All I feel like all I've been doing this year is make quilts. Seriously. For pretty much all of 2009, I've done nothing but dig through my stash and sew, sew, sew! The last time I was in Anchorage, I even picked up one of my mom's old TV trays so now I can sew in any room I choose.
I've actually been trying really, really hard this year not to collect any new fabric until the old fabric leaves the house in the form of some sort of blanket or piece of clothing. It's been hard (especially since I've seen some really great fabrics that I would love to own someday), but since I've made so many quilts this summer, I'm down to one tub of fabric...and that's quite an accomplishment for me!
I've decided to make this entry a yearly one, complete with pictures and descriptions of the quilts I've made. Here's a review of all the quilts I've made in 2009:
Quilt 1: "Triangle Tessellation" - It started out as a kaleidoscope quilt for my mom, but after several infuriating attempts to make it work, I decided to scrap it (ha ha) and use an easier pattern, but with the triangles I had already cut (I can't waste good fabric!). I made this one for Arthur's friend, Cedar for his first birthday. It was actually finished well after his birthday. I was pretty sick of triangles when I finished, but as I reflect on it, I love the colors. They flow very well together. Cedar's mom also loves the quilt.
Quilt 2: "Strawberry Fields" - I made this one for a friend from the Boys and Girls Club. She was having a little boy and I thought the bright colors would be really fun for him. It was a bit difficult trying to fit all the colors in a pattern so that none of the same colors touched, but in the end, it worked out great. It's just a Roman square quilt, nothing fancy, and I had all of the fabric in my stash, so I didn't have to buy anything! I loved how easy this quilt was to put together and plan to put together more Roman square quilts.
Quilt 3: "Pinwheel Pizazz" - I made this quilt out of some leftover scraps from another project for some friends of my husband who were expecting their first baby. I had started it many, many months before, but never finished it. I ended up taking it apart and re-working it into the current pattern. I didn't like the way the original blocks were turning out. I had all of the fabric, so I didn't need to buy any more. If I do make this quilt again, it would look so much prettier with smaller pinwheels. The pattern gets kind of lost with the larger triangles. Still, I think it's a fun use of pinwheels.
Quilt 4: "Dots and Dashes" (from Quilt, April/May 2006) - Like most of my projects, I started this one so long ago and finally had enough time to finish it. I made this for a friend of mine who was expecting a baby (of unknown sex), so I needed a quilt that could be suitable for a little girl or a little boy. I used fabric with polka dots on it (no need to buy special stuff, I think the quilt turned out awesome without it). There were so many oohs and aahs at the baby shower over this blanket, but I was just happy I had been able to get rid of one more project!
Quilt 5: "Far East Fascination, Almost" (from Quilt, April/May 2006) - I saw this pattern in a magazine and decided to make it for a friend of mine who is expecting. At the time, I didn't know what she was having, but have since discovered she's having a boy. I'm hoping that she's fond of purple! I love the thin binding and have decided to use it in more of my future quilts. I also love the mix of the "Crossroads to California" block and the "square within a square" block. Beautiful!
Quilt 6: "Light Side vs Dark Side" - I collected Star Wars fabric for several years before piecing this quilt together. I made this lovely (I mean deadly) quilt for my son and plan to make another one for his dad as soon as I can get some of my other projects out of the way. This quilt is an original design and is similar to a crazy quilt in design. I decided to make the Light Side more prominent on Arthur's quilt and the Dark Side more visible on Robinson's. This was one of the few quilts this year that I got quilted by a local long-arm quilter. Arthur loves this quilt and plays with it constantly. I think he knows that I made it just for him. (And yes, Honey, your quilt will be made soon, I promise...really, no dirty looks! I mean it!)
Quilt 7: "Sunny Days Ahead" (from Quilt, June/July 2006) - I made this quilt for my mom, one of the only people in the family who I haven't yet made a quilt for. Mom is originally from Kansas, so I made her a sunflower quilt to remind her of home (in all the years in Alaska, I'm still not sure she considers it home). I got this quilted too, and it was my very first mitered-boarder quilt! I'm very proud of it.
Quilt 8: "Turtles Galore!" - My mother-in-law is quite fond of turtles and I've been hording some turtle hexagon blocks that I have been hording for five years, at least. She's currently battling cancer and when I found out that her condition is quite serious, I ripped apart the wall hanging and decided to make it into a lap quilt for her. My local quilter did a rush job for me, and the quilting was done in less than a week, right before I was leaving for Washington. I managed to get the binding done a couple of days after that, and it was hand-delivered soon after I got to Seattle.
Quilt 9: "Blueberry Fields" - I made this quilt for Arthur's friend Alek for his first birthday. I've been told that he has since pulled out most of the yarn I used to bind it. I love the blues and the greens - although you can't really see it, they match the blueberry fabric perfectly. I came up with the pattern myself. I wanted something really easy because I didn't have a lot of time.
I already have lots of quilting ideas for next year. My first quilt will be Robinson's Star Wars quilt because he's been grumbling about it ever since I finished Arthur's. I have a quilt in mind for my youngest sister - she's expecting again. I also have a bag of scraps just waiting to be sewn for a friend of mine. And, well, there's bound to be a few other patterns that I find in magazines or online that I instantly fall in love with.
I hope these quilts inspire you to finish your own projects!
Blessed be.
I've actually been trying really, really hard this year not to collect any new fabric until the old fabric leaves the house in the form of some sort of blanket or piece of clothing. It's been hard (especially since I've seen some really great fabrics that I would love to own someday), but since I've made so many quilts this summer, I'm down to one tub of fabric...and that's quite an accomplishment for me!
I've decided to make this entry a yearly one, complete with pictures and descriptions of the quilts I've made. Here's a review of all the quilts I've made in 2009:
Quilt 1: "Triangle Tessellation" - It started out as a kaleidoscope quilt for my mom, but after several infuriating attempts to make it work, I decided to scrap it (ha ha) and use an easier pattern, but with the triangles I had already cut (I can't waste good fabric!). I made this one for Arthur's friend, Cedar for his first birthday. It was actually finished well after his birthday. I was pretty sick of triangles when I finished, but as I reflect on it, I love the colors. They flow very well together. Cedar's mom also loves the quilt.
Quilt 2: "Strawberry Fields" - I made this one for a friend from the Boys and Girls Club. She was having a little boy and I thought the bright colors would be really fun for him. It was a bit difficult trying to fit all the colors in a pattern so that none of the same colors touched, but in the end, it worked out great. It's just a Roman square quilt, nothing fancy, and I had all of the fabric in my stash, so I didn't have to buy anything! I loved how easy this quilt was to put together and plan to put together more Roman square quilts.
Quilt 3: "Pinwheel Pizazz" - I made this quilt out of some leftover scraps from another project for some friends of my husband who were expecting their first baby. I had started it many, many months before, but never finished it. I ended up taking it apart and re-working it into the current pattern. I didn't like the way the original blocks were turning out. I had all of the fabric, so I didn't need to buy any more. If I do make this quilt again, it would look so much prettier with smaller pinwheels. The pattern gets kind of lost with the larger triangles. Still, I think it's a fun use of pinwheels.
Quilt 4: "Dots and Dashes" (from Quilt, April/May 2006) - Like most of my projects, I started this one so long ago and finally had enough time to finish it. I made this for a friend of mine who was expecting a baby (of unknown sex), so I needed a quilt that could be suitable for a little girl or a little boy. I used fabric with polka dots on it (no need to buy special stuff, I think the quilt turned out awesome without it). There were so many oohs and aahs at the baby shower over this blanket, but I was just happy I had been able to get rid of one more project!
Quilt 5: "Far East Fascination, Almost" (from Quilt, April/May 2006) - I saw this pattern in a magazine and decided to make it for a friend of mine who is expecting. At the time, I didn't know what she was having, but have since discovered she's having a boy. I'm hoping that she's fond of purple! I love the thin binding and have decided to use it in more of my future quilts. I also love the mix of the "Crossroads to California" block and the "square within a square" block. Beautiful!
Quilt 6: "Light Side vs Dark Side" - I collected Star Wars fabric for several years before piecing this quilt together. I made this lovely (I mean deadly) quilt for my son and plan to make another one for his dad as soon as I can get some of my other projects out of the way. This quilt is an original design and is similar to a crazy quilt in design. I decided to make the Light Side more prominent on Arthur's quilt and the Dark Side more visible on Robinson's. This was one of the few quilts this year that I got quilted by a local long-arm quilter. Arthur loves this quilt and plays with it constantly. I think he knows that I made it just for him. (And yes, Honey, your quilt will be made soon, I promise...really, no dirty looks! I mean it!)
Quilt 7: "Sunny Days Ahead" (from Quilt, June/July 2006) - I made this quilt for my mom, one of the only people in the family who I haven't yet made a quilt for. Mom is originally from Kansas, so I made her a sunflower quilt to remind her of home (in all the years in Alaska, I'm still not sure she considers it home). I got this quilted too, and it was my very first mitered-boarder quilt! I'm very proud of it.
Quilt 8: "Turtles Galore!" - My mother-in-law is quite fond of turtles and I've been hording some turtle hexagon blocks that I have been hording for five years, at least. She's currently battling cancer and when I found out that her condition is quite serious, I ripped apart the wall hanging and decided to make it into a lap quilt for her. My local quilter did a rush job for me, and the quilting was done in less than a week, right before I was leaving for Washington. I managed to get the binding done a couple of days after that, and it was hand-delivered soon after I got to Seattle.
Quilt 9: "Blueberry Fields" - I made this quilt for Arthur's friend Alek for his first birthday. I've been told that he has since pulled out most of the yarn I used to bind it. I love the blues and the greens - although you can't really see it, they match the blueberry fabric perfectly. I came up with the pattern myself. I wanted something really easy because I didn't have a lot of time.I already have lots of quilting ideas for next year. My first quilt will be Robinson's Star Wars quilt because he's been grumbling about it ever since I finished Arthur's. I have a quilt in mind for my youngest sister - she's expecting again. I also have a bag of scraps just waiting to be sewn for a friend of mine. And, well, there's bound to be a few other patterns that I find in magazines or online that I instantly fall in love with.
I hope these quilts inspire you to finish your own projects!
Blessed be.
0 comments: