Progress on the Owl Quilt

My owl quilt is progressing very slowly on account of some math errors and from spending a lot of time with these two little buddies who have been under the weather.
 

I usually get some inspiration here and there, and then work out the math myself when I make a quilt.  And yes, I do make errors and always learn what a dunderhead I can be something.  This time I borrowed some math that was "off".  I didn't discover the errors until I had the entire quilt cut out and had sewn a row or two of blocks..okay half of the blocks.  Ugh.  Rip, recut, resew, resize...sometimes more than once for a block. (Sigh. Did I mention I am a s-l-o-w learner?)  Moral of the story...we all make mistakes.  Check your math before you get too far into your quiltmaking.  Here is where I am:
 

I am really happy with the final design.  I hope to have this quilt in the mail to its sweet recipient and be able to show it to you all within the next couple of weeks.

:o)

Aboriginals

I found a couple of Aboriginals from M&S Textiles for my collection.  Yes, I need to USE it instead of just hoard it.  I also found this great black and white check from Michael Miller.  It's a gingham print.  There were several colors.  I used constraint and only got this one.  Can you ever have enough checks and dots?

:o)

Working It Out

I finally got some inspiration for my current baby quilt project.  Not much is set in stone sewn yet.  I am trying to emphasize the sheet fabric as it is the main fabric of the baby's room design.  I may remove the blue gingham print.  Here is what I have so far...

Here is a photo of the baby's room in progress...

The lady who painted this lives in the Phoenix area in case you are interested.  Note the brick is not real brick but part of the painting!

:o)

Owl Quilt Progress

I have acquired more fabric for the owl quilt.  I love the colors.  I just kept buying, buying.  I have enough fabric for three quilts.  I know what I want for the back.  I know what I want for the binding.  I am at a complete loss for the quilt top...completely brain blocked.  I have ideas but nothing feels 'right'.  Sigh...  The baby was born last week!  I am feeling the pressure!




  

:o|

Hi blog friends!  I have missed talking to you and am starting to get back into the swing of a 'normal routine'.  I had a really hectic December getting ready for Christmas plus finishing the three quilts.  It culminated with all our family 'home for Christmas' and together for an extended New Year's weekend...14 of us!  It was magical!

So now I am left with the aftermath of changing beds (eight of them!), putting away Christmas decorations, recycling, and just basically putting my whole house and life back in order. If you have known me for a long time, you know that I am a very organized person and like an orderly house.  I've always had to have all in its place before I could do anything else.  But I have changed over the past few years, since the quilting bug bit me hard and since I started blogging about it too!

So I finally had a day home to myself yesterday to make some headway with my 'to do' list, and what did I do?  I went fabric shopping...and it felt great even though I had some problems finding what I was looking for.  I always like to give the LQS a chance before I hit the internet.

One of my dearest friends is about to be a grandmother again, and this time it is a girl.  Here is the sheet from Pottery Barn that is the theme for the room.  My friend, an artist, has even painted a forest scene with owls and critters around the nursery.

I have finally worked on my color skills to the point where I know things don't have to 'match' to look right.  A big step for me...  But I need to be in a comfortable range for this particular quilt.  Do you know how many shades of pink there are?!?!? 






So far I have come up with  two checked fabrics by Timeless Treasures.  I was able to locate more of this collection on the internet last night and also plan to pull some things from my stash as soon as I settle in on a design.

I know I am being way more wordy than usual so thanks for staying with me if you read this to the end.  I wish each of you a happy, healthy 2012.  I love having you stop by.

:o)

O Holy Night...

Merry Christmas!!!!

:o)

Finish #3 of 3

And finally the 'S' quilt...unveiled in a hurry and photographed with poor lighting.  HO. HO. HO.

No one to hold it up for me today...

Another view...

And another...

The back...

 

Ready for the gift bag!

:o)

Finish #2 of 3

And the black version...which reminds me of stained glass...

Fresh from the dryer...

A peek at the back...

Folded for the gift bag!

:o)

Finish #1 of 3

What a month...finally I have something to show you. Tis the season...

Fresh from the dryer!

The Back!

Folded for the gift bag!

:o)

Tweaking Time

The 'S' quilt is up on my design board for a while so I can let the arrangement settle in.

:o)

A Bit about Binding

I have the binding sewn on two of the three quilts I am working on.  (I still need to hand sew them to the backs.) Here is the orange Aboriginal I've been posting about.  My binding starts out in 3 1/2 inch strips.  After folding in half, they are slightly less than 1 3/4 inch strips.  I sew them on using a 1/2 inch seam allowance which results in a 1/2 wide binding.  I often use these measurements when making my binding as I like the binding to be more prevalent in framing the quilt.  This particular quilt is bound with a 'scrappy' binding using a few Aboriginal fabrics that were also used in the quilt blocks.

:o)

Blogger's Quilt Festival -- Fall 2011

This is my fourth time participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival sponsored by Amy at Amy's Creative Side.  We owe a big thanks to her for hosting another festival.  Be sure to check out all the entries if you want to be inspired, wowed, and make some new friends, too.

My entry is my Matisse quilt which was gifted to my husband.  My husband introduced me to the art of Henri Matisse when we were in college, and the first art we bought after we were married was a Matisse museum poster that we framed for our living room.  The minute I saw the Matisse line of fabric at Hawthorne Threads, I knew I would be making a quilt.

I used a simple block and interspersed it with larger fussy cut pieces from the large print in the collection (by Alexander Henry fabrics).

I used a serpentine stitch with my straight line quilting.  The batting is Dream Wool. 

Roscoe's Pa really likes it and falls asleep under it often!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and please come back sometime!

:o)

Some of my 'S' Blocks

I thought you might like to see the beginning 'S' blocks.  I am in love with them so far!  Hopefully the lighting will be better for the next post about this quilt.

:o)

Making sandwiches

Today my body is stiff and sore because yesterday I made sandwiches.  This:

And this:

On another note, I have spent a fair amount of time looking, researching, and talking to the pros about a new machine.  I am leaning toward the Bernina 550QE.  It looks to be a great machine.  The thing is...it has just been introduced.  I don't think I want one of the first machines out of the factory.  I think I should let things settle a bit and let the kinks get worked out.

So now it's time to start quilting the above projects!  :o)

Grandpa's Closet

The quilt pictured below was found in 1989 in a closet of the home my husband's paternal grandfather, Roy.  It is believed that the quilt had been made by Roy's grandmother in the late 19th Century.  The quilt is in very good shape but was very dirty from years of sitting on the top shelf of the only closet in the farmhouse.  I rinsed the quilt in our bathtub again and again until the water was clean.  I didn't know a lot about caring for antique quilts in 1989 but luckily proceeded with caution and some common sense when taking care of it.

I love the bright colors and the scrapiness of the quilt.  Here is a close up of some of the fabric.

What a treasure!

:o)

Pillowcases

Remember this? 

I promised pillowcases to go with it.  Yes, it is time to put the quilt on the bed and guess who didn't make the pillowcases.  Oops.  Problem remedied:

 Yay! A finish!

:o)

A few more acquistions...

I placed this order recently with 'The City Quilter' in NYC.  I love this store and only get to go there when I visit my daughter. 

I purchased this Aboriginal for a backing to the quilt I am going to make someday for ME.

I liked this one too.

Plus I added these next two pieces to my collection of New York City fabrics.  Some of this will probably land in my 'S' quilt.

:o)

A Reveal!!

This summer I posted a couple of posts about this fabric

and making this quilt.

It is a combination milestone birthday gift and upcoming retirement gift.  The quilt has now been delivered and I can show it to you! 

:o)