Neutral Christmas Quilt

I finished my Neutral Quilt and am pretty happy with how it turned out.

I quilted it as I went in strips and that was a challenge since there was no sashing. I'm not sure I'll do that again.

Don't look at the wrinkles, I had it folded up weird before I took the pic. I do love an Irish Chain pattern and love the softness of the palette. And I love how the embroidery made a simple square a bit special.

I also tried my hand at a design on the border, but just used my walking foot. It's not perfect, but after I washed it, you couldn't tell. Don't you just love how a quilt puffs up and hides imperfections after it's washed???

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2015 TO ALL!!

Aaaaannnndddd, We're Off!

Thanksgiving is under our belt...literally, and I turn my energies to decorating for Christmas. I'm just getting started, but have the last Christmas quilt I made on my bed. I had no idea I'd made that thing so big, but it's the perfect size.

More to do....

Christmas Quilt Progress

This is the neutral Christmas quilt I mentioned in my last post.  Row three is quilted and only two more to go. The first two rows I did are the outside edges with borders.

As you may can tell, it's an Irish Chain pattern. Here is a close up of one of the embroidered blocks.

When the rows are quilted, I will join them and then add a border strip to the top that matches the sides. I'll quilt that after I add it. I decided to try something a little different on the border and drew out a curved motif to stitch. When it's all finished, I will spray the ink to wash it out.

I'm anxious to get it finished and I know I'm going to love it. I've also decided to do a neutral tree this year. I'm interested to see how that turns out.

Finished Stuff

I've been working hard on Christmas gifts and hope I'm in the home stretch. Unfortunately, I usually add more on as I go, so...probably not. *grin*

I'm thinking it will be safe to post some of the gifts, as few of my family members actually read my blog. Doesn't hurt my feelings one bit, because I totally understand that they have other interests.

This is my "In the Garden" paper pieced quilt. I participated in Quilt Art Designs quilt along and this was my finished quilt. I quilted it in strips and then joined them. I find it's much easier to do that on my little domestic machine. Unless I have something really special for a backing, that will be my norm from now on.

This is a quilt I created for my nephew. He loves muscle cars and told his Mom he wanted a muscle car quilt. Aunt Belinda to the rescue! I love how it turned out and it too is from Quilt Art Design patterns.

Close up of some of the cars.

I created some dresses for my baby girls, but they aren't gifts. I've already given them so they can wear them now.

Right now, I'm working on a neutral Christmas quilt that incorporates some tone on tone machine embroidery in some of the squares. There are five rows and I'm now quilting the third row. Can't wait to finish that.

I have plans in the works to make a paper pieced turkey quilt. I hope to get it done by Christmas, but it's doubtful. Still, it always gets me pumped to have a new project on my mind and I can't wait to get started on it.

Back to work!!

Oh Baby!

My sister is expecting her first grandchild. To say she is excited is an understatement, and we who are privileged to have experienced this phenomenon know exactly what she is feeling. I've been blessed to be able to provide a few little things for our little girl, who is pushing to come early, but being held back as much as possible. ( A sign of things to come??)

 Her name is Brooksie Kate and she will be amazing!

Here is the bedding I created for her, with explicit directions from her mother. *wink*

 You can see her beautiful mother there with me.
Little Miss Brooksie will be showered with gifts in another week, and this is what Aunt Belinda is offering for her comfort.

I very much enjoyed creating these little things...a cuddly blanket, a sleeper, a bib and a big girl dress for when she grows a bit.

My embroidery machine got a good work out but it held strong and enjoyed itself too.

I love doing stuff like this.

Ok, we're ready for you Brooksie!!

Working On Christmas

My friend Jan and I have started a tradition of making a Christmas themed quilt every year.  Together we decide what pattern and then choose our fabrics separately.  This year we decided on a log cabin and I really enjoyed the simplicity of the block.  It's easy, but has so many possibilities!  Normally, the center is red, to symbolize home, but I chose a light center with one side red and the other green.

I experimented with layouts, and wound up with this one. It was the popular choice of my friends. I love how it turned out and even my husband loves it.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money in the making of it, so I used all I could from my stash. I'm extremely low on Christmasy fabrics now!!! I didn't have enough of any one fabric for the backing, so I improvised.

I also did a veriation of QAYG. I quilted it in strips and then joined them. It was a lot easier and I will probably do a lot more of that in the future. 

Since I finished it, I've been seriously considering another one this year. I may not have time to finish it by December 25th, but I may start on it. I have an idea for a neutral colored quilt involving some machine embroidered bits....stay tuned.