Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2015 - small quilt - Grow Wise Little Own

Amy is hosting the BQF again this spring, and I've got this little cutie for the Small Quilt category.  The pattern is Owl Duets by Katie Wiseman  It was made for my husbands God Son and his wife who were expecting their first child, so it had to be special.  They are very outdoorsy types and the nursery was forest woodland theme.  We didn't know if it was a girl or boy so when with gender neurtal colors.  I used fusible applique for the owls and the branch.   The little saying was embroidered.   Of course when you have birds on your quilt you have to have feathers right??  Of course I quilted, feathers, leaves, swirls in the background.  In the top border I quilted letters, numbers in the bottom.  Down in the corner I quilted a welcome message to the baby.  What fun this was!!  The quilt was made from a number of leftovers from the baby's older cousins quilt that I had made a couple months prior.  What fun to use the same fabric for all quilts for all 4 cousins.

Owl Duet

Back, cozy flannel and some left over colors.

Now head on over there and see all the wonderful quilts - get ready to be inspired!!

Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2015 - Large Quilts - Shining Star

Here's my large quilt entry.   This baby measures in at 117 x 117, now that is definitely the largest quilt I have ever made, and likely to ever make!!  This one is for my bed.  I had made one other king size quilt, just a bit smaller than this one, and it was worn out.  Yep holes worn in it from almost 12 years of daily use.  I sure how this one last that long cuz I'm not sure I can do another :)  This is a simple log cabin made with 2 different fat quarter bundles of Kaffee Fassett Shot Cottons.  Oh I LOVE the look of the shot cottons, such depth.  My husband loves log cabins and I like a bit more modern so this was a nice middle ground I think.  I used two layers of battting, Hobbs 80/20 on the bottom and Tuscany Wool on Top.  Glide thread was used on the top and magna glide in the bobbin.   I wanted the quilting to help differentiate between the light and the dark areas.  Light areas got the straight line point to point quilting and the dark areas got the yummy feathers.  No surprise that my quilt has feathers right?  So here's a few pics of fresh new quilt with no holes!!

Shining Star

my log cabin quilt in my log cabin bedroom

Now head on over there and see all the wonderful quilts - get ready to be inspired!!

Dresden Plates on Mother's day

Happy Mothers' day to all the moms out there.  Hope the day was filled with all the wonderful things that makes your heart sing.  My girls are coming out next weekend, so the hubs let me do whatever I wanted and you know what I wanted to do, yep quilt. And quilt I did.  I finished up this beauty.  .I love this quilt, I need one for me!!  This quilt will be donated to Sage Cancer Center in McHenry as part of our Hands 2 Help Quilt Drive, 5 Quilts for Happy Chemo and 5 quilts for the local Cancer Center.  Veronika brought this with her last time we sewed.   I need to find some 30's repro fabric for the binding.  It has a super soft sateen backing, that combined with the older super soft top is so scrumptious.  I had so much fun quilting this.  The top was found in a store in Galena for $20, if anyone knows where I can get my own, please let me know!!  I used Premo Soft thread on Top, Hobbs 80/20 heirloom batting, magna glide thread on the bottom.  I sure hope this will brighten someone's day.  I know it brightened mine.    If anyone knows anything about the fabrics used in the quilts I would LOVE to know, please share!!  I haven't counted how many are actually in this quilt, but there are quite a few different ones.

$20 find in a shop in Galena IL.   I really need one for me!

I really wanted to use two layers of batting, but knew this was for use so stuck with just the cotton batting to keep it soft and cuddly.   

Look at those fabrics, are they not gorgeous?  I would love to know more about them

Premo Soft thread on top.   Hobbs 80/20 batting

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Some of my favorite fabrics.  I love the plaid

Soft Sateen backing, first time I used a sateen but it sure won't be the last

The inspiration came  Deborah Poole's book "You Can Quilt it!".  She had a beautiful Dresden plate that was so inspiring.  Now mine is know where near as good as her award winning quilt, but I do like it how it turned out.  I highly recommend her book as well.  It's filled with tips and tricks and so many wonderful design ideas.   Now off to a wonderful dinner that the DH made, what a sweet guy he is!!

Giraffes

I quilted a sweet little Giraffe quilt for Rae Ellen this weekend.  I took the dresden plate off the frame as there was not one stitch in it.   I'll get started on that one next weekend.    Those little giraffes were so sweet, I couldn't help but smile every time I came up on one.  Premo Soft thread on top. I used a light yellow thread in the middle and the outer border, creat Premo Soft on the white border.  Just quilted free hand all over swirls and a some swirly leaves here and there.  Diamonds in the first border and simple bead board on the final border with some fancy diamond in diamonds on the corner stones.  The orange was Bottom Line, I didn't have any orange Premo Soft, but the thin thread is great, keeps the quilt nice and soft which I why I used the 50 wt Premo Soft. In the bobbin is 60 wt Magna glide.  Nice way to spend an afternoon :)  Batting is warm and natural all cotton.

Look at that face, so sweet....

Ok I got this cute little number out  done and some time left to play.  Got started on this beauty

Check out the linky parties on the side bar, so much inspiration out there. 

Korean War Honor Flight

To those that wrote to dad for his honor flight, thank you so much! I can't tell you how much healing and comfort that provided for him. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. My brother Steve read him the letters on the flight home. Dad said he never knew so many people cared. Here's a poem that my cousin put in his letter that I thought was very touching - thanks for sharing 

 

Thank a Veteran for Your Freedom By J. L. Sager

It was a veteran, not a reporter...Who guaranteed freedom of the press.
It was a veteran, not a poet...Who guaranteed freedom of speech.
It was a veteran, not a campus organizer...Who guaranteed freedom to demonstrate.
It was a veteran, not a minister...Who guaranteed freedom to worship.
It was a veteran, not a salesman...Who guaranteed freedom to own property.
It was a veteran, not a travel agent...Who guaranteed freedom to travel.
It was a veteran, not a politician...Who guaranteed freedom to vote.
It is a veteran, who salutes the Flag,
Risks it all for the Flag,
And who is buried beneath the Flag.