Fresh Vanilla in pink: A birthday quilt

Here is the quilt I made for my younger daughter's birthday, which is tomorrow. SO bright and cheery!

Here's the back:

If you visit my flickr photostream, then you have most likely already seen this, as I showed this at our AAQG meeting last week. I created a green and white quilt using this same pattern; I got the pattern, which is called Fresh Vanilla, from the Summer 2009 Quilts and More magazine. I LOVE this pattern. I did free motion quilting on this in a stipple design with white thread. It really came out nice.

Interestingly enough, my daughter made me this for Mother's Day:

Now, as you can see, it matches her quilt!

Yes, she did know about the quilt ahead of time. She was the one who chose the fabrics ("Mommy, you can get these fabric bolts for me, and put them in your Etsy shop!"), and she chose the pattern, too; she even helped me cut it out and piece a few blocks of it. She's becoming an incredible quilter/sewist; I will have to show you one of her sewn creations soon.

So, don't tell her, but I am going to give it right back to her tomorrow. Maybe we'll use it as a wall hanging over her bed. After all, she also made me this for Mother's Day:

So, I'm good. :)

Blogger's Quilt Festival Spring 2010

This is the quilt I am entering into the Blogger's Quilt Fest.

When I designed and completed this quilt, I felt as if I had finally created a quilt that made me feel as if I were truly a *quilter.* I am not a big fan of traditional quilts; while I'd made some quilts in non-traditional patterns prior to this one (i.e., Yellow Brick Road, Take 5, etc.), they did not have the unpredictable, out-of-the-ordinary feel that this one has.

The pattern is my own original design, and gives me the feeling of having entered the ranks of modern quilters.

The fabrics (with the exception of the white) are scraps.

The binding is even pieced from the scraps.

A friend gave me a bag of scraps, and when I saw the brown and turquoise scraps, I just knew I could not combine them with other scraps to create a scrap quilt. I felt as if they needed to stand alone, and be "front and center" in their own quilt. I actually used crazymom's block, but the layout is my own. With this quilt, it is hard to be content creating quilts that may be non-traditional, but are still not my own design. I believe that I will probably venture more and more outside of established patterns and create my own. I really hope so.

Here's the back, by the way.

Now, go check out some of the other quilts in the Festival! Just click the button below:

Swapping squares: Received

Wow. That was fast.

Thanks, partner!

Swapping squares: Sent

I am doing a one-on-one swap with a woman that  is looking for squares of kid-friendly fabric, including food fabric. As I write this, the stack of 50 squares that you see in the photo above, all of which are 7" squares or larger, are making their way across the country to her. In turn, her 50 squares are on their way to me. Yay! Now I will have no excuse for not having adequate fabrics for an I Spy (or similar) quilt, right?

Sunday Stash: The rest

I never showed you the rest of the fabrics I got from Fabric.com.

Just the pinks:

Just the yellows and oranges:

Now I didn't get all of these in the most recent shipment. I think there are 26 fabrics in here, and I think 18 may have come from that shipment. I pulled others I had and put them all together, because I saw an absolutely fabulous quilt using these colors.

I'm thinking binding for this bright and funky zigzag.

Finally; some Kaffe  Fassetts!

A couple of black/white/pinks, which I am accumulating for a black/white/pink quilt.

A minor drawback to purchasing fabric online is that you really need to know the fabric, maybe even have seen it in person, before you order it, especially if you're buying it to coordinate with other things. Take this Michael Miller, for instance.

It is beautiful. But I was trying to match it to something else, and it doesn't quite match. Since I tend to buy fabrics with particular groupings and colorways in mind, I probably wouldn't have bought this one if I had been able to see it first with the other fabrics it was to have blended with.

These black and whites--I'm relatively pleased with them, but, again, may not have bought them in a fabric store.

Another pretty fabric, but now an orphan:

Not that I'm complaining. Anyone who is as much of a fabriholic as I am is not unhappy to have additional fabric! Simply a word to the wise.

May Quilt Fest?

So.

I'm thinking of doing an online quilt festival.




What do you think?

Another Modern Siggy Swap!

I participated in the Modern Siggy Swap hosted by Rachel a few months back; I can't wait to get my squares!

Jaybird quilts is hosting another Modern Siggy Swap if you missed out on the first one; this is a GREAT way to easily get all of the signature blocks you will need to do a signature block swap.

Hurry on over while there's still time!

A Mother's Day Surprise

Imagine my surprise last week, when I went to Paula's blog and saw that I had won the apron giveaway!

It is beautiful; it is reversible, and it came with oven mitts. It arrived just in time for Mother's Day!

Many, MANY heartfelt thanks to Cynthia of Heavenly Hostess for the fanciest apron I will probably ever own, and to Paula for creating such a beautiful fabric line and being a part of this giveaway! Muah!

So...about that batik fabric...

I told you earlier this week that I'd tell you something about that gifted batik fabric:

One of the ladies with whom I do charity sewing (SSS) and quilting (AAQG) was having difficulty with her blog, so I offered to come over and give her a bit of assistance with it. So, after a couple of hours of working on her blog (and you have to go see it--click here) she felt comfortable enough, at least for the time being, for us to call it quits for the day. Afterwards, she showed me her textiles--fabric stash, miscellaneous completed blocks, quilt tops, quilts, and some amazing art quilts. I did not take pictures of any of her pieces, but I really hope she one day decides to share some of those pieces on her blog. They are AMAZING.

So, she gave me the fabric because when we were looking thru her stash, she came across this piece, and I oohed and aahed over it. She said she, too, liked it, but had no idea what to do with it. I laughed and said I definitely knew what I would do with it, so she should just sell it to me. She said I could have it. Just like that.

Thank you, J.

A soft and fuzzy baby quilt

I have a friend who is expecting baby #4 very very soon, so of course we couldn't let the little guy go without a quilt! No indeed! So now that she has received it, and even blogged about it, I can share it with you. It is chenille and flannel on the front, with 3 very fuzzy little yellow ducks appliqued on it. The back is chenille. I did add a batt to this; even though the two layers by themselves will undoubtedly be warm, I felt like it still needed a bit more thickness. But I am SO glad it is her, and not me, in need of a baby quilt!