New quilt finish: Woodland Trails...

I created this fun quilt within the last few months. I don't normally go with these colors, but they really called to me. I think it was mostly the owls and hopping foxes. I mean, come on! I love this line a lot!  It is Les Amis by Patty Sloniger for Michael Miller. LOVE LOVE LOVE! There is the same line in a gray and aqua colorway. You will die! (or already have) 

I have a mix of applique. I just did fusible. Way to much turning under for me. I liked how the white squares made a trail, and the peach squares made a trail. That is how I came up with the name Woodland Trails...

I tried to machine free motion quilt it to make the peach trails stand out more, didn't really work, but I am still very happy with this quilt...

We don't have it in the shop just yet, but have it ready. Email me if you are interested in ordering this pattern.

Hope you like my entry into the Bloggers Quilt Festival from Amy's Creative Side. This is so much fun to see all the great quilts! It is so much fun to see all the creative people!

I am also entering this into the quilt-photographer category of the festival..

Diamond memory quilt for a sweet baby girl...

Heidi from Boys, Buttons and butterflies lost her daughter to a fatal condition called Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Oct 14th, 2009. She decided to craft and create her way through her grief and pain. We are so sad for her loss, but love that she still creates!  Here is a sweet quilt she made in memory of Jamie Lynn. Read more of her story here.

On June 24^th, our lives were forever changed.  We received the worst news a parent could ever imagine to hear.  At our routine ultrasound, they discovered there might be something seriously wrong with the baby.  After an amniocentesis, a fetal MRI, numerous high level ultrasounds, countless appointments with doctors and specialists, the verdict was given.  Our baby had a lethal skeletal dysplasia, or in layman’s terms, a fatal dwarfism.

On October 14^th at 7:39am, Jamie Lynn entered this world with the tiniest cry. Like her brothers, she was nice and hefty at 5lbs, 4oz despite being four weeks early.  She was a mere 14.5 inches long from her perfect head to her perfect little toes.  With her too small limbs, and chest too tiny to survive this world long, Daddy quickly baptized her with the healing waters from Lourdes, France gifted to us by Father D___.  After a short snuggle with me, he swept her away to be introduced to her big brothers.  A short time later, which felt like an eternity, we were all reunited as a family.  We were able to dress her in clothes washed and smelling like home.  We exclaimed over her shocking full head of the whitest blonde hair.  The boys declared her “cute”.  We adored her tiny hands and her, oh so perfect, feet. Daddy was enthralled with his sweet baby girl. 

We were together as a family, as she drifted away, her perfect little footprints etched on our hearts forever at 8:54am.

Hellooooo Diamonds.......

I am so happy with this new quilt!  

Last year, we put a pool in our backyard.  After living in the Houston area for 8 years, we realized we could no longer survive one more year in the abominable heat without one!  When we designed it, we included a special tile in memory of our daughter, Jamie Lynn. 

This spring, I was sitting on the "beach" with our newest addition thinking of her as I looked at her "feet" on Mother's Day and discovered that I really loved the color that the blue portion of our pool is.  

I have been rattling color ideas for our backyard furniture and it all of a sudden hit me!  I would emphasize the already orange accents (see the orange/rust colored cushion?) with the blue color of our pool!! 

  Of course, my inspiration portion of my brain kicked in and immediately thought of a making quilt.  I wandered into my studio and discovered that I had Jelly Rolls in the colors I wanted to do.  How convenient that I would think of this in time for the Festival!  Don't you love when things just fall into place!

So I went to work this past weekend and finished the top.    In true Heidi-fashion, I finished this late last night burning the midnight oil. Not my best quilting job, but it will do.

And I swear, the quilt just looks wonky from this angle.  It really isn't THAT bad.  Perfect, NO!  The fence is actually lower than where I was standing.  I hate when a photo makes something worse!

Why do I love this quilt?  I love it because I was able to actually do it on my boys' sewing machine (only has straight and zigzag stitch) while my sewing machine is in the shop again.  I love that I was challenged that way!  I love that it was made from fabric I already had on hand.  I love that it will be the springboard for the rest of my outdoor furniture fabrics.  

And I love that every time I see it or use it, it will remind me of my darling daughter!  I have been having trouble sewing off and on anything since the fatal diagnosis of our daughter.  But I had  a realization that I could either sit around and waste the rest of my life in a pile of grief, or I could do what she can't...LIVE!  And sewing and crafting give my life zest!  I couldn't think of a better reason to love this quilt!!!

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??