Ugly Baby Quilt aka Bears in Shorts

Ever have a project you start and then just end up hating.  The fabric for this quilt was super cute.  Bears wearing shorts, cats, flowers, and other cute symbols.  The stripes were adorable.  I wanted to try the exploding square pattern from Missouri Quilting Company.  And then it was put together and I hated it.  I hid the quilt top in the bottom of a bin.  I took it out once in a while and continued to be unhappy with it.  Then I decided I had to finish all my UFOs by December 31, 2018.  And this was a UFO. I took some of the fabric to Joann's and bought backing.  I love polka dots (see the name of this blog) so I bought cute grey polka dot fabric.  As I started to quilt it I started to like it more and more.

I added some leftover squares to the back and some border fabric.  I quilted stitch in the ditch to keep it simple.  I had enough polka dot fabric to make the binding.  And now I like it. I wouldn't say I love it but I don't hate it any longer.  And I finished it. I now have a nice baby quilt or child's quilt to gift off when ready.  UFO completed.

X-mass Quilt

Every year I make my friend Remi a Christmas ornament or quilt.   It satisfies my love for creating and enables me to make some of the fun holiday patterns.  This was her gift for this year. I had to take the photo in my trunk right before I gave it to her because I had forgotten to take a photo before.  This is a simple pattern of 2 inch squares and some half square triangles.  Cute, fun and easy to make.

Winter Pillows

I had this idea I would make pillows for every season.  I saved these flannel blankets with the idea of making cute pillows with reindeer and mittens on them.  But it became December and I needed to replace the Thanksgiving pillows.  So I made pillow covers out of the blankets.  No zippers required.  These are very soft and comfy.  The whole family is very happy with them.  They may stay out through January.

In the Summertime

This is In the Summertime.  A block of the week by Pat Sloan. This was my first ever block of the week and I loved it. I loved checking each Wednesday to see what the new block would be.  Because each week was different. And I hate repetitive patterns so this fulfilled my desire to try something new.

I used only scraps which made this a bit challenging.  Sometimes I had to cobble pieces together to complete the block.  Other times I had to alter the pattern slightly because I ran out of one piece of fabric.  And I learned about half square triangle (HSTs) which I really don't like but now have totally mastered.

This was a very large quilt and the back is pieced with two large pieces of green fabric.  The quilting is stich in the ditch because I just couldn't stomach possibly running this quilt with my stippling.  The whole time I was making this I thought about who I would give it to.  But now I can't part with it.  It will be added to our collection of couch quilts that we use when we watch t.v.  I would take it to a picnic but I am afraid it would get dirty.  

Sewing with my son.

Right before school started my 13 year old son asked if he could sew with me.  I quickly set up my old machine opposite my own and gave him a charm pack to work with.  He chain pieced 99% of the quilt before it was time to go back to school.  He really got the hang of chain stitching and matching up seams.  Once school began he lost interest which was fine with me.  He had almost completed the entire top except for one border.  When November rolled around and my guild was asking for charity quits. I pulled out the top and asked him if he wanted to finish it.  He didn't so I completed the top and quilted it. 

I invited him to attend the guild meeting to present his quilt at show and tell but he was too embarrassed.  I let him know there were male quilters in the world and in fact my guild has two.  But even the enticement of a desert table could not get him to go.  Instead we faced timed when I presented the quilt to the guild and let them know who had pieced it and that we were donating it to charity.  He was very happy with that and the guild was very responsive to his efforts.  



Sewing Frenzy

I spent my Thanksgiving break in a sewing frenzy.  Here are some of the things I completed.

First up was a jelly roll baby quilt.  Very simple pattern, easy to make.  The back is that soft squishy material.  This was a commissioned piece, my first actually.  I didn't charge for it but I asked them to purchase the fabric.

Thanks to my model Teddy for posing so nicely for the photos.

 

Next was Redwing Blackbird by Chezstiches.   I had high hopes for this quilt. I loved the fabric even though the pattern was for blackbirds I wanted chickens.  But this turned out to be the hardest pattern to follow.  Every piece of fabric I cut out was the wrong size or I couldn't figure out which fabric I needed to cut.  After making the chickens you see I decided I could not go on.  But instead of scraping the whole project I turned it into a table runner.  Much happier and I still got my chickens.

 

A quilted hug came next.  I had been saving this project and the fabric for colder weather. It is very hard to work with fleece when it is 100 degrees out.  So as the weather cooled I completed this project and just in time for the cold weather.  I can wear this when I sew or just to watch T.V.  It keeps the upper body very nice and snug.  There are pockets on the inside for tissues and the lip balm I always have to have with me at all times.

Next up were fall pillows.  All my ideas came from things I found on Pinterest.  I used up scraps and only bought fabric for the actual pillows. I used a die cut machine (thanks to my friend Jan) to cut out all the leaves from leftover wool.  These will stay out until the December pillows are made.

Last up were the puting together the Pat Sloan Merry and Bright blocks.  This was a block of the week that Pat Sloan hosted.  Every week a new block.  It was supposed to be one quilt.  I split mine into two small mini quilts.  In July I made two holiday quilts for friends. I can't find them.  These Merry & Bright quilts will replace the ones I can't find.  Hopefully I will find the lost ones in time for next year.

Dragon Fly

This is Dazzle by Colourwerx.  I first saw this at a quilt fair and had to return to the booth several times because this quilt kept calling me.  I saved the pattern until I found the perfect jelly roll of peacock fabric.  The pattern calls for a slash and sew design which was new to me. I also had to learn to sew curves.  The pattern provides great directions and tips on this. 

The quilting was all done on my domestic machine.  This was a real labor of love. I worked on it in small sections because it was hard to maneuver through the tiny arm hole of my singer machine.  Also the batting I used was very thick (which I won't be using again) and it was so hot to have this quilt laying on my during the hot weather we have had.  I used a walking foot technique I learned in my Jacquie Gering craftsy class.  And my son took the photos with his new phone which look much better then photos on my phone.  This is going up on my wall in the house.



Halloween haberdashery

My new favorite obsession is newsprint fabric.  And of course I love Halloween.  So this pattern by Melissa Mortenson at Polkadotchair was perfect for me.  It is called Halloween Haberdashery.  It went together very easily once I got the hang of the hats.  I also got to use my other new favorite obsession piping.  I used piping around the edges of the pillows.  I am so in love with these pillows I think I will make some for each season.  Changing pillow covers is such an easy way to make over the house for the different seasons.  Now to just keep these away from the dog!

Happy Camper Bag

I am obsessed with campers. I want one, I want to camp in one, I want to travel around the states in one.  For now I will just have to settle for this adorable quilted camper bag.  I saw this pattern at the Santa Barbara Quilt Fair and fell in love - Happy Camper by Jennifer Jangles.  They had a sample and I thought for sure I can make this.

I made it but it was hard.  I learned so many new things.  First off - piping.  I had never heard of it or used it. I love it.  What a nice finish to the outside of the bag.  Second - following directions. I missed a step but was able to recover.  Third - measure everything.  I did measure but was still off and had to add some extra fabric. I still haven't figured out where the error was.  Fourth - It's okay to skip steps. I skipped the binding for the inside step.  Since I was making this for myself I gave myself an okay to skip a step that I just couldn't manage.  Raw edges can be seen if you look inside the bag.

This camper is a cutie and I will definitely be using it to take sewing supplies to class. I am not sure I will be making another one though.  



Jelly Roll Bag

I have been  quilting for over twenty years but have never taken a class.  Crazy, right.  I learned from my mom, and then books and the internet.  I recently joined the Valley Modern Quilt Guild and they host classes. I took my first class and made this jelly roll bag. I absolutely love it and the class was a lot of fun.  Just being with other quilters, seeing how they quilt and their supplies, and getting to try out another machine (when mine quit) was so much fun. I am already signed up for my next class.  And I will be using my jelly roll bag to tote my items to class.

New Quilting Techniques

This pattern was seen in a quilting magazine my hubby got me for my birthday. I loved the idea of trying out new quilting techniques that I learned from a recent on line machine quilting class.  I never took much care in the finishing of a quilt.  By the time I got to the sandwiching part I just wanted to be done.  But recently I have been focusing on the quilting part and this small table runner was a great way to get started.  I like how the lines give the quilt a 3-D effect.  And I love the wavy lines I made on the houses.  Unfortunately I mixed up some of the squares when piecing and didn't notice until I was done. Of course no one will notice but me.  I am proud of my work on this and that I took my time to really quilt it. 

Baby Quilt

This is a row by row baby quilt I made for a dear family friend who just had a baby girl.  I wanted to try many different patterns that I had seen on the internet.  This was originally a part of a much larger quilt but was then taken apart and made into this pattern.

After taking an on line quilting class about machine stitching I used a decorative stitch to make small linear curves to quilt this.

 I love how the curves gave the quilt a bumpy texture that none of my other quilts have ever had.

I hand stitched the binding because I was trying out a new technique I had seen at a recent quilt fair.  Hand binding is not for me and I had a very trying time of it due to the ongoing tendonitis I suffer from. But the end result was a very lovely quilt with a nice neat binding.

Summer Sewing

It was a busy summer for us.  Bar Mitzvah's and a big trip to Israel for another bar mitzvah celebration.  Summer camp and visits with family.  In between all of that I sewed up a ton of projects. 


First up was to finish a project that I had first seen at Road2CA.  This first picture is the inspiration.  The pattern is from the Simply Vintage book which can be found https://www.fatquartershop.com/simply-vintage-magazine-issue-22.

Here is my version.  I decided to omit the writing.  I really like the concept of the log cabin which is half invisible and the other half bright colors.  This pattern is very popular now.  I love to try and find where the log cabin begins.  It is sort of like an adult Ispy quilt.

 

Next up were these adorable fabric baskets.  The pattern can be found here http://quiltingdigest.com/make-little-quilted-buckets-from-leftovers-in-your-stash/ and there is a great tutorial video.

Lastly I am doing the Merry and Bright sew along with Pat Sloan.  Her first block was a house block which I decided to turn into a Halloween quilt.  Pat Sloan has tons of quilt a longs.  I did one over the summer and am now involved in two of them. I love them because each week a new block comes out.  I never get bored and it is always something new.

I also watched the entire series of Jackie Gering straight line quilting on Craftsy.  I learned so much. 

UFO - Unfinished Objects

After I attend Quilt Con in February I came back inspired to finish all my UFO's.  This camper panel was a part of an entirely different quilt that I hated and was sitting in the closet. I pulled it apart, added another camper panel and finished it off. I love it now and just need to find a place to hang it.

This is my house quilt.  This quilt top was hanging in a closet for at least three years.  It was a queen size and I didn't know how to finish and it and I didn't want to spend the money for the backing.  I went to Goodwill and found this adorable dog printed queen size sheet.  What goes perfect with houses - dogs.  At Quilt Con I was determined to figure out a way to quilt it. I actually saw this exact quilt but it was long arm quilted and that was not an option for me. I saw another quilted that was quilted with horizontal rows.  This was perfect for this quilt and my tiny Singer machine.  After many days and one entire audio book my house quilt was finally done.  It now has a permanent spot on the couch.

Quilted Hug

This is a quilted hug. It is a quilted bed jacket.  I made this pink one for my mom.  The outside is a jelly roll.  The inside is fleece.  There are two pockets on the inside.

After my Dad saw my mom's he wanted one. So I made him a Yankee one.  It is being modeled by my son who is almost as tall as his granddad.  These quilted hugs are great for keeping seniors warm and they keep your arms free so you can read, sew, or just relax.