[completed] scrap quilt

front of the quilt

Just now, I finished the Arkansas crossroads scrap quilt I've been working on for awhile. I'm happy that this quilt is completed - it isn't my favorite, and I'm glad to be done. Honestly, I am a little disappointed in how this quilt turned out. I was super excited when I first started cutting the fabrics and piecing the blocks, but my enthusiasm and fondness for this quilt waned as I progressed. 

detail

I still love the color palette, and the fact that so many of the fabrics are scraps from other projects that I loved making. But I'm not so fond of the border fabric, and I feel that the quilting did not lend anything special to the finished product.

detail

I had a really difficult time deciding how to quilt this one. I ultimately decided on stitching in the ditch around the squares, and then stippling inside the white fabrics. I'm not sure how else I could have quilted, but this option didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. As you can see below, I encountered some puckering. And I think that stitching in the ditch sometimes detracted from my perfectly matched points.

puckering

You can see the quilting more clearly on the back. I didn't have enough of the solid black fabric for the whole back, so I pieced it with some of the same print I used for the border on the front. I do love a pieced back.

the back

The quilting doesn't look bad, but it's a little odd. I do like the Xs that the stippling created.

detail of the quilting

All in all, this quilt just isn't my favorite. I made it with the intent to donate it, and hopefully some kid somewhere will love it!

off in the mail

blue boats

little messages to the recipients

bright bugs

blue boats baby quilt description

completed shot

I am in love with this 38 x 48 quilt, which I just finished today (after starting it only three days ago!). The focal boat and whale printed squares are flannel, as it the whale print backing. The backing has a pieced section of the same printed fabric as the sashing, which is also the same fabric used for the binding. (And I still have about 6 x 44 inches left - isn't that crazy?).
The focal squares are off-set in all but four of the blocks. This gives it a fun wonky look, and gives the quilt a little more visual interest.
I quilted waves all over the quilt, except for in the focal squares. I love the fun nautical theme of the quilt, all inspired by the first fabric I decided to work with - the boat and whale printed flannel. I bought the blue cotton to match the squares, and got the whale printed flannel for the backing. The other printed fabric, used for the sashing, I bought as a remnant long long ago. 
I am tempted to keep this quilt rather than donating it, I love it that much. But Adam would say that is "packratty" of me, and I don't know how long it would be before I found someone to give it to. So it will get mailed off tomorrow!

completed: blue boats baby quilt!

38 x 48

closeup

front and back

pieced backing

closeup of the quilting

quilting waves

see the waves

Yesterday I finished the quilt top, made the backing for my blue boats baby quilt, basted the whole sandwich (with Adam's help, of course) and quilted about a third of the quilt in a continuous wave pattern. It's a lot more difficult than I had anticipated, and not all my waves are perfect. But I think the effect looks nice, and it fits the theme of the quilt - so it's worth the trouble!
I am not quilting in the flannel focal squares. I'm not sure the light blue thread I am using would even show up in the squares, so I don't know that it makes any difference, but I didn't want to distract from the printed fabric.

sneak peek of the blue boats baby quilt

not many scraps!

fabrics

Last night, I did the math out (again! this is what I get for losing important quilt planning papers) for the blue boats baby quilt.
From left to right, we have a a half-yard of blue and white print (from a remnant I've had forever), a yard of blue cotton and a quarter yard of a boat print (from a remnant I've had forever and a half), and that's all the fabric for the top of this baby quilt! Not bad, not bad. I like using up remnants!
Now to assemble all my little cut pieces into something cute and cuddly...

completed: bright bugs boy baby quilt

front and back

I'm done! This 40 x 48 baby quilt was quilted with diagonal lines and bound in homemade green binding. Once again, the binding is not as neat as I would have liked, but oh well. It looks cute, and the diagonal lines are awesome.

rolled up

all done quilting the bright bugs boy baby quilt

the pieced back of the quilt

Although I've been calling this quilt the "bright bugs boy baby quilt" all along, it is actually a unisex design. Which actually leads me to the unfairness of baby colors - a "boy's" quilt of blue and green is perfectly appropriate for a girl as well, but a "girl's" quilt with pink and purple would never do for a boy.
Anyway. I finished quilting the umpteen million straight(ish) lines, and I am so pleased! I will definitely be doing diagonal lines again in the future. It looks really good.

quilting progress on bright bugs boy baby quilt

Quilting away... I'm a little more than half-way through the diagonal straight-line quilting on the bright bugs boy baby quilt (isn't that a mouthful?). It is turning out really well so far. I haven't had any puckering so far, and the lines are fairly straight. A little wonkiness just adds character, right?
I will definitely be using painter's tape again!

all taped up

see where I started quilting?

Adam is such a trooper. Not only did he help me baste and pin the bright bugs boy baby quilt, like he does with all my quilt projects, but he helped me lay down about a million strips of tape. I'm quilting this one on the diagonal, just for fun, and I'm using painter's tape to keep my lines straight. My walking foot broke (darn it!), so I can't use the guide on that. Painter's tape it is! It's working out pretty well so far, and I haven't had any problems straight-line quilting with my normal presser foot yet. Cross your fingers for me!

two steps forward, one step backward...

here's what looks like

So... I definitely made my bright bugs boy baby quilt (pattern from Moda Bake Shop) wrong. Oops. I didn't realize it until I had almost the whole quilt top assembled, and now it's too late. (I mean, I could take it all apart... or I could not...)
But who says it's wrong, anyway? It's just different.

here's what it should look like

progress on the brightly colored bugs baby boy quilt

See? All I have to do now is stitch it all together... the colored fabrics are stitched together, but none of the sashing is attached yet. I love baby quilts, they come together so quickly!

brightly colored bugs all cut up

That sounds gross, doesn't it? Anyway, I decided to do the Moda Bake Shop baby quilt (found here). I'm actually going to do two, one for a boy, and one for a girl. The fabrics above are for the boy quilt, which I'll be doing first. (Simply because the pink and purple fabrics were at the bottom of my pile, and I'm tired of cutting!). I'm a little indecisive on that light green print - you can't tell in the photo, but it's actually got a floral pattern. Not sure that's appropriate for a little boy's quilt. I'm going to lay out my homemade charm squares and see how it looks.
And then... I get to start sewing!

brightly colored bugs

The time has come to start a new quilt. I picked up these brightly colored fat quarters awhile back, inspired by that bug print fabric on top. I can't decide what pattern I want to use, though. I had intended to do a disappearing nine-patch, but this would be my third version of that quilt, and I'm tired of that pattern.
I really want to cut the fat quarters into charm squares (5x5 inch squares) and do this quilt at the Moda Bake Shop. It's just so cute! Or I could cut three of the fat quarters out of the stack and do this quilt from Two Little Banshees. I can't decide!
I would need to buy more fabric for the sashing if I want to do the MBS quilt... but I would be stuck with three left-over fat quarters if I do the TLB quilt. Quandary!
But... if my math is right, I can get more than one quilt out of the fabric stack if I do the MBS quilt. And I could exclude the pink and purple in one and make it for a boy, and include them in another and make it for a girl. That would be nice.
What do you all think I should do?

owl quilt completed!

Once again, the binding (which was made up of the yellow polka dot fabric and white muslin, and turned out super cute) was a bit of a problem for me to attach, but I persevered and now this quilt is officially off my to-do list and on my completed list! Huzzah!
It is another disappearing nine-patch (so easy!), based off the instructions found at Obsessively Stitching.

owl quilt for quilts for kids quilted

the quilt

I just now finished quilting this quilt for Quilts for Kids (was that enough use of the word "quilt"?). I am so glad to be done with it. I don't know why, but I really didn't enjoy quilting this one. Straight-line quilting is supposed to be quick and easy, but it sure didn't feel that way! As a result, I've been procrastinating finishing it, so I am super glad that I finally sat down with it today.
I cut out the binding, which is supposed to be yellow polka dot fabric to go with the pink polka dot backing, and realized that I didn't buy enough fabric to go all the way around this 36 x 54 quilt. So I'm going to have to scrounge up something from my stash or go buy some more.
For some reason, either because of the quilting method or because of my piecing method, my quilt ended up a little wonky. The closeup below should show you what I mean. It's just not nice and straight!
Oh well, I'm sure some kid will love it, and be far less critical than I am.

a closeup of the wonkiness

half-way done quilting...

I guess it doesn't look terrible...

quilting frustrations

 Today I was so excited to start quilting - finally - this quilt top, which I finished a month ago.  After some consultation with my mother, I decided to straight-line quilt it using my very expensive walking foot.
And a few lines later, I hate it. Not enough to unpick all those stitches, but I am super frustrated and I don't think the end result looks very good. I'm getting some puckering, which I don't understand because Adam spray-basted the quilt layers and then I pinned it all together.  And the lines are all wonky, and I've decided I hate my walking foot. I swear, it's possessed or broken or something. Ugh. I hate it when sewing isn't fun.

completed quilt: black and yellow baby quilt

the front and back

all rolled up

my imperfect-but-good-enough binding

quilted the black and yellow baby quilt

Just now I finally finally finished quilting the black and yellow baby quilt I started ages ago. Remind me that stippling takes forever next time!
Next I just need to make the binding, attach it, and I'll be doneee with the first quilt for donation to Quilts for Kids. Huzzah!

Look how much better the quilt looks quilted. I love love love the texture that stippling creates.  Adam loves the texture too.  I can't wait to finish it so I can wash it and see the final crinkly texture.