100 Quilts for Kids and a skirt

I need to contact the Baby Bank to arrange to drop off the quilt, but I figured I should wait until it was finished to do that so I will call them tomorrow.  I like the idea of quilting flowers and leaves, but the execution of it was ok.  It looks very good from the back where the thread matches the fabric color really well.  With a different thread color for the front, I'd like it better.  Lesson learned and I'll try again.  Eva is the fabric and it is bound with Kona Medium Pink.  Purple flannel from my stash is on the back.

And skirt number 2 using the Lazy Days Skirt tutorial by Oliver and S with the same modifications as the previous skirt.  She likes it a lot.

A skirt and a quilt in 24 hours

Since starting the second year or preschool, someone has switched from t-shirts and pants to dresses and skirts.  Since she has 2 dresses and 1 skirt that fit, I decided to attempt a skirt and picked the Oliver and S Lazy Days Skirt.  After a trip to Joann's to pick up the ribbon, it took less than an hour to figure out the elastic and how to best attach the ribbon.  My mom was incredibly helpful with this.  Rather than attaching the ribbon to the back and then topstitching to the front, I turned the bottom under 1/4 of an inch to the front and attached the ribbon only to the front.  And I used 1/2 inch elastic instead of 3/4 because my ability to press one inch and then 7/8 of an inch wasn't so accurate.  But she loves it.  And it was probably cheaper than buying a skirt especially since I now have elastic, more thread colors and ribbon.  I would like to try the Twirly Skirt tutorial too but decided to work on a quilt or two.

Urban Zoologie and Metro Living meet Oh Fransson's Charm Squares Baby Quilt.  I cut lots of extra squares so I will probably make another quilt using the same pattern and donate it.  This was my first time attempting to attach the binding by machine to both sides.  This must be why people have a walking foot for their machine.  I don't.  It isn't perfect and doesn't look horrible, but I need to practice more.  The quilt is for a co-worker of my husband who had their baby at 34 weeks and is in the NICU.  Hopefully they can overlook the new technique used on the binding.  I was going to quilt circles all over but they happen to work for a company that has a circular logo.  Didn't need to remind them of work all the time.  Perhaps for the next one I'll try that.

I may make one more skirt tomorrow but I really need to quilt the 100 Quilts for Kids quilt so the binding can get attached.  

100 Quilts for Kids

I used an Eva charm pack to make the Storytime Squares quilt variation from the 100 Quilts for Kids Quilt Along at Swim Bike Quilt.  I haven't decided how to quilt it but I'll figure that out tomorrow.  My flannel for the back is a bright purple which doesn't quite match with the front but I bought a pink binding fabric that coordinates with both so hopefully it will work.

Completed Summer Sampler Series quilt

The Summer Sampler Series quilt is complete.  From now on it will probably be called the new "Fuzzy" blanket as it is replacing the one that she has slept with for the past 4 years of life.  It is approximately 68 x 90" before washing and quilted in a loopy pattern.  The sashing was 3.5" between the blocks, 5.5" on the sides (to make it wider) and 2.5 on the top and bottom (so I didn't exceed the batting).

I love the back.  I am so glad that I didn't use the blocks leftover due to the math error.  Elizabeth Hartman posted her update to the charm squares baby quilt on the day I was going to piece the back.  When I read her twin sized version, I knew that was a much better idea for the back.  And I love how the fabrics she chose for the back really work well with the fabric on the back.

3 staff members are expecting new babies or grandbabies so I'm excited to work on quilts with a few colleagues.  I loved doing that last year.

Summer Sampler Series top

With the help of my mother working the iron, my Summer Sampler Series quilt top is completed.  I have 5 extra blocks to go on the back.  I seem to have forgotten to take into account the sashing between the rows when I calculated how many blocks I would need.  Oops.  Better too many than not enough.  She came out of quiet time today and danced and hopped around to all her favorite blocks.  That was fun to watch.  Then comes her favorite part of "putting the safety and scary pins in their beds" when basting and attaching the binding.

What I like about the quilt:

• I can paper piece now with relative confidence.
• I love the colors selected.
• It was my first non-collection based quilt.
• Only one block of 29 was significantly not 12.5 inches.  
• Over half of the fabric choices and most of the color choices were made by a 4 year old.

What I wish I did differently:

• The main one was to discover my error before attaching any sashing so I could have made the top and bottom borders equal to the sides.
• Slightly narrower sashing.
• I have five blocks for the back but that means that I won't do my 5 inch rainbow strip at the seam.  I may change my mind and do it instead of the five blocks.  We'll see.  Perhaps I should ask her.

And the final block that was made.  What do you do with leftover flying geese and HST already trimmed?  Make this block.  I didn't have enough geese already made for the center and decided just to go with Kona Snow.  I probably should have put something else there.  Oh well.

Here are the three pillowcases made two weeks ago that I forgot to take pictures of before sending.  The sharks are the favorite.  Hopefully the stitching will withstand lots of washing.

And I've now linked the blog to my flickr account.  I find that a little scary but it's a passive way of letting others see what I am doing and writing if they happen to click on my profile page.  But, if you're reading this, that might be how you got here.

Colorwheel Geese

I had all the measurements but didn't write them down on anything other than the pieces I tore and recycled.  Argh.  4.5 x 4", 7 x 3", 7 x 2.25", 3 x 2.5?, 6.5 x ___, 5.25 x ____.  The 7" might have been 7.5 just to give extra room.   I read somewhere that 3.5" squares cut on the diagonal would work for the geese, but I found that 4" squares worked better for me.  Less stressful.

piecebynumber.com/pastbom/colorwheelpatt.htm

1 more block to go.....



www.quilterscache.com/B/BrokenSugarBowlBlock.html

Not sure whether she picked it because of the name or because the picture was blue. And then I reversed some of the blocks when putting it together. I don't think she'll notice.

And I think I am going to redo the Blazing Arrows. It just is a little too dark.

Rolling Star and Breaking Out

I made Breaking Out using the instructions on Sewn by Leila.  And, although all the rainbow colors are represented, it doesn't scream rainbow.

Rolling Star, on the other hand, screams rainbow.  She did let me make the outer ring purple.  The blue from the binding would have been my next choice but I'm not sure I have enough.  I probably made the fabric pieces bigger than they need to be for paper piecing, but they all worked and I had plenty of room for seam allowances.   The purple along the outside was 5.25 x 2 (but could be thinner).  The inner white (step 8) was 5.5 x 3".  The outer white was 6.75 x 4".  The white between the colors were both 4 x 5".  The color for step 3 was cut at 5.5 x 2.25" and the color for step 4 was 3 x 4.5".   I could have cut less fabric but it was definitely a comfortable amount.  

And here are 26 of the 28 blocks.  The Blazing Arrows all blue and purple one really stands out.  I'll have to see if she wants to keep it, or if I need to make something else.  I'm also debating whether I want to take the square on point from 5 spot and Minnesota to put it in the sashing with the same blue as the binding.  That might be a little excessive.

And my new violet for the Color Wheel Charm Swap.  I used it on the Rolling Star block.  Now what will I do with the yard+ of Heirloom?