WIP: Baby Quilt Side B + more VQB Blocks!

Yesterday I worked on Side "B" of baby's quilt... and finished 6 rectangular blocks, varying in height, and width. It's taken me a few evenings but I like how they've turned out!





... and I've been thinking about how to lay them out, and with what sort of background? I haven't completely ruled out flannel, as that would make it quite cozy for baby... and I fooled with the below layout, using surrounding fabric that matches the inside of each block - which I also like:


I also thought about laying it out on the diagonal, from top left to bottom right corner... since Side A is very straight and linear. I'm sure my explanation is vague so I need to lay that out to see if it strikes my fancy. I hope to have this quilt finished in the next couple of weeks! Yay!!! I guess I've only got about 8 weeks LEFT to piddle-jack around - eeek!

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And I've gotten another batch of blocks in from my girls in the Sew New to Me VQB!

from twinfibers

above and below from MammaMary2

from Gretchen891

from SewDeerlyLoved

There is such creativity and genius in this group - and I'm so honored to be a part of this bee! Each and every block is fabulous - and I know this quilt will be in my family for ages! Thanks to all you fabulous ladies! I'll be laying them all out together and see what my finished quilt will look like - great motivation if I've ever seen any! Pics coming soon... stay tuned!

The Crib Quilt - Side "A"

Just a couple quick shots of the beginning of our own baby's crib quilt - let's call it side "A." I'll be piecing some blocks for side "B" which will make it reversible... no front or back per se. Quilting decisions are hard for me, obviously, so I like to keep my options open, and in this case, have two quilts in one. Nothing wrong with that, is there? Hmm...

Fabric:
Joel Dewberry - Aviary in Green Woodgrain
Lizzy House - Red Letter Day - Woods
Erin McMorris - Park Slope - Birds in Teal
Heather Ross - Lightning Bugs in Orange
Amy Butler - Lotus - Full Moon Polka Dots in Cherry

Now - how to QUILT this yumminess is the real question. Pebbles, stippling... time will tell!
If you have any suggestions - do tell! AND I need a NAME for this quilt - ideas? Anyone? Buehler... Buehler? Otherwise, it will probably remain "Baby's Crib Quilt." ~hehe~

*Ohio Sky Quilt* Detailed + Bee Blocks

This is the Ohio Sky quilt I've been talking about... for what seems like forever! I think I started the half-square triangles back in September! It was quite a process but the outcome was worth it, and I learned a lot in the process... including that I HATE wide borders. I may or may not try using them again in the future. Ok, I probably will try again, but spray baste the HECK out of it. I had problems with the outer border shifting as I was quilting it.

But after washing it you can't really tell its not exactly perfect. I used simple straight line quilting along each seam, 1/4" on either side. It frames the Amy Butler prints quite nicely. These prints are a combination of her Midwest Modern and Midwest Modern 2 collections. Although, the binding is from her new Love collection, "Sunspots" in mint, I believe. Same color scheme, but dots that seemed to scream USE ME AS BINDING - so I did!

Finished size is about 60" x 67" perfect as a lap quilt. I believe its new home IS on a couch... at the MacClements' house... I hope they get years and years of use out of it!

And I just realized I didn't get a photo of the back of it. Really, its nothing special, except for the bottom right corner where about a 10" by 12" square blocks frames the label. The rest was made from a pale minty green Ikea twin bed sheet (Thanks Amandajean for that idea!) Next time I'll be sure to grab a FLAT sheet instead of fitted. Then the extra 10x12 square wouldn't be necessary in the first place. Anyhow - I've kicked myself enough. Lets move on:

AND more blocks have arrived in my mailbox from my fellow VQB sewists! This is going to be one phat quilt... phat, what an odd word. If its a word.

From Little Miss Shabby

From Katiejeanbags

from Fresh Lemons

above and below blocks From Kimwoolf

I have a few more blocks yet to receive then I can start playing with the layout! I want this quilt to be finished before baby arrives so I've got some work to do! But I look forward to it... because I'm keeping it for our bedroom! HaHA!

30 Weeks

Here's my belly profile today - at 30 weeks...
I'm still feeling well, just a bit uncomfortable at times. I'm sure that's due to the baby crowding out internal organs including my lungs. Other than that, couldn't be better!

We started taking Bradley Method Classes last week which will run for 9 weeks. We watched some videos (circa 1980's & 1990's) showing home births, water births, and the like. Graphic to boot but obviously we'll be in the same situation so its probably a good thing to see it now, um, especially for husband. I'm going to my first La Leche League meeting tonight to leach whatever info I can on nursing, and I've been reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (7th Edition) and I'm starting to feel more confident and well-informed about breastfeeding. I highly recommend this book as it covers every single concern/question/problem/technique you could possibly think of. I feel like there is still a lot to prepare for... with only about 10 more weeks to go!

The crib quilt is coming along slowly but surely - I've got the 1st side half way pieced and hope to finish it this week. I'm also going to start figuring out curtains, and some cute bunting to string above the crib. And I HAVE to mention the fun clock I found that's perfect for the nursery.... and I'm lucky to have a C&B just a few miles away. I figure it could also find a home in the kitchen if necessary. Yes, I'm a sucker for green... ~sue me~

[Bee]-autiful Quilting Bee Blocks for *Suzanne*

Suzanne has the 1st month, January, and her theme is "Opposites Attract" which really interested me... which entails an intricate portion and a simple uncluttered portion for each block. We got to interpret these directions and come up with blocks that held both qualities.
Here's what I came up with:

Main Block:

This is a variation of a paper-pieced string block and I actually did NOT intend for there to be a 1/2" trim around it. I unfortunately did not allow enough length on a few of the strips and therefore had to ADD the sashing to make the block a full 12.5" square. I think it works, I hope you like it Suzanne!

Extra Block:

Suzanne asked that if we had time, to make a second block. Well due to my jam packed schedule and numerous friends calling to hang out with me, I had all day and most of this evening to complete her two blocks. Fooled ya. I paper-pieced this block as well, which really is easier to do with thin strips. I'm a pretty big fan, if you haven't yet read about my first experience making a string block. Suzanne - I hope these blocks fit into your theme, and I really enjoyed creating them for you!

What took me so long?!

What took me so stinkin' long to sew up my first string block???? I have no idea, but I LOVE them! I've got all kinds of small pieces left over from my VQB quilt so I thought I'd put some of it to use! The above photos were taken before I squared it up to about 8"... which is what the below photos resemble.

Thanks to Christina I had lots of good resources to study before I attempted this style block... and now I'm addicted! And they're not hard at all! Note to self: Don't put off making blocks that look more daunting than they really are. Really.

Oh, and thanks to my fabulous MIL, I now have a new white cutting mat that covers my ENTIRE cutting table, and I mean corner to corner! One of the best Christmas gifts I received, hands down. Plus it makes photo taking a breeze!

I went out and bought some inexpensive 12" square scrap book paper to make BIGGER blocks than this and you can rest assured I will be sewing a few more of them this weekend. These could be used to start a new baby quilt, or even used to spruce up the BACK of my VQB quilt. Time will tell!

If you've never made a string block - tell me why, then cross your heart and hope to die that you WILL try one soon!

ps- So sorry about all the GREEN blocks I've been posting lately.... just think of it as... an early salute to St. Patty's Day. That's in March, right?

More Blocks for VQB!

Heather I LOOOOVE this block, thanks so much (and such a quick return!)
You definitely captured the idea I had rolling around in my head!

And... here's the blocks I made tonight for the same VQB... so they'll get to stay right here with me and get added into the quilt top. The 2nd one below is pretty simple, but follows my directions of *squares & rectangles only* modern, fresh, non-wonky... and possibly minimalist.

These will all be sashed in white... or maybe grey (...but probably white) to get them all the same size then sewn into a top. My GOAL is to have this quilt finished before March... and I think I can do it! I can't wait to snuggle under it soon.
Thanks everyone for designing these blocks... I can't wait to see the rest of them!

My Bee Blocks Returning Home!

As I've mentioned before, I've joined two quilting bees through Flickr and January is my month for the Sew New to Me VQB! I mailed out 11 packages of fabric near the end of December and just got my first one back today, thanks to Lisa! They're both GORGEOUS, and so full of detail! Obviously I chose grey and green as the color scheme, and asked everyone to sew blocks that give their interpretation of squares and rectangles... modern, fresh, non-wonky. I'm loving what I see thus far! The little elephants are too fun!

{{If only I had a design wall to hang all of the blocks as they return... maybe I'll wait until I receive them all back and then spread them out on the kitchen floor?}}

Fabric Stash Upgrade!

I seem to browse through Hawthorne Threads endless collection of fabric every other day. Literally. And I've had these in my basket for about a month! How could I have passed these up?! The bright saturated colors just sucked me in, not to mention the fun modern prints! I think the Lamps are my favorite! Wait, no, the guitars...
They are from left to right:
Leaf Dot in Fuchsia by Erin McMorris
Kelly's Lamps in Spice by Michael Miller
Ring Dot in Spice by Michael Miller
Groovy Guitars in Lagoon by Michael Miller

(I think the guitar fabric will be turned into an infant car seat canopy for our little guy... similar to this tutorial. Cute eh? The guitars say "I'm a BOY, but a cool, fun-loving boy." Right?)

This is also from Hawthorne Threads, its called Leaf Path in White from the Dill Blossom Collection. I own very littl mostly-white prints so I thought I'd branch out a bit and go for something out of my usual. I have no plans for this yet, but I'm sure something will come up that it will be perfect for.

Tonight I started THE baby crib quilt! I couldn't decide between two different designs so I'm going to do both... and the quilt will be reversible! I'm quite excited! I'm kind of winging it with both patters as I don't HAVE patterns so I'm just making it up as I go. I'll let you know how it goes.

We're supposed to get 3-6" of snow tomorrow, woohooo!!! Man I love snow! Its the only thing that gets me through wintertime. What have you been up to? Sewing? Quilting? Baking? Snow shoveling?

*Joy in the New Year* Finished!

Thanks to Jacquie over at Tallgrass Prairie Studio, my to-do pile has shrunk! I counted EIGHT unfinished objects (UFO's) on November 2nd, and have finished SEVEN of them! I'm quite happy with that! Talk about Joy in the New Year... all I have to work on now is the lap quilt I didn't even start to sew... and baby goodies! Oh, plus the plethora of items I'd love to make for my Etsy shop, but thats nothing urgent.

I tried to get photos of all of my finished items, so lets begin:

1. "Ohio Sky" quilt - gifted to the MacClements Family for Christmas. Finished size is

about 60" x 67" and I learned I hate big wide borders! I think half of the problem was caused by not basting it well enough. So I learned my lesson and will not skimp on the spray baste - my new motto is "spray the heck out of it!" I do love the finished quilt, though.

2. Commissioned Baby Boy Quilt - "Zippy Cars" Baby Rylan Andrew arrived a few weeks early so I had to get on the ball and finish this quilt in a hurry! More info on Zippy Cars here. Finished size is approximately 48" square.

3. Wonky Stroller Quilt I tried to use up some scraps I've been saving of Amy Butler's Lotus fabric... and I somewhat succeeded. Three wonky squares surrounded by Orange Full Moon Polka Dots. My favorite part? PEBBLE QUILTING! More info and photos of this quilt here. Measures about 28"x29"... and listed in my Etsy Shop.

(And my first try at applique - three dots on the back! I do love it!)

4. Great Grandma's Log Cabin Quilt Gifted to Grandma & Grandpa Wilson on Christmas Eve 2009. Its BIG - I mean its about 92" by 96"... massive in my opinion! I quilted it using a simple straight line quilting, cross-hatch style. I backed and bound it in Joel Dewberry's Chestnut Hill which I thought looked kind of vintage-y and worked well with the other blues in top. Also, Justin's parents and a couple other family members bought this wonderful Amish-made quilt rack and presented it on Christmas Eve to the Grandparents. A perfect match!

5. Pink Granny Square Blankie I've had these squares finished for some time, but never got around to crocheting them together until last week. Its about 25" square and will soon be in my Etsy shop. I used my new favorite front/back post double crochet stitch to trim it out - and I think it works! More info on said stitch here. The pinks are hard to photograph against the white so hopefully you get the gist of it. I'll take better photos outside later.

6. 30 Cloth Baby Wipes. Since I'll be using cloth diapers, why not use cloth wipes too? Saves from making a trip to the trash can while changing diapers. Orange flannel cut into 5" squares, stitched, flipped out, ironed, top stitched, done!

7. Orange Birdie Receiving Blanket For our little guy who should arrive sometime around March 30th. I found this Valori Wells flannel at my LQS and just had to have it! Hmm, I haven't measured it yet but should be perfect for swaddling a new bundle of joy~

So there we have it! I'm quite happy to have all these items completed and in their proper homes. Now, just to start/finish the quilt that got away from me.... before baby arrives, oh yes, I think so!

And to ring in 2010 I want to say THANK YOU for stopping by my blog, and all those kind comments! I now have over 120 followers! How? I have no idea... but I've really enjoyed sharing my thoughts and life with you. Yes, you!

Hazel is probably the reason I've gotten almost 25,000 hits.... yes, I'm sure of it!