Merry Go Round Quilt

For many months, years even, I've had this little package of hexagons (a honeycomb precut) sitting in my sewing room.  The fabric is "Wishes" by Sweetwater.  I have not done much with hexagons in the past and was intimidated to sew them together.  But when I saw this tutorial for an adorable quilt at A Bright Corner, I decided to give it a whirl.  Andy's tutorial uses yardage, rather than precuts, but I was able to skip all the cutting and just whip this up.  

I did find that I didn't have quite enough bright fabrics in the "honeycomb" to make 9 blocks.  So I improvised and made one block with a colored background so I could use the light colored fabrics too.  I don't LOVE it that way, but it did make a square quilt!  :)  That center background is actually not quite as bold in person, I think.

I had some soft, green flannel -- barely enough -- for the backing.  I think it looks pretty good!

Another Lambkin Quilt

Using some leftovers from this quilt:

I made this quilt:

The colors look quite different, but most of those fabrics are the same.  It was almost dark when I took the picture above, so that has probably affected the colors too.  I added in the darker triangles because I felt like it needed some more contrast.  I was wishy washy about that decision, and seeing the picture I'm questioning it again now.  But it's done now!  Here is a picture of the whole bundle.  

I quilted it with simple straight line quilting.  It will be nice and soft.  

Finish-A-Long 2018 Q2 Goals

Last Quarter I finished 2 quilts that had been on my list multiple times.  Yay!  But I didn't even touch a few things on my list at all.  So those are at the top of my list this time. 

1.  Sports Quilt - Top is pieced.  I've decided to add some length to this quilt.  Of course I can't find the right background color now.  :(

2.  Christmas 16 Patch - Need to piece together with sashing -- but to do that I need to determine the  color of the sashing.  Also, on point or not?  It's these decisions that have kept me from finishing this!

 

3.  Ombre Quilt- I started this one a few years ago and didn't like it.  So, I have several blocks that I want to try and figure out how to change it. 

  

4.  Hexagon Table Runner - Made these little hexagons some time ago.  I'd like to make a table runner using the Modern Handcraft tutorial.

 

I am linking up the Finish-a-Long 2018 Q2 party at She Can Quilt.

Raindrops Quilt

Rain is one of my favorite kinds of weather.  It's very calming to me.  Of course, in Utah it doesn't rain all that much, so I welcome the change.  I decided to make a raindrop quilt to hang on my wall in the spring. 

I appliqued the raindrops on -- I have done very little applique.  The raindrops are not evenly distributed -- this was intentional, as rain does not fall evenly.

The quilting is straight lines -- which took a while because I didn't want to quilt over the raindrops.  I considered trying "Trupunto" on the raindrops, but chickened out.  Leaving the raindrops unquilted still lets them poof out a little bit.

 

I'm still a little uncertain -- one minute I love it, the next minute I wish I had been more careful about the raindrop angles/placement/shape.  And in the pictures above there is one background color that looks way off -- the light blue.  It doesn't look quite that drastic in person.  Here it is on the wall. 

 

One great thing is that this one was on my Finish-A-Long list for this quarter.  It's almost time to link up, so I'm glad it's finished in time.   

I am linking up at She Can Quilt - Finish-A-Long Q1.

Baby Girl Quilt

Remember the Dolls Like Me quilt drive?  Well, everyone who submitted a quilt was entered into a drawing for some prizes.  And I won a prize!  A very generous prize.  It was a fat quarter bundle from Art Gallery Fabric -- Lambkin.  I was very excited because I have a good friend who is having a baby and I thought this would be perfect.  So I made this quilt:

 

 The fabric was very cute, but I wish I would have chosen a different pattern.  The original pattern had a lot more contrast between the different fabrics.  I think this needed it.  Looking at the picture, I'm starting to wonder if it's just that I'm not used to using such soft, pastel colors.  The quilt is really quite pretty.  In a house full of boys, you just don't get soft and pretty very often.  :)

And I'm not sure if the quilting pattern distracts too.  Or maybe the fact that I chose a pink thread.  You can't see it well in the picture, but maybe I should have stuck to white.  Oh well, at least I tried something new.   And just look how cute that fabric is!  Those little lambs are adorable.

 And I actually really like the back of the quilt!  Simple, but I like it.

So I ended up giving my friend this other quilt.  It was good because she said that quilt matched her nursery.  yay!  I'll save this one for someone else.

Quilts for Dolls Like Me

A few weeks ago I saw a blog post at Needle and Foot announcing a quilt drive for little doll quilts.  They would be donated to a great woman who makes dolls for some great kids.  She describes herself this way: "I am a dollmaker who feels that every kid...regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, medical issue, and body type...should have a doll who looks like they do."  So she makes dolls with special characteristics, such as a missing limb or a feeding tube or a birth mark. 

I had some unused quilt blocks and decided to make those into some doll quilts.  They are all around 20-24" and so fun to make!  Here they are:

I am linking up to the Linky Party at Needle and Foot.

Summer Sampler Quilt

So this quilt is long overdue.  I believe that the blocks were made back in 2014.  They are all from the book "Vintage Quilt Revival."  So from my very first Finish-A-Long this has been on my list.  I began sewing it in one setting, then changed my mind, unpicked, and decided on another setting.  Then changed my mind again because I didn't have enough background fabric.  I settled on this simple setting.  I'm not in love with the outcome, but I'm satisfied.  It is done!  Hooray!

 

One thing that I do love about this quilt is the fabric.  The background is all Shot Cotton.  I have made one other quilt with this fabric and I do love how soft it is.  That shot cotton quilt is the most used quilt in the house.  We all love it.  

For the quilting I tried to stitch in the ditch in the blocks -- it's my first time doing this kind of quilting.  I used my walking foot, which made for straight lines, but also a lot of stopping, turning, and shifting.  It wasn't easy for me to figure out how to get around the shapes without frequently overlapping or stopping/starting.  The sashing was a little more straightforward (thankfully!)  I did straight lines down the long strips, using a variety of colored threads.  This would have been more obvious if I had used a heavier thread. 

   

The backing is some great checked shot cotton I got on sale a while back.  Wish I had more. So soft.  I didn't have enough of the checkered fabric, so I used some other fabric I had on hand.  It is kind of a slippery fabric (not sure exactly what it is), so I was relieved when the backing didn't have a bunch of tucks!

 

This quilt is one of the goals on my 2018 Finish-a-Long list for this quarter.  

And it is finished! 

I am linking up at She Can Quilt - Finish-A-Long Q1.

Quilt of Valor

There is an organization called "Quilts of Valor."  The quilts are given to U.S. Veterans.  I have never made one, so when I found several Patriotic fat quarters for sale, I picked them up.

I used a pattern from the book Quilting the New Classics by Michele Muska, Mug Cox, Janneken Smucker.  I actually won this book when it was first published.  Sweet!  I wanted something quick and not feminine, since it is more likely to go to a man. 

 

I braved the snow to take this picture.  If I was extra conscientious and not so cold, I might have tried to walk in from the side to hang the quilt, leaving the snow nice and clean.  But I didn't.  :)

I quilted it with simple waves.  One interesting tidbit is that I had run out of fabric, and still needed to make a couple of blocks.  I had some dark navy fabric, but it was a little too dark.  So I turned it over and used the backside.  I also used that backward fabric for the binding.  :)

And for the backing I used some fabric I got on clearance plus some pajama pants I made for my husband years ago (when I was learning to sew).  He never used the PJs, so I cute them up and used them.  Such a bargain quilt!

This quilt is one of my Finish-A-Long Goals for this quarter.   

I am linking up at She Can Quilt - Finish-A-Long Q1.

Scrappy Mystery Quilt

I couple of years ago I followed along online with Meadow Mist's Midnight Mystery Quilt Along.  A mystery quilt along works like this -- without knowing what the quilt will look like in the end, you are given the "ingredients" for the quilt (You will need 1 yard of Color A, 1/2 yard of Color B, etc.)  Then each week we received instructions on what to cut or sew from those fabrics.  At the end, you get a finished quilt.

Cheryl did a great job with the sew along -- it was fun to see how she would have us make a block, then cut it up and sew it back together in a different shape.  I enjoyed the anticipation of seeing what was going to come of it all.

Cheryl had shown us what fabrics she was using, along with a few different options.  Rather than go with those colors, I chose several orange, green, and grey fabrics from my stash. She also suggested how dark/light each fabric grouping.  But looking at the pictures of my quilt, it doesn't look like I had enough contrast between the grays and greens (lighter gray would have helped.)  In person I think the contrast is a little more distinct.

So for my first mystery quilt -- I enjoyed the process, but don't love the outcome.  I like it.  But would do things differently had I seen the pattern first.  So I've been a little hesitant to try it again.  I think I will try again sometime, I just might choose colors closer to what is suggested.

 

For the quilting I did a Lazy Eight pattern.  They are not very even, but in the end, they look okay.  It is a large quilt, so I'm just pleased I quilted it on my own!

For the backing I found some orange on clearance, then added a couple of pieces from my stash.

This is my first finish for my Finish-A-Long Q1 Goals.

I am linking up at She Can Quilt - Finish-A-Long Q1.

2018 Finish-a-Long Goals Q1

Hooray for 2018!  It's always kind of exciting to start a new year.  I'm not much of a goal maker, actually -- I can't seem to follow up on them.  But I have been fairly successful with my quilting goals.  Probably because I love it!

So here are my goals -- 3 of which have been on my lists forever.  Eventually I'll get there.   
1. Mystery Quilt -- this has been on my list for a while.  It is big.  So I keep putting it off.  But this past month I'm a little closer -- I have the backing ready, and the batting cut out (I need to piece two pieces together.)  So I'm hopeful this one won't be on next quarter's list!

2.  Summer Sampler Quilt-a-Long -- I keep putting this off because I kind of want to hand quilt it, but I don't have a quilting frame.  So sometimes I think I'll just machine quilt it, but I'm still not sure!  I think I'll love this one when it's done though -- the background fabric is Shot Cotton, which is so soft.

3.  Sports Quilt - Top is pieced.  Trying to decide if I want to add borders to make it larger.

 

4.  Quilt of Valor -- I made this one on a whim a few months ago when I bought some patriotic prints on a good sale.  Not sure I love it.  But, it is pretty simple and I think will be liked by some manly, man out there.  :)

5.  Christmas 16 Patch - Need to piece together with sashing (or no sashing?)

6.  Ombre Quilt- I started this one a few years ago and didn't like it.  So, I have several blocks that I want to try and figure out how to change it.  Sorry, no picture!

7. Raindrops Quilt - I have several different sized blocks -- need to figure out how to put it all together. 

I am linking up the Finish-a-Long Q4 party at She Can Quilt.