baby quilts

My daughter recenly told us that grandson number 3 is due November 27th!

Matthew has been busy embroidering again this year and recently finished the Mother Goose blocks.  I pieced them into a top and he has decided not to sell this one... but to give it to is new nephew when he arrives.

As with my first two grandsons.... the new baby gets a simple quilted fabric quilt.

The middle brother gets a quilt pieced from some of his receiving blankets

And big brother will get a quilt pieced from Goodwill shirts and some of his grandfather's shirts.

Fair Time

Early in the spring the grandson and I went out into the yard, loosened up some dirt and planted some zinnia and sunflower seeds.

When it came time to submit entries to the local county fair I snipped some flowers, stuck them in a vase and entered them for him

He was thrilled to learn that his zinnia arrangement took 3rd place and he earned $4 to put in his piggy bank

He was ready to immediately go out and plant more seeds to win more prizes!

Summertime Fun

We were able to keep our grandson for a couple days this summer and we visited the Nashville Zoo, the Nashville Science Discovery Center and the Chattanooga Aquarium

learning good dental hygiene at the science center

petting the sting rays

posing with his aunt and uncle

He loved looking at the aligators and turtles... although this aligator was a bit bored with him
 

While this fake penguin  didn't entertain him for long, he was fascinated to watch a male penguin pick up rocks and bring them to the pregnant female... building and adding to her nest.

Football Season Begins

My daughter's boyfriend used to play some football in high school. 

Now he has decided to spend some bonding time with my grandson and has signed on to be pee-wee coach!

They start with some stretches

The running some sprints before lining up for some scrimmages.

I have several 30 second videos of his blocking attempts, but don't know how to post them.

He loves his water breaks!

The team record is 0 wins  2 losses  1 tie

Their goal is to win 1 game this season!

Child's Busy Bag

 

Here is my grandson modeling the busy bag I made from a linked tutorial found on Bonnie's blog.

http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/busy-bag-tutorial/

It is very simple and easy to make. 

 I used some novelty fabric I had in my stash that I have been saving to make an eye-spy quilt.

I have several more novelty fabrics and plan to make a few more.

He is calling dibs on the Super Dog fabric!

Summer Quilting Work

I have kept busy with several custom quilting jobs this summer....

  

First was this birdhouse quilt.... outline stitching around birdhouses and features of each block.  Tiny meander stitching the background of each block.  Stitch-in-Ditch the border treatments

This donkey quilt had stitch-in-ditch donkeys and meandering in the background.

This flower quilt has 1/4 stitching in the red and yellow parts of the flower, some "s" stitching in the background and parallel line stitching in all the borders.

This unique quilt with baby outfits sewn onto blocks of fabric required careful outline stitching and a meandering background

This quilt pattern is from Aug 2010 American Patchwork & Quilting is called Points of Pride.  There is circular quilting in the centers of each block and freehand stitching in the "sunrays", loops in the neutral background fabric and fine stipple stitching in the blue backgrounds.

I still have the Grandmother's Flower Garden and the second Donkey quilt to complete in September.

Sewing Vacation Part Three

I stopped at the dollar store to pick up a few items for dinner and these towels with matching potholders caught my eye.  These are a poplular craft item at our church Fall Festival so I stitched up a few.  I like adding new variety to my inventory.

 

This is my last day for sewing before packing up to head home.  I pulled out a kit of several Disappearing 40 Patch blocks and stitched together this wall hanging.

  

 I miss-cut one of the blocks and that made me short one of the black print blocks for the corner.  I don't think it sticks out too much.

I have a bunch of extra Cracker Barrel parts and 7 extra blocks. They are 12 inch blocks and I'm thinking 4 placemats and a table runner.  I also have extra fabric that I can make more blocks and maybe a small lap quilt.  I'll decide later how much more I want to work with this.

 My last project for this vacation are red/white basket blocks.  I didn't have time to sew them, but I now have 20 kits cut and ready to use as leader/enders when I get home.  I bought 12 Thangles kits at my LQS...but didn't purchase those Thangles papers.  Instead I used my easy angle ruler instead and I was able to make their 12 kits stretch to make 20 blocks!  

The beds are now stripped and dishes done.  Hubby is hooking his trailer and boat up to the car and it's time for me to sign off and load everything else into my van for the ride home.

It has been a fun and relaxing week.... and I am positive we will be back here next year.

Sewing Vacation Part Deux

Friday was my day to drive up Paducha and search Hancocks for backings and borders for my projects.  

I found this blues/white geometric fabric that will make the perfect backing for Cracker Barrel



 I had to search long and hard for a border fabric for the blue baby quilt.  I walked up and down every aisle in search of something perfect.  I thought  the clamshell design in this fabric mimicked the circular dots in the blue sashing.  Also the variety of colors seemed to blend with the colors in the toile.

 

Next I needed something to bring all the colors of the Quiltmakers Block Swap quilt together.  I think this pink floral fit the bill nicely.  I draws on the floral shapes of the center block, the pink of the border and the pale orange and green throughout.  I even found another small piece of pale green on the discount table to use for binding.

I spent a lot of time browsing through the discount table at the front of the store...looking for nothing in particular.  These fabrics struck me as pretty and I will be making placemats with them when I get home.

I also found this beach themed fabric... perfect to use for a backing or borders for my Happiness Key wall hanging designed by Pat Sloan a couple years ago.  That is another project that I must pull out and finish one of these days.

It had been a day of threatening storms... nothing happened here at the cabin but I drove through some heavy downpours both to and from Paducha.   I quickly cut and stitched the newly acquired borders and now have 4 tops ready for quilting..(pink baby, blue baby, quiltmakers and cracker barrel)

 

Just before sunset the sun peaked through the clouds and gave us a spectacular rainbow!  I hope the pictures on my camera capture it better than this phone picture.  It only lasted a minute, but it was gorgeous!

A Sewing Vacation

I have really enjoyed my vacation this past week.  We rented a cabin on Lake Barkley in KY.  One bedroom, a couple of pull-out couches... just perfect for the three of us.  It was a bit crowded when my daughter and grandsons came for a visit mid-week, but we're family and it's good to be close... once in a while...for a short time.

Although I've taken pictures with my camera, I forgot the cord to connect and download to the computer, so for now, these pictures are emailed and downloaded from my phone..a bit blurry, but good enough.

I set up my little 221 featherweight in the corner behind the kitchen table and had a blast sewing away on UFOs that I never could find time to complete at home.

    

The most important project of the week was to embroider a face on Bunny.  I had made this bunny as an Easter present for my oldest grandson from one of his receiving blankets when he was 2.  He was always carrying his blanket around and tripping over it.  So, rather than have him looking like a bruised up Linus, I decided a stuffed toy would be easier to carry.  Now that he is 5, he has been asking me to give Bunny a face.

 



He was thrilled to arrive at the cabin for a visit to find Bunny with a face laying on his sleeping bag.

I also made both boys a pair of Lightning McQueen pajama pants.  I have more fabric to make a matching top, but that will have to wait.  They have gone home and I have no T-shirts of theirs to use as a pattern.

First quilt done was Cracker Barrel... a UFO from 2007.  I had been working on these blocks as a leader/ender since January.  The rail fences were made and all the white triangles sewn on.  Several hours  of happily chain-piecing while also  watching the World Cup games and the blue triangles were sewn on too.  The blocks and rows were quickly assembled, borders on and call it done (except for the quilting!)

Next up was my Quiltmakers Block Party swap blocks from 2012. I had gone to Williamsburg, took Bonnies three classes and participated in the swap and haven't touched any of it since returning home.  

I had made and received 12 blocks, but some of them just didn't seem to fit the designated color-way and I just couldn't include those odd-balls in this quilt.  I  raided my stash and found the pink for sashing.

Next was to sew together another pink charm-square quilt.  These are my most popular item I have made and sold for the last 5 years...and I need a few for the upcoming shows in the fall.  I collect various pale pinks, cut 5inch charms, a white inner border and then find a final outer border.  It's an easy quilt to piece together in just a couple hours.

 

 

This next project is a BOM designed by Pat Sloan.  I made the first block back in January when the sew-along began... and then just never found time to make each additional monthly block.  I am really happy to be able to get caught up with these.  The first block is a 24in center and other blocks are 10in and will surround the center block.  I am all caught up  now and ready for the new block in July.

 

 

 

 

This next quilt I made from some blocks I had in my stash.  I had made these blocks several years ago, but not really liking them, I put them aside.  I decided now was the time to do something with them. I am sure I had more of this fabric to finish the quilt, but it has disappeared over time.  While I don't love this it is done, and maybe someone will have a little baby boy that can love it.

  

 



There are more pictures and projects to show... but I'll save that for another post.