Dainty Chaos: A Finished Quilt

Hey y'all! I've got a finish to share!

I scored this kit on Craftsy (not an affiliate link) because those fabrics are just lovely and it was a fantastic deal back when I bought it. They're a part of the Lily & Loom line and absolutely wonderful to work with! If you clicked the link, you'll notice my finished quilt is a bit different than what it should look like. That's because silly me misread the pattern and completely messed things up and didn't realize until I had sewn ALL the blocks together. So I did what any sane quilter would do and made some super colorful lemonade from those blocks! :) I absolutely love the dainty chaos that is this quilt!

The backing is actually the fabric they sent for binding with the kit, along with some charm squares that came free with my order. Still not sure why I got them, but I think it was because my order was over a certain dollar amount maybe? Regardless, I'm stoked that I was able to flesh out my backing with them and keep me from buying anything to finish this quilt!

I had no intended home for this quilt when I made it, I just made it for the joy of making. :) So I'm bringing it along to the handful of craft shows my friend invited me to set up at this spring. Hopefully somebody loves it enough to want to take it home! :)

I'm a Terrible Blogger: A Finished Baby Quilt

Y'all, I've said it time and time again. I still can't figure out how so much time passes without me realizing it until I sit down and count up the days! My days have been full lately with house renovations, but we are nearing the finish line on indoor work (YAY!) and beginning outdoor repairs and replacements as the weather warms up.

During all this craziness, I made a baby quilt for a friend of mine! We were college buddies and roomies and she blames me for introducing her to her husband (guilty as charged!), so I was so excited when she told me she was expecting. :)

Momma requested a gender neutral quilt since the gender wasn't revealed until the shower or right before. She wanted green and purple (their favorite colors) and animals were a must! I used the Triangle Hexies pattern by Emily Dennis of Quilty Love. Such a lovely pattern, I recommend it! :)

Momma-to-be and I were Animal Science majors and share a love for all things sheep-y, so when I spotted the sheep flannel backing, I knew it was a must!

I wish we lived closer together, but after graduation, we both headed back to our hometowns, which are about 3 hours apart. I made the trip to her baby shower though because I wanted to give her this little quilt in person (and give her a long overdue hug!). She loved it! I'm happy to say that she had her baby girl this past week and both are doing great!


Have a good weekend y'all!

Pixelated Hearts: A Finish

Hey y'all! I have several finishes from 2017 that I still need to share, so let's start this little show off right! First up is a baby/small child quilt. I used this free pattern from Dear Stella that I found on Pinterest and made a block or two to make a dent in my pink scraps, which were becoming a bit overwhelming. I set them aside since I was working on a big commission project (more on that next week!), but God has a way of picking your projects sometimes! I basically went on a quilting bender and finished most of this quilt in a few days once I knew where it was going.

I used the extra pink squares I cut and put them in the binding! Lots of seams but sooooo cute! :)

In my Sunday school class, we've been praying for a little girl that has cancer. Even though I don't know her, I just kept thinking about this poor little girl and wishing I could help somehow. And I just felt this nudge that she needed these hearts. She needed to know that she's got love coming in from all over wishing her good health and recovery.

Pieced backings are extra work, but they make me smile. :)

 Besides a bit of white yardage I bought for the front, this entire quilt (batting included!) was from the stash. For some reason, that makes this finish feel even better! :) Some of those prints on the back are from the first quilts I made for the kids in my family! Though the fabric choices are similar to quilts past, the quilting has improved quite a bit I'd say! FMQ loop-dee-do's with some hearts thrown in make this a cuddly little finish.

I wish I could have taken better pictures of this quilt, but time was of the essence. I literally finished this just before bed and packed it up to be delivered the next morning!

This will forever be my favorite quilt 'pose'! Lol.

Thanks for stopping in, y'all! Have a good week! :)

A Finished Commission: Herringbone Baby Quilt

Hey y'all! I'm back with another finished baby quilt! Like the previous one I shared, this was finished a little while back, I just had to wait for my client to gift it so it could stay a surprise.

For this one, my client wanted the same feel as the previous quilt, but with a slightly different color palette --- bright blue, pink, coral. So off I went to shop for fabric and what a bear of a trip it was! I circled and circled the fabric stacks for more than an hour before I finally found what I wanted. I was nervous I was settling until I put the binding on, talk about anxiety! Lol.

Doggy toes! :)

My client wanted a herringbone look, so I used this tutorial from Rachel over at Stitched in Color. I made some adjustments to make it work for the picture in my head and it went together really quick and easy!

Simple echo quilting rounded things out nicely. :)

I'm just going to point out that the new flooring in my parents' sunroom is to die for and made the absolute perfect backdrop for this quilt!

Hope your Sunday goes well, y'all!

Approved by my quilt inspector!

Living Life and Sewing Quilts: A Finished Commission to Share!

Shew, y'all, it has been crazy since I was last here! I've been working harder than ever, slowly working towards goals I set for myself and, a week ago, I got to check off one of those goals.

Stingray City, Grand Caymen!

Kayaking through the mangroves in Grand Caymen!

I went on vacation! But not just any vacation, oh no. I went on a cruise and visited places outside of the U.S. It's been a dream of mine to travel and see what is outside of my one-stoplight town and I've finally begun that journey! This post was supposed to be about a commission finish, but I can't help but slide in a few pictures of my absolutely amazing trip. :) Note: these pics are unedited but GOOD LORD, LOOK HOW PRETTY! I'm amazed my phone took such good photos! :)

Our first morning in the Gulf of Mexico! Pictures can't do these views justice!

Ziplining in Cozumel, Mexico!

Back to the quilting though! I've had this little baby quilt finished for a while, but had to wait until the momma-to-be received it at the baby shower. She and grandma-to-be commissioned it, letting momma pick out the pattern and fabrics, but the catch was she didn't get to see the actual quilt until her shower!

Such dainty, feminine fabrics. :)

The colors washed out on these sadly, the pinks and yellows nearly disappeared in the light! :(

She picked out most of the fabrics, I just picked out some fillers and whatnot to balance things out. The template is from the book Modern Designs for Classic Quilts by Kelly Biscopink and Andrea Johnson, just modified the pattern to the size I wanted and to include the border that momma-to-be wanted. :)

Momma-to-be loved this yellow floral but was terrified for it to be on the back. I told her to have a little faith because EVERYBODY loved this yellow print, including myself! :)

That little sprig to the left of the rocks is a fully bloomed out Elephant Ear plant now, it's amazing how time flies! :)

I'm happy to report she loved it! It's always so nerve-wracking to make a commission, you would think I'd be used to it by now. Lol. I have one more commissioned baby quilt in the vault, just waiting to be shared, hopefully you will get to see it soon! :)

Keep Your Weinee Warm: A Baby Quilt!

Happy Friday, y'all! I'm excited to share my latest finish today! If you follow me on Instagram, you caught a sneak peek of this one.

A work friend of mine, who I lovingly call the Weiner Queen due to her love of weiner dogs, is having a baby boy soon. When she first announced she was pregnant, I knew right away that a quilt with wiener dogs was a must! It really was meant to be because the awesome pattern by Elizabeth Hartman came out not long after the gender reveal, giving me plenty of time before her baby shower.

The instructions for piecing the dogs were absolutely fantastic and I recommend this pattern 100%! There were a lot of pieces, but labeling my stacks with painter's tape and clover clips kept everything in order. Elizabeth is a fantastic pattern writer, I'm sure I'll be buying from her again!

I quilted a boxy meander all over, leaving the dogs untouched so they would be soft and have a little poof to them. I couldn't help but pet them when I was done! :)

I also made some bibs and burp cloths with the scraps. Having a matching set just sets this gift to a new level, don'tcha think?

I was so excited to gift this to my friend at her baby shower last weekend. I couldn't have been happier when she opened it and squealed before hugging it. Everybody oohed and aahed, but her happiness really made my quilty heart smile. The next day, she let me know it was already hanging on his crib, waiting for his arrival so baby and momma could snuggle in it. :)


Linking up with Finish It Up Friday and Needle and Thread Thursday!

Because I Needed to Quilt the Crap Out of Something

Howdy y'all, I'm back with a finish to share! I pieced this little quilt for the sole reason that I needed something quick and easy to 'cleanse my quilting palette' after the monstrous Crown Royal quilt. I went with a simple coin quilt design, and just flipped it on its side to add some interest. This ended up finishing around 40 inches square I believe.


This little baby crinkled like crazy after washing and drying!

For the quilting, I went a bit crazy! I really want to improve my quilting skills and branch out beyond the simple designs I've come to love. And the only way to spread those quilty wings is to try it, right?! So this little quilt became a canvas for me to quilt the daylights out of!

I tried my hands at a modified feather pattern around the edge and it went surprisingly well! I actually squealed a minute or so after starting because it actually looked like my doodles! A quick tip I found helpful: I doodled my design on paper, then taped it on my sewing machine. This way, the picture was right at eye level, I just had to glance to the side if I felt lost in the design.

In those narrow little alleyways between the stacks of coins, I'm not sure what to call the design. I think I've heard it called a wishbone pattern, but don't quote me on it. I did the design once, then staggered it slightly and repeated the same design to make it feel fuller.

In the 'tweener area, I did simple straight lines because I realized I was getting a little carried away. Hahaha! I topped things off with a simple binding to blend in, but I couldn't help myself from adding a few little pops of color. :)

In my eyes, this quilt is a little crazy, especially for me. But I had SO much fun trying out new quilting designs and just cutting loose! It's far from perfect but for the first time since I started quilting, I started feeling really confident in what I can do. Like maybe I can run with the big dogs of the quilting world that I admire so much. I've still got tons to learn but I'm on my way!! :)

The Deacon Quilt: A Finish

Howdy y'all! And Happy Saturday! I have a finish to share, so let's get to it. This quilt was commissioned not to long ago by one of my best friends from college. She's becoming an auntie again and asked if I could make a quilt to celebrate! Of course I accepted, I want to wrap up as many babies in quilty love as I can! :)

I'm standing in KY, but across the bridge is Ohio!

She sent me a picture of a quilt she liked, asking if I could add the baby's name somewhere on the front. It seems names on quilts is becoming my specialty! I found a font on Pinterest that she liked and hopped right to it!

Those loo-dee-doo's really give a lot of texture! :)

I quilted it in loop-dee-doo's in a medium gray thread, tossing in a few hearts for good measure. I bound it in Kona Navy and for kicks, I used a red thread for a little extra pop around the edges. :)

I took this one out for a special photoshoot, but I'm not overly pleased with the photos. I was charged with holding the quilt, so I feel like you can tell the pictures weren't taken by me.  No matter though, there's always next time! The riverfront area I went to is gorgeous and I'm sure more quilts will go there for pictures.

It was a windy day, so I was standing just out of frame to save the quilt from blowing into the water! 

I'm pleased to say Auntie texted me this evening and said Momma-to-be absolutely loved the quilt and nearly cried when she opened it! I love when the quilts I make are so loved, it fills my heart to the brim. :)

Trying not to get blown over by the wind or trip over the driftwood! And of course, my ratty bun is peeking over the top. Hahahaha

Pretty in Pink: A Baby Quilt Finish

Happy Friday, y'all! I'm glad I finished this baby quilt last weekend because I have barely sewed at all this week. It's been a tiring one, that's for sure! This is the result of some of those squares I showed you recently. I had originally planned for this to be a quilt to donate, but part way through sewing, the quilt told me that wasn't the plan anymore. Isn't it funny how a quilt knows where its heading, even before us sometimes? :) My husband's cousin is due to give birth any day now and what kind of quilter would I be if that baby didn't have a quilt when it came into this world?!

Pink and gray, all the way!

I used the paper bag method for sewing the squares together - I just picked random squares and sewed them together without abandon. I'm sad that the bottom left is very pale/low value compared to the rest, but I'm sure baby won't mind. :)

Even Elvis was covered in glitter due to this fabric! Lol.

I went with simple quilting for this one. Straight lines about 1/4 inch from the seams in every direction. It was a nice change from my usual FMQ!

A simple label and a good view of the stripey binding!

The backing was a leftover glittery rainbow print and some scraps to make it big enough. This whole project was made from the stash, including the batting! Now it's just waiting for the baby to make her appearance. :)

A washed out quilt roll, ignore my cluttered patio! ;)

Linking up with Finish it Up Friday. go check out all the quilty loveliness that's being linked up this week! :)

Faux Baby Cherries: A Finish!

Hello Beautiful!

Howdy y'all! I'm so very excited to share a finished quilt with you today! Thanks to a quilting angel, I was able to get some backing material to start finishing up the tops that I've made. It's amazing what a shopping trip for fabric can do for your quilting motivation! I came home ready to sew all the things! I scored a lovely gray on gray 108-inch wide print - thanks to coupons, I paid around $22 for 3 yards of it! I couldn't pass that up! Now I've got backings to hold me over for a while! :)

The sun dipped behind the trees just as I headed outside and led to the BEST light ever!

Anyway, back to the quilt! As I mentioned in a previous post, this was made from a charm pack (Marmalade by Bonnie and Camille) sent to me by a quilty friend and some leftovers from another quilt. I used the Charm Pack Cherry pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop, but I only had 1 charm pack instead of 2. These aren't normally my go-to kind of fabrics, but I absolutely loved how it turned out! :)

First time stippling = SUCCESS! :)

I ended up stippling it on the First Born since I hadn't quilted anything in ages. Also, it may be weird, but I had NEVER stippled anything before this quilt! I tried once when I first started out and it was just bad bad bad. But it seems all my doodling paid off because it was a breeze and I absolutely loved it!

Happy quilt roll!

I tracked down all the aqua bits of fabric leftover from my Miss Kate quilt and put together a scrumptious little scrappy binding. I was a bit uncertain at first about such a bright binding, but it's one of my favorite parts of the quilt!

Love that scallop fabric, but wish I had the brains to cut it the other direction! Grrr!

And of course a little label! I'm proud that (almost) everything I've made this year has had a label on it.

Hanging out on the fence, a signature quilt pose at this apartment. :)

You may think that something is different about my pictures today - and you would be right! My in-law's gave me their old camera, an upgrade from my old camera that broke and a definite upgrade from my phone! I'm hoping to improve my photography skills now that I have a dependable camera, as well as improve my editing skills. I even remembered to put a watermark thingy in the corner for once! Go me!!

Thanks for stopping by and reading! Hope y'all have a good weekend, happy sewing! :)

Look who greeted me at the door! No editing necessary on this handsome hound! :)