Elephant quilt for Taya!

Blogs are good for nothing, if not for reminding you of what you've done.  I thought I was over due for a baby quilt for Taya, who is soon to be 2.  But, after searching this blog I've found I made one for her!!! I completely forgot...thanks old age...smile.  

Well, I know she likes elephants, so I'm making it anyway.  I have another baby in the family about to be born, but, it's not until April, so I'm almost finished with this one. 

I'm auditioning fabrics for borders.  I think I like the "harder" border on the right as opposed to the "floaty" border on the left.  It is a great study in how much the border effects the quilt.  You can look at one side and see how they pull that color out of the quilt more strongly than the other.

2 Quilts Almost Complete

The heart shaped log cabin quilt above is finished except for the label on the back.  This one will say:  Made by Julie Brunner from 100 % cotton fabric and thread.  The quilt is for Chelsea Brunner who made the first request for it when I posted the picture on Facebook.

The friendship braid quilt is made for Tea Begley, my niece.  It is approximately 3 feet by 4 feet.  All it needs is binding and a label.

More baby quilts

More work on my numbers quilt.  It's going pretty quickly.  Should have it finished tomorrow.  Then quilt it next week to mail to mom to have on hand for any of her visiting little grand or great grand babies.

Working on a "Numbers" Quilt.

It seems like a brilliant idea.  Fabric is printed with the ending quilt in mind.  I suppose those lucky enough to have an embroidery machine can do that.  Or you could print on the fabric with your printer.  But, this is a nice option, a kit with the coordinating number words and numbers themselves printed on the fabric.  Using prairie points to lift, it becomes a seek and find of sorts. 

Getting Ready for the Quilters' Day Out, Louisville, Kentucky

Yes it's another year of fun for quilters in the Kentuckiana area.

This year's Quilters' Day Out has a baby quilt challenge with double the prize money we had last year.  I'm entering "Nora's Owls".  It is due tomorrow and I'm doing my usual last minute quilting exercise for a deadline and am squaring it off.  

I always, always, always, put a label on a quilt.  There is nothing sadder to me than finding a quilt at a flea market and no one knows it's story.  Almost all quilts have a story, unless they are made in China, and even then who knows the trouble they've seen.

My label says the usual stuff, my name and date and city.  I ended it with a phrase, "Smart girls have more fun and Nora you are one smart girl!!

Friendship Braid Quilt Top Done, Owl Quilt in Progress

The Blah, Blah Blahs of Winter

Are only good for one thing, quilting of course.  So it's on to the next UFO, my owl quilt for the lovely little raven, Nora.  I call her a raven because she has black hair and seems very smart for her all of 2 years old.  From what I recall about ravens, other than the poem, although I guess it did "quote", they are quite intelligent and crafty about getting food and attention.

So off we go into the wild gray yonder and turn up the music and put the sewing machine pedal to the medal and get something finished!

WooHoo!

Friendship Braid Scrap Quilt Top Done

Two babies, one quilt done for the new Taya in the family.  How lucky families are that have children related to quilters.

Super easy scrap quilt, this is a nice "TV Time" quilt.  You can do it while you watch TV.  Now I have to wait for it to tell me how to quilt it.  It's true, to me at least, lay the quilt out, and pretty soon you'll know what to do to quilt it.  I think I'll put a flannel back on it and use my King's Department store's special blend of batting.  It's a little loft, but, not too much.  Next to using wool batting, it's my favorite.  

Don't Show Your Works in Progress To Your Kids!

Quilter family members may or may not know how blessed they are.  I bet it's far and few between amongst their friends that have beautiful quilts to adorn their beds.  I imagine they are even a little envious of our kids and family members that are recipients of the quilt legacy we leave.

Those of you that have experienced ichatting, know that you can talk to your kids in New Mexico or wherever and they see all of you and what is behind you.  I must be careful not to have a quilt on the wall that I have intended for my daughter that I ichat with, in New Mexico.  I am careful to do just that, but, it does not mean that if she's my work in progress wall while ichatting, she will make a request.

Right now I'm working on 3 quilts.  Two of them are baby quilts, one is a scrap friendship braid quilt, the other is an owl quilt.  Don't you know she wants the owl quilt.  I told her she'll have to wait, because I'm so far behind getting this baby quilt out to Nora.  She's 2 now and so it's time.  Plus, my focus is finishing my projects I've started and I've been working on this for 2 years, so it's in the cue.

The Snow Days pattern is also on the wall. It's for me.  My mom bought a pattern for me for my birthday.  It was the same pattern, so she's keeping it and making it herself.  Like mother like daughter.  I hope that's a good thing.  I hope my girls are like me in all the ways that are good and they take all the good things from their dad as well.  Life is pretty hard sometimes.  We get thrown a lot, so why shouldn't I pray they get only the best our genes have to offer.

A New Baby Quilt for My Niece's Baby-Taya

I think I've pointed out my scrap fabric can that is a clean trash can.  I put it beside my cutting table and drop in smallish pieces.

This is a Friendship Braid quilt that I'm making for her using my scraps.

It's a lovely no brainer kind of quilt-a little cutting a little sewing and it goes pretty quickly.

A tip for making a successful scrap quilt out of a pile of fabrics is to sort them first into dusty colors and clear colors.  This is usually a better way to design a quilt, grouping like hues.

Frogs and the Chicks are home...smile

My husband likes to buy me roses.  I'm so blessed.  When the roses are on the fading end of beauty, is when the frogs come out.  I don't why they are called frogs, but, for minimal display of flowers, they are best.

My chicks are both home, well, sort of.  You know we want them to have friends, but, we like to have them see us too.  Our lovely Chelsea is just way too popular for her dad's and my liking.  I guess I should be happy she's here for a week and we get to see her some.  She's too old to ground and who would be in New Mexico to make sure she stays there.  Maybe we could pay her lovely dog Fawn to do the dirty work.

Now all you do is fill in the blanks and you've got a baby quilt!

Here is a baby quilt that needs to fill in the blanks.  Quilts are generally built by blocks then by rows, then sew the rows together and your done.

Besides the Dr Seuss panel I bought the fat quarters for the collection plus enough for a border and binding.

I'll load the pictures later.

Happy Quilting!

Baby Quilts and Dr Seuss

Well, you know who needs a pattern.  I've got a baby nephew on the way any day and the quick way to make a quilt is to use a panel.  This is a chopped up Dr Seuss panel.  I've decided to make it a sort of wonky medallion quilt .

I like to use stripes in a quilt.  It makes it look like you've done a lot of work sewing strips together, thus giving more visual texture.

These stripes are great for mitering as they are a little wonky to begin.  I'm not a perfectionist quilter, unless I'm entering a quilt in a competition.

cut your stripes and sew them to the ends.  Then on the sides. Last, fold under one of the stripes in a pleasing way that continues the stripe around the corners.  Use you ironed crease as your guide.

Baby Quilt for the new Boomer Sooner

Well, cancer has not completely got me down. I have had a lot of down time, running my DD #1 back and forth to radiation everyday and will for the next 6 weeks, while going through chemotherapy every 2 weeks. This stuff is way not fun. I'm not even in the ballpark of no fun, compared with Jennifer. Ah well, this time next year, it should all be a bad memory.


Someone called from our wonderful church today. They got my name mixed up with Jennifer and said they'd keep us in their prayers. I guess God knows which is which, so it okay. Our church is getting so large, I know it's impossible for someone to remember all however many thousands are now attending. But, I've never met this new minister and have been attending said church for 12 years now. I don't go every time the doors are open, but, I was going every Tuesday to lead our church quilt group, Northeast Quilting Friends. I haven't attend but, once in the last several months because I don't want to be a downer to the group. The last time I came to the meeting I cried. The ladies have managed quite well without me. What did I expect? Helplessness? A complete loss of quilt abilities? Nope, they did just fine, when I came back the one time. Ah well, what will be, will be and the quilting group goes on.

Anywho, here's Jennifer in her radiation session. It's quite the science fiction setting, but, it's no fiction...lots of science. Life does go on, everyone has their own soap operas to manage. Speaking of newest, my niece had a baby boy, Daxton. She sent pictures of him dressing in his Oklahoma State University outfit, of which Boomer Sooner is the mascot. So, in honor of our new Boomer Sooner, here is my original design of an OU baby quilt! Hah! Who needs a pattern. I tried a new boarder technique where I made the center blocks and then laid the border on top of the red blocks then did a raw edge appilque curving to add some visual texture to the straight blocks. And everyone wants to the back, so here it is, flannel.