Oh My Dog Complete!

I finally finished the Oh My Dog quilt I have been working on for the past few weeks.  It didn't take too long to complete the quilt part, but my speed decreased dramatically when it came time to attach the binding.  I love the look of hand attached binding, but it does take me some precious time to complete.

This quilt is much like my Pretty Patchwork quilt that I mentioned last week, except I used disappearing nine patch blocks instead of squares and a rectangle or two.  I love the way it turned out!

I pieced some simple squares into the backing, which makes it very sweet.  

It's quilted with loops in the center, and the borders are just finished off with some "in the ditch" straight lines.  

Now, I'm going camping.  No quilting for me for a few days...  I think I'll survive.

  Enjoy your weekend!!

Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

My entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side is my Pretty Patchwork Quilt.  It's made from Soiree by Moda, and a few scraps of fabric by Amy Butler and Michael Miller.  

Although it is very simple, this quilt is special to me for many reasons....

It was one of the first quilts I posted on this blog, and I remember being very scared about putting my work out there for people to see.  

It was also the first quilt I quilted with loops instead of the stipples or straight lines I had used before.  I love how it turned out!

Finally, it was the first quilt I sold on Etsy, which was a huge accomplishment for me!  You should have seen me dancing like a fool in my living room! :)

Do you have a quilt that you are especially fond of?  Then don't waste any more time!  Go enter it in the Blogger's Quilt Festival so we can all see it!

Thanks for stopping by my little ol' blog!  Come back any time. ;)

Feeling Fresh and Funky?

Then join the Fresh and Funky Quilting Bee over at Me and Ma and Forestpoppy like I did!  We still need a few more participants in order to begin, and we want you to join!  Head over there right now to read the rules and leave a comment to join!  If I can do it, you can too!

Oh My Dog!

This week, I have been working on yet another commissioned baby quilt.  It's for another little boy, and the only request was that the fabrics would go with light blue and green.  I found the cutest charm packs of Oh My Dog by Lori Gardner for Moda, and knew it was perfect for the job!  I bought two and pulled out all the pinks and aquas (which I'm sure you will see later on).  I decided to make the top from disappearing nine patch blocks, which I originally read about on Cluck Cluck Sew.  I just love how it looks like I spent hours, but in actuality it couldn't have been quicker or easier!  I need to add a border or two, and this little guy will be ready to be quilted!

Zoo Quilt

For me, there is nothing better than photographing a finished quilt. It makes me feel a real sense of accomplishment, and as you quilters know, it is quite an accomplishment to finish a quilt!

This one is going to be a gift from my mother to one of my friends who is expecting her first baby in June. I just love the way it turned out, and I'm pretty sure I would keep it for myself if I had a reason! :) The fabric I based the whole quilt on is 2D Zoo in Chocolate by Michael Miller. I also decided to put sashing around all the blocks to make them stand out.

I pieced the backing from scraps of the quilt top and solid chocolate fabric.  I quilted in vertical straight lines around each row of blocks, which really lets the fabrics stand out.

Here's to a sense of accomplishment!

See more on Flickr- Zoo Quilt 

Ugly Quilt Contest

 

Natalia over at Piece 'N Quilt is hosting an Ugly Quilt Contest!  How funny is that?!  Now, I don't know if I'll win...or if I even want to win...but I thought I'd show you which of my quilts I like the least and explain why.

This is my Christmas Log Cabin(ish) quilt.  When I started out, I wanted to make a wonky log cabin quilt from blocks like these at Tallgrass Prairie Studio.  Those blocks are so perfectly unique and different! 

However, the dreaded self-doubt monster quickly took over my project planning, and I decided to make the blocks straight and plain.  Boring.  After making about half the blocks I'd planned, I was so frustrated that I just cut out white squares to finish it off.  I did not want to waste any more time on quilt blocks I didn't even like.  However, the white made it even worse.  Sigh... 

So, here's my entry. Have you ever made an "ugly" quilt?  If so, hop on over the Piece 'N Quilt and join the fun!  Also, leave me a comment here so I can see your entry!

**Update: My ugly quilt didn't win the contest.  I think I may be the only one who thinks it's ugly...**

Sketchy Stitchy Applique Take One

So yesterday, I decided I needed to try something new in my quilting, so here is the result of my first attempt.  I think it could have been a lot worse, to be honest.  After about 4 or 5 more practice runs, I'll be ready to make something cute!  

The duck-ish bird in the lower right-hand corner was my first bird, and he's a pretty sad little guy, but the rest aren't so terrible.  

This is the back.  I really like the fact that this method of applique is like quilting as well.  It adds something unexpected to the finished product.  I used thicker bobbin thread for the two darker birds, but I wouldn't recommend doing that.  It does make them stand out more, but the stitches look weird.  I'd just use a solid or subdued print for the backing fabric.  Now, I have to go back to binding my WIP from last week.  Happy Tuesday!

Trying Something New

I think every crafter comes to the point where they are quite comfortable making different variations on the same old thing.  I have arrived.  So, I've decided to try something new.  I found a wonderful tutorial for sketchy applique stitching at Bloomin' Workshop, and I realized that it's time to branch out.  This could be an absolute disaster, but it could also be fun.  So, here goes nothing!  Have you tried anything new lately?