my first quilt.

Posted on September 13, 2010

This is the first quilt I ever made…back in May 2009. I blogged about it ages ago, before my blog was hacked. Most of you have probably never seen it since I think I had about 3 readers back then. This quilt was given to my mom as a Mother’s Day gift. The hubs and I were in Houston over the weekend so I was finally able to take a decent photo of it.

I was a little bit surprised to find that I really like this quilt. I hadn’t seen it since I gave it to my mom and all I could remember about it were all of the mistakes I made. [Check out the bottom edge of the quilt...I used the pre-sized batting as my "square" edge. ] I’ve made many more quilts in the 16 months since I made this one and I’ve learned a few quilting truths:

1. A trip through the washer and dryer hides most mistakes

2. It’s hard to go wrong when you use Moda’s pre-cuts. [This quilt was made from a single jelly roll and a bit of yardage for the back from Fig Tree Quilts (Fig & Plum collection).]

3. The best quilts are the ones you make with love in your heart [corny but true!]

My only regret is machine sewing the binding and that is completely fixable. I may tackle that when I visit my parents over the holidays.

gypsy baby quilt

Posted on August 24, 2009

This quilt came out of the dryer last night so crinkly and super soft.

I used a dressmaker’s muslin for the backing, which I think made the quilt softer than traditional quilting muslin. Dressmaker’s muslin is made for draping, which can make it difficult to quilt with unless you use basting spray. BUT, it’s really nice to work with because it has such a soft, well-loved feel.

I quilted it in a simple rectangle/square pattern using a hot pink thread.

Dimensions: 36″ x 45″

Fabrics: Good Folks by Anna Maria Horner; Midwest Modern by Amy Butler, various oranges, yellows, greens, and pinks from Bella Solids by Moda

Started: August 2009

Completed: August 2009

daisy chain coins

Posted on August 15, 2009

A new baby quilt:

It’s a simple coin quilt made with Amy Butler’s Daisy Chain collection. I used gray sashing for the front and white on the back. It’s quilted with gray thread.

Looking at these pictures makes me realize that I need to find a new way to photograph my quilts. I think I’m going to rig something up this weekend…another project!

windowpane baby quilt

Posted on August 10, 2009

A modern baby quilt!

I’ve had this quilt in the works for a while now. I used the leftover charm squares from the Wonderland Stacked Coins. The front is a windowpane style that I designed because it reminds me of the windows in our 1950s house. I used grass green from Bella Solids for a bit of sashing around the blocks.

Front detail:

I quilted it in a simple windowpane pattern, just using the piecing as a guide to get started and then marking the lines with a chalk pen. It’s quilted with a really soft pearl grey thread.

The back has a couple of columns of stacked coins and then a improvisational block in the corner for interest. I used grey for the backing because I love how it offsets the bright colors of the Wonderland fabric. The binding is hand sewn using my favorite robin’s egg blue from Bella Solids.

Back:

Dimensions: 42″ x 45″

Fabrics: Wonderland by Momo; solids from Bella Solids by Moda

Started: August 2009

Completed: August 2009

Hello, Baby!

Posted on August 4, 2009

I don’t know why it took me so long to finish this quilt! I think I was mesmerized by the bright colors of the Wonderland Stacked Coins quilt and this one seemed a little boring so I put it aside. I’ve been working on hand sewing the binding for a couple of weeks now and I finally got it done on Sunday night. Here she is:

I quilted it with a soft pink thread in a chevron pattern. I used a yellow binding that matches the back of the quilt. The finished size is about 45 x 60 inches. I washed it a couple of times to get the blue chalk out (from the quilting lines I marked) so it is super soft and crinkly. The blocks are pieced from the pink, green, and yellow strips of a Hello Betty jelly roll. (Hello Betty is collection of 1930s-style prints from Moda.) I have lots of the red and blue strips leftover for another project. Oh, wait! I have a second jelly roll of the same collection. Yummy!

You can see I used one of the blue strips on the back:

Dimensions: 60″ x 60″

Fabrics: Hello Betty by Chloe’s Closet, Bella Solids from Moda

Started: June 2009

Completed: August 2009

the zigzag quilt

Posted on July 22, 2009

The sun came out yesterday so I was finally able to get outside and take some pictures. The fabrics used are Bleeker Street by Michelle D’Amore and Chocolate Lollipop from Anna Maria Horner. I used a robin’s egg blue binding.

I used scraps from the front to piece the back.

Dimensions: 36″ x 45″

Fabrics: Bleeker Street by Michelle D’Amore, Chocolate Lollipop by Anna Maria Horner solids from Bella Solids by Moda

Started: July 2009

Completed: July 2009

I used bamboo batting for this quilt and it feels really soft and nice after washing. It wasn’t any different for quilting than the organic cotton I normally use and it’s eco-friendly so I will definitely use it again.

My dogs enjoyed this quilt, too. They took turns posing on it for me.

And then they had a fight:

Don’t worry! No miniature pinschers were injured in the making of this photo! They are professionals.

wonderland coins

Posted on July 15, 2009

Finishing this quilt was a really nice feeling. I absolutely love how it turned out. The colors are just so happy!

Front:

Back:

Dimensions: 60? x 60?

Fabrics: Wonderland by Momo, Bella Solids from Moda

Started: June 2009

Completed: July 2009

While I was taking these pictures, my neighbor’s new puppy came over to investigate through the fence. You can just see her little black face in the center of this picture:

She’s a cutie! I give her (and her big brother, a chocolate lab) treats through the fence so now she comes over to see me whenever I’m in the back yard.

Category Archives: Completed 2009