HST Doll Quilt from Plum and June

Happy Monday! :)  Sometimes the simplest quilts are the most interesting!  I love this doll quilt by Beth from Plum and June.  And it's her first go at HST...I would not have guessed! Stop by Plum and June, I was just going through her last few posts and saw some really sweet baby quilts!  I love this quilt she entered into the blogger's quilt festival and this simple patchwork quilt...cute stuff.  Thanks again Beth! 

I finally tried making Half Square Triangles and now I know what all the fuss is about!  They really are fun and easy to put together.  Whoever came up with the right sides together, draw a line down the middle, sew two lines, and cut was genuis! 

I used this charm pack from the "big order" from months ago that I had regrettably prewashed.

Made one and squared it:

Made many more and squared them:

Then I just started arranging and rearranging and mixed in some of the now completely gone solid yardage that I had in my stash (actually, I had to cut some off one of my WIPs - Yikes!) 

And, the Sun and Water Blocks doll quilt was born (have I mentioned that my kids name the quilts???)

I'm again not sure this is exactly my aesthetic but I guess my aesthetic is growing.  And I really enjoyed the HST method so I think when my new fabric order comes, I'll make another one. 

This was another doll-sized, stroller-size quilt.  I like making this size because it can be done in a few nap times, allows me to experiment with new techniques, and it is actually the most practical size for me right now - great for the stroller and floor for the baby AND great for my older girls for their dolls and for gifts for other little girls who love getting things for their dolls.

Darling girl's quilt by From Three to Insanity

Julie of From Three to Insanity is such a fun read!! I love when I get features that I read the whole thing without even thinking :)  Super sweet quilt and super sweet room :)  Check out From Three to Insanity, her darling shop and her flickr after reading her feature! :) Thanks Julie!

I'm lucky Sprout's so patient, because I've been working on her quilt for the better part of the year.  It's been 9 months since I first saw the inspiration for it while we were running errands together.   And it was well on it's way 6 full months ago when I made the label for the quilt quilt.  I had hoped to have it done for her 3rd birthday back in July.  Wishful thinking. 

But now, just under the wire for the year, it's done.  The pink and orange combination that I love so much looks perfect in the [very] pink room that she loves so much.  

The quilt is filled with lots of my favorites - AB Full Moon Dots, Swell, Mendocino, FMF, Cake Rock Beach, Tula Pink Ladybugs, and tons of other goodies that I thought would be harder to cut up than they actually were.  It's backed with a Valori Wells flannel that I wouldn't have chosen but that you did, and is bound with these dots that I recently went a little overboard with.  They ended up being perfect. 

  

Finished size after a trip through the dryer is 60" x 83" - it's a bit narrow since she doesn't use a box spring, but it's definitely twin-sized, and is by far the largest quilt I've ever stuffed through the tiny shank on my machine quilted myself.  The quilting is hard to see, but at random intervals I've traced the inside of the squares.  I'd say maybe 60% of them have quilting and the rest do not.  This loose quilting has made for a great drape.

I love it, (and so does Ginko) and I hope that my sweetie-pie girl does, too.

Patchwork n Play's Sunnybrook Farm Quilt

I just love these farmer's wife's quilts, they are amazing blocks and great stories behind them.  Combine that with some fabulous Denyse Schmidt prints and you've got Suz from Patchwork n Play's Sunnybrook Farm Quilt!  Gorgeous!  I love her combination of prints and I think her use of the polka dot as the background print is fabulous!  After you read her story make sure to see Patchwork n Play, her tutorials and a fun to-do list!

Time and the weather have conspired somewhat against me this week.....

But I really wanted to share my 'finish' for March!

(That's three quilts finished in three months!)

So inside photos will have to do...

My FW quilt, AKA "Sunnybrook Farm" is done!

I stippled all around each of the 48 blocks.....

quite Denysely densely, as is my method!

The back folded over to the front

This is the biggest quilt I've ever quilted myself...

57 " by 72 "

The binding is a pretty DS print...

which contrasts nicely with both the sunny back and the spotty front!

The blocks all stand out proudly from the background, which is the effect I was 

after!

I think it let's all the blocks 'shine'!

And a view of the pieced back!

Can you tell why I have called it "Sunnybrook Farm"?

Apart from the obvious sunny backing, "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" was one

of my Mother's favourite films.

And this reminds me of my Mum!

She was a bit of a farm girl when she was young.

I know my Mum would have loved this quilt....

Well, that's not quite true.....

My Mum loved EVERYTHING I made!

Doesn't yours?

Happy Sewing!

SUZ

Handmade Retro's Double Wedding Ring Quilt!

Today's feature is from Kristy of Handmade Retro...and it is so beautiful!!  I love when we get a great quilt with an even better story!!  She thought out every bit of this project and it is so thoughtful.  Kristy is part of Sew Australia, a great bee with some fun photos to look through and for them she recently shared this great tutorial.  Also she had her first recipe on Moda Bake Shop this summer, can't wait to try it!

It is finished - and I couldn't be more pleased with how it has turned out. 

First a little explanation about the recipients which will make some of the details about the quilt make more sense. The quilt is for my brother, Justin and his wife since last November, Amy. And yes, I realise that makes this a very late wedding present. Amy's blog documenting the planning of their wedding was called Polka Dots and Sunshine, she wore a dress with small dots on the overdress fabric and the flowers at the wedding were yellow. Justin's favourite colour is green. They married in a garden in the foothills of Perth and marked the aisle with handmade pinwheels from scrapbooking paper.

The quilt measures 55" by 65" and is 4 rings by 5 rings making the quilt a lap size. It is the size I had planned from the beginning to be used on the couch or at the end of the bed but if I had several more months I might have gone for a bed size as the piecing is time consuming and, at time tedious, but once I got the hand of it it turned out not to be so hard.

I didn't use a 'pattern' as such but cut everything using templates from Matilda's Own, the set I bought coming with a handy book detiling fabric requirements for different quilt sizes as well as some very detailed and helpul piecing directions and the template designs to square off the edges. The holes in the templates to mark seam intersections was also VERY helpful.

So to the fabric choices and placement. The intersecting squares bringing the rings together were the two colours that represtented Justin and Amy, the green and the yellow. The other prints in the rings included a number of spots as a nod to the wedding's 'shape' theme as well as some other prints to balance these out.

The backing fabric was chosen as a contrast to the front, stripes and spots but the print could have been a little overwhealing without being split. The double pinwheel blocks down the centre is reminicinet of the aisle at their wedding ceremony which was marked by homemade pinwheels made using scrapbook paper.

I echo quilted the rings on my machine. I love the way it looks but it took a lot longer than I thought and really took a lot out of my neck and shoulders. I enjoy quilting all my own quilts but the basic domestic machines certainly have their limits.

Of course it is labelled on the back - the quote is one that came to Amy when planning ceremony readings for the wedding but didn't feel is appropriate to include in the ceremony itself. And of course their names and the wedding date. On the way home with them tomorrow.

Other Posts about this quilt

A Project (with a capital P)

HandmadeRetro: Double Wedding Ring Progress (or procrastination)

HandmadeRetro: A deep breath....and start - The Double Wedding ...

Arc, Melons and Centres - The Double Wedding Ring quilt

A curvy Weekend

Polka Dot String Quilt Finish!

Hopefully our mommy isn't reading today's feature...because we owe her a quilt big time!  I love this String Quilt by Tong made for her mom!   I love how she used all polka dots!!    Tong (who is getting married in a few months!!) from Ting Tong and Things,  is a fun read, lots of modern quilting and she makes some AMAZING bee blocks.  This one and this one are a couple of my favorites!

Finally, the big finish! my polka dot string quilt for my mom! i absolutely loved how this quilt has turned out! i ended up doing straight line quilting down the long side of the quilt with the quilting lines close together. i chose a solid binding in kona buttercup. the finished quilt is 64 inches by 72 inches.

for the back of the quilt i used some left over scraps from the quilt top and did a few confetti style blocks framed in the same kona buttercup used for the binding. 

and for the first time ever, i tried embroidery and made a quilt label for the first time too.

my mom was so thrilled when i gave her the quilt, she had been waiting for it to be finished since i started it in the summer with the help from the lovely ladies in the great white north bee. this has definitely been my favourite quilt, i hope it can keep my mom warm and cozy for years and years to come!

Prairie Points of Interest Quilt, so creative!

I recently moved from Missouri to Arizona.  My mom visited me in both places...and they are very different.  The funniest thing is each time she comes to visit she asks me things like, "What kinds of vegetation grows here?" "What's the story behind that non-remarkable landmark?"  Um...I have no idea!  I've since told her that she's welcome to go to the visitor's center whenever she wants!   Makes me giggle. :)  Well Helen from RobinStar Quilting wanted to make a quilt that represents where she lives.  I love how she put it together, so creative!!  You'll love this quilt, especially you Texans, y'all love your state :)

I have wanted to make a quilt that represents where I live in the

Texas Panhandle.  For a while I have had images of quilt designs

floating around in my head and I finally bought some fabric and got

inspired to come up with my "Prairie Points of Interest" quilt.   In

this design the center focus blocks represent the wild vegetation that

is naturally treeless, the flying geese are representative of the

Canadian Geese that migrate to this area over the winter (they are

everywhere, and I love it), the circles show the 'Playa Lakes' that

abound in the region, the stripes are the furrows of the countless

fields that are planted in corn, cotton, sunflowers, or wheat, and the

open spaces convey the feeling of openness that surrounds the high

plains.  I intended for it to have a modern feel to it and the

vertical quilting maintains that feeling.  I am really pleased with it

and proud of myself for doing it.  I even put a label on the back,

yeah!

 

Fabric Tuesday #23

Heather and I are back together again!  Not only are we in the same city crafting, we're in the same house.  My two boy's and I have been making ourselves at home for over a week, and it's awesome!  And to celebrate, let's have 

Fabric Tuesday

edition 23

Our dear sweet mother came over Monday afternoon and we both whined for a nap. (We have been staying up til past 1 am crafting almost every night).  So she said "Sure." I told her I wouldn't mind if she assembled dinner for us either.  When Heather and I were rudely woken from our deep slumber 2 hrs later, our mom had made dinner, cleaned the kitchen, babysat our children, ironed Heather's pile of snowball blocks, cut my binding, and organized Heather's much needed tupperware cupboard.  Makes me want to nap again just listing all she did. Heather and I can't accomplish all that in one whole day together! We don't know how we were born from her uterus and not nearly as productive or organized as her!

Heather has a GORGeous quilt to show off today, isn't this a great quilt pattern?

This is the fabric I got from Fresh Squeezed fabrics. It is not my normal color choices at all, but I LOVE it. It is my favorite style of fabrics, vintage and floral. My heart always goes back to those. A couple months ago I posted this tutorial how to make the dutch pinwheel's. I finally got it all together, ready to quilt. I think I am going to attempt to quilt it myself, this would be the largest quilt thus far (scary) but I want to try.

Also, Fresh Squeezed Fabrics is going to do a GIVEAWAY of these great fabrics right here on Quilt Story so you could make one of your own!!  Stay tuned.

Here is a photo from the tutorial on how to piece the Dutch pinwheel block. Cute?

Sorry Mother dear for showing my quilt in front of my dead annual flower pots. Yes, I know you told me to move those to the garage. No I obviously didn't, and what is the point now? In no time you will be back over here replanting them for the spring!

FABRIC TUESDAY!

Edition 23

Link up a recent craft project that uses fabric...if you're new don't be shy!  This is for everyone.  Click the button to add your link at the bottom and link up a recent blog post where you used fabric to create or enhance something. Below are a few "rules" to play.

Mention us in your post with either a link or make it easy and add the button to your blog sidebar and you won't have to remember each week. ***You can take either our blog or our Fabric Tuesday buttons on the sidebar.***
PLEASE READ ME:
Most everyone does this, but please actually mention that you are linking up to Quilt Story in your post...even if you have the button on the sidebar there needs to be mention in the post :)  We've just seen a couple where we can't see any button or link to us and then we scroll way way down and there's the button...we want to make sure everyone knows so everyone can play!  Thank you!!

You don't have to do this to link up, promise. However if you want to follow us, we follow back :) But please comment telling us you did so and we will hop right on over and make sure we're following too!

And how about we each take time to comment on the link just before yours, that's easy enough right? We'd love for this to be a linky party where everyone gets comments, so if you take the time to look, take a second to leave a comment!

***We've been having problems with McLinky since it was changed to a paid subscription...he tried to do some system upgrade and it's been a little crazy.  SO if you are not seeing the linky try back a little later.  Cross your fingers!!

What projects have you been working on the last two weeks??