Criss-Crossed Quilt

Criss-Crossed is the name of my latest finish.  It was made with an assortment of pink, plum, and golden fabrics.  Many prints are Denyse Schmidt of course!  Others are Lori Holt Daisy Cottage, some Thomas Knauer, Joel Dewberry, and even fabric designed by fellow DCMQG member Jessie Aller for In the Beginning.  All of the fabrics including the backing and two shades of gray are from my stash!!!  How often can a quilter say that?  The binding was purchased online and luckily it coordinates beautifully.

The back is an Anna Maria Horner roses print from her Innocent Crush collection and a gray, yellow, ivory Midwest Modern print by Amy Butler.  Pieced backs are definitely my favorite!

This is the first quilt I quilted on the new long arm.  It was an experience.  I had some issues with the edges of the quilt and a few times I had to unpick a lot of quilting.  But overall I was pretty pleased with how the final quilt turned out despite all the extra handling during quilting.  A final trim and the binding hid any imperfections.

Normally I don’t wash any quilts before gifting, but this time I ran the quilt through the washer and dryer just to make sure everything held together, which it did! 

Who can resist a big-eyed bunny?  Not my daughter!

Have a great week!  Linking up to Fort Worth Fabric Studio and Crazy Mom Quilts.

A Small Finish and a WIP

This is technically not “my” finish.  Bea sewed this bag on Friday night for her sister.  Ever since we rehabilitated a baby robin this past summer, Esther has loved birds and really wants a cockatiel.  So when I saw this Japanese linen fabric with cockatiels, I had to have it to make something for her, but Bea beat me to it!

Bea traced a heart onto Heat n Bond lite and fused it to the outside of the bag, which is a print from Joel Dewberry’s new Notting Hill line.  She picked a blue flower print for the lining and handles.  The pattern is from Diary of a Quilter and uses two fat quarters to make the entire bag.

She sewed all the parts of the bag except the decorative stitch used as topstitching around the opening of the bag.  It is currently employed to tote around My Little Ponies.

I also have a pic of a WIP to share.  These are the first few stars for my Modern Quilt Guild Madrona Road Challenge entry.  I’ve never sewn y-seams before! 

Linking up to Plum and June’s Monday Link Up.  She’s shared a super cute fabric bucket and now I’ve just got to make one for my girls’ hair ties.

Fall Tumbler Quilt

 I saw this quilt over at Cluck Cluck Sew last December and really wanted to make one like it.  But I was 9+ months pregnant at the time and not motivated to cut out a gazillion tumbler blocks.  I had barely enough energy to stay up after my two girls went to bed and watch old reruns of Law and Order and eat Bruster's ice cream:)

Since I saw Allison's quilt, I started collecting some fabrics I thought would look good in a similar quilt.  I've picked up a few fat quarters here and there and then last week I bought some 1/2 yards on sale at fabric.com and a few on Etsy.  I think I've accumulated just the right mixture of colors and scale to make this quilt beautiful.  Here's what I ended up with:



These fabrics were a departure for me.  I am partial to buying all the fabric in a quilt from the same manufacturer and line.  I've never used Joel Dewberry, Amy Butler, or the Japanese imports before.  My kids and I laid out all the blocks this morning and I am hoping to have it pieced by the end of tomorrow morning!