Sweet Baby Girl

I've been asked to teach a quilt class to a group of young ladies at Church. Most of them have never pieced a quilt before, so I like to pick something easy. This pattern is called "Chip Off the Old Block". It's a jelly roll quilt and makes up very fast and easy. This picture is one I did with that pattern using a jelly roll from JoAnne's Fabric. I made it for a good friend of mine who is having a baby girl next month. I loved the way it turned out, I wish my pictures were better though.

I had some fun with my new AccuQuilt and did a little subtle applique on one corner - notice the flowers?

December Projects

Log Cabin Scrap Quilt

I thought it would be fun to make a scrappy quilt from my stash. I chose a log cabin design because they are SO easy and quick. Quick being the operative word this month. I decided to use this as a gift in our family Christmas party gift exchange so I had a dead-line to complete it. Now that it's done - I LOVE it! My sweetheart says that he would fight for this one - I guess that means that he likes it to. Again, pictures don't show the depth or warmth of the colors. With this one, whoever gets it is someone I love so I'll be happy!

This is the quilt I finished this week for Jense. The picture doesn't really due the colors justice. It's a bright, vibrant, fun quilt - just like our little Jense. I bought the fabric and pattern from Connecting Threads - the fabric collection is Cheep Talk. I love the finished quilt. As I was finishing it, I pictured it on his cute day bed with all his bright colorful things in his room. I love the thought of my quilts keeping my grandchildren warm - kind of like a huge from grandma.

Christmas projects and icy roads

The roads were sheet ice today - freezing rain all night long - one of the joys of living in Alaska in the Winter. School cancelled, husband sent home from work early and me shut up in the nice warm house ALL day! I love it! I got so much done. I've been working on Christmas projects for the last month or so. Just finished number 5 of these cute Christmas count-down wall hangings. The numbers are on little squares that button on and the bottom of the manger is a pocket to store them. I love all things Nativity!!! Now, back to the scrappy quilt I've been working on - pictures to follow soon. . . and the rest of the 15 pairs of pajama bottoms I need to finish in time for the grand-kids to get them for Christmas. (I could use about a week of getting snowed/iced in). :)

Fall Quilt Festival

I would like to share this quilt and it's story as part of an online Quilt Festival, look at all the incredible quilts at: http://amyscreativeside.com/

Last year a dear friend and I went to Houston to the International Quilt Festival. While there, I kept buying random fat quarters for a future quilt. I had decided ahead of time to do this and knew that I would color coordinate the quilt based on the first fat-quarter I bought. It was a pretty orange and green floral that attracted me first. Done. Just before leaving Houston we stopped at a little out of the way shop and outside, hanging on a clothes line, they had a beautiful Fall-coloring quilt that would work perfect for the fabric I had bought. I got home and excitedly cut it all out. Then got busy with other things, almost a year later while spending a lovely week-end with that same friend (while our husbands fished), I put the quilt together and just finished it today. I love a quilt that has memories attached. I know that every time I look at this one, I will remember Bobbie, the fun times we've shared and how important good friends are.

All Patched Up!

OK, Jayme, this one's for you. My latest project - a pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew called: All Patched Up. I'm using some Amy Butler fabric I bought last year and have been holding on to waiting for the perfect pattern. This is a fun, easy pattern and now I just can't wait to finish it!

Scrappy Stars

I LOVE scrappy quilts. The kind that look like you made them out of whatever scraps you had on hand, and yet they work. This one was made from a Buggy Barn stack and whack pattern. The fabric did NOT come out of my scraps, but I love how the finished quilt looks like it could have. I was putting it away today and realized that I would love to make another one of these stack and whack star quilts. Maybe in some of the many blue/white and silver snowflake fabrics I collected several years ago when I used to decorate for Christmas in those colors. Hmmm.......

Crazy Quilt or Memory Quilt?

Years ago my mother gave me a quilt top (uncompleted) that my Great-grandmother made. She was making it for my mother and had started it when Mom was just a little girl. She made it by hand, with what she had - scraps of her own clothes. This grandmother died when I was just a little girl, but I have a few wonderful memories of her. And my Mom looks at that quilt top and remembers dresses that she saw her grandmother in, because the fabric is in the quilt.

This quilt is a "crazy quilt". Granny's hand stitching is visible, as are her basting stitches. The silk pieces are falling apart. I wish I knew what to do with it - how to preserve not only the fabric, but the memories that come with it. Any ideas?