New addition to the quilt family

Just now getting pictures posted of this. My old camera took lousy, blurry photos, so we replaced it this winter. I'm loving the camera and the fact that I can now get photos of the stuff I've made.

Here's a quilt I made for my husband, who turned 30 last summer. The quilt top was done and ready for quilting...and then we moved. It sat in storage for a bit, mostly because I was keeping it a secret and couldn't work on it in the house. I finally showed it to him, just so I could get it done.

I designed this based on the "trip around the world" pattern. I love the tan and gray combination. Better yet, my husband loved it, too!

Tia fix-it

Noelle's quilt is finished and delivered.

My sister brought her daughter's birthday dress to me a couple weeks ago. The gauzy top layer had gotten stepped on and the fabric was beginning to run. I found a wide ribbon and folded it over the hem and sewed it in place. Dida (my niece) was glad to have her dress fixed again.

I also made a stroller seat for Dida's doll stroller. The cheap nylon seat tore and my sis asked me if I could reinforce it. It was too torn up to sew. I found some heavier material (light-weight home-dec fabric) and took the old seat apart to use as a pattern. It turned out pretty decently.

So the next time I was over, Dida brought me a doll that's about 5 inches tall and asked if I could make it some clothes. Sorry, honey, that I can't do...

I am now working on 3 toddler-bed size flannel blankets for Cari's kids as a going-away present and a stroller seat for their worn-out doll stroller (for the new baby to play with when she's old enough). We will miss that family. Sure you guys don't want to stay?

2 down, 1 to go

I finished my nieces' quilts today (Christmas presents). The larger one was done and I just needed to do the binding on the smaller one. They were over for lunch and I rushed to finish the second quilt, then decided to wait until they were washed to hand them over. My sis and her family left and I threw the quilts in the wash, planning to drop them off at her place on Tuesday. I pulled them out of the dryer, beautifully crinkly all over (no prewashing), folded them and found out that the family was coming back for supper. So they got them today after all. Hope they enjoy them. Our camera isn't the best, so my sis is going to take some nice pics of them with her good camera.

Now I'm headed back to the living room to finish baby Noelle's quilt. I'm headed over there Tuesday, so I'd like to get it washed tomorrow (since it was a shower gift--from August).

Gifts and more

My last post was on Thanksgiving??? Wow, I've been falling behind here. In my defense, I have a poor internet connection, not lasting long enough to do any real writing or posting of pictures. All the girls in the family received handmade gifts this year. I gave my mother-in-law a crocheted shawl. My baby sister got an apron that says, "With enough coffee, I can do anything." My mom and middle sister got lounge pants (from Amy Butler's In Stitches). I made a bag like this for my middle sister's sister-in-law, who has been staying with them and is really more like another little sister around here. And my nieces are awaiting their matching quilts (I wasn't able to get them quilted in time for Christmas).

Two Christmas gifts to support this sewing habit: Amy Butler's Little Stitches and a gift card for Joann Fabrics. Yeah!

Quilt #3

I finally finished this quilt. This is the first quilt I put together. I decided to use it to practice stippling. Not the greatest, but hey, I'm still learning. One thing I wasn't thrilled about, but is growing on me is that palm tree print that I used for the background on the star blocks. The info for the quilting class (taught by Liz from Scottie Dog Quilts) mentioned background material. I thought it meant the back of the quilt and by the time I realized my mistake, I was sitting in class. I decided I would rather get some blocks done than sit around watching everyone else sew, so I used the palm trees for my background. It seemed really busy and disorganized, especially since I like things to match (I'm a little OCD), but I bit my tongue and now I like how bright and funky the quilt is. Plus, I found some even cooler fabric for the back and border. It's for my son, who was so excited that he took it on a sleep-over at his Nana's as soon as it came out of the dryer.