Thursday, August 27, 2015

My First Barn Quilt

This quilt has been weeks in the making by Dan and I. It was a fun project and I intend to make more.

The things I have learned:
  • Frog Tape works much better than blue Painters tape.
  • Check the mis-mixed paint shelves in your local paint departments. Menards has gallons for $5, Lowes charges $9. I also got some from the Habitat for Humanity Restore Shop for $2-3/quart. These were good colors, so I was happy to pay that.
  • Transfer some of the paint into a plastic throwaway container. Since you need 3-4 coats, it's much easier to get in to than a paint can.

Here are some in-progress pics:









Friday, August 21, 2015

Another Eat, Play, Sleep, Repeat Quilt

Last night was the Bingo Extravaganza and I'm happy to report that the baby quilt basket brought them $130. More would have been nice, but I know that someone who wanted it placed the winning bid. So yea! Success!

Here is the second of these Moda quilts. This one is for Kaison in Colorado.



I quilted it with Here Comes The Sun panto and Omni gray thread.

I made burp cloths to match

And a taggie blanket.

It wasn't until I took the final photos of this quilt that I realized the 't' in repeat is lined up with the top of the 'a' rather than the bottom of the 'a'.

The package has been received and is well liked.  When I mentioned it to Mandy, she replied, "My grandmother always said nothing is ever perfect and she made a small mistake in every quilt she made. It makes this quilt so much more special." That made me feel pretty good."

Here's the backing, which I love, although Dan didn't care for it. (and Dottie agreed with him!)







Friday, August 14, 2015

Sunshine Baby Gift Basket

Lafayette Transitional Housing is holding their annual BINGO and Auction Extravaganza on August 20th. I have donated a quilt to this event several times and was always suprised at how little they made on a quilt in the auction. This year, I thought I would try something a little different and I put together this basket of handmade items for a baby.

First is the quilt, which is small, only 36 x 43, but cute as can be. The pattern can be found at Moda Bakeshop.

Next are the cute coordinating burp cloths. These are made by stitching 3 fabric strips together and sewing them to a pre-folded diaper. I like to give these to a new mother along with a baby quilt.


How cute are these little bibs? I found a pattern online, but can't find it again. All I printed out was the cutting page, so if I make them again I will probably try to find the original pattern. The backs of these are washcloths, so nice and absorbent.


Then I used my serger to make these cute receiving blankets. They are about 36" square, so not even a yard of fabric. You could make these any size you want.


I had to include a taggie blanket for baby to play with. These are fun to make and I just happened to have a leftover piece of gray minkee for the back.


The bath mitt and baby wash were from the Dollar Tree and I bought the basket and the letters at Michaels. A little Gorrilla Glue to attache the letters and there you have it.


A very cute item for their auction.


 Tickets are on sale now for this event here. You will also be able to bid on items online. So, buy your tickets or register for online bidding if you would like to have this cute Sunshine Baby Gift Basket.


Thursday, July 30, 2015

Small Quilts, Too!

Last week wasn't all big quilts. These were quilted and some even have the binding applied.

Barb made this cute giraffe quilt for a great grandchild.


The brown and black fabrics are minkee.  Popcorn panto and Omni Goose thread. The backing and binding are giraffe spotted fabric, how cute!


Look at all those squares sewn together. That was a lot of work! 


Vicci made this cute table runner.

Pink Paisley quilting, which you can hardly see. I got some practice on binding 60 degree corners.



 Here's the backing with a little better image of the quilting.


 Judy made this quilt for a nephew's baby. She wanted some special quilting as it would be a keeper in the family.
 I quilted 1/4" from the edge of the star, using a ruler, Terry Twists with a feather in the 4-patches, and meander in the background.


 I saw Judy at the One Stop Shop Hop in Kokomo last Saturday and only had a little photo to show her, so I 'm excited to show her the entire quilt.


Here is Carla's cute books wall hanging. It's only about 30" square and I used a new Fireworks panto for the quilting and Glide Silver thread.

How cute is the coloring on this one!




Thursday, July 23, 2015

Big Quilts Week

This has been the week for big quilts at Ruthie's Quilting.

The first one was 114 x 104 and made by Carolyn. It's a Storm at Sea quilt for her daughter Andrea who is getting married next month.


We chose edge-to-edge feathers and I think it's beautiful! What a lovely wedding gift for a daughter.

Bountiful Feathers panto with a light tan thread.



The next one was 104 x 97 and made by Pam.


Beautiful fabrics were used to make this stunning quilt.


Pam chose Tea Rose panto and Sandlewood Omni thread.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Barb's Giraffe Quilt

Barb is a member of my Blue Star Mothers group and she isn't really a quilter, but she made this adorable quilt for a grandchild.


She followed the pattern, cutting and sewing all these background squares together. I might have sewn strips instead of squares, but the final effect of her quilt is adorable!



I quilted it with Popcorn Panto, Maize Omni thread and Hobbs 80/20 batting.




Monday, April 20, 2015

Mary's Twister

Mary made this adorable little Twister quilt for an upcoming baby shower. I'm sure the new mom will be thrilled with it.


She used a charm pack and the colors are so soft, just lovely.


I quilted it with Popcorn pantograph because it was already on the table. I think it's a perfect match!


Omni Lilac thread and Hobbs 80/20 batting.



Let's try this blogging thing again.

Stephanie called me a few weeks ago and asked about quilting her 105" square quilt. We made arrangements for her to drop it off and I had a free evening last week so I started it and finished it the next day.

She chose the Popcorn pantograph and I used Omni - Little Boy Blue thread. She provided a rather thick poly batting that worked just fine.

Here's the whole quilt:


Stunning isn't it?   Here's a close up:



And of the quilting:


Draped over Mabel when it was finished:




She mentioned that there were over 100 blue fabrics used and I'm not sure how many of the neutrals and greens. Gives you a great idea of what to do with all those scraps!