Traditional Modern

A few months ago, I read about a new quilt along. I hadn't participated in one before, but this one struck me a bit differently. I've never taken a quilting class and, quite honestly, knew very little about traditional blocks when I first started quilting. I mostly just started putting fabrics together and sewing. While I'm not a traditionalist, it's nice to at least be familiar with traditional blocks. No need to reinvent the wheel type thing. I've been checking out books on quilting from the library and looking at traditional blocks for the past several months. Then I read about the modify tradition quilt along. I liked the idea of actually making several traditional blocks for a quilt.

My grandmother was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and is going through chemotherapy. I had already planned to make her a quilt, so one with a bit more traditional bent seemed perfect.

I'm not precise, with anything really, so traditional blocks are quite a challenge. It just seems like a lot of no-fun work to cut fabrics to a certain size, sew, iron, trim, sew more, iron, trim again. Ugh, I guess I'm just too lazy for precise work. As I was working on this quilt, I thought I might end up hating it. Though I liked the fabrics I chose and liked them together, I liked them less in the blocks. It just didn't seem to be working. A couple of the blocks I ended up not using, because I really didn't like them at all. The nine patch just seemed really boring at a 12.5" block. After putting the blocks together, things started to improve, and I ended up loving the quilt after quilting it. Since this was a sampler quilt, I decide to make the quilting a "sampler" of sorts, each block was quilted slightly differently. I am kicking myself for not getting better photos, especially of the quilting, but you can kind of see the quilting from the back of the quilt in these photos. (I'm going to toot my own horn here, the quilting is really pretty, despite my cruddy photos. I must get better at taking photos of my quilts. I have no idea what I was doing this day. )

The backing is a pale yellow cotton, with a strip of the orange with blue dots from the front.

I doubt that I will work on a sampler quilt with traditional blocks again. This way of working just didn't fit my personality well. Of course, if I had made the blocks as the quilt along progressed, rather than one after another I might have liked it more. 

Simple Quilts

I tend to like the back of my quilts as much as the front, sometime even more. Just a hint of the design from the front, simple. After seeing this quilt a few months ago, I decided that I was going to make a couple of very simple baby quilts.

I've had a few of these sock monkey prints for awhile, but didn't really know what to do with them. Adding solids and polka dots to a simple quilt seemed a perfect fit. I started making a few blocks for each quilt.

This first quilt is for a friend of mine, due with baby boy #2 next this month.

A simple quilt still needed a bit of interest on the back.

Another view of the quilt.

And a bit of a close up of the quilting. A bit of pebble quilting for this one. I've never done any pebble quilting. I liked it for this large empty space.

This quilt is approximately 43x58.

My cousin had a baby boy (baby brother of twin boys,) um, several months ago. (I think if the baby isn't yet one, I'm still good, though. Right?) Anyway, same type blocks, different layout.

And, the polka dot back.

Another view

And, close up of the quilting. Simple stipple for this one.

This quilt is approximately 43x63.

Grandma Vicki's quilt (or lack of blogging due to Christmas presents)

Vicki had asked me a few months ago to make her a quilt that made her think of her grandchildren. She left how I did that or any color choices up to me. She did mention that she had a burgundy recliner where she planned to curl under the quilt. That was it. I toyed with the idea of names in the quilting, photos, etc. I decided that I did want to include faces, but I wanted it to be a bit subtle.

I decided to make log cabinish blocks that mostly read as solid color. Vicki likes pink, so that started the color palette. I love so many of Amy Butler's pale pink and yellow fabrics, so I decided on the yellow for the center. There are 8 grandchildren, but I wanted a square, so I made 9 yellow blocks for the center, surrounded with pink.

For the quilting, I outlined the yellow squares, and then quilted a line portrait in burgundy of each of the children on a square. I'd made quilted portraits before, using tracing paper to sew over and then removing. This time, following these suggestions from Kristin, I used a tear away stabilizer. I'm not sure which I liked more, but I remember with both feeling like I was ripping out the stitches as I removed the paper. I wonder if I would prefer transferring my drawing directly onto the fabric. I'm not sure, though. For the pink squares, I did a simple stipple with variegated pink thread. Anyway, here are a few closeups.

The center square says "Grandchildren"

My pictures aren't great. The weather wasn't great for photos, and I was completing this down to the wire. Anyway, I'm happy with the completed quilt. I think I would like to do quilted portraits in other quilts, but perhaps as a continuous line drawing. I practiced doing that as well, but thought it didn't work as well for the children.

Of course, a photo of the back. The finished quilt is 75" square.

Dancing Squares Baby

This quilt was made for my dear friend, Jamie's baby girl due on Christmas day. She helped me pick some of the colors, and then I added more fabrics. Most of these fabrics are from Amy Butler and Anna Marie Horner. I just started making log cabinish blocks of different sizes, then added strips of some of the leftovers as I planned my layout. The finished quilt is approximately 48x60. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and so is the momma!

Circle Doll quilt

I wanted to make a small doll quilt for my niece's 3rd birthday last week. I decided to play with circles a bit among my scraps.

And the back.

I had a leftover circle and decided to use it for the label. I thought it was cute. The finished quilt size is 18x24.

White squares baby quilt, fabrics, and a bee

(I admit, I'm not good with quilt names.)

I had some kind of image in my head of white strips with bits of bright color in between. I started sewing strips and squares of color. It didn't quite turn out like I had planned, but I still like it.
Of course, I liked it even more after quilting and washing it. I also like that I didn't have to buy any new fabric for this quilt, except backing. All of the squares and the white were already in my stash. I had enough fabrics for the backing, too, but I wanted a solid backing for this quilt with all of the smaller pieces on the front. Scrappy binding, though.
The finished quilt is about 45 x 55.

The quilt is now for sale in my etsy shop.

I'm going a very different direction with my next quilt (another baby size.) Just the fabrics together for now.

I've been reading what others have been doing in their virtual quilting bees. I liked the idea, but never knew when any of them were getting started. I managed to sign up for one this time. I'm a bit nervous about making quilting blocks for other quilters, but pretty excited, too. You can check it out over here. These are the fabrics I have to make a block for Meagan.

I did it!

I've been thinking about opening an Etsy shop for about a year now. Now, I finally did it!

I have two ready made items in the shop, as well as an option for a custom made quilt. For now, I just have baby quilts, but we'll see later. Check it out, pass on the information if you know anyone looking for a quilt.

One of my quilts for sale is the butterfly quilt I posted earlier. I decided the white background was part of what was bothering me, so I used a light purple batik and a full piece rather than strips. Then, I used the butterfly batik around the outside. Much better. I still used some of the bright pink for the back, along with a strip of purple and more of the butterfly batik. I like a pieced back!
After finishing the butterfly, I wanted to do something completely different. I decided polka dots were in order. I wanted to make a pretty funky quilt. I started with wonky log cabins of a couple of different sizes. I had a great time figuring out how to fit all of them together. I added strips in between blocks to make things fit together. The back is just orange with white polka dots. The binding is all scraps from the front. I am really happy with how it turned out, its so bright and sunny.

Pizza Quilt

I made this quilt for Brad, a friend of mine who is recovering from a brain injury. I tried to use masculine fabrics in a simple design. Ashlyn thinks the orange dots are hilarious and calls them pizza fabric, hence the name of the quilt. I was originally planning to add a few more different design blocks, but decided that I would just stick with these two as I was putting stuff together. I used some of the different designs for the back.
The yellow might be a little bright, but I like the back otherwise. Notice the three pairs of feet behind the quilt. Allen was being such a goofball about holding up the quilt that the kids thought it must be great fun to hold a quilt, too.

And the goofball holding the quilt when I asked him to turn the quilt around to show me the other side.

Couch quilt

I've had a few plans for quilts for other people coming up, but with my new machine I wanted to have a "practice" piece first. We didn't have a quilt/throw/blanket for curling up on the couch, so that was what I planned for my practice piece. I wanted to do something simple, since I was really trying to get to the quilting part this time. I know. That is usually my least favorite part, but I wanted to try out the stitch regulator. So, I made several improv log cabins, completing them with white and trimming to about 15 inches, I think.

I had a rough start on the quilting, but just kept going after tearing out several really bad parts. I think I was sort of getting the hang of it by the end of this quilt. I did learn that my machine is picky about thread. I've always just used coats and clark quilting thread, but the Bernina just wasn't having it. I had to run to JoAnn's for Gutermann thread instead. Things ran much more smoothly after that.

I like how the quilt turned out, but I'm glad I decided the first quilt was for us. The blocks add just a touch of color to our otherwise blah living room.

3 Quilts/3 Weeks

As mentioned before, I've previously been a quilt or two a year kind of quilter. Last year, I made 4 quilts. Now, I made 3 in the past 3 weeks. All three of these quilts are for the prayer shawl ministry.


I started the first one the day before I read about project improv. I had already planned on making a log cabin quilt, alternating white and color. I deciding to change things up a bit, so I went from all 2 1/2 strips, to strips that were also 4 and 5 inches. I then started putting them together, trimming edges to make things a bit wonkier. I do like how it turned out, and I think the bright colors combined with the white really emphasize the wonk. This quilt is for the mother of a childhood friend, who has breast cancer.

I was almost finished with the first top and had just told Allen that this was the last quilt I was going to make before we moved. Then, we heard the news about Brian. I decided that two more quilts were in order.

I had really enjoyed the wonky log cabin, so I decided that I would continue to play for awhile. Instead of cutting exact strip lengths, I just grabbed my scissors and started cutting random width strips of all of the fabrics I was using - freedom! Working this way really fits my personality- kind of messy, plus I don't tend to get things exactly square, anyway, now I don't need to! Anyway, I pushed the blocks a bit more with this one, but kind of evened things out with the white. This quilt is for Brian's son, Nate.

For the next quilt, I pulled out a few fabrics that I had purchased together, with no specific project in mind. I thought they would make a beautiful quilt for Kirsten, Brian's fiancee. Again, I just started cutting the fabric in random widths. I had this wild floral that I used for the centers and a bit on the sides. I really love this quilt. By just butting the blocks up against one another, it is more difficult to tell where one block ends and the next begins. I want to keep this quilt, really it is one of my favorites.

yes, the picture is upside down, but Allen was holding it the wrong way.

And, you can see why I like the quilt. See how nicely it fits into my living room.

I used these same fabrics to make my red/aqua block for the project improv charity quilt. I'm not sure that I'm as crazy about it as some of the blocks in the full quilt, or maybe I just like them all put together better. It does need to be ironed and squared up a bit (like I said, not so good at the square thing.) Either way, I'm done quilting for awhile. My sewing machine, along with most of my other worldly possessions, will be packed in about 10 days.

When we are settled, I would like to continue quilting improvisationally. I am already looking for fabric for future projects.

Yes, I do have a few travel photos and the kids to post, it will have to wait a few days. Seriously, 3 quilts/3 weeks does not allow much time for other things.

Baby Quilts

A couple of quilts that I finished this summer. Both of these babies are in Alaska, so I wanted something "Alaskan" for their quilts. So, fish and dragonflies it was.Baby boy Madden quilt
Baby girl Krabbenhoft quilt. This quilt was inspired by Tiffany dragonfly lamps. I don't know if the idea transferred as well into fabric, but I still like it.