I've opened up a shop on Etsy to sell a few of my quilts. You can find the shop here, or click on the badge in the upper right of the blog page.
Here is a collage of the quilts currently available:
January 24, 2017
January 12, 2017
A "Hello World" Baby Quilt
I enjoy Cori Dantini's artwork, and had stashed away some pieces from her "Hello World" collection for a possible baby quilt. Now that I have a new great-niece, it became time to put these fabrics to use.
I created the black and white border by cutting strips free-handed, sewing multiple strips together, then crosscutting them, again free-handed.
The animal prints are from a panel. I free-motion quilted the outlines of the drawings with dark thread, then used a loopy fill with light thread in the background. The animals are mostly unquilted, which makes them soft and puffy, especially after washing. (These photos are prior to washing.)
I added a row of wonky stars across the bottom...
... and I like a fabric that can tell me how it wants to be quilted (the scallops).
I originally had a different fabric in mind for the binding, but when I saw this Denyse Schmidt plaid next to the other fabrics, I knew it was a better choice.
Here's another shot showing the backing fabric:
More of the animals:
This is my attempt to photograph the puffiness after washing. (It doesn't show as well as I'd like -- the lighting is too soft.)
I hope baby Rebecca enjoys her new quilt!
I'm linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday.
I created the black and white border by cutting strips free-handed, sewing multiple strips together, then crosscutting them, again free-handed.
The animal prints are from a panel. I free-motion quilted the outlines of the drawings with dark thread, then used a loopy fill with light thread in the background. The animals are mostly unquilted, which makes them soft and puffy, especially after washing. (These photos are prior to washing.)
I added a row of wonky stars across the bottom...
... and I like a fabric that can tell me how it wants to be quilted (the scallops).
I originally had a different fabric in mind for the binding, but when I saw this Denyse Schmidt plaid next to the other fabrics, I knew it was a better choice.
Here's another shot showing the backing fabric:
More of the animals:
This is my attempt to photograph the puffiness after washing. (It doesn't show as well as I'd like -- the lighting is too soft.)
I'm linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday.
January 7, 2017
Log Cabin Carpenter's Star -- a memory quilt
My father passed away this past spring, at age 93. As a memory tribute, I decided to make a quilt from his shirts. My dad was a builder, so a Carpenter's Star design seemed appropriate. It also seemed appropriate to use log cabin blocks.
I cut strips from his shirts at 1.5 inches, for blocks that finish at 9 inches.
The border fabric, which is also used in the center of the log cabins, is a Tim Holtz print which reminds me of my dad's wooden carpenter rules.
For quilting in the diamonds, I chose a peacock feather motif (we had peafowl on our farm when I was young).
In the background, I used swirls and a grid of orange peels for the quilting.
I pieced the back of the quilt using the backs of the shirts. I cut them at an angle following the cut of the shirt to make maximum use of the fabric, although I still had to add some partial rows. The label is from Spoonflower, and incorporates a photo of my father.
I sorted the shirts by lights, mediums, and darks for the star, using 7 or 8 shirts for each grouping. The orange/red/white plaid which appears on the back, though, did not fit easily into any of the groups. I did piece a few strips from this shirt into the "whole" light blocks, where they are less likely to detract from the contrast of the design.
For the binding, I wanted to use a yarn-dyed plaid. I chose a Robert Kaufman Mammoth flannel for the colors. It's a bit bulky for a binding, but I think it turned out OK. I did cut my strips at 2.5 inches (rather than 2.25 as I usually do), and used a trick found here (step 5) to trim some bulk from the corners.
One of the shirts had some embroidery with a team logo above the chest pocket. I didn't see a way to work this into the quilt, but I did save it to make a beanbag/pincushion, adding trim from a second shirt. I gave this to my niece who also graduated from UNA.
The quilt itself is a gift for my dear sister, who lived next door to my dad and did so much for him.
I'm linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday.
I cut strips from his shirts at 1.5 inches, for blocks that finish at 9 inches.
The border fabric, which is also used in the center of the log cabins, is a Tim Holtz print which reminds me of my dad's wooden carpenter rules.
For quilting in the diamonds, I chose a peacock feather motif (we had peafowl on our farm when I was young).
In the background, I used swirls and a grid of orange peels for the quilting.
I pieced the back of the quilt using the backs of the shirts. I cut them at an angle following the cut of the shirt to make maximum use of the fabric, although I still had to add some partial rows. The label is from Spoonflower, and incorporates a photo of my father.
I sorted the shirts by lights, mediums, and darks for the star, using 7 or 8 shirts for each grouping. The orange/red/white plaid which appears on the back, though, did not fit easily into any of the groups. I did piece a few strips from this shirt into the "whole" light blocks, where they are less likely to detract from the contrast of the design.
For the binding, I wanted to use a yarn-dyed plaid. I chose a Robert Kaufman Mammoth flannel for the colors. It's a bit bulky for a binding, but I think it turned out OK. I did cut my strips at 2.5 inches (rather than 2.25 as I usually do), and used a trick found here (step 5) to trim some bulk from the corners.
One of the shirts had some embroidery with a team logo above the chest pocket. I didn't see a way to work this into the quilt, but I did save it to make a beanbag/pincushion, adding trim from a second shirt. I gave this to my niece who also graduated from UNA.
The quilt itself is a gift for my dear sister, who lived next door to my dad and did so much for him.
I'm linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday.