Quilts For Kids

First thing I need to say is that for once I downloaded my pictures in the proper order and they were showing on the blog exactly the way I wanted to display them! No cutting and pasting required. Yay!

I posted the tops of these two quilts awhile back. Such "a while" that the Quilts for Kids people are probably wondering what has happened to the fabric they sent me. And while the quilts have been done for a bit now I am still held up by the last detail; labels. They send you a pre-printed label for their fabrics but I am a bit stymied by this requirement because I don't do labels. I know, I know, labels are a good thing. Future generations will wonder where the quilts all came from. And, they like you to name the quilt, which I don't do either. **sigh**

Here goes. "Nick's Jam" is the name of this quilt, although I know I used that for my blogger quilt entry too. The fabric sent to me was cute and suited for a younger child. My thinking is that not all the "kids" are going to be the very young ones. There is a 14 year old boy stuck in a hospital room some where too. And this quilt is for him. Using leftovers from Nick's Jam I put together my donation quilt.

The fabric of the striped blocks and borders was a freebie that came along with a purchase at a quilt show. It is fun and lively and I just knew I'd find the perfect use for it someday, and I did. The narrow border is the tone on tone black fabric, also from Nick's quilt, that is a sheet music print.
A look at the light blue batik backing, one I favor, and Tomi's great stitch work. Special thank you to Tomi for donating the batting and her valuable time and talents on these two quilts.
"Rubber Ducky You're the One" is the quilt I put together with the bright fun fabrics supplied by the charity.
The backing is cute too.
Tomi stitched this one in a meandering pattern that has sort of a look of puzzle pieces.
I am committed to getting the labels on these and sending them off! It was on my list for the long weekend, but not sure how that will work out. I know I know, it is just a small thing....

Online Quilt Show

The last link on Nick's Quilt is my first time venturing out to "show" one of my quilts. There is a link at the bottom that takes you to the quilt blog that is sponsoring this online quilt festival. I am entry #263.
As much as I have been proud of alot of the quilts I've made, I do have to say that Nick's truly is probably my best....so far.

Quilt Blogger Festival Entry

"Nick's Jam"
I began quilting about three years ago and fulfilled a lifelong goal to learn to make quilts. Growing up my maternal grandmother made wonderful scrap quilts for the family and they were like old friends,and I had always wanted to learn to make these wonderful keepsakes myself.

For my grandson Nick's 16th birthday, and his sister Stevi's 13th, I made them each a lap size quilt. They both loved them, but Nick LOVED his. I promised him a queen size for his bed for his 18th birthday. But I wanted his contribution to the project in choice of theme, colors and fabrics. One weekend we shopped together online and I ordered all of the fabrics to make his quilt. I chose the BQ quilt pattern from Maple Island Quilts and constructed the quilt top in 12 inch blocks. The narrow black framing border is a tone on tone print of sheet music.

Close up of a block, this guitar print is my favorite fabric of all that are on this quilt.

This was also my first double sided quilt. I just couldn't find backing that would do the quilt justice and since I bought all the fabrics online I had purchased extra. The back is a Turning Twenty style block in 18 inches.

The quilt stitching is by Tomi Guapo (http://www.sunkissedquilts.com/) and she used a very dark red thread in a pattern of music notes.

Tomi's special touch of embroidery, at my request. For his high school graduation and birthday Nick received a new Les Paul guitar.
My grandson Nick, and his Les Paul.
I've made some quilts that I have been very proud of and I'm happy that when given as gifts they are received in the spirit intended. Thanks to the creative input of a talented young man Nick's quilt is, to date, my masterpiece.

Home Improvements

Last fall we had a new heating and air conditioning system installed. When the repairman says "Ummm, don't ever turn this heater on again..." well then that is your next new purchase. As a result we have been assured that the window room air conditioners we needed in order to sleep in our upstairs bedrooms in the summer will not be necessary. That we will enjoy the comforts of all night long central air at an affordable rate.
This motivated us to install a ceiling fan on the attractive, but impractical, high ceiling in our bedroom. We purchased a really nice looking fan and light fixture, had it installed, came home excited to see the results of this work and, OH! MY! It looked just awful! Too big, too dark, too low. Just TOO.

Easy fix, buy the same attractive fan in the compatible colors and hang it a foot or so higher.
There, that's the look we were going for!

If Graham, our electrician and my boss Charlene's son, can find a ladder tall enough we will install Fan #1 in our entry way to help distribute some of that new and improved air conditioned air!

Triangles

Triangles in relation to my quilting have always created issues for me. And I am still traumatized by the almost 400 triangles that made up Ryan and Jess' queen sized Domino Effect quilt. Recently I learned a new triangle technique that makes them much less painful, much more accurate, and I launched a mini project as practice.
These are actually triangles, step two. I won't bore you with the details.

Blocks made out of triangles!

The star pattern center.

Finished mini quilt, doll bed size. And this view you can barely see the flaw that was the result of not understanding the difference in measurements for this system.

My somewhat futile attempt to self teach myself hand quilting. Going to a class next Thursday. In order for me to learn something like this I need to study it, read about it, and also have someone explain it and show me. I have a book, that was both helpful and frustrating at the same time. The caption under the title should have been a clue; "Learn to hand quilt in one day and then spend the rest of your life practicing." Oh, great.

Yes, this one is for Jenna because I used her Tinkerbells. I don't think I could get away with giving her fairies away.

Travels with Naia and Gabriel

Jason and Kel recently enjoyed a vacation road trip to Bosnia and Kel is posting some incredible photos on their blog. So I am copying (stealing) some. Kel on the city walls with Naia.

Jason and Gabriel relax and take in the view.
Gabriel, enjoying lunch seaside.


Naia flying high!

Ummm, Yikes don't look down? (right that would be what I couldn't do)

Quilting Update

Now that the package has arrived in Sofia I can post pictures of Naia's new big quilt. It is a twin size in the Yellow Brick Road pattern. I used fabric I had on hand and I'm pleased how the variety of colors and patterns came together. There are some princess prints, but I kept them to a tolerable amount. As sometimes happens, the borders were a dilemma and we ended up with an old friend of ours called "pink water".

The backing is a fun quilted looking design that I found on the Hancocks of Paducah fabric website and gives the quilt very reversible feature. Along with the quilt I sent a matching pillowcase in this fabric.
Folded half view. Reusing fabrics gives it a familiar feel like a bunch of quilt friends all together.
Backing folded over onto the front.
The stitch pattern is special. My quilter, Tomi (www.sunkissedquilts.com) saw this design of flip flops, starfish and coral and instantly thought of us. She purchased the pattern with our family in mind and we are the first for it to be used on. Naia, along with her older cousin Jenna, both have big bed quilts now. My plan is that for the next bed size I want the girls themselves to choose design and fabrics.
This quilt is for my friend and hairdresser Laura's grandson Deegan. He is just about the same age as Gabriel, and her first grandchild, although he will be joined by a sibling later this year. I've been sharing some of my quilting projects with Laura when I visit her for hair appointments and as a person with sewing experience she is interested in quilting also. I was inspired to make this for Deegan using fabrics from both of Gabriel's quilts. It carries the Pirate/Ocean theme too. It is the Take Five/Teachers Pet pattern on point, the same as Gabriel's first quilt.
Corner close up.
Once again Tomi discovered a stitch pattern that she knew would appeal to me. Pirate design! Complete with skull and crossbones, sabers and boots.
Kiera's next project in design stage. Bed sized, all tropicals from our friends at Beyond the Reef. Eight inch blocks (100 of them!) that she patiently cut herself. I have agreed to do the assembly for her. Because the creative process is what Kiera enjoys, the mindless sewing is not. I, however, often find the pinning, sewing, and ironing distracting and peaceful.