Another Baby Quilt

I just started working on another baby quilt but this one is very special - it is for our first great grandchild who will be born in January.  Just found out it's a BOY and his mother would like a nautical theme to go with his navy and white nursery.

First block - I found a better "water" fabric - notice the rick rack?

Partial blocks - I'm using paper piecing to get the sails just right

Idea came from this quilt found on Pinterest

I need to find some bright red/white/blue plaids - anyone know where to find some??  My LQS and JoAnn's don't seem to have any - always a great idea with an out of season/style fabric!  I shall continue to search...

 

Hope you are having a good sewing week and enjoying the change of seasons.  The maples up here are turning but still about 2-3 weeks until peak color.  Linking up with Judy and her DWM...

 

Happy Stitching,

Judy

 

A LITTLE HELP FOR THE MAIZE AND BLUE...

Saturday was a sad day for the Big 10 and specifically for DH's alma mater Michigan.  I made this pillowcase for him on Sunday to bolster his spirits and perhaps sprinkle some good luck charms on the Wolverines!  The fabric was gifted by my BQFF Barb who knows how much DH loves his team.

 

 

Another project this week was block #9 in the Ooh Rah series (the beige part is the carpet - LOL) hosted by Quilters Newsletter.  This block is one of my favorites...the other 8 are shown below.

 

 

 

 

I think this will make a very attractive quilt for some deserving serviceman.

 

I've also been hand stitching the binding on my king size quilt - about 1/2 way around and about 200+ inches to go.

 

Hope you have a wonderful week full of happy stitching and no ripping!  Connecting up with Judy's Design Wall Monday where there are so many amazing ideas...

 

Have a good week,

Judy

August Stitching

Front without binding

I did finish the baby quilt for Eli in time for his birth.  Package mailed and received.  Yea!  Here are a few photos...



Back without binding



Back corner with binding and label

Close up of to panel



Bottom panel



Top corner with wave quilting in the borders

 

 
 

 

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the front and back with binding.  Senior moment!  The wave quilting was done with a walking foot - I learned the technique from an online class with Jacquie Gering - great class!!

 

Eli's older sister and brother received little gifts as well...a doll quilt and a Richard Scarry cloth book were in the package.  Spiral quilting was another technique I learned from Jacquie.

Their cousin will celebrate a birthday next week, so I thought a personalized pillowcase would please the toddler.

 

 

The Ooh Rah block for August was completed last week and now to finish the Confusion Quilt (another quilt as you go method) and the 9 patches for an exchange.  No pressure this week!!

 

 

 

Linking back to Judy's DWM - so many ideas there and so little time...

 

Happy Stitching,

Judy

 

Baby's Coming - Sew Faster!!

Baby Eli is due on August 14 and Great Aunt Judy is still sewing on his quilt.  I planned on having it done months ago - I actually started planning it in January.  But, here I am, madly trying to finish it - 24 days to go (sounds like a lot of time, maybe I can slow down...LOL).

If I had followed the pattern, I'm sure this project would have gone much more smoothly...I chose a border fabric, created a second quilt on the back, couldn't keep my lines straight (thanks Barb for helping me), sewed a strip that should have waited until a vertical strip was sewn first, blah, blah, blah.  I also should have appliqued the road sections before I sewed the rows together.  Result:  lots of unsewing and bad words.  Note to self:  Think this through!!

The pattern is Cars on the Road by Susan Marth and the fabric is Oink-a-Doodle-Moo by Jenn Ski.

Love this border print!!

Front - needs lots of hand work

  

Top section - of course a tractor and a fire truck

Bottom section - police car and another tractor

 

Back - panel and another fabric from the collection

Original pattern - note:  no border!

All in all, I am pleased and the end is in sight.  Not much else going on here - lovely weather.  Got in a little golf and a wonderful anniversary dinner on Friday night at the Douglas Lake Bar and Steakhouse in Pellston, MI.  Check out the wonderful work of other quilters on Judy's Design Wall Monday.  See you next week with the completed quilt (fingers crossed).

 

Happy Stitching,

Judy





 

 

HAPPINESS IS SEWING WITH YOUR FRIEND

My friend Barbara came to visit us for a few days last week.  Our chauffeur (DH) took us for a grand tour of the "Tip of the Mitt" on Thursday - Mackinaw City, the Mackinac Bridge, St. Ignace, Petoskey, Bay Harbor, Charlevoix, Boyne City, and back to Gaylord.  What a grand time we had.  We celebrated the 4th of July by staying home and sewing! (oh, and EATING)



The Mackinac Bridge taken from the Upper Peninsula side
(at one time, the longest suspension bridge in the world)
 

Here is my Mystery quilt (well, the flimsy) from the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  All donations went to a cancer charity and I made this in honor of my dear friend who passed away last March.

Each week's clue resulted in blocks and partial blocks which were sewn together the last week.  The pattern "Elevation" was designed by Heather Spence and is still available (go to the Groups section of the website and Mystery Quilt).

When Barb arrived last week, she came with a box of gifts for DH and I - it was just like Christmas here (fortunately, our Christmas tree is still up - really!).  We received all kinds of goodies - I was gifted with fabric, a quilt magazine, and a very heavy box...  OMG!!

Accu-Quilt Go! Baby

Barb gave me a quick "how to" before she left and I cut hst units for my Ooh Rah block #7.  The units were cut so perfectly with no waste and they went together so easily - I am a believer!!  Thank you Barb - you are the best!



2/3 complete...just look at those points!!

Finally, here is the current state of my  great-nephew's baby quilt...almost finished and it is a Quilt as You Go project.  More next week...

 

Be sure to check out all the great design walls on Judy's blog.

 

Happy Stitching,

Judy

MEET THEADORA B. TURTLE!!

I received a turtle for my birthday from my BQFF (Best Quilting Friend Forever).  She is just the cutest turtle in the entire world.  Not only is she cute, but she can SEW.  I've named her
Theadora Barbara Turtle!  Her nickname is Thea.  Isn't she darling?

 

She has everything I need for my hand sewing.  She carries my pins on her hexie back. 

Below:  She said it was ok to show you her "bottom"  (not very lady like but she wanted you to see what she packs).  There is a nice needle keeper, a pocket for my scissors (which btw are very nice stork scissors), and a spool of thread.  Things are buttoned down so they won't fall out.  Very clever girl!!

 

Picture 3:  Here's her bottom again but all buttoned up.  Note the little magnets in her flippers.  She can "stick" to a metal surface.  There's another magnet in her belly.

 

Picture 4:  The scissors have a handy pocket and can be accessed easily.

 

Thank you dear friend Barbara for this wonderful birthday gift.  I love her!!

You are the best!!

 

 

I've been doing a little sewing and finishing up lots of UFOs.  Here are some Ooh Rah blocks - all caught up on these.

 

My Confusion quilt (see more here) is coming along.  I have 3 of 4 borders completed but only one attached.  I'm using a Quilt As You Go idea with this...I'll let you know if it works for me.

 

I recently participated in a Missouri Star Quilt Company mystery quilt which benefited a cancer charity.  The mystery lasted for 6 weeks and I now have all the blocks completed, the blocks are sewn into columns, and 1/3 of the columns sewn together.  If you are interested, go to the link above as they are beginning again this Friday, June 27 and fabric kits are available.  The quilt was very easy and didn't take much time at all.

Here are some blocks...

 

 

I won't show the quilt until next week - just in case you want to join the mystery.

 

That's all for today.  I am linking up to Judy's Design Wall Monday where inspiration

and talent are awesome!

 

Happy Stitching,

Judy

 

 

CONFUSION

Looking for some red fabric last week, I found these quilt blocks - never finished from 2001!!  Oh dear!!  Counted all the blocks and sure enough, they were all there.  The pattern is called Confusion by Debbie Bowles from Maple Island Quilts.  Easy and fun!!

 

The blocks were sewn oversized and then trimmed to 6.5" by randomly placing the squaring ruler at various angles - creating the Wonky look.  All the trimmings were saved and will be sewn into a free form border.

The designer suggests a setting design but I tweaked it a little.  Instead of 6 across x 10 down, I did 8 x 8 since there were some extra blocks.  The border is being sewn onto muslin to stabilize it.

 

I'm planning on doing a black inner border (not this wide) and then a black binding.  I hope this quilt will make some youngster smile!!

 

Linking up with Judy's Design Wall Monday.

 

Happy Stitching,

Judy 

 

 

Design Wall Monday - April 7

I've been plugging away at little projects and crossing them off my list.  Here's what I've done:

Finished a paper pieced log cabin (court house steps) and made it into a pillow for my BQFF Barb!  Her birthday is in April but I got it to her one month early for an extra surprise in the mail.  The back is just an envelope closure but I do love the crackle fabric.  I quilted it in circles.

This is the baby quilt that I am making for my new grand-nephew due in August.  This designer has the cutest patterns and it is quilt as you go (stitch and flip method).  I'm using Jenn Ski's "Oink A Doodle Moo" fabric.  Designer:  Susan Marth - Google her!

 

Here's the back of the quilt with the panel that goes with the fabric line as well as one of the animal prints.  I'll be starting the front soon - this is going very fast!

 



 

 

The March block for Quilt Doodle Doodles BOM is done - oops, looks like I need another snow row...the house was February's block and the tree is for March.  April is out but it will have to wait a bit.



 

Finally, here is Ooh Rah #3 BOM.  I'm liking these blocks - easy and fast and sure to look great together!  #4 is available also but, again, it will have to wait.  Baby is coming...

 

Hope you are getting your stitching in - long cold snowy days have to be over soon.  Fingers crossed.  Linking up with Judy's Design Wall Monday.

Happy Stitching,
Judy

WONKY ROCKS!!

Not much on the design wall today but these Wonky blocks might turn into something...my mind is spinning (in a good way)...



 

 I taught a Wonky class about one week ago, and here are some of my students' houses...

 

They also made some Wonky stars...

 

 

 

Have you tried these?  Can't wait to make some more!!  I finally finished the yards and yards of fabric for the backing of my blue/white star quilt.  It is at the quilters!!!  Linking up with Judy for more inspiration.

 

Happy Stitching,

Judy





Stars in My Eyes

The blue/white stars quilt top is complete!!  Yippee!!  The final borders were added this week and I am pleased.  Binding is also complete - over 450 inches!!!  See more of the quilt here.  This will be one BIG quilt.

The blue mottled border was added to the sides

A pieced border was added to the top to match the other 3 sides
The bottom border is almost the same but with an extra white border

My February block from Quilt Doodle Doodles BOM is almost complete.  I've been involved with a Wonky House and Wonky Stars class (think Gwen Marston) at the LQS so I had to do my own thing on the cabin.  Not very Wonky but definitely original!  Living in northern Michigan, one needs a big fieldstone fireplace/chimney.  My windows, shutters, and steps were fused and I will machine applique them down later this week.  I especially like the sky.

That's it for me.  I'll be piecing the backing for my star quilt this week and then off to my long arm quilter.  Maybe cash in some bottles to help pay for the quilting!  Yikes!!  11,550 square inches!!

Please link up with Judy's Design Wall Monday to be inspired by all those beautiful projects.

Happy Stitching,
Judy