First Quilt of 2012

Started off the New Year making a coin quilt.  I have looked at these on so many blogs and thought it was time to try one. 

The top is made completely from fabric from Connecting Threads - design called Peppermint Forest.  I ordered quite abit of this fabric with the thoughts of making a Breagha a quilt from it.  In my order, I also had a layer cake of this fabric and that's what I used to make this coin quilt. 

I like it well enough but not enough to mark and quilt it right now.  It's gone into the pile of WIP and I'll get to it when the mood strikes me, lol.  I have quite abit of this fabric in fat quarters and yardage so I foresee another quilt using this fabric.

I really do love the color combinations in this quilt.

Breagha and her Lollipop Quilt

The lollipop quilt landed in Scotland a week or so ago and my daughter sent me this video of Breagha with her new quilt.  It's so cute, it has to be shared.

Breagha's Elmo Quilt

Finished Breagha's 8th and final quilt for the year.  I am so pleased that I managed to complete so many quilts for my precious grandaughter in that time frame.

This was my first "modern" quilt, my very first attempt at making a quilt without a pattern to base it on.  There were a few bumps along the way, things I might have done differently now that it is completed.....but I thoroughly enjoyed the "process".

The center block was made from a fat quarter, contributed by my daughter, Michelle in Scotland.  It is definitely the focal block of the entire quilt. 

Backed the quilt in a flannel alphabet fabric.  I found this at Fabricland, on sale, and was so excited that I was snapping a picture of it, in the store, and emailing it to my daughter, all while the fabric was being cut.  An Elmo quilt needs an alphabet backing.

Handquilted the entire quilt in a new stencil I found but did the borders in a straight feather pattern.  Bound the quilt in yellow.

Started this blog a year ago and although I am not a regular poster, it has been fun putting this together.  The blog is really a diary of quilts for my grandaughter, a thing done in real time, something that she can read when she is older.  My daughter and I both love and treasure quilts and it is my hope and dream that Breagha loves them just as much as she grows up. 

"ELMO" blocks completed

Between last night and most of today, I finished the three remaining blocks for Breagha's Elmo quilt.

Block #7

Block #8

I hestitated to use the blue in this block since the other blocks are mostly yellow and red but I simply wanted to pull Grover (he's the blue character) out. 

Block #9

After using the blue in block #8, I thought I might as well throw some pink in too.

So that makes 9 blocks completed and I even managed to use all the different Elmo fabrics that my daughter and I collected for this quilt.

Now that I have these blocks done (each block measure 14 1/2 inches so they are large blocks), I spread them out on my diningroom floor and played with them, arranging them, leaving them, coming back to them and finally decided on the following layout.

Now, to sew them altogether, decide on how to border it and although I have numerous ideas.....I have not settled on one that I want to finish this quilt off. 

Because I have never done a quilt like this before, I had to leave it out and look at numerous times before I came to the conclusion that I liked it.  The main critic is just under two years old and I suspect she will like it because of the characters and the bright colors.  It's lovely to quilt for a child.

Progress on the "Elmo Quilt"

Very productive day, managed to complete three more blocks for the Elmo Quilt.

Block # 4

Block #5

Block # 6

This will be the center block of the Elmo quilt and is, without question, my favorite so far.

Elmo Quilt - Work in Progress

My latest work in progress is an Elmo quilt for Breagha.  After collecting various Elmo fabrics from Ebay (Michelle even found fat quarters with Elmo on Ebay in Scotland and mailed them to me), I finally started on this project.

Searched many quilting blogs to get ideas on how to put this together and finally decided to try a quilt without a pattern.  I have always been such a "traditional" quilter, using patterns that were tried and true, so making this quilt is totally "out of the box" for me. 

Progress is very slow.....it's probably going to take me longer to sew this quilt together than any other quilt I have ever made but I have to admit, I am enjoying it more than I thought possible.  I am beginning to understand why some quilters have gone "modern" and make quilts without a pattern. 

Block #1

Block #2

Block #3

So far, my idea is to make 9 of these blocks with various Elmo fabrics and once they are done, then decide on how to join/border them. 

Off to my sewing room to work on blocks 4 and 5.  Will post again when blocks are completed.

Latest Quilt

Well, there is quite a story behind this latest quilt.

You may recognize the fabric in this quilt that was used in Breagha's Surprise Quilt.
I had ordered 33 fat quarters of the "About Town" line from Connecting Threads because my daughter, Michelle, loved this fabric and wanted a quilt for herself.  She also chose the tossed nine patch pattern that I used in making Breagha's Lollipop quilt.

So.....like the good mother I am......I made up this quilt for my darling daughter.  Well,
as soon as I photographed the top and emailed it to her in Scotland, I KNEW she wasn't thrilled with it.  It was quite simply, not her style.  Bear in mind, my daughter chose the fabric and chose the pattern. 

The kicker here is that I loved it and it's been quite some time since I've made a quilt for myself so before I even put the first stitch of handquilting in it, I knew it would probably be making it's home with me.  I very wisely did not back it in flannel and used a cotton, lol.

Used a wonderful green for the binding....which compliments all the greens in this quilt.

A white cotton backing.

A test run on my bed!

A photo of the quilt sitting on the leather storage bench, where this quilt will be stashed until it needs pulling out for cold winter nights. 

I have since ordered another 66 fat quarters of this fabric and have agreed to make Michelle a quilt again, only this time, it will be another quilt identical to Breagha's surprise quilt because that is really the quilt that Michelle wanted in the first place, lol.

I fear that if Michelle does not get the log cabin quilt, Breagha might lose hers.  As it is, Michelle has "borrowed" Breagha's quilt and is using it on her own bed!!!!!!