3quilts to long armer

Last week I took 3 quilt tops to Maria, my long-armer, so I'm hopeful to have completed projects before Christmas! 1 for me, one as a gift for a family member, and one a gift for a pay-it-forward pledge!

completed I-spy quilt back

I've attached the photo of the completed quilting backing. The nephew lives in Manhattan and the Hamptons, so is around the shore a lot, so I thought the ships and flags would be fun for him, and the reverse will give the quilt a longer life when the guy "outgrows" the I spy front.

I actually ordered this fabric (center panel, flags, and the border print), on line before I had assembled the front or knew the size, but luckily, for once in my life, I ordered "just enough" for the backing. I have one length about 14 " wide of the border print extra.

I'm still debating whether to quilt this myself or send it out; I'm pretty busy, so will probably send it to the long armer.

finished I-spy quilt top

here it is finished with the border. Now I just need to do the backing and decide whether to quilt it or send it out. I'm a little concerned the borders may be a bit wavy. I hope the 3-year old won't notice.

These are photos of the work in progress of the second I-spy quilt for one of my husband's grand-nephews. Last night I actually completed the borders, which are auditioned below. For the first time I did mitered corners on the borders, and I'll post photos of the results tomorrow (I have a concert tonight). My quilting time may go down (sad) because I just accepted a job offer for a general counsel position, so I will be very much busier with learning the ropes and the people, plus some travel. (that handpieced grandmother's flower garden might just get finished though).

I Spy quilt for my nephew

Here is the finished quilt (except for the label, in process). This is the first quilt that I quilted myself - nothing fancy, just stitch in the ditch. I used the high loft batting since it is a kid's quilt and he lives in the north, so I think he will like the extra poofiness. He likes cars, so the back is a roadway print that I hope will be fun with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. The backing fabric wasn't quite wide enough, so I used some train fabric from the same line as two borders, and it blended in nicely (although the lines weren't totally straight...)

I Spy quilt - Disappearing 9-patch

This is the almost finished quilt top for my great-nephew Van who lives in Virginia. I was in a couple of novelty fabric swaps with Flynn n Fabric, (4-inch squares), so still have makings for 2 more quilts for the other great nephews. The disappearing 9-patch cuts down the tedium of creating the sashing and cornerstones. I still need to add the sashing on the right and bottom.

I'm debating with self about a border; the photo looks pretty good without it. The backing will be a fabric with cars and roads, as this little guy likes cars, so I think he can use it with his Hot Wheels.

a ufo completed - quilt #6

I started this quilt in 2009 at a class at Quilter's connection, with Sharon Wilhelm. It's from a book called Nickel Quilts, and the title of the pattern is "Woodland Clover." There were so many triangles, this one really discouraged me; I think I need a new sewing machine that sews diagonals better. Many things delayed getting this finished, but I finally had it quilted by Mindy Washburn last fall, and finally got it bound last week. She did a nice job with variegated thread on top and beige on back. I still need to get a label on it.

(I have lots of red and blue charms left over from this quilt!)

progress on terms of endearment blocks

Wendy Poling in her blog, "Sewing in the Wendy City," has inspired me by example to show more of the process of the quilt creation. I was lucky last year at this time to win the "terms of endearment blocks" along with Sophie, and she has already showed her design board, with the liberated roses going along with it. I am not so wonky as Sophie and have been mentally playing with the blocks, and particularly their different sizes (some almost 2 feet long) and how to arrange that in some kind of rectangular quilt (the mind boggles at the prospect of other shaped quilts, but I won't go there!)

I thought about arranging the words so that they would go from small to large and actually form a heart out of the words, but the sizes I had just didn't fit that model.

Then, thumbing through a quilt book, I saw a bright batik "round the world" quilt with multi-colors, and it seemed like a could use the words as a central diamond with the widest words at the center, and then surround them with the graduated colors of the 'round the world" or bargello technique.

I also decided to divide the blocks into 2 quilts, so one will be pink and white, with lime green accent, and the other red and white, with blue accent. (Which has prompted crazy unrestrained fabric purchases !

The two attached photos show the beginning of my design process, with the words laid out in a pink white background alternating order, and the line-up of fabric strips beside them that will make the bargello pattern when sewed together and "shifted"

This is not the final order of the colors, as I think I will reorder to start with a darker pink near the blocks, then going more pastel, and then adding the pink and green and then the brighter t-o-t lime (maybe not shown here). I found a wonderful Moda Love panel on-line that has pink and green that I will use on the back, but it hasn't arrived yet. Also, I think the candy heart print has too much yellow so it may have to go!

To make the true diamond shape, I'm thinking of making wonky strip hearts to go at the top and bottom of the diamond to fill out the diamond pattern. I know I am going to have to do some careful measuring and trimming to get the words to graduate their sizes proportionally so that the bargello pattern has some regularity to it (I'm hoping to use the quick Elenor Burns tube strip piecing method rather than having to cut individual rectangles and individually piece.

I'll post again when I receive my on-line fabric purchases that will fill out some of the color way.

Grammy awards

I will be watching the GrAmmy awards this Sunday night, because my son alex page will be playing on the show with nominee janelle Monae. alex plays violin. We are so proud!

fruit basket turnover

I am hoping that 2011 will be the year of completing some UFOs that lingered throughout 2010. Here is the first of 3 that I have gotten back from the quilter and actually finished the binding. I call it Fruit Basket turnover because the string fabrics are a variety of fruit, floral and bug prints, and some ginghams. This quilt started in Ami Simms' workshop on string piecing and uses here pattern. (Thanks!). The back is a large scale tic tac toe block based on Jan 2010 Block Lotto "liberated quilting" block. Thanks, Sophie!

This will be our picnic quilt. Thanks to Mindy Washburn for the quilting. Not sure if it is visible in the photo, but the quilting uses variegated thread, which is stiking against the black.