"Cozy Dreams" for Grandma

I'm calling this quilt "Cozy Dreams" :)

'Cozy' because I hope that's what it will make my hubby's Grandma (as I mentioned in my previous post, she is elderly and has trouble with always feeling cold).

'Dreams' because of the fabric collection I used: "Dream On" by Urban Chiks.

Quilt Stats

measures approx. 57"x57"

• Fabric used: "Dream On" (layer cake) and bound with a print from "Sugar" for Art Gallery Fabrics ( ---------->)
• backing is pieced with white super flannel and a row of Dream On blocks
• simply quilted with a crosshatch through the blocks
• batting is Quilter's Dream Delux (high loft) *Note* I hadn't used this batting before, but I wanted the warmest option for this quilt so I deviated from my usual Warm and Natural. The Quilter's Dream was fine, but I will probably just stick with Warm and Natural or Warm and White from now on. I found this batting to be a bit on the heavy side and it didn't seem significanly warmer than the "Warms" when I was under it stitching the binding.
• bound with 2.25" binding (straight-of-grain, double-fold) - machine stitched to the front and hand-stitched to the back. 

The Front

The Back (nevermind the Hubster's tennies/socks) 

The Quilt Roll

 The Chair Drape



I'm pleased with how "Cozy Dreams" turned out and I hope Grandma Liliane enjoys it! After this simple quilt, I'm ready for something a bit more challenging, which is why I joined up with the Kaleidoscope Quiltalong (see my new sidebar button) hosted by Elizabeth over at Don't Call Me Betsy. The fun starts with fabric requirements being posted this Friday (6/3)! 'Can't wait!!

WIP Wednesday #28

I'm linking this post up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

I'm currenly working on quite a few things, but I wanted to share a specific one today - this is a quilt that will be sent to my husband's grandmother. She is in her 80's and in poor health, so I thought a quilt made from this cheery, springy fabric collection would give her something happy to enjoy. It is just a simple patchwork layout, I went with this for a few reasons: (1) I love this fabric and wanted it to really shine, (2) I really like the look, and (3) I need to finish this quilt ASAP, as Grandma Lilliane lives in Switzerland and shipping packages there often takes quite some time!

I finished up the quit top this morning, so now all that's left is to piece the backing, layer, quilt (I'm thinking a simple cross-hatching through the patchwork), bind, wash, and ship! Well... in a list that sounds like a lot! I am glad to at least have the top done, though!!

Have fun checking out all the other projects in progress at Freshly Pieced!

Happy WIP Wednesday!

A Button!

A very quick Monday post to say... WE HAVE A BUTTON!!! Directly to the right of this post, on my sidebar, I now have a Vintage Bicycle button that you can feel free to grab and share on your blog, if you're so inclined!!

As a brief sidenote - tomorrow is my oldest girl's last day of Kindergarten! As she keeps reminding me, after tomorrow I'm going to be a mom of a 1st grader - yikes! I made a little wristlet pouch for her teacher and one for her teacher's helper. Here's the only one I snapped a pic of before she gave them to her teachers today.

Oops, not sure why the pic won't load upright!!!! Oh well, you get the gist ;)

Happy Monday!

Wordless Wednesday



Finally, A Finish!

It's a perfect rainy morning (thus the indoor photos) to share my recently finished quilt. I've shared about this quilt here before, but I've finally found the time to finish it up. This quilt is a gift for a special new boy who was just born to a family that we're close friends with. I used a Lily and Will charm pack by Bunny Hill Designs. I sewed up some pinwheels and scattered them in with some great Kona solid squares and backed the quilt with a really cozy blue flannel. I stippled pretty closely over the entire thing and bound it with Kona solid in Tarragon. This was my first time using bias binding and overall, I like it. There were a few hiccups, but I think the process will go a bit more smoothly next time. The pics were taken before washing, so the finished product will be more crinkly and cozy :)

This is a close-up of the back - the color isn't very true in this photo (the shade of the backing is much closer to the peek of it in the first photo), but it was the only decent shot I was able to get of the quilting.

I'm linking up to Fabric Tuesday again, so head over there (via the button on my sidebar) and see all the great fabric projects being shared!!

Pinterest

Thanks to Kelsey of Kelsey Creates, I got a Pinterest invite!!! I've been having TONS of fun browsing all the inspiring images over there! Pinterest is absolutely chalked full of art and just dripping with good taste and creativity. I have 5 invitations and I'd love to be able to give them to my readers who are interested (and don't happen to be part of Pinterest already). Leave me a comment or an email if you're interested in an invite!!

As far as my creating life goes, I've  been quite busy! I'm currently working on two quilts (still in the piecing phase), but I'm only going to do little peeks because these have a somewhat secret destination they'll be headed for upon completion. 'Hope to be able to say more about that soon!

I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend. Last week my baby boy turned 1 and my dad turned 71!!! We had fun :)

Happy Mother's Day (yesterday)

Happy Mother's Day (belatedly) to all the wonderful mamas out there! It truly is the most amazing, life-changing job there is. I was blessed to spend yesterday not only with the 4 little cuties that have made me a mom, but with my own sweet mom as well! It was a beautiful day. 

You may be thinking "deja vu" here - but I loved Anna's 241 Tote Bag pattern so much that I decided to make one for my mom as well!

This is a special gift because I used some vintage linens that my mom had given me some time ago for the outer center panel and for the lining. The outer side panels are Kona solid in Buttercup. I'm pleased with how the bag turned out and although my mom ususally prefers bigger bags (maybe I'll make her a Birdie Sling for her next gift?), she really liked this 241 Tote - especially the color palette... and she liked seeing her pillow cases again :)

I hope your Mother's Day was as lovely as mine was!

Fabric Tuesday #34

I'll start out by saying that I am having a fabulous time getting to know my new machine! It's been great trying out all the new features that I didn't have on my Brother (which I still love and feel is a fantastic machine - espeically for starting out!! The most user-friendly machine I've seen!).

I'm linking up to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday again this week :)

Here's what I've been working on - just finished up yesterday: a sleek 241 tote bag!

I used this wonderful pattern by Anna over at Noodlehead. I love her blog - very inspirational! She's got some wonderful patterns for sale and several nice tutorials as well. I first saw this pattern over on Heather's blog. It's another wonderful one to check out if you haven't already.

More about the bag: I used Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane (that I won a few months ago from this blog) for the exterior center panel and the lining of the bag. The exterior side panels are Kona solid in Taragon (love this color!) and the pockets and strap are some really nice natural linen I found on sale a while back. I love the texture the linen adds! I added an interior pocket in the Taragon, too. I personalized the bag with a small detail - a tag on the strap with one of the sweet stitches on my new machine ("love").

I really enjoyed making this bag and the pattern was great - very easy to follow instructions and great photos. I would recommend it highly. The only change I made to the pattern was that I made the strap a little bit longer - I'm long-waisted (and short-legged... *boo*hiss*), so I cut the strap 30".

Happy Fabric Tuesday :)