Another New Wave baby quilt

I'm getting my money's worth from the acrylic template I bought for this pattern.



My cousin is pregnant with her first baby (a boy) and her mom (my aunt) hosted a shower this weekend. I didn't take a single picture at the shower, but I did have an interesting chat with a friend of my aunt's who referred to me as 'Mallory' the entire time. Perhaps she works for Starbucks?

Anyway, I didn't know anything about my cousin's colour scheme or nursery theme or anything so I built this quilt around the Heather Ross frog fabric in the middle, blues and greens with a pop of orange. I think it works, it's modern but still obviously for a baby.

Pink and Grey Heart Quilt

Ever since I saw this tutorial I have been looking for a project to make with it. C's coworker's pregnancy was the perfect excuse :) He gave me free reign, any design, any colours. Since baby-to-be is of the girl variety I chose a hot pink and silver colour scheme, then filled it in with softer pinks and greys.

It's backed with amazing hot pink minky dot and measures 40 inches square. I looooove it! Was hard to give away :) Definitely going to make this pattern again, next time in orange I think.

Christmas quilting

So I managed to make and gift two quilts this Christmas, both are ones that I started eons ago and both started as Flickr quilting bee projects.

The first is an orange and grey free-form version of Chinese coins, which I called an Oscilloscope. Orange is James' favourite colour, this was always intended for him. I began it in 2011, sending packets of fabric out to a bunch of other Canadian quilters in the Maple Leaf Bee, then after I received blocks back from them I made a TON more, until, voilà, an oversized twin quilt (it's longer than a typical twin, something that he can snuggle with on his couch). I managed to get this done in October, and then had to hide it in my closet :)

The second finish is a standard twin, for Maya, with free-form and paper pieced houses. A neighbourhood quilt. I first requested these blocks from the Scrap-BEE-Looza group in November of 2010! Woah I didn't realize it was that long ago! Again I got a handful back and had to make a ton more, so the handful sat in my drawer a long time.

It's definitely weird, but I'd like to think she'll have fun with it. I finished it just days before Christmas, which is why the only photo I have is in my folk's living room on Boxing Day :)

Hoping to accomplish more than two in time for next Christmas, there's still a long list of people I'd like to gift a quilt...

A bright pretty little quilt

Another from the WIP list (#4 in my original post) I made this for my coworker's second baby daughter. She came a little early, so this one was an 'after her arrival' gift. Which turned out well as I was able to include a label with her name on it.



Everything in this quilt came from my stash, I purchased nothing new. There are fabric bits leftover from A's baby quilt, N's baby quilt, Sam's baby quilt and a dress I made Katie when she was a toddler. The solid purple backing is leftover from Jennifer's purple quiltie. Even the batting was leftover from another project. I'm pretty pleased by how cohesive it all looks given the multiple sources. More importantly it turned out bright and happy, which is what I wish for this baby and her parents.

WIP Follow-up #1

Well it's late March and I have precious little to show for it in terms of my WIP list. Little - but not nothing.



#12 on the list, the Nautical New Wave baby quilt, is done and was gifted last week. I love how it turned out, though the back had to be improvised on the fly after my machine flat out refused to quilt through the marine blue ultra cuddle fabric I'd bought to back it.



An almost big enough piece of blue bisected by a strip of leftover pieces from the front. Bound in red it's boyish without being baby. I think it almost feels preppy :)

I've also (finally) ordered the Kona coal I need to finish #1 on the list. Slow and steady right?

The 'WIPs'

WIP is an acronym for 'work in progress', and as someone who enjoys starting things a little more than finishing them I've accumulated a few quilting 'WIPs'. So, in the hopes of encouraging myself (or possibly shaming myself) to get them done I'm going to catalogue them all here and update on my progress over the year. I have 12 WIPs, there are 12 months - can I finish them all?

1. James' oscilloscope quilt
Details: This is a quilting bee quilt, but I didn't get back enough squares to finish it. I've been making blocks on and off for it since.
What I need to get it done: Charcoal Kona, (the grey background fabric), I haven't got enough and I can't source it locally. I think this will have to wait for my next trip Stateside.
Timeline: I'd love to have this done by his birthday in July.

2. Ocean Blue quilt
Details: Another bee quilt, or rather several bees. This is destined to be a queen size quilt for my bed. I'm actually surprised that I have as many blocks as I do, with a little sashing (probably dark grey) I'll only need 3 more blocks.
What I need to get it done: Sashing, backing and batting. And motivation.
Timeline: Knowing that this is closer than I thought makes me itchy to get it done, but since it's for me there is no deadline.

3. Blue baby zigzag
Details: this is my oldest WIP, I don't even remember starting this. The blocks come from this tutorial, use fabrics I no longer have and, I think maybe broadcloth for the white?
What I need to get it done: Eesh, do I want to get it done, really? It's tiny in current format, sewn together and trimmed it'd be maybe 18 x 24, hardly seems worth the effort.
Timeline: I'll give myself a couple of weeks to decide whether to try to make something from this, or just scrap it entirely.

4. Baby girl baby quilt
Details: hardly fair to call this is WIP since I haven't started, but a coworker will be welcoming a little girl into the world soon and a baby quilt will be needed :)
What I need to get it done: Everything! But to start, inspiration.
Timeline: Baby is due early May, so this needs to be finished mid-April at the latest.

5. Wookie's I-spy quilt
Details: A companion piece to Princess' I-spy, this got shelved when I realized that he hated the feeling of the minky dot I'd chosen for the backing.
What I need to get it done: Just batting, the top is pieced, new minky-but-not-textured backing is waiting, this is just utter laziness that it hasn't been completed.
Timeline: I'm thinking this will be the first finish from the WIP list, I'll try to set aside a couple of hours next weekend and get 'er done.

6. D and Z's i-spy quilts
Details: Planned i-spy quilts for my cousin's two sweet boys. Stalled by indecision - do I make them comfy couch size like Princess and Wookie's (around 50 inches square) or do I add in some solids and bring them up to a proper twin for their beds?
What I need to get it done: Well, if I go with twin I'll need to cut 150 squares of solid coloured fabric for each. Either way each will also need backing and batting.
Timeline: No set timeline but aiming for fall

7. Robots baby quilt
Details: I don't remember starting this either :O. It's the leftovers from Wookie's quilt plus a really striking orange geometric print that I wish I had a ton more of.
What I need to get it done: Looks like there's enough fabric to make a small baby quilt top, something in the 24 x 30 realm, so I'd only need backing and batting.
Timeline: Well I have no destination for this, so I have no deadline, but it'd be nice to have a baby quilt ready for the next friend who pops out a little bundle. Or I could donate it... since it's small and there isn't much left to do I'd like to get to this within the next couple of months

8. Sunkissed quilt
Details: This is a project for future me. I love this fabric, and have been accumulating bits of it. In my mind I see it as a stacked coins quilt ( like this ) but that could change.
What I need to get it done: That really depends on where I go with it, but at a minimum lots of white sashing to make those pretty colours pop, and batting and backing. Probably a few more FQs of Sunkissed too.
Timeline: It's for me, so whenever I get around to it!

9. Suzanne's lighthouse quilt
Details: Planning a lap quilt for my MIL to use at their cottage. I jumped in too fast and started cutting without any real plan, now I'm unsure what I'll do with the pieces.
What I need to get it done: A plan! In all honesty, pulling out the fabrics makes me realize that I'm still not over my annoyance with myself for hacking that fabric up without a plan. It might be awhile before I can push past that.
Timeline: Well, her birthday is in May, if I can get a plan together that'd be a good time to shoot for. otherwise, well Christmas is coming...

10. Neighbourhood quilt
Details: Another bee quilt. Even with the wide sashing between the blocks that I'd planned I'm still a few short. I'd originally planned this as a companion for Princess's quilt (she has bunk beds) but she's rapidly becoming too old and cool for such a cute design...
What I need to get it done: A minimum of 3 more house blocks, and a whole lot of wide sashing, as well as batting and backing.
Timeline: I just don't know, I guess I can finish it up and see if she's even interested? I guess if she's not that it might suit my little niece... I'd like to get it done by September.

11. Chocolate baby quilt
Details: Pieced this out of leftovers, for no reason at all. Picture of all of the blocks here. The blocks are now pieced into strips, but that's as far as I've gotten.
What I need to get it done: I have my heart set on backing this with chocolate minky, but my last trip to ye olde fabric store of uselessness (aka Fabricland) yielded nothing. I think I'll have to wait until my next trip Stateside.
Timeline: No plans for this, so no deadline, but since it'll be April before I'm in the states again this won't get touched until at least then.

12. Nautical new wave baby quilt
Details: a baby sized version of Oh Fransson's New Wave quilt pattern, in nautical fabrics, for a dear friend who is expecting her first (a boy) at the beginning of April.
What I need to get it done: probably 2 - 3 more FQs of nautical print fabric, plus batting and backing. I bought the acrylic template for making the blocks, which should make cutting them so much faster than last time.
Timeline: Has to has to has to be done by early March. Eep!

Twelve WIPs which should, I think, result in 11 new quilts by years end (on the fence about #3 there, really leaning towards just tossing it)

Christmas Crafting

Quiet on the blog lately, I know, life has a way of taking up all of my time :)

I did a little bit of Christmas crafting this year :) I started out with 4 quilted tote bags for four work friends (we've been spending time together as a group for years now). They're featured in a previous post :)

I made a quilt for my mom:

This is the 9-patch pattern from Crazy Mom Quilts' quilt along, and it's the second time I've made this pattern. This time I added 2 extra rows of 9-patches and removed the borders. It measured 66" x 82" before washing, which should work for draping over the back of a couch when it's not being snuggled under (my mom likes to curl up on the couch with her books). I chose a gold/brown/orange colour scheme, with a few greens and reds thrown in. It's backed with a deep brown solid and bound in a beige leaf print.
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And I made a quilt for my grand-niece Emilie:

This started as a quilting bee project, with the scrap-busters group on Flickr. I received 8 scrappy string blocks in the swap, and made the other 22 myself. It was a HUGE amount of work, and so very difficult getting all of those white lines to join up and all of those bias edges to stay straight, but I think it might be my favourite quilt that I've made, ever. It was really hard to give this one away!
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I also made calendars for my mom and mother-in-law. This has become a bit of a tradition, I've been making them annually for many years (I should try and figure out just how many years... it's at least 8 anyway)

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And finally I made a little pouch for J-man, to hold the tablet that we got him for Christmas (we got one for his sister too, but I haven't yet made a pouch for her)

A Hot Wheels licensed fabric, lightly quilted with random straight orange lines and lined with a soft minky to protect the screen, with a velcro flap and handle to keep everything contained.

It was an ambitious Christmas but I got everything that I wanted to make made :) Now I have other projects to start, including baby quilts for a couple of expecting coworkers and an attempt at Project Life (probably digital).

A sweet little girly quilt

Another little quilty, this one for a lovely lovely lady in my office who is having her first long awaited baby (a girl!) in early October (yes, two pregnant ladies in my office, both having girls, both were due only 6 weeks apart).

As soon as Nabila announced the pregnancy I ordered these fabrics from Sarah Jane Studios and crossed my fingers that she was having a girl (she is!) I chose a very simple square in square pattern so that I could highlight fussy cut squares of the sweet little girl and little outfit images from the fabric. And though it turned out a little smaller (it measures about 36" x 45") I'm super pleased with it.

Kind of bummed that I didn't take a picture of the back before I gifted it though... it's simple, but sweet, half pink, half baby blue with a strip of the balloon print fabric in between. I love piecing backs that are (almost) as cute as the fronts, it's like getting two quilts in one!

A little quilty for a baby-to-be

A lovely lady at work is expecting her first baby, a girl. As soon as she announced the pregnancy I knew I needed to make a little quilty for the bundle of joy.



I chose the New Wave pattern from Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson. I modified it slightly to get the finished size I wanted (about 45" x 48"). It's constructed with fabrics from Connecting Threads featuring cupcakes and ice cream and macarons, how better to celebrate a 'sweet' baby? I love the colours too, a rosey pink, aqua and cream, all grounded with a chocolately brown, feminine without being cloyingly sweet.


The back is a stripe of the focal fabrics from the front, along with two big patches of solids in the same rosey pink and aqua. I love the back, it's simple and soothing, but still visually appealing. Really, I think you could use both sides!

Edited to add: it has been received by the mama, who was pleased :) Now the countdown is on for baby's arrival!

A little quilty for a princess to be

Flying westward to my cousin Samantha who is due any day now...

Finally: a finish long in the making...

Katie's quilt, finally finished! I bought this fabric (well, some of it), in January, 2009! I started piecing the blocks in May of 2009. That's an obscenely long time in the making, and an awfully long time for a little princess to wait for her mama-made bed quilt...

The front is a whirly-giggle pattern, pieced with a couple of kitty cat prints and coordinating prints and solids, all in light pink, fuchsia, aqua, turquoise, black and white. The background it a pale pink with a subtle darker pink pattern. A single border in some of the coordinating black with fuchsia dot fabric, and bound in turquoise (Kona cotton in lagoon actually).

I completely love the back too, more of the black and fuchsia dot fabric, some fuchsia solid and a pale pink strip featuring a few of the leftover blocks from the front (only the blue and black ones). As often happens, I might like the back even better than the front!

Baby quilty

Simple baby quilt made for Michelle and Ryan's baby-to-be, I'll be giving it to Michelle at her shower today. I started this eons ago but only finished Friday. I got really stalled by not liking the blocks at.all. The finished quilt isn't too bad though, and it matches the nursery. Sort of.

(I bought a bunch of baby clothes too, I always feel 'cheap' giving just a handmade baby quilt as a gift)

A new quilt

I put together a simple little stacked coins lap quilt, 52" x 62", made from a couple of packs of charm squares from connecting threads and a few coordinating scraps from my stash.

It's very lightly quilted with 'organic' wavy lines, so it's squishy and cuddly :) I think this will live on our family room couch.

Basting

I really need to try that spray basting some time, this pinning is awful for my knees. Putting together a stacked coin sort of quilt, just 'cause. I had 3 tiny (20 piece each) charm packs from Connecting Threads, added some matchy bits from my stash and LOTS of white and voilà, a quilt top. A nice chunk of fabric for the back and two leftover batting bits sewn together and it's nearly a quilt. Going to quilt it in 'organic wavy lines'. Or that's the plan anyway.

I-spy with my little eye...

Princess's i-spy couch/nap quilt, finished. 50 inches square.

Backed with purple minkee dot, what a PITA it is to sew with that stuff, but oh does she love it. Some of my fave HR prints and some spoonflower fabrics in there, along with bits of her old dresses and other novelty charms that I've been collecting for awhile. Next up is one for her little brother, but he HATES the minkee dot, so I'll need to back his with something else (flannel perhaps?)

Jennifer's Quiltie

I joined a quilting block swap on Flickr way back in August 2010 - the 3 x 6 mini bee. The concept is that you commit for 1 quarter at a time (so you can jump in or out as your schedule permits), and each quarter you're paired with 6 other people. You commit to making a block for each of them, but the catch is that all of the blocks you make are identical in design and different in colour. We supply our chosen colours to the group and that's absolutely the only input we have in what we get back.

Anyway I joined knowing that what I wanted to make was a lap/nap quilt for Jennifer. Her favourite colour is purple, and I just don't have a lot of purple in my stash. I knew this would be a great way to get a variety of purples :) I chose purple, grey and white for my colours.

I completed 3 rounds of the bee and made a few extra blocks myself, and was able to deliver for her a sweet VERY PURPLE sampler quilt when we got together in New Hampshire for our yearly scrap, drink and gab session :)



I love it when a plan comes together ;)

A swap

I love online swaps. There's something liberating about making things for other people who you don't really know - you get to work outside your comfort zone with pretty much no fear. Cool :)

I made this little quilted place mat for a Flickr swap. It's unlike anything else I've ever made, and I love it. The appliqué was cut by hand out of black cotton fused to steam a seam, then sewn to a pieced background (the idea was to go for a sunset look).

It's currently flying all the way to the west coast. I hope it makes it there soon!

DQS9 complete

My entry for the Flickr Doll Quilt Swap #9.

The piecing is pretty good if I do say so myself, and the quilting isn't bad either. I stitched a few lines of silver filament through the dark grey squares to give a chain impression, gives it a lovely subtle sheen. The binding, however, is not great. I've really struggled lately with binding and I made many mistakes on this one. Oh well, hopefully that will be overlooked by it's new owner...

9-patch quilt top

I dunno - it's supposed to be a generous twin-size quilt - this is it on my queen size bed... and there is still 4 inches of white border to go. I'm not sure if I'll be adding the white border, it might be too big if I do. I think as-is it'll almost touch the floor on a twin...

Baby quilt top

I started this with really very little idea who it would eventually go to. At the time I'd just found out that a friend was expecting his first child, but even now don't know if that baby will be a boy or a girl. I think I was just itching to make a pretty pink frou frou baby quilt :)

Here is the quilt top done. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 here, I didn't notice when assembling the squares that the solid pink has a fairly obvious difference in warp and weft, and when the light hits it right you can see which squares are facing one way and which are facing the other. Oh well, once it's covered with baby barf no one will notice :)

The dark pinky-red swirls came from my mom's LQS, the fairy tale fabric is Alexander Henry Rock-a-bye rhymes, I only had a remnant but I think it works great for these stars!. The pink solid I have no idea about, an old 1/2 yard from my stash.