Fab Tue and Vintage Squares Quilt from Meg

Another finish!  Ahhh...feels so nice.  So this is my sweet and special quilt for my baby girl.  You know, the "one".  I really wanted to do sweet, floral and a vintage feel.  When I saw Granny Squares popping up all over I knew it was a great design for what I wanted.

I had a fat quarter bundle of California Girl from Fig Tree Quilts which the quilt is mostly made of.  There is some Sandi Henderson prints and a couple of prints from Amy Butler's Lark.  Sashing is Kona Bone.

Off it went to Aunt Wendy for quilting.  Usually I just tell her to do her magic, whatever design she wants.  This time I just told her I want it super feminine, floral, girly :)  I think she did it!  Lots of flowers, vines, leaves.  Make me happy.

I continued the design on the back for a little interest.  I had a yard of the pretty coral lace print (from Michael Miller not sure who designed it) and so adding the strip of squares was not only fun but necessary.  I always moan about piecing a back but I don't think I've ever regretted it.

I can't remember and I don't want to dig it out of "things for baby girl" trunk, but it's roughly 40 x 50.  Perfect crib size and I'm pretty sure it will be the quilt for her bed.

There you have it!  If baby girl had a name I'd probably name the quilt after her, but her name so far is baby girl or sister :) 

Your turn!

Fabric Tuesday #106

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Foxy Geese and Fabric Tuesday!

First the winner of our awesome Stitch Sanctuary giveaway, the Deluxe Sew Steady Table and Polish Kit from Dream World...drumroll...CONGRATS!!!

Amanda said...

I visited their site - such a nice selection to browse!

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 9:00 PM 

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On Mother's Day (and my birthday) I like to just sew whatever I want for fun.  And it usually means starting a new project, and often a project with no real purpose!  Ha!  And so this Mother's Day was the same, I decided I wanted to put together a simple and modern flying geese quilt.

Mostly the quilt's fabrics are Outfoxed by Lizzy House.  There is also one print (I think) of Joel Dewberry's Heirloom (love love this line more and more everyday, I use it so much!!).

Again this was a fun color departure for me. I love all colors, I just really love color.  But like I've said many times, I lean way more towards blues and greens.  So purples, pinks and oranges so different for me and exciting :)  I've been very mindful of this and when choosing new fabrics for my stash and I really try to be more diverse!

When and how this will be quilted?  TBD.  I've looked around for some quilting ideas, I'll keep it simple, probably following the peaks of the geese, just working out exactly how I'll do it.  When this will happen....? :)  The finished size is about 43" x 50".

Fabric Tuesday #103

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And now your projects for the week!!  Have you been productive now that fall is upon us?  Can't wait to see! :)

A quilt from Diary of a Quilter

Another obvious intro for you today! :)  Amy from Diary of a Quilter is sharing a quilt that she made for her husband's grandmother.  Great story and great quilt!  Amy is an excellent quilter and one of the nicest people ever.  She is seriously so sweet, we love her! :)  Make sure to stop by and see her many fabulous tutorials (quilts and more!) and stop by her shop for some one-of-a-kind patterns.  Thanks Amy!!

This weekend my husband's grandmother turns 87! When I looked up how old she would turn this year I was shocked by the number. For as long as I've known her (14 years) she has been such a goer and doer. How on earth did she get to be 87?  We visited 'Grammie' this past summer in New Hampshire and Maine.  It was the first time we'd seen her in a few years and it was bittersweet to see her in decline for the first time since I've known her. So we (and by 'we', I guess I mean, 'I') decided to make her a quilt. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. 

Adding to the feeling of urgency, we had planned to visit my husband's other grandmother while on the same trip this summer and she suddenly passed away 2 weeks before we came. Sadly, she had been suffering from dementia for years and probably didn't remember us, but we would have liked our kids to see her one more time so that they could remember her. I also feel bad that I never made something similar for Nana Jean. That experience was a good reminder not to wait when Grandmas are concerned. Because you never know. So I feel relieved that this quilt is on it's way. 

I made the label using AmandaJean's tutorial. It was SO ridiculously easy. I am finally committed to doing this for every quilt. In the past I have been terrible - I never do it. Honestly.  I am finally getting my act together. 

Grammie decided when she became a great-grandma that she wanted to be called Nonna.  Both her parents and her husband's parents were Italian immigrants to the United States in the early 20th Century. So even though she grew up in Maine, her family was very proudly Italian.  (See? You can tell by the tomato harvest.) I'm glad she has passed that heritage on to her great-grandchildren and glad that they will always remember their Nonna.

This quilt has a good backstory.  See how the 9-patch blocks are rectangular? Well, that wasn't on purpose.  These blocks were part of a kit we sold at American Quilting. One afternoon I was working alone and a lady who'd purchased the kit called to ask for help and I (really helpfully) gave her the wrong measurements. As a result, her blocks ended up as rectangle instead of square nine-patches.  So I remade all 80 blocks for her. And in return I've had these rectangular blocks hiding in my fabric mess collection for the past 7 years or so.  

I came across the blocks again this summer, right before our trip and halfway thought of trying to pound a quilt together in a couple of days while trying to get ready for the trip itself. Then I came to my senses and decided to take my time and put it together for her birthday.  Good decision.  I pulled all the fabrics from the stash and was happy to use some patiently-waiting fabrics that have been sitting around for a long time, and finally give them a good home.

Two quilts finished in the past two weeks - one modern and one that's more traditional. It's been good to have quilts to bind recently so that I have a good excuse to just sit still and watch Downton Abbey. :)