"Hope Grows quilt" by lovely bud...

Don't just scan through and admire the photos here, this is a beautiful post and quilt by lovely bud. She lost her little baby boy and needed a way to transfer her grief. Thank you for letting us share your sweet story about your precious baby boy....

i think we most truly know and are connected to something when we lose it

i think we are forever captured in that moment, tied to what we lost. the pain holds us tight and teaches us our destiny

the movie "master and commander" tells the story of an english naval captain and his crew aboard their ship during the napoleonic wars. the crew is comprised of both hardened old seamen and fresh young boys that don't even seem old enough to leave home. one of those youths loses both his arm and his best friend at sea. as i re-watched it recently i realized those losses didn't drive him from the sea, rather they tied him inseparably to it.

my deepest loss, my greatest pain came while creating, while mothering - i lost my third son during birth on his due date six months ago

and now i can't stop creating - if a day goes by without creating art, teaching my children, sewing, cooking or gardening i feel like i am dyeing

and i am now united to motherhood in a way i was not before,

i am forever bound to the act that caused me the greatest pain, defined by my life's deepest loss and i am so grateful

he never spoke a word but he taught me more than anyone

i am grateful but i wish it had never happened. i only want to hold him alive but i trust God's plan. what craziness, but if you have experienced it you understand

so this is for the women with aching empty arms and holes in their hearts this mother's day. for the women who long to bear children, who have lost grown children, who have to grieve their baby's death instead of celebrating their birth

you are a mother in such a special, intense way, committed to mothering even when it costs you all you have. your treasure is in heaven. your broken heart is beautiful, strong

and for those that hold perfect healthy children, the challenge is to not drift away unawares. to deeply know and love and cherish what we hold without the sting of losing these gifts

my baby's body rests in the sea - alone, but my son is in heaven with Jesus. i thought i admired both places before, but they are indescribably beautiful to me now

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also - matthew 6:21

Six months ago I lost my son. I found out two months after losing him that I was pregnant again. In order not to give in to fear I have committed myself to creating like never before. God has calmed my heart as I have busied my hands making things and it has been very healing to see beautiful things made in the aftermath of such loss and brokenness. I sketched ideas for my very first quilt and a drawing of a single flower, rising out of a vase to reach out a window came naturally. Realizing that this was an image of the hope I was longing for I began to make this quilt. Pictured above is the front and below is the back.

I ordered several fabrics for the quilt that ended up not being quite right so I was so excited when I found this Moda fabric that V and Co. was selling in her shop. My process was pretty simple. I sketched my design on big paper the size of the quilt. Then I traced over the flower and vase to make patterns for the appliques before I cut out the large shapes that I would make the quilt out of. I laid the paper and tracing paper patterns directly on the fabric and cut around them leaving a seam allowance. Then I pieced together the front and back of the quilt using basic sewing technique.

I ordered several fabrics for the quilt that ended up not being quite right so I was so excited when I found this Moda fabric that V and Co. was selling in her shop. My process was pretty simple. I sketched my design on big paper the size of the quilt. Then I traced over the flower and vase to make patterns for the appliques before I cut out the large shapes that I would make the quilt out of. I laid the paper and tracing paper patterns directly on the fabric and cut around them leaving a seam allowance. Then I pieced together the front and back of the quilt using basic sewing technique.

Here are some detail shots of the quilt. And for all you who may be good at drawing and designing but feel that your sewing skills are sketchy - YOU CAN make a quilt! You can draw out a design, make your own pattern and use basic sewing techniques that are explained in a myriad of fabulous blogs... and then you can send your quilt out to be quilted and bound (I am thankful that I have a wonderful teammate in my mom) I know, I know, learning to quilt it probably isn't that scary either.... But for those of us with a phobia of math, measuring and matching corners, this may just be our niche - freehand quilt pictures?!

Since all quilters are artists, their work must be signed! Here's to you lovely bud blog and all the creations you have inspired in your young life.  

and while I hope for healthy babies and many years to watch them grow, my hope and my faith is in God because there is more to life than this world... and I am thankful for His love and the gift He has given us to follow in His creative nature

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Red Pepper Quilts...modern flying geese...

We are sure you have heard of a little blog called Red Pepper Quilts...there Rita has an adorable quilt tutorial, binding tutorial and so many of her own finished quilts for us all to admire!  She makes amazing quilts and sells alot of them, and her patterns, at her etsy shop. Be sure to check them out. This flying geese quilt really caught our eye...Thanks Rita!

Hi Heather and Megan,

I love the binding on this quilt. I cannot go past a dot fabric, and particularly love how it looks as a binding. I was in no doubt that this quilt needed a black binding to frame it, and trialled different striped fabrics but settled on the dotty fabric without disappointment.



Thank you for your request to feature my Modern Flying Geese Quilt on QuiltStory, I would love to have this quilt featured.

Inspired by the book that lives on my bedside table - Denyse Schmidt Quilts: 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects, as well as by the wonderful Flying Geese Quilts seen on Flickr, I wanted to created my own skein of flying geese.

I have always dreaded making Flying Geese units but this time I used the "Easy Star & Geese Ruler" by Kimberly Einmo which, although it meant working with bias edges, gave me the control I need to make Flying Geese unit of consistent size.

I have used several different linen and linen blend fabrics in this quilt, all very similar in color but varying in texture and weight, to add variety and interest. In choosing fabrics I have limited the number of fabrics and only worked with red/pink, orange, black and grey fabrics. I also ensured that there was a mix of large and small scale fabrics, adding solid fabrics as a feature.

I have also made a very fresh and modern version of the same Flying Geese Quilt:

I so enjoyed piecing and quilting these Flying Geese Quilts that I then wrote a comprehensive quilt pattern, which includes tips for selecting fabrics as well as many basic patchwork and quilting hints. You can find the Modern Flying Geese Quilt Pattern in my Etsy Store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/knitknat

We just love Rita's take on Flying Geese units.  I could sit and admire her finished quilts all day long (and have)!  Thanks again Rita, we are so flattered you let us share your work!

Super cute Fishy baby quilt...

I found Heather's blog Quilt or Stitch as I was blog hopping through the endless quilt blogs out there. Her blog caught my eye immediately. I browsed through some of her quilts and they were all worth a feature. Make sure to go check out her blog and all the amazing projects she is up too...

I was shocked when I got a comment from Heather to be featured on Quilt Story, how nice! Thank you for letting me post about quilting, my obsession…


We all have our favorite quilt magazines. Mine is Quilts and More. And of course, you can’t get a subscription, so I am always hunting for them. In the Spring 2010 magazine there was a quilt on the cover that I loved, it was simple and pretty. I then dawned on me, it was the quilt pattern to use “THE FABRIC” You all have a favorite fabric you’ve been holding onto, waiting for that perfect pattern to come along right? My fabric was by Heather Ross, and it has these little gold fish in bags, with silly names like Spooky and Swimmy. I had been building a small collection of aqua and orange fabrics to go with this fabric to make a quilt someday (this is like a 2 year time span).

I pulled it all out, and then evaluated the pattern. I wanted skinnier sashing since this was a baby quilt, everything else I left the same. Here are the rectangles all cut out.

While I am planning a quilt my 8 year old daughter loves to help me pick out fabrics. She insisted the owls be in the quilt, even if they did have green leaves. She then drew them, she is so cute right? I like involving my kids in my process, the owls look great in the quilt by the way, she has a good eye.

I free motion quilt all of my quilts on my domestic machine, its taken me about a year to really get it down to where I feel like it looks decent. I love free motion quilting, it’s like drawing. I decided to quilt a loop-do-loop pattern all over it. I had some left over flannel in my stash that I used for the backing.

I squealed when it was done, I was so happy with the outcome of it! Quilting is my time to relax and enjoy, and I really enjoyed making this quilt.

My friend Amanda was really thrilled about receiving this quilt at her baby shower, it’s a good feeling to know your quilt will be loved.

Thank you again for letting me share my Quilt Story! Happy Sewing!

Grandma's Memory Quilt

Meet Sara, one of Megan's BFF's she met last year. They instantly bonded because they love crafting more than most people love their children. (I think they would have let me in their BFF club if I lived by them...?) Anyhow, Sara writes the blog SEW SARA, super cute blog, tons of tutorials and projects, go check her out...here is the amazingly special quilt she made in memory of her grandmother...

When my grandma passed away in 2008, I asked for her old bed sheets. I loved the bright flowers and just knew I had to do something with them. I have sweet memories of caring for Grandma in the last few months when she was sick in bed. And these sheets were part of those memories.

My kids visiting Great Grandma shortly before she passed. Notice the sheet.

I used one of the sheets to make a quilt kit for my niece. She and her mom finished this darling quilt.

And I used the other sheet for my own quilt. I did "wonky" log cabin squares (got the idea here) and it took me FOREVER. But I love it and I love that it's finished. It took me about a year, start to finish. Each block probably took an hour, not counting all the cutting and ironing in between.

I honestly cannot name all the fabrics in the quilt, but they were all from my stash, except for the sashing. And that's the only thing I sort of wish I could change.

I ran out of the dark green fabric and had to improvise (hence the lighter strip at the top). But can you blame me for improvising? I couldn't just unpick the whole thing.

I've never been one to calculate or plan, so I basically just made it up as I went along. I do love it just the way it is, mistakes and all -- especially the funky bright flowered sheet on the back. Because it reminds me of my sweet Grandma.

This is a quilt that I'll definitely keep. I have a problem with making things and giving them away. But not this one!

Make sure to check out her blog as well as her Etsy shop where Sara makes darling baby items including birthday shirts, blankets and hair clips.  Thanks Sara!