A New Arrival and a Just In Time Finish

When I first saw the Jubilee line from Bunny Hill Designs, I fell for it and bought some on the spot. I didn't have a clue what I was going to do with it but I had to have it. The pastel shades are not too pale for my liking and the gray compliments the pink, blue and purple perfectly.
This was destined to be a baby quilt but for who?   The fabric is not overly "baby" but it is charming.

Recently (nine months ago) a neighboring couple that my husband and I have become close to, happily announced that they were expecting.

I remembered my Jubilee stash immediately.
This seemed to me to suit the lovely lady who was about to be a new Mom and I started drawing......

Sketching a quilt prior to starting the project fits right in with my resolution to consistently learn new skills.

The blocks came together quickly but then I was stuck on the color choice for sashing and borders.
My next decision was about the quilting. Send it out or do some simple straight line quilting and let the fabric be the focus?

Everything came together and this beautiful little quilt was ready one day prior to the blessed event, or so I thought!

Disaster struck!
I would love to hear if this has happened to any of you........As I always do, I washed the quilt when it was finished. When I took it out of the machine, there were black spots all over it! I was literally in tears, this had never happened before. I gather my emotions and started trying anything and everything that I had in the house to remove stains. It was difficult considering that I did not know the make up of the stains. I used commercial stain remover, then vinegar, then baking soda, then fels naptha soap, one at a time.The quilt survived my efforts and thankfully, all but two tiny little spots came out and my hubby figured out what happened so that I can avoid it happening again. It has been a very dry summer here. My husband was using water to top off our koi pond and the well could not keep up with the use. This caused air in the water lines. When the pipes refilled, the air shot thought the washing machine hose along with any "gunk" in the pipes. Yuck!
Lesson Well Learned!
Now this little "quilt that could" lives across the street on our new little friend's crib.
 Maybe some day I will get to tell her this crazy story.

Bronwen's Fantasy

My Batik Adventure produced this quilt that I call,

 Bronwen's Fantasy

Batiks always seemed random and scattered to my super linear taste.

Now, I'm looking for my next project using them! 

I did the straight line quilting myself, for the first time, on my domestic machine. I've done this a lot on small projects but I really struggled with it this time. I just couldn't get comfortable wrestling with the quilt. I'm not the most patient person in the world especially when I really want to do something and there is a learning curve.

 I need lots and lots more practice. I think some classes are in order.

Parting with a quilt intended as a gift isn't usually an issue for me but I was surprised to find myself a little reluctant to put this in a box and wrap it.

 Bronwen squealed with delight when she opened it on Christmas!

This One's For Me-2

 Giveaways are a perfect source of inspiration in that you may win a fabric that you may not have discovered on your own. They also may cause you to try something new that stretches your imagination.

 I thought that I was a traditionalist when it came to holiday color ways.

Boy, was I wrong!

I'm so happy with this quilt!

The fabic is an Aspen Frost jelly roll that I won last Spring from  www.1choice4quilting.com. I added some yardage that is part of the same line.I finished this as part of my UFO Sunday determination.

Its UFO Sunday!

Its UFO Sunday!

Finally, I was able to spend the day sewing! I really do need to get going on some Christmas gifts so I decided to spend today finishing up some UFOs.

 I used up some Bittersweet charm squares by making two more table runners from my favorite pattern.

I also finished a Christmas quilt that I have been working on for my living room, made of Aspen Frost!

 I've made quite a few of these runners because I really like the Bittersweet fabric and the simple pattern but I think its time to climb out of my comfort zone and do something with a new technique. I tend to get comfortable with something and do it many times in different color ways.

I Know..........really boring!

Thanks to all of you, I have loads and loads of inspiration from your blogs and my ever increasing library of books.

I do know that my next project will be a gift for my mother in law and it will be made from Batiks.

Now to find a pattern.........................

This one is for you, honey!

Last fall when I decided to start quilting again, I enlisted my Sister Dear, Michele, to help me get going. We visited several quilt shops that are local to her and we found this fabric on sale. 

I fell in love with it because in my opinion, it was the perfect fabric for a somewhat masculine quilt for my husband.

Like most of us, other projects, my job and life in general got in the way of my hubby's quilt for quite a while. Also, I really did want to hone my rusty skills a bit before I made something for him or other family members.

I promised myself that I would not have more than two UFOs at a time so after I finished a table topper for my Mom and Uncle Kenny's quilt, I got to work on this one, for John. (The guy really does need a present)

All quilts are fun for me but I have to admit that I can see the improvement in my quilts with practice. Corners are matching up better, seams are getting straighter and they are much less "wonky" than the first couple.

I hope you like this, hubby loved it. The long arm quilting was done at The Village Quiltery in Tannersville, PA.

Crazy for Shelburne

I just finished this quilt and will ship it off to Vermont in the morning. It is a gift for my Uncle Ken's 75th birthday.

The fabrics are from a line called Crazy for Shelburne by Windham.  Uncle Ken worked for the Shelburne Musuem many years ago. When I first discovered that the Shelburne designed a line of fabrics, I knew it was meant for him.