Thursday, February 26, 2009

Basket of Hope


A few years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a class at my local quilt shop taught by Pat Sloane. She is a very skilled quilt maker and pattern writer. I was never very interested in traditional applique and fiddling with the needle turn method. When I heard there was another way to do applique and there was an opportunity to take a class by someone like Pat Sloane, I was all over it! This pattern is called "Basket Of Hope", and is actually just a small part of a larger pattern. This wall hanging top is what I was able to do during our class time. I finished the quilting and binding at home.

As you can see the applique is held down by decorative blanket stitches...by machine. My little fingers were very relieved.

I really enjoy adding my own creative touches with quilting.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

It's Still A Small World

Well, I thought I'd continue with my small theme and show a doll quilt I made for my niece. She is two and really loving here dollies now so I thought it was time for a real doll quilt. The truth is I was working on a larger quilt with these fabrics and I just looovvvveeee them. I have plenty of extra fabric and the scraps were just calling out to be made into a little girls doll quilt. 1930's reproduction fabrics are the coolest! I just cut 2 1/2" squares from my scraps and my son arranged them while I stitched them together. I think it turned out great! This little quilt was machine pieced and machine quilted. The larger quilt is finished but is impatiently waiting next to my machine to be quilted. I promise I'll post it when it's done.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

It's A Small World

This cute little quilt is from a pattern by Patchalot Patterns. It's called "Medallion Doll Quilt". I took a class at my favorite quilt shop and it was taught by none other than the maker of the pattern. I machine pieced and hand quilted it.
The center applique is actually wool which makes for a nice texture. This was fun to put together and satisfying to finish a project quickly.


I loved it so much I made one for my sister too! I left the hand quilting to her though. Are you done yet sis? I'm waiting....

Friday, February 13, 2009

It's In The Bag

After drooling over so many beautiful handmade bags online, I decided to take a class at my local quilt shop and learn how to assemble one myself. This is the third one I have made so far and the options are endless for this pattern. The bag pattern is called "Charm Party Tote" and is designed by Penny Sturges. The pattern calls for using a charm pack and 1 yard of fabric. I decided to change it up a bit and use strips of fabric instead. I think it gives it a more modern look. I even used an antique button.


There are 6 inside pockets which I think is a must for busy Moms. I machine quilted the fabric before putting it all together and even quilted my sister in law's name inside. Yes, I gave this one as a gift for last Christmas. It was hard to part with but I think it's in good hands.

Poncho Love

Don't you just love this poncho? I made it for my beautiful niece for Christmas. I ordered the pattern from my local yarn store after seeing it online. The pattern is by Knitting Pure & Simple #243.


I used one skein of worsted weight acrylic yarn and worked it on circular needles. I was drawn to the wonderful aquas and browns in this variegated yarn. I am all about yarn that you can machine wash and dry. Especially when making things for children.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A New Woobie!

I was informed by my sister that her son's first "woobie" (baby quilt) no longer covered his toes. She said that he sleeps with it every night but pulls it down to cover his toes and then back up to cover his shoulders and it gets quite frustrating. Auntie to the rescue! A new "woobie" for my nephew.
I used some fabric from a charm pack and a jelly roll of "Wee Play" fabric by American Jane for Moda. I added some other fabrics I had on hand and did not follow a pattern. I just tried to make the best use of the fabrics. Don't you just love those primary colors? I used a soft plaid flannel for the quilt backing and quilted it in a meandering pattern.


I hope this keeps him warm from his nose to his toes!