A new home (squared)

Well, well, well, my Sunny Morning Farmhouse Quilt went to a new home recently. Love. 

I remember sitting in the driver's seat of my car, hand sewing the binding onto the back, while my kids were taking summer classes. A ballet class for her and a bug/science class for him. I would spend the time they were away wearing a thimble, contently stitching, and switching channels on the radio. Bliss. 

The design of this quilt is Double Irish Chain. I search pinterest specifically for Irish Chin designs, they are versatile and always make for a stunning quilt. I will make more. Also, our house got a bright blue coat of paint this summer. It feels like a new home and I like saying, "We live in the blue house."

It wasn't until I took this quilt out to photograph it that I realized the bright blue makes for quite a vibrant, artsy backdrop. I am loving the bright quilt againt bright blue. I like to live life on the bright side.

A Gifted Year

I am so very proud to say that all of the items I have made this year have been given away, as gifts. What an exhilarating feeling, not only to complete and wrap up a handmade item for someone special, but to feel their exhilarating upon receiving. In some cases I have gotten beautifully sweet notes in the mail with pictures of smiling faces wrapped in a quilt with words of thanks. Believe me, it's my pleasure.

 ------------A Peppermint Quilt for my family-----------

-----------Sophia's Quilt-----------

---------A summer wedding present Feather Quilt for Mathew and Spring-------

 ----A travel purse for my niece (she went to London, Baby!)-----

 
------------Orange Appreciation Pillows (for Adam, who appreciates orange)----------

--------------------------------------

I hope at the very moment someone opens a gift I've made, they feel no worry, no stress; I hope the feelings are only pleasant. I hope they feel loved and transported to a kind, simple place where handmade gifts mean time for celebration. I have just as much fun making these goodies as recipients do opening them.

The Feather Quilt

This is my first feather quilt! I made this quilt over spring, and ironically the woman who received it as her wedding present (I have written about her before) is named Spring! Thank you, I needed a good coincidence!

I foresee making many, many more feather quilts in the future. This has become one of my favorite patters by Anna Maria Horner. One finished feather block is a whopping 9" wide by 18" tall, which makes the assembly of the quilt top (once the individual feathers are done) come together satisfyingly fast. Also, the feather blocks can be turned sideways here and there for an eye-catching effect.

The fabrics that make up the feathers in my quilt are from designer Sarah Watts and her line Timber and Leaf. I love the combo of turquoise and brown that this quilt follows, which matches Spring's wedding colors. The binding around the edge is mostly leftover scraps from the feathers. I decided to use straight stitch quilting, in a wave-like pattern (I call it "strata design") in which the waves grow and shrink with each new layer. I like it! It's queen size, perfect for a bride, the queen of her castle afterall.

And I heard this quilt got a permanent smear of raspberry wedding cake frosting after a post-wedding cake nosh fest in bed, well well. What happens under the feather quilt, stays under the feather quilt.

Orange Appreciation

 

We know a young man who is turning 16, learning to drive, and likes the color orange. He is my husband's cousin's fiancee's son...and, well, he's family. All I had to go on for his 16th birthday present was that he likes orange. For a quilter such as myself, this information is plenty and leaves a wide range of freedom for maximum creativity. If I knew he liked orange and triangles, for example, then my range of creativity lessens, and I am basically assigned to making something with orange triangles. So these pillows - a couple of comfort items for his room - are the result of maximum creativity at work. You might recognize some of the fabrics. There's some Kate Spain's "Good Fortune," Alexander Henry's "la virgencita," and Lotta Jandsdotter's "Echo," among others. There's lots of pattern and color play, and somewhere in the middle of the project I learned that his room is orange and black. Ooooh. More information, and the result of this additional information is the black binding around the edge. He's a good kid and I hope these bring him comfort. Being 16 is hard work.

London Bound

I know I love my niece when....

....when I have a gazillion things to do and I set them all aside so I can make my niece a purse for her upcoming trip to Europe, most importantly London! 

From Michael Miller fabrics, called "The British are Coming." The handle is 100% linen...

...and on the inside....

....something that caters to the girl within.

She leaves today! Have fun abroad Xoxox

a light beginning

Have you seen feather quilts, or more specifically have you seen quilt blocks in the shape of feathers? I can remember the first time I saw a feather quilt, it took my breath away. In that moment, I imagined making one...someday.

Well, when I heard there was a wedding scheduled for this summer, for two very fortunate, very seasoned individuals, in the ups and downs of life - she is a mom and a widow, he is a dad and a widower, both have one son, and together they weave into the most precious family, both boys becoming brothers, officially, this June 11th -  I knew the time had come to make that feather quilt that (my) dreams were made of -- for all of their dreams, present and future, may each one take flight and sore!

This is the feather pattern I used and it has been a delight and very straight forward. I made cardboard templates out of the shapes that make up the feather. The fabrics I chose have a pastel woodland theme. I love the wood rounds.

It will be a pleasure to set this quilt upon the gift table at the wedding reception. It might be the highlight of summer!

Our Peppermint Quilt

Finally! It's complete! A little late, worth the wait!

Really, the label says it all -

Instead of thinking "this quilt was meant to be for last Christmas," I have decided to think, "this is a really early finish for next Christmas." Eh, pretty clever? I really like the bright red binding and crisp red and white contrast. It measures 56x70. My daughter slept under it last night, and that's a big moment for a quilt. This morning, at 7am, I went in to wake her up for school and I saw the quilt was pulled way up and tucked under her chin. I thought about how quilts are a powerful extension of our love.

My daughter also loves the tossed gingerbread backing fabric and when she first saw it she said, "GINgerbreads!" and there was a wonderful squeal accent that she included as she said the word.

I managed to find the original sketch which, in all of it's arcane coded scribbles, reminds me that every project has to start somewhere. And how a simple hot mess of a sketch can become something gorgeous, containing an indescribable amount of passion and devotion.

Linking my seasonably late finish up to Finish it up Friday...Happy Quilting!