay! :) Once I am finished with my nephew's quilt, I will have made 13 quilts this year!

Anyways, here's the quilt so far:

I call it "Zig Zag Roads". I pieced the quilt top in a zig zag or step design with only rectangles, using the Wheels collection of fabrics by Riley Blake.

I decided to go back to the simple stippling method of quilting this time.

I used the brown multi-dot for the back with a strip of leftover zigzag blocks. I am planning on using the tone-on-tone dots in teal for the binding. I am excited to see it all done and hanging on my quilt rack until I deliver it to my nephew. :)

Head over to Amy's blog to check out some of the other lovely projects!


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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Another Love U Baby Quilt...

I made up this quick little zig zag quilt for a friend who is having a baby shower this weekend. I apologize for the horrible pics. We were having a cloudy morning. I suppose this is my 12th quilt of the year, even though I wasn't really planning on it being number 12. It was an easy one to whip up for a quick gift. My friend is expecting a boy, so I decided to use my leftover jellyroll strips in blues, whites and yellows from Moda's Love U fabric collection, as well as some plain white 2.5" strips. The quilt measures approximately 35" square. A nice small size for baby. :)

I used a simple one-piece backing with the yellow alphabet fabric from the collection.

I wanted to try something different (again) for the quilting this time, so I decided on a simple loopy squiggle design all over. It shows up best on the dark blue.

I used the green dot fabric from the collection for the binding. I was pleased with how it turned out and especially how quickly I was able to get it done. :) I hope my friend and her baby love it!


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Sunday, July 18, 2010

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge



This is my first time entering a photo into the I Heart Faces weekly challenge. And, I think it is also my first time posting a photo of a person's face on my blog! If you've never heard of I Heart Faces, you can check them out by clicking on the button above.

Well, here is my silly husband when we were in one of our favorite places to visit... the Outer Banks of North Carolina. If you've ever been there, you've probably seen these seagulls everywhere. They look a little different from the type you'll see at the Pacific Ocean. But, they act just the same. If you just wave your hand up and down, they start flying all around you because they think you have food. My husband loves to do this just to tease them. Pretty soon he ends up with about 20 or so seagulls swarming above him! It makes for some funny pics and great laughs! :) Enjoy!


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Friday, July 16, 2010

Works in Progress...

I recently finished another quilt top! As I mentioned in an earlier post, this will be for my nephew. He will be 3 in September and he is really into cars. Like my son, he really loves Disney Cars. But I really loved this fabric collection, Wheels by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake. The colors are so cheerful and I have no other words for these little cars besides 'super cute'! :) I decided on a simple zigzag design using pieced rectangles (yes, I'm still scared of triangles). This isn't the best picture as it was a little cloudy outside and I took the pic at an angle. :/ I think I will call this quilt "Zig Zag Roads". It will be my 12th quilt of the year! Woo hoo! :)

Here's a closer view... I'll probably use a few leftover blocks for the back, along with the brown multi-colored polka dot fabric as the main backing.

I liked the easy zig zag design so much that I decided to start another one. This will be a baby sized quilt using my leftover jelly roll strips of Moda's Love U collection. I haven't finished the top yet, but will post on it soon! I'm hoping to start quilting my nephew's quilt very soon! :)


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Thursday, July 8, 2010

Garden Brick Wall Quilt--11th Quilt of the Year!

I made this Garden Brick Wall Quilt for my sister. Her birthday is later this month, and I'm fairly sure she never checks out my blog, so its pretty safe to post this. :) She picked out the fabric after I showed her a few different collections. The fabric collection is Blush by Basic Grey for Moda. Pretty much, I saw this fabric and it reminded me of her. She loves the chocolate/pink and chocolate/blue color combinations. Then, I found out one of the specific fabric designs was called "Cherry Cordial", and I knew I/we had made a good choice! Cherry cordials are her favorite sweet treat! :) I wanted a simple design for this fabric, and I saw a pattern for a Garden Brick Wall quilt in my copy of Quilt Magazine, and thought it was perfect.

The original pattern was for a twin sized quilt and I didn't want it that big, so I made it a throw sized quilt. It measures approximately 54 inches by 65 inches.

I decided to use Kona Cotton in Coffee for the back with a little strip of bricks in the middle. It turns out I am human, and I've made quite a noticeable mistake on the back. My cute little strip of bricks is quite slanted. Oops! By the time I realized it, it was too late. :( I hope my sister won't mind.

Detail of back.

I used more "Cherry Cordial" in blue for the binding. Since I did a Garden Brick Wall design, I thought I'd try something different for the quilting. So, I decided to do a "climbing vine" design. I just connected little leaves in between squiggly lines to make my vines. The quilting was actually much faster than my usual meandering stipple design.

Other than my mistake on the back, I was pretty pleased with the way this turned out. I hope my sister will love it! :)


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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

We have a winner!

I thought about doing Random.org, but since there were only 13 entries, I decided to be random the old-fashioned way. I put some numbers in a hat and had my son pick a number! So, the winner is commenter #3: Amber! Congrats! I will be sending you an email soon!


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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Bumblebee Quilt--10th Quilt of the Year!


Well, I've finished my 10th quilt of the year! Although, I guess if I include the 2 mini quilts that I recently made, it would be quilt #12! Either way, I don't plan on quitting making quilts anytime soon, so I think I will exceed my goal for the year. :)

I made this quilt using leftovers from 2 fabric collections: Eclipse by Exclusively Quilters Fabrics and Harlequin in Yellow by RJR Fabrics. I also used some white jelly roll strips by Moda in between. I love the yellow and black, and obviously I named this quilt Bumblebee because of the colors and the striped pattern. I did my usual meandering stipple quilting all over.

I used a fat 1-inch black and white gingham fabric for the back. I LOVE any gingham, but the big gingham is my favorite!

I hand-stitched one little hexagon from my big pile on the back.

I used a white/black circle fabric for the binding.

This quilt is now up for sale in my Etsy shop! :)

Don't forget to enter my mini-quilt giveaway!
Have a great 4th of July!


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