*Click on any photo in this post to enjoy a larger view

I have a new great-niece. Holly was born in December and I was so excited to design and stitch a quilt just for her. Holly’s mom, Sarah, indicated that she liked the colors green, pink and brown…so I searched until I found just the right color combination. The result, I think, is a very feminine baby quilt for a beautiful little girl!

The size of this quilt is 47″ X 40.5″ – a little larger than most baby quilts, but small enough for a baby and big enough for her to grow into. The block fabric is a combination of Aviary by 3 Sisters for Moda and  Back Porch Bouquet by Bate and Taylor for Maywood Studios. I used a Kona Cotton solid in Deep Rose to frame each block and give it a little “pop” off the cream sashing. Also, for the first time, I made cornerstones in my sashing which I think gives the quilt a little whimsy. I pieced the border using left over scraps of the main fabric and bound it with a dainty pink stripe fabric by Anna Griffin for Windham Fabrics.

The backing on this quilt is probably my most favorite to date. I used a Minky dot in off white which is absolutely fabulous. It is silky and so very, very soft – perfect for a baby. You can see all the Minky fabrics here. I used a silk batting – warm but light.

I worried about quilting this one because everyone told me that the Minky had a lot of stretch to it. So I pinned the heck out of it, took a deep breath and went to it. I quilted this with straight vertical lines in the sashing, then quilted around the inside of each block. The result is a soft, drapey quilt, perfect for snuggling!

This weekend Holly and her mom and dad (Sarah and Nate) came up for a visit and I got to give Holly her quilt in person.

Sweet dreams, Holly!

I had a question on one of my quilting posts regarding the type of sewing machine I was using. I started with an old Singer machine which would overheat within an hour of stitching, gradually slowing down until it would no longer run. It was evident I needed a new machine…

So I first purchased a low-end Janome Magnolia. It was way better than my Singer and at first I really liked it. But as I started making larger quilts and wanting to quilt them myself, I became frustrated with the lack of well space (the space to the right of the needle which allows one to push fabric through the machine). My stitching was uneven and I found myself having to PUSH the fabric along.

So when I brought the machine back to the seller within three months, he suggested I “trade up” for a machine that had a built in feed dog which was motorized. He was willing to give me full credit on my trade in, and then offered me 10% off as well on the new machine. I didn’t buy it immediately because I had to get over the sticker shock of $1400 first. But Kip pointed out to me that a sewing machine was a tool, just like the very expensive tools in his workshop…and besides, it was almost Christmas and perhaps it could be an early Christmas present.

(click on photos to enjoy a larger view)

So I bought the Janome 6600…and I am thrilled with it. This machine practically sews by itself. It has special features (like the built in walking foot for quilting, and the ability to lower the feed dogs for free motion quilting), and more stitches then I know what to do with. I am still learning the machine – but I will tell you that sewing and quilting is now a breeze with this fantastic “tool!” If you are a serious sewer or quilter, I guarantee you will not be unhappy with this machine.

So here is my latest project…a pinwheel table runner in Christmas colors which was inspired by Jodi at Pleasant Home. I made my runner shorter than her’s … and the block size slightly larger.

(click on photos to enjoy a larger view)

I fell in love with this line of fabric from Marcus Fabrics called Metro Mirage and designed by Michelle D’Amore. It is incredibly soft and the colors are vibrant. I especially liked the diagonally striped fabric which made a perfect binding.

I didn’t take a photo of the back of this runner, but I used the Jacobian floral chocolate fabric from the same line. It is more autumn-like, so this table runner COULD be reversible.

I also had some fun putting together these two little scrappy hedgerow blocks (inspired by Elizabeth at Oh, Fransson!)…not sure yet what I’m going to do with them. Might need to make a few more and then see what happens.

Are you working on any fun, crafty projects lately? If so, I’d love to see them…leave me a link in the comments to any posts you have!

I have been hooked on Crystal’s terrific blog Modify Tradition – a quilting blog dedicated to modern quilting. She is challenging other quilters to turn tradition on its head with their quilting (you can see examples of this on Crystals Flickr group for this challenge).

In about two weeks I am taking a class to learn how to do free motion quilting (A “no-marking” approach to machine-stitched, freeform quilting designs) and we have been asked to bring a completed block to the class…specifically an Ohio Star block. So I decided to put a modern spin on this very traditional quilt block. Here is what I came up with:

*click on image to enlarge

I added a border because I decided I am going to make a pillow from this block…it will go perfectly on my porch.  And then because I really fell in love with how these bold fabrics came together, I decided to make a second block with the same fabric combination – this time a “traditional” nine-patch with a modern spin:

*click on image to enlarge

What do you think? Won’t these look cute sitting on my porch swing? I think so!

I have been sewing today…specifically I am piecing a queen sized quilt top for our bed. I am loving this quilt with its rich reds and beautiful floral theme. The primary fabric is from Anna Griffin’s Flora collection. I hope to get the whole top pieced today except for the borders because I am going to a free class on Wednesday to learn how to do mitered borders.

Later on, I’m going to settle in and continue reading John Irving’s latest novel: Last Night In Twisted River … which I am loving.

Are you working on any crafty projects this weekend? Does the fall weather inspire you to create?

Tell me what you’re doing today!

*Click on any photo to enjoy a larger view.

Kip’s cousin recently had a baby girl – her first…and so I decided that was a good excuse to make a baby quilt. Baby fabric is so fun, and I found a wonderful selection of high quality fabrics at my local quilt shop. The first fabric that caught my eye was an adorable dancing girl fabric from the “Kiki’s Play Day” collection by Polly Ann Blythe for Camelot Cottons.

With this fabric in hand, I quickly selected several different fabrics (some from the same collection) which incorporated pink and the softest of greens. I decided I would cut my fabrics to 4.5″ squares and stitch them together in rows; then fussy cut a strip of the dancing girls to piece in the middle of the quilt. I chose another fabric from the same collection (bubbles in soft green) to bind the entire quilt. Here are some more photos (click on any photo to enlarge):

Here is the back detail where I used some left over fabric to make more 4.5″ squares and added another strip of the dancing girl fabric. I used a soft, textured pink fabric for the majority of the back piece. You can also see in this photo the “in the ditch” quilting.

This quilt measures 35.75″ X 42.25″ – the perfect size to tuck into a crib. All it needs now is a hand stitched label on the back and it will be ready to wrap up and send off to Indiana where a sweet baby girl lives!

I finished this lap quilt this week (click on any photo to enjoy a larger view). I am sending it back East for my dad for his birthday at the end of the month. The finished size is 46″ X 55″ and it was made from an Atkinson Design pattern called Yellow Brick Road. I am really proud of this one because it is the first quilt I’ve made start to finish completely on my own, including selecting fabric, cutting, piecing, machine quilting and binding. Here are some more photos which show the back, as well as the detail of the fabric and quilting (I sewed straight lines in a diagonal through the middle of the quilt, and straight parallel lines around the border):

Happy Birthday, Dad!

*Click on any image to enjoy a larger view

I started this 25″ X 25″ tabletopper about two years ago – in fact, I took a class to learn how to quilt and this was the project. So it is only fair that it be my first quilt project to actually be completed. I stitched this myself from beginning to end, including the machine quilting and binding. Here is the detail of me quilting the top:

See that little guide on the right hand side? I love it! I makes sewing straight lines a breeze and you don’t have to mark up your quilt top.

And here is the back detail:

Many thanks to JJ at JJ’s Log Cabin Quilt Shop who took time out of her busy day to show me how to pin a quilt and quilt it (and also for her quick tutorial on stitching a binding).

What I learned from making this project:

• It was worth the $30 to buy a walking foot with straight line quilting guide for my sewing maching.
• You don’t have to be perfect to quilt, but it helps all your triangle points to line up if you are accurate with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
• You should finish what you start.
• Machine quilting is not as hard as you might think.
• Fabric has quite a bit of stretch so you can fudge a little if things are just a little bit off.

Please visit my new page at Caribousmom: All Things Creative. This is where I am going to keep track of my creative projects so check back often as I update things!

Quite some time ago I received fat quarters of a variety of fabrics from a group of women friends on Library Thing (click on any photo to enjoy a larger view):

My idea at the time was to fashion some sort of quilt out of them…but I became quickly overwhelmed with the diversity of fabrics and my lack of quilting knowledge. So everything went into a big box where it has sat for months. I have finally rescued the fabric from oblivion and decided to make a nine-patch lap quilt. The idea came after blog-hopping around the quilting blogs and finding this fantastic quilt at Crazy Mom Quilts. I especially like the sashing…and for MY quilt which has a wild array of fabrics, the sashing helps calm things down a bit.

I have made a lot of progress on this little quilt which is going to measure somewhere in the vicinity of 40″ X 56″ when I am done with it. I have finished all the nine-patches (20 blocks in all) and attached the sashing between blocks to make five rows. Yesterday I started adding the sashing between rows and attaching the rows together. Here is what it looks like so far:

I am planning on creating a 3″ border of sashing, and then I am going to construct a 6″ wide scrappy border with all my leftover fabric. I have not yet decided how to back this quilt…so stay tuned for updates!

So far I am really happy with how this is coming out – one of the unique things about this friendship quilt is the very diverse fabrics…which on first glance did not seem to go together, but which started to meld and compliment each other as the blocks formed – a nice representation of  the group of women who had a hand in its creation!

Okay, so I told you I was getting crafty lately…and my sister completely hooked me on quilting while she was here. Now I just can’t seem to stop thinking about quilts, buying fabric, and planning my next project. It is a bit of an obsession right now.

I thought you might like to see what I have been working on (click on any photo to enjoy a larger view).

Here is a tabletop quilt which I started a long, long time ago and just now got motivated to complete. I am going to attempt to machine quilt this one myself (wish me luck!):

Here is a lap quilt I cut and pieced for my dad for his birthday in August. I had thought to send this out to be quilted, but yesterday the nice lady at the quilt store talked me into trying to do it myself (she told me she would help):

And here is the quilt that my sister, niece and I did in just under two days during their visit (I am really excited about the “back art” feature of this quilt which will show if the quilt is turned down at the top…I tried to photograph that for you). This one is definitely being sent out to be quilted for me:

Back views:

Here is the very start of my current project…a quilt I am making for our bed which is queen-sized. It has quite a ways to go because there are a bazillion pieces to be cut and pieced. But, oh, how great this one is going to look when it’s done!

And just so you can understand the full range of my obsession…here is fabric I bought for future projects: