Solid Quilt

Hey!  Look at this.  Two posts in one month!  Its a miracle!

I finished another quilt though.  Are you shocked?  Me too...

This one I started ages ago.  I wish I could remember just when, but it may have been before my first son was born (nearly 4 years ago!).  It was intended for him. 

This is a blatant copy of a quilt that I have loved at Serena & Lily - their Slate/Bay Blue Cabin Quilt.  They have several colors, but this one was my favorite.

In order to have the same look, it had to be hand quilted.  I wasn't quite sure how to baste for hand quilting, so I bought some fusible (I think it was fusible?) batting.  I smoothed the layers together and carefully ironed them.  I was concerned about it being annoying to quilt or how well it would hold together, but it actually worked quite well.  I did have to re-iron it once or twice after getting some of the middle section quilted, but it stuck back down and there were no real problems.  Perhaps hand quilting is a little more forgiving?

I used some 1" painter's tape to mark out the rows and then I quilted beside them with some pearl cotton.  It comes in several thicknesses, and I chose a thinner one, but I can't remember what size exactly.  That's the problem with taking so long to complete a project, isn't it?

 

It is approximately 45 x 60, but I did have to trim some off the sides to make the quilting line up right with the binding.  It turned out perfectly, though, and I and I am contemplating making a matching sham to go with it.  I might have to buy more fabric and I can't remember exactly what colors I used.  Kona coal gray maybe?  Who knows what the blue was.  I might have some extra of that.

I finished it at midnight and threw it in the wash (who can wait?).  I was a little concerned about the thread, but it is just fine and turned out wonderfully wrinkled.  Yay!  I shocked myself by putting it on his bed the same night and it is still there.  Do you have any idea how much time is in this quilt?  I figure approximately 50ish hours.  Yeah.  I might be crazy to give it to him.

So now I should really make another one for his brother, shouldn't I?  It seems wrong to give such a wonderfully hand made quilt to one son and not another, doesn't it?  Wonder how old he will be when I finish.  10?  15?  Ha ha.

You should really go check out Thimbleanna's yo yo quilt that she just finished.  Isn't it beautiful??

I Made a Quilt!

Sadly enough, I think its been two years since my last one.  Two.  Yikes.

This one was for my sister-in-law.  She had their first baby, a boy, in January.  She was doing her nursery in gray/white/yellow, so this is what I came up with.  It was inspired by this striped alligator quilt at PB Kids.

The puppy image I found in an image search and it was an embroidery design that I enlarged and used as an applique instead.

It was my first time doing machine applique and it was atrocious.  I did, however, have lots of help from two eager little boys who were intrigued by the idea of their Unkem Tim having a baby boy (our first boy cousin!) and they really liked the puppy on this quilt.  I did the applique with a little boy on my lap who was very excited to be helping.

The back of the quilt was done with a Riley Blake's willow dots fabric.  I loved the tiny pale gray polka dots and I did a matching crib sheet with it as well (which you can sorta see in the first two pictures).

I really liked the stripe quilt so much (and so did the boys) that I've decided to make them their own versions.  I've got the tops made and the puppies are half stitched on.  I just need to get some more of the polka dot fabric for the back.  We'll see how long it takes me to finish those!