Showing posts with label Fourth of July. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fourth of July. Show all posts

Friday, August 23, 2013

Two finishes this week


What do you mean it's not MINE?  Buffy thinks
all quilts belong to her
Actually, it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted about a finish...

Welcome Home

This quilt was made to honor and bring comfort to a recently-returned veteran from our town. 

The pattern is called Fourth of July by Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.  I used Red and blue homespun along with an off-white background fabric. 

 
 It is quilted with Stars and loops in the center .



 



   ... and words honoring his service all around the inside border.  I finished it off with feathers in the outside border and a red and white ticking for the binding.  I hope to be able to present this next week sometime (after I finish the binding and wash it a few hundred times with some color catchers!).


 







100 Hugs a Day

My next finish was a baby quilt I whipped up for one of my husband's co-workers.. 

The pattern is from Deanna at Wedding Dress Blue called 100 Hugs Quilt


I couldn't believe how fast this came together.  A 100 patch in the middle made from 2 1/2" squares from a jelly roll from Jelly Roll Fabrics (20 strips made the whole quilt with some squares left over for my scrap bin) and a nice white on white for the borders and triangles. 



I pretty  much had fun doodling with circles, balloon shapes, hearts, flowers and loops with swirls in the border area.  I finished it off with a multi-colored stripe in pink and purple, yellow and green for the binding.  It is so cute!

All in all, I'm having a good time with my FMQ - thanks to the excellent tutorials by Leah Day at the Free Motion Quilting Project.  Her guidance and inspiration have given me the courage to set my imagination loose and have fun with quilting.



I only have one obstacle. 


I'm not sure I'll ever get these Machingers clean again! (from the Welcome Home quilt, not the baby quilt!) OH yeah, and the cats keep pulling the Pinmoors off my basted quilts.  I know they're supposed to be non-toxic, but have you ever seen one that a cat has yakked up?  I have to put my basted quilts in the closet when I'm not actively working on them, and fold them in on themselves when I need to walk away for even 30 seconds! 


Until next time... Happy Quilting!


Monday, August 19, 2013

Why do I quilt

First let's explore what is a quilt... In technical terms a quilt is 3 layers of textiles joined together by stitching.  A woven top and bottom layer with a layer of additional material like batting for warmth and loft.  In simplistic terms it is a blanket or bed covering.
To me a quilt is much more. 
A quilt is:
  • A warm hug when the world is cold
  • Comfort for one in need
  • A place to rest your body when you are weary
  • A fort for children at play
  • A place to have an impromptu picnic
  • A colorful addition to a room
  • Memories of loved-ones long past
  • A piece of art to adorn the world
  • A work of heart pieced with love and prayers for one who I may never know or know very well
  • A labor of love 
  • The smile on the face of a loved one.
Dad and Me with his Quilt
Picture by Mom - used with permission


So why do I quilt?  To feed my creativity, and to share my love.  I quilt to wrap someone in love and comfort, to bring a smile to their faces.  I quilt to thank our service members, to let them know I appreciate the freedoms their service provides.  I quilt for the love of creating something beautiful and meaningful from a pile of fabric.  I quilt because I must.
 
 

Monday, May 20, 2013

On my Deisgn Wall

I'm working on several projects, like most quilters. 

On the wall right now is a variation of the Disappearing Nine Patch with pinwheels called Pinwheel Toss by Clover & Violet. I used a few charm packs (maybe 3?) from Missouri Star Quilt Company by Nancy Halvorsen called Basically Nancy.


Also on my design wall is a special request from my son for one of his former West Point roommates who is due to be deployed soon.  This one is called Fourth of July and the pattern is by Bonnie Hunter.  I used Red and Blue homespun, and neutral star fabrics.  I really like the way this one is coming together.  I will look at it a while, and move the blocks around so it doesn't look too matchy-matchy.



I'm working on free motion quilting a quilt for my Dad. I've used homespun for the bow ties and the pieced border. I'm still learning, and my quilting isn't that consistent yet, but I'm proud of the progress I'm making.  This is a 3D bow tie set in X and O pattern.  Dad's health is declining, and we're far away.  I want to remind him that we are thinking of him, and wrapping him in Hugs and Kisses.

Bow-ties and Hugs and Kisses - On rhe design wall


On the Sewing Machine now

Close up of quilting in progress

And, I just finished the binding on "Tea Party" one I've been working on for a while.  This one is using 1930s reproduction fabrics I've had in my stash for a bunch of years, set in the Broken Dishes pattern.  I watched a tutorial over at Missouri Star Quilt Company.  This one is for a nice lady at a nearby nursing home whose family is far away.  It should fit very nicely on her lap.



"Tea Party" with the Sassy Seal of Approval.