Improv Invasion

So....this happened.  I decided I needed to quit hoarding all my Cotton & Steel fabrics. I started with making a bunch of 4 1/2" hst - without a plan.  Then, pulled several other C&S fabrics, (I have managed to hoard A LOT of it). Then an Amy Butler jumped out and wanted to join the party. The hst panel was made first, then random pieces put together until it worked...and when some strips were too long- easy, just chopped them right off!

  This quilt measures about 65"x70" at this point. Once I am able to quilt it, I will have to measure it again. The plan for this quilt is to hang it on the lonely, empty wall where my mid-arm is located. 

 With the holidays sneaking up on us, I have some deadlines looming, but first...a visit to the orthopedic surgeon to see what is wrong with my shoulder...and what can be done about it. All quilty plans on hold until the Dr. gives the OK.

Make some quilty goodness!

Julie

Binding Quilts

cute little mug rug I made for a swap

I love to hand sew binding. Weird?  I know it is the part of quilting that a lot of people dread.  But, to me, hand binding a quilt is relaxing. The quilt is nearly done, and now you get to sit down, relax, and put those last stitches in to complete your quilt - how could this be anything but relaxing?  It's not my favorite part of quilting...but it is up in the top 5. 

 I've machine-sewed binding only a few times. I am not good at it, and it doesn't give me that happy feeling. As far as machine-binding goes, I definitely think gluing is the way to go. It still requires some patience to get everything stitched in the right place.

  I just finished binding a quilt that will be a Christmas surprise. Ready for the next one!

Quilt On!

Julie

FINALLY getting back into the blog-posting world!

I am passionate about quilting, specifically, Modern quilting. I have been sewing in some sort most of my life. My Mother HATED sewing, thankfully, I had a Grandmother who taught me some basic sewing skills. I vowed I would NEVER be "one of those crazy quilting women". HA! But, in my own defense, the quilt bug exploded for me when I discovered the amazing world of Modern Quilts. Improve piecing and free-motion quilting lured me in. Many times, I will find myself beginning a project...without a distinct plan...a general plan, yes, but I do tend to like to see what the fabric tells me it wants to be. Over the last several years, I have learned a lot in the quilting world, and like any honest quilter, there is always SO much more to be learned. I do NOT proclaim to be an amazing, perfect quilter- with perfect points and every seam matched within one millimeter...NO. Of course I always try to do my best work, and as I look back over the last few years, I can see a lot of improvement...and I am sure in a few more years I will see a lot more improvement. Quilting makes me HAPPY! It is difficult to chose a "favorite" part of quilting...but I would have to lean toward the free-motion quilting. With all of the aspects of creating a quilt; browsing fabric in quilt shops, selecting fabrics that need to live with me, choosing the perfect pattern, prepping, cutting, piecing, basting, quilting, binding, and finally giving that quilt to just the right person, the only thing I really don't like is basting. I know a lot of people don't like to sew binding, but I feel like hand-binding a quilt is the "reward" for all the hard work...and now it is time to sit, relax, and stitch. Although this blog is for my daughter and I to post about our love of creating...not just quilts, but the various crafty creative outlets we have- including baking. I follow several quilters and am often inspired by their work. I hope this blog can be a place where we may inspire and encourage each other and any of you who have spent time here.

Like many people, I fell in love with the Swoon pattern by Camille Roskelly. I have finished to top...and it is waiting for it's turn on my mid-arm.

Baby Quilts!

This is my most recently finished quilt. I made it for a darling baby boy who is fighting in the NICU. This quilt began as a disappearing nine patch, but the further in I got, the more changes I made. I tossed aside entire blocks, and cut up and reassembled what remained, until I had this. I really love the way it turned out. I wish I would have taken a picture of it after it was quilted and washed, but below is a photo of the quilting prior to washing. Owen's quilt was also the first real step in my free motion quilting journey. I did a variation of  pebbles in the center of the quilt, then stitch in the ditch along the inner edge of the border, leaving the white border itself untouched. The texture that resulted truly amazed me. I used a rather ridiculous amount of thread (especially considering this fella measures approximately 35"x35"finished).

I have already given it to the family, and the surprise was a total success--they had no idea it was coming! For those who don't know me, trust, this is an incredible thing in and of itself. I often get so excited about the project(s) I am working on that I can't keep my big mouth shut, and I tell them all about it. Which makes it really frustrating (for everyone) when that project falls into the pile of UFOs. Juj knows this pain! I am still working on (promise, I really am working on it!) a quilt for her that I began in the fall of....2013 i think? Maybe it was 2012...I'm honestly not sure. There will certainly be more on that in a later post. It's coming along nicely, and is entirely hand pieced.

I  am in the process of typing up the pattern for Owen's Quilt. It should be available by the end of the week, will update when it is!

Happy Quilting,

jilly