Purple and Pink Girl Power

I created two quilts for an organization that assists women in crisis. Both are for Christmas. One was for a boy and the other was for his sister. The quilt for the girl was mostly done as I had started it in anticipation of using it for practice on the long arm quilting machine. However, after that first time, I really didn't want to try it again. . .so thanks again to Cindy at the Artful Quilter for making some "drop off" appointments available in December. Voila - perfectly quilted and beautiful. Fortunately the young lady receiving the quilt loves purple -- that made it perfect for her. Maybe the powers that be knew all along who it was intended for, because I sure didn't. It's funny how these things work out isn't it?

The quilt was made from a jelly roll of Me and My Sister's Clementine fabric - purchased in the early phase of my quilting adventure. I don't think I'll be using jelly rolls again in the future, but it was fun to turn the strips into this colorful quilt.

The pattern is called Baby Blocks. It called for a white border, but I loke the way the purple adds a nice frame. I hope it makes a little girl somewhere very happy! I made it small enough to be a dragger, but hopefully big enough to keep her warm at night.

Jasmine's Cats

This quilt was created especially for the adorable young lady that lives next door. She saw me working on Kat's Cats and the Fishing quilt and kept dropping hints like "Can I have that one?" Since both of those quilts were already earmarked for another purpose, I decided to create a quilt just for her. Lots of Kitty Cats (which she loves) from Amy Schimler fabrics and lots of color. I am hoping that this is a quilt Jasmine can enjoy for many years to come. I love the way the Kaffe Fassett Cloud fabric looked on the back. The colors blended perfectly with the bright colors on the top along with the binding. I finished the binding while my husband I stayed at the Homestead for our 25th wedding anniversary after Thanksgiving.

Jasmine loved her quilt! She turned the day she got it. Happy Birthday Jasmine. Thanks to Cindy at the Artful Quilter for a wonderful job on the Loop-de-Loop quilting.

By the way, the Kaffe Fassett Clouds in Duck Egg is out of print. I managed to snag 7 more yards from a shop in MN. I plan to use it for a couple more children's quilts with similar colors.

Gone Fishing

I got this pattern from my good friend Laurie. it was pretty simple to make. I used it for my first (and probably my last for a while) attempt at using a long arm quilting machine at the Artful Quilter in Burke, Virginia. I love the idea of doing everything on the quilt from start to finish, but I just don't have the confidence (or patience or back strength) needed to keep this up. . .at least not for right now. Cindy at the Artful Quilter does such a wonderful job, I think I need to turn the project over to her when it's too big for my Bernina. It was fun, but not something I want to keep doing.

Everything was going OK, but the machine snagged the edge and made a bit of an uh oh, which I covered with a couple of appliqued fish. It turned out OK, but I learned that I really do prefer to let "the expert" do the quilting.

The quilt was donated to Project Linus chapter run by the Quilt Patch in Fairfax Virginia.

Kat's Cats

This quilt was made for QuiltsforKids.org I added the White Squares with the mice in the maze. This one was a bit out of my comfort zone color wise, but I really like the way it turned out. I quilted it on my Bernina and it took a while making the square in a square pattern. Maybe there's an easier way to do this, but I don't think so. I hope someone is enjoying it now.

Lots to catch up on

I have completed 7 quilts since I first started. The last two were donated to a local organization called Doorways. I have found the quilting process to be incredibly fulfilling and enjoyable. I have only kept one of the quilts -- and that one was for my son Kyle.

Karma Quilt

My First Quilt is done! Ta Dah! I finished this last week and am mailing it out today. This one isn't a keeper -- at least not for me. It's a "Quilt for Kids" quilt -- and it's my very first finished quilt. When I started this quilting adventure, among all the other "stuff" I bought was a new bernina sewing machine. I thought that the best thing to do would be to make a quilt and give it away. I'm hoping it brings me some good karma and makes a child very happy. The quilt is simple but I like it. I had a lot of fun doing it.

Yes, Luna Does Like Quilts!

I was working on my first "big project" - a sampler quilt. Luna seems to like it. The top is finished and I have to decide if I want to quilt it myself or have it quilted by someone with a long arm machine. I'm thinking I'll quilt it myself.

In case you are wondering who Luna is, she is my practically perfect adorable beyond belief Standard Schnauzer. Luna likes to keep an eye on me while I quilt. She is good company.