Log Cabin Baby quilt

This is the Log Cabin Baby Quilt all quilted and completed! I have machine appliqued a duck in the center. And it has 4 inch strips of fabric sewn all around. Some of the strips are baby-type fabric and some are not. The quilt measures about 39 by 49 inches. The backing is made of flannel. I machine quilted it using the free-motion method. This method is so simple, I recommend it for any small quilt. Safety-pin baste the quilt. Lower the feed dogs, or cover them with a feed-dog cover, whichever your machine will do. Use a free-motion foot on the machine. Set the stitches to very small. I have a pair of gloves that I wear to help control the fabric. I sew a small strip at a time. It helps to practice on a scrap of fabric and batting before beginning.

Baby quilt for donation

Spring has sprung. Lots of flowers are blooming. I took a photo today of the flowers by my door. And happy dance time, I have completed this baby quilt. I used some conversation prints and a red solid. And I sewed on a strange print fabric that sort of resembles bananas floating on a pale green background for the outer border. The backing is flannel with birds printed on it. I free-motion quilted it on my sewing machine. I want to mail this quilt to Quilter's Newsletter magazine, where they are collecting donated quilts to ship to disaster survivors. I published their link a couple of posts ago.

I hope that the quilt will comfort some child who has suffered in this terrible event.

And back on the quilting scene, I have to do some major cleaning in my sewing room. I've simply been working at a frantic pace lately. I have gone to the hardware store today and purchased another magnet on a stick--I already broke the first one that I had--to use to pick up stray pins on the floor. And if I scrape up all the bits of scraps scattered here and there, I can actually vacuum this room sometime in the near future. It's a small room where my computer and sewing machine live happily, with modem lights glowing in the dark at night.

Baby quilt for donation

OK, I admit that I haven't finished the denim medallion quilt that I was making in the previous posts (although I did pin baste it.) And I didn't finish those heart wall hangings (but I completed all the applique.) However here I am working on another project while the others languish in the living room, draped on chairs. I wanted to hurry up and start on a baby quilt. I hope to get it completed in plenty of time to donate to the drive for Quilts For Japan, which I mentioned last time. There's a deadline for the end of April. I guess you could call this one an "I spy" type of quilt. And I did select a backing for it already. Why all this rushing? Because now it's Spring Cleaning time around here, and I've already begun on the closets. I work from the bedrooms to the bathrooms, then the living room and finally the kitchen and dining room. Those last two need the most work.

Easy Baby Quilt, completed

So, I finally decided to free-motion quilt this quilt. And look at the nice hunk (a technical quilting term) of green flannel print that I rounded up from my stash to use for the backing. I recommend this easy quilt layout (see previous post for the recipe) for any kind of quilt, it could be using a color scheme (forgive me for using the term "color scheme") on this blog! Anyhow, the quilt could have all the same color plain squares alternating with a traditional quilt pattern such as nine patch, four patch, bow tie, or whatever. Even some applique could be thrown (Roz, how could you--applique is never thrown!) in. While it doesn't show up very well in the photo, I sewed on a yellow binding. So it's all ready for the next baby who comes along--there's always a baby! Although there seems to be a lot of baby girls in the family. I knitted a blue baby layette set a couple of years ago and no takers.

Speaking of knitting, I made some socks for myself for a change (I'm usually giving them away). I wear heavy socks to bed on cold nights. I found this pattern a long time ago, it's for a different type of heel called a peasant heel or afterthought heel. You knit the sock and you place some stitches on a spare bit of yarn, and after you do the toe, you go back, take out the bit of yarn and knit a heel with a method that is just about the same as the toe. So very easy.

Completed flannel quilt

I thought I would add some autumn photos to my blog today. These trees line the street near my house. I call that a California maple, but I'm no plant expert. Anyway, it's a charming tree and they grow lots of them around here. I figure if I can't travel to New England to see the fall colors, I'll just take a walk in my neighborhood. As Rabbe Nachman of Breslov said, "Have you looked up at the sky this morning?"

Good news, I've completed the little scrap flannel quilt, sewn on the binding--and it's all ready to go to the charity. I quilted it by sewing one of the fancy stitches on my machine along the seam lines, and down the centers of the blocks. Finishing this quilt was a challenge from Finn at http://finnleah.blogspot.com/ Pieces From my Scrapbag Blog--to complete unfinished quilt tops by New Year's. I guess that I made it on time. I'm now in a thinking mode, as I decide what quilt pattern to make next. I want to donate another quilt. The charity group that I volunteer for asked for blankets--so it's blankets they will get. I'm also making a granny afghan using bits of left over knitting worsted yarn. Got a granny block done last night while watching TV.

Happy Thanksgiving! My daughter and son-in-law live near me, and I'm going over to their house for dinner. What I love most about Thanksgiving is joining with family and friends for a lovely time together. It's a big group hug.

Stars Baby Quilt, ready to be quilted

I'm making progress on this quilt.  I sewed on the green gingham border. So now, I still have to finish tying (not much headway there) the liberated quilt I made for the Amish-Gee's Bend Challenge (see previous posts)  and I have to pin baste this one.  I'll be busy.  I don't like to have a lot of quilt tops hanging around, so to speak.  It's important to me to complete each quilt top as I go along.  I feel a real sense of accomplishment after I finish sewing on the binding.  So now I have two to work on.  I'm also crocheting a shrug for myself, knitting a sweater for my daughter, plus I had a big idea yesterday on how to use up some green baby yarn that's been in my stash for ages, and started knitting a baby sweater.  This sounds like a big bunch of stuff, but--I did complete a sweater and cap for my granddaughter yesterday evening--so stuff is getting done, eventually.  By the way, I made a baby hat and booties for my doctor last week.  I have an appointment with her this week.  My dentist just went on maternity leave, too.  Good news, people keep having babies!
And another thing, I'm reading a cute book That Dorky Homemade Look by Lisa Boyer.  It's an amusing book about sewing quilts. A quote: "Give it (the quilt) to someone you love dearly.  They must drag it around the house, wrap themselves up in it when they have a fever, spill something brown on it..."

Star baby quilt--the beginning

Well, I was a bit under the weather for a few days, in more ways than one!  Besides my not feeling well, we went from having comparatively cool type weather all summer to having the hottest day ever recorded.  It was as if all that summer heat that we had avoided decided to hit us in only one day!  Lucky me, I had my AC repaired recently, and it was up and running for that blast of heat.  And people say that we have no weather to speak about in Southern California.

I have begun sewing a baby quilt, which was the next thing on my sewing list.  I turn under the edges of the stars by sewing them to fusible interfacing. Placing right side of  fabric to sticky side of interfacing, I sew all around the edges, then I cut a little hole in the interfacing and turn the star right side out.  Presto, all the edges are turned under.  I then press the stars to the quilt square and machine sew the edges.  I plan to make alternate squares in a free-pieced crazy square.  I have a lot of scraps of kid-type fabric left over from that I Spy quilt that I made. So now is the perfect time to get some of them sewn up.    

Half-log-cabin Baby quilt

Finished the quilt. And thus my quest for the "perfect" pattern for a baby quilt pattern rolls on.
Last night as I was sewing on the binding, I had a mishap. I was watching that TV show "Lie to Me'" and they just got to the point where they say "We saw that vicious scowl on your face, and because of that, we know that you're the murderer! You're the one who knew the victim was allergic to peanuts, and you slipped some hot peanut butter into his chili!" And instead of the accused saying "Are you nuts? Where's the evidence--I'm calling my lawyer from the law firm of Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe!" He says, "Well, you got me now--I'm the one who did the dirty deed." It reminds me of an old Perry Mason show--where Perry has a woman on the witness stand, and asks her, "On the night of February 30th, did you go to the home of your husband's mistress' boyfriend and stab him to death?" And she starts crying, "Oh, Mr. Mason, you asked me question after question--I can't take it anymore! Yes, I killed the guy. He was ruining all my husband's fun!"
Anyhow, at that pointed point, I stabbed my finger with the point of the needle. Luckily, no Bad Fairy had cast a spell on me, so I didn't fall asleep for a hundred years. I hurried to the bathroom and used a white towel and some peroxide to get the blood spot off of the quilt.

I spy quilt

I saw a quilt I liked in Quick Quilts magazine. It was designed by Caren Zimmerman. It's not an "I spy quilt" in the magazine, but used various prints in the blocks. But I thought that the pattern would make a good I spy type of quilt. I have the blocks stitched together, but I have to make a border and acquire a suitable batting and backing for it. The blocks are cut 7 1/2 inches, and 4 1/2 inches and the strips are cut 2 inches wide.

Baby quilt

Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear blogging friends. This happens to be my 200th blog entry! I got up early and baked some brownie cookies for the big dinner. I have a lot to be thankful for today. First of all, I woke up today. And I have a wonderful family, friends and neighbors. Lots of things to be thankful for, our free country among them. My darling oldest daughter is making the dinner today. I'll go over and pitch in. And besides that, I have completed this quilt.

Strips Baby Quilt

Here it is, all pin basted. It's a Strips Baby Quilt and makes a very quick donation quilt. To make it, cut strips of children's fabrics and other fabric to fill in, the full length of the fabric from 2 1/2 to 6 inches wide. I usually make the baby fabrics the wider strips. Sew them together, making one edge even. When the quilt is about 36 inches, it's done. Trim the uneven side and press. I want to try doing some of that utility quilting on it.

Utility-quilted liberated baby quilt

Here are the pictures of the completed quilt. I tried the utility quilting method. I used bedspread type crochet cotton for the stitches. I spread the quilt on the table and stitched it, using a darning needle. The backing is flannel, so the stitching was quite easy to do. As you can see in the photo, the method gives the quilt an embroidered appearance. And it looks puffy. The only change I would make is to use a regular weight batt, instead of the thin acrylic one I used. I think that regular weight batting would have given a more puffed effect. And I would recommend this method over the usual tying, especially for a baby quilt. So I've learned how to do something really old-fashioned, and a nearly forgotten method.

There's good news and bad news. The good news is that I have pieced together a quilt top for my charity donation. Some liberated stars put together with yellow gingham. This seems to be about the last of my yellow gingham, of which I had nearly a whole bolt. "I'm waiting for my ship to come in," as they used to say in my old book, The Five Little Peppers," which I read over and over when I was a kid. Ha, ha that book is so dated now--actually I'm just waiting for the batt that I ordered to arrive in the mail! Now on to the bad news--after spending a couple of hours in the doctor's office--I have conjunctivitis--known as pink eye, and etc. So now I'm taking those little pills. And here I was feeling so good, after enduring two weeks of the last sickness. Never mind. I want to make another quilt this week, too. I have in mind a Chinese coin of some kind--but I'll think about it. Meanwhile, I have finished knitting socks for my cousin Sandy. They're knitted with Kroy yarn. I don't know when I'll get to the Post Office to send them to her. To be continued.

Binkie

I'm starting a new thing, I want to make some donation quilts for the Binky Patrol. I just put this quilt top together. I call it a "liberated" I Spy. It's very easy, especially because I had strings and stuff hanging around, left overs from other projects. I ordered a large batt. I'm planning to cut it into four parts, to make 4 binkies.

Completed baby quilt--Lemonaid

What happened to the lemonade

This is a sample of what can be made with those wild and crazy blocks. I put together six of them (9 1/2 inch) into a baby quilt. I like to make easy quilts for babies using lots of colors. Babies love these quilts and usually use the ones I give them until they shred. As any of you who have read my blog know, none of my quilts is going to win a ribbon at any quilt show or fair. But they keep loved ones warm. I generally put flannel on the back of these baby quilts. I put an assortment of my baby quilts on my flickr. You can view them by clicking the flickr block on my blog.
Happy New Year, and may you make some satisfying quilt projects in 2008.

Triple play

It's a triple--three quilts at once! How did I get myself into this? OK, I'm still making those 400 puffs I've been going on and on about. My puff quilt isn't nearly finished yet. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, as the old cliche goes--where do I begin? OK, my dear cousin "Y" (names have been changed to protect the innocent) sent me an adorable photo of her baby with the quilt that I made for him. But also, in the same photo, are two of his darling brothers, "A" and "N" with their old falling-apart baby quilts. They still take their old baby quilts to bed with them--and they are grade school age, and sleep in a bunk bed. So I've been thinking and thinking--what to do? And guess what--Gwen Marston's book, LIBERATED QUILTMAKING, came to my rescue. I decided to make two quilts at once, each a different block from her book. The boys' quilts will have alternate squares of coordinating fabric.
While the white parts of the quilt block are 4 1/2 inches square--and so is the center square--the remainder of the parts require 5 1/2 inch squares. And 5 1/2 inches is exactly the size of block required for the puffs! Therefore, I can cut the parts required for the boy's quilt and use any left over 5 1/2 inch squares for puffs. Boy, I hope these plans work out----
Anyhow, I went to the store today and bought a frame for the photo, and hung it up near my sewing machine--nothing like seeing 3 kids enjoying my quilts to brighten my day. And the kids never check for mistakes in my sewing, either.

Finished baby quilt

Here it is, all free-motion quilted and bound! I'm so excited. I used to bind quilts only with bias, but lately I've been cutting straight strips. And I have another exciting project that I'm working on: To Be Continued-----

baby quilt completed

Here's my completed baby quilt. It's an easy quilt that I designed. I free-motion quilted it. It's a good way to use up left-over fabrics. This is how to make one like it: Make an applique or embroidered design in the center. This section should be 12 by 13 1/2 (includes 1/4 inch seams.) I make the applique on a larger piece of fabric and trim it to size when the applique is finished. Cut fabrics 4 inches wide to finish 3 1/2. Add the strips to the top and bottom first, then all around. My quilt finishes about 40 by 47 inches.

This is a baby quilt that I made recently. It's alternating applique and crazy squares. I plan to publish directions for making it.