Two Fun Finishes

I love baby quilts. They are so fun, so quick and you can try out all sorts of new things.  These two are for the twins that are due in April.  I got to try out quite a few new motifs.  I wanted something different on each quilt and different in each strip.  I think I did pretty good.  That wasn't the plan at first.  Rarely does my original plan actually look much like the finished product.  I wanted to do an all over free motion design with an elongated swirl and then echoing a few times in all the strips.  I hated it.  Took me ten minutes to quilt and 3 hours to rip it all out.  But really I didn't like it.  Then I decide ok, since fast and easy wasn't going to work might as up the complexity level, something different in each strip.  I got a little lazy on a few, just quilted the fabric, hey it works.  The zig-zag on Calvin's is interesting as it looks like different fabric on each side of the quilt doesn't it?  I quilted on the green line on one side, and the white line on the other.  The shadows make it look different.  I really didn't, and still don't, like the green peas in the first green strip of Calvin's but I just wasn't going to rip that out.  I don't think he'll mind :)  One of the arrows in the bottom of Calvin's the point is way off center.  Again I wasn't going to rip it out.  But the key lesson here, is that if you just look at those one individual things they may not look all that great.  But mix them up with everything else in the quilt and you might not even notice.  Now that I told you, it may be all that you notice!! I hate when that happens.  Details on the quilts, they both have Hobb's 80/20 batting, Premo soft thread on top, magna glide in the bobbins and super soft minky on the back.  Just love how the quilting shows up with minky. The fox is from The Red Boot Quilt Company, super cute. I had so much fun with these.  Can't wait it meet these two little guys.

Something different in each strip. Sometimes just using the fabric pattern was good and of course there had to be feathers

A little ruler work

Not that happy with the numbers, but I don't think Louis will mind.  If he does, I"ll make him a new quilt :)

Sweet little fox

Loved picking out the pants for the fox

super soft minky on the back

Love how that looks.  Hobbs 80/20 batting, magna glide in the bobbin, premo soft thread on top

Here's Calivin's, can't wait to meet them both

ruler work feathers, nothing but pure fun

The argyle pants are my favorite.  

Just using the fabric on these for the quilting motif in the striped and zig zag strips.  The zig zag looks totally different on the other side, the only difference is quilting on the green line vs the white. The shadows make all the difference

 

See pea pods thingys in the green, I really don't like it, but just left it and it's fine with everything else.  The zig zag looks totally different on the other side, the only difference is quilting on the green line vs the white. The shadows make all the difference

One got numbers the other letters.  

love the back of this one

And what do you do with the left over minky?  Why you make burp cloths!  The burp cloths that I made that match the quilts are with a towel which is ok.  But those minky burp cloths, wow, you could wipe my face any time with those.  I've got a few different scraps of minky left and will definitely make a few more. Here's a free pattern that I used, quick and easy. When the babies are done with them, they'll make the cutest dust cloths

Just a little progress on the quilt that has plan but isn't suppose to look like it has a plan.  Sheesh this looking like there is no plan is really time consuming!!  When I think improv and no plan, I think cut sew, cut, sew and boom you're done.  That is not how this one is going.  It's slow moving, only 4 more rows to go.  I've the got the true improv quilt on the frame, pretty excited to get started on the  graffiti quilting.

ready for some graffiti quilting, trying to pick a thread that will blend in yet I still want to be able to see it.

Done' forget to check out the linky parties on the side bar. I added a couple of new ones.

Planning without looking like you're planning

So last week I tried the whole improve quilting thing, I LOVE the LOOK of the improv. It's the whole no planning part that I have a problem with.  I'm a planner, what can I say, I need a plan, I love plan, I live for a plan.  So I did finish the green shirting improv, which I'm kinda up in the air about it.  We'll see if quilting can save it, that is the best part right.  I learned a lot from this one.  I need to cut blocks, not the wonky strips.  I need uniform.  I love the scrappy and I love the improv look.  So I decide I would try triangles and do in in EQ7 so that I have that improv look and still have a PLAN.  How's that for win-win??  Pretty excite eh?   And here's what I came up with - looks like no plan but don't tell anyone there really is a plan ;) The first one is the pic from eq7, the second from real life.  Nice for the twins right, similar but yet different. This one uses the triangle die from Accuquilt

no plan look but plan is there comfort

A little bit of progress on the twins quilts, here's a view from under the frame.

Not a lot of quilting as we had Birthday Boys this weekend. These cousins are almost exactly 10 years apart.    One is 14 the other 4, their birthdays are two days apart.  Love them both to pieces!!

Birthday Boys

I added a couple new linky parties on the side bar, take a look and go get inspired.  

Till Death Star Do We Part

I was so close to being done, actually thought I was done and took this beast off the frame. Then decided the borders needed more quilting to be a bit more even. Definitely have not learned the "less is more" lesson yet....I got this monster loaded back on the frame. I guessed I had 4 more bobbins worth of periwinkle thread left, but really only 1.5.  Ordered more periwinkle bottom line (has anyone ever not had enough periwinkle thread?).  Took it off the frame again while I wait for thread. This quilt is fighting me all the way! Here's some pics, I do like the way it's turning out. I used a 40wt thread, Glide, on top to get some thread play and circular motion around the stars. The thread play helps define that a bit more. The McTavishing in the black areas gives it a cosmic feel. I'm really not sure what type of baking it is, more like velorish  type of fabric. It is super soft to the touch and slightly a bit more plush than minky. So close to having this one done!

Back

added quilting in the rings helps, just need more thread for the bobbin

corner star

I think the McTavishing gives it a big of cosmic feel

I used Glide thread on top so there would be some thread play on the veins fo the feather for a circular motion around the stars

it's getting closer - This is Till Death Star Do We Part aka Moonglow

Lots of texture.  Wool batting gives a log of loft

getting closer

seems a little uneven doesn't it with no quilting in the rings?

I also started a new little project.  Have you ever had one of those quilts that just stay with you once you've seen it and you just know you have to make one.  That's how I was with KatyQuilts Improve Shirting Quilt The minute I saw this I fell in love with it and really was intrigued by the whole improve quilt making.  I"ve thought about this quilt so many times since I first saw it, and nows the time when I'm going to give it a try. I'm a program manager by day, quilter by night and I plan things.  I plan, I replan, I risk mitigate the plan, it's all about the plan.  So making a quilt without a plan was very intriguing to me.  I have to say it is a bit hard.  I pulled out my shirts.  I've got yellow and green shirts for one twin, blue and yellow for the other twin.  I did have to have a bit of control, enough to keep me happy and that was one strip from each shirt in each of the 9 different piles.  I chose to have 9 strips for the quilt.   They will be anywhere from 8 to 2 inches - ok I have planned how wide each strip can be, yikes I can't help myself!  But I did just slice those things up, no rythm or reason, trying to keep each slice of the shirt between 1.5 and 3 inches.  Each of the colored strips I'll keep between 24 and 36 inches.  I'd like to have a 45 in square quilt when I'm done.  I love how Katy did the cross hatching in the shirting material, I'm definitely going to try that.  Then in the white spaces I"m going to give the graffiti quilting a try.  Here's what I have so far, ok so it's not a quilt without a plan, it's got half a plan....but it's a start

Don't forget to check out the link parties.  I also saw that Hands 2 Help 2016 is getting started shortly - so excited.  We have a couple of ladies who help to make quilts.  Last year our little group made 9, wonder if we can do better this year?  I've added the button on the side bar. 

Happy New Year!! First Finish 2016

Right, Happy New Year, just a few days late eh?  I can't believe I haven't had a post all year.  Well I've got lots to show you, even though it's been only 10 days in this new year, I've gotten a whole bunch done!!  Including a finish.  Yes I have a my first finish of the year.  This is Sunset.  All the left overs from Sonny's quilt.  Ha, the left over quilt is way bigger than Sonny's quilt.  But I used up every bit of fabric, wasn't putting any away.  Anything that wasn't used was cut up into 2.5 in squares and put in the square tote.  If it's not at least 2.5 in square, I toss it.    I love this one.  Pantograph is Aztec Wave by Patricia Ritter.  Hobbs 80/20 batting, So Fine thread on top.  I even got some snow pictures with this one.

Sunset

Aztec Wave Pantograph - Patricia Ritter

Back

Moon Dust is ready to be quilted.  This is another that I used all the scraps from Moon Glow and this is a really big quilt.  76 x 91 or something, even the black is left over from the kit.  I have enough strips for binding both Moon Dust and Moon Glow.  I think I'm going to try some graffiti quilting on this one.  Or maybe I'll try on a smaller quilt first.  I also tried a doodle for Graffiti quilting, really want to do a couple more than give it a try after finishing Moon Glow.

Moon Dust

But wait, that's not all, I have Till Death Star Do We Part  (Moon Glow) on the frame.  Lots of quilting on this one, SITD on those stars is slow going

Till Death Star Do We Part - the beast is on the frame

I also had  a couple of 1 yd cuts of flannel. I got these from Joanne's over the holidays, just love the three of these together.  I used the super sized nine patch  and quick and easy quilts.  Flannel on both sides so super soft.    I used the Baby Things pantograph, it's a really old one, not sure if they sell it anymore.  I'll have to go check who made it.  It was a big loose pantograph so I had all three done in no time.  And the back's are pieced too.  I actually had 2 yards of each so just had to add a little to the backing both ways and you've got a two fer quilt. I used what every fabric was in the center on the back.  Added some sweet yellow that I had and we were on our way

Super Nine Patch - 3 yards of fabric, 3 quilts, love it.

But I did save the best for last.  The twins will be here in April so I thought I should get busy.  Daughter #2 had already picked out the fox fabric for both quilts.  Had no idea what we going to do with them.  She saw this one on Bunkhouse Quilts  She liked the strips with the circles.  So here's what we have.  The same but different.  Can't wait to meet these little guys.  The fox applique is from Mr Fox's Garden by The Red  Boot Quilting Company.  I just printed the pattern 2 pages per sheet and I had baby foxes.  I love the argyle pants on this little fox, so fun picking out their pants :)  Fusible applique is the only thing I can do and well it'll hold up nicely to many washing and what ever these boys do.  I can't wait to quilt them.

The Twins Quilts

I love his pants!

Hope ever one has a great week. Check out the linky parties on the side bar.