First Quilting EVER!

 I've made many quilts, but have been spoiled by a quilting mother.  She has a longarm machine, so it was all to easy to just send my quilts to her.  However, since I am now not pregnant anymore and whipping out these quilts "too fast", according to her, she said I had to learn for myself!  So, I entered longarm training: an intense day long event to better familiarize myself with the machine and technique of longarm.  So, I quilted a quilt for the first time last week!

 This quilt is part of the The Quilting Book Club.  It is called Posie Patch and is from Amy Ellis' "Modern Basics book".  I used mostly Modern Meadow fabrics by Joel Dewberry.  The pattern is simple but has helped me improve my skills with triangles and matching up my seams.  It looks beautiful and I am really happy with the finished product.  It hangs in my sewing/craft room!!

 If you look close enough, you can see that the quilting isn't perfect... it is my first one though, but I really couldn't be more happy about it.  Using thread that doesn't show the quilting certainly helps.  I am excited to get another quilt on the racks and get going on my second quilting job!

In other news... I am getting excited to start putting these together:

Aviary Quilt

 I recently purchased Joel Dewberry's line of Aviary 2 fabrics in the yellow/granite colorway.  I just really liked the fabrics.  I purchased them from Hawthorne Threads who I find often gets some of the newer lines sooner and also has some other hard to find lines.  I also used Kona Charcoal and Bella Snow.

 I saw a pattern in a magazine that I loved, cut out and changed a few things.  I made the blocks a little bigger, and changed placement and layout a bit.  But I really love how this design shows off the fabrics.  I love this line so much that I didn't want to hack it up and lose the fabric design... I like this so much that I will likely use this or a similar pattern (because I didn't write down exact measurements-- I like to wing it:)) again in the future.

 What I like most about this is that the frames/borders/sashing (whatever you call it), are not all even.  One side is thicker/bigger than the others on most of these blocks.  I think it adds a dimension and a character to the quilt.

 My mom out did herself on this quilting.  It looks so good and fits the quilt fabric perfectly.

 It is a little easier to tell in the above pictures that four of these blocks actually makes up one large block.  I like that and think I will do something like that in the future as well.

 Close up of the quilting.

For the back I used Moda Bella Snow and pieced a section in the middle with the fabric I had left over.  I did the binding in Kona Black and I think it is really striking.  I love it!!

The beauty is going to my friend Laurie.  She saw it, loved it, wanted to BUY it (she is so silly) and said she had to have it.  I was like "Really!? My quilt?!?" So we are working out a trade.  She makes great bags so I think I will be swapping for some bags in the near future!

Charms Framed

 I have to tell you, this quilt has turned into one of my favorite quilts!!  I just love how bright it is!  You really can't be in the company of this quilt without being happy!

 Lucy, who just can't help herself, on top of my completed quilt.

 This quilt was completed using 2 charm square packs of Free Spirit Fabrics' Tea Garden collection.  For the top, I cut each charm square in half and sewed in either Kona white or the pink colored Kona (can't remember what I used!).  I put the squares in groups of four, sewed them together and then framed them with Kona Corn Yellow.  Then I used that Kona green/blue (I'm sorry, don't remember that name either).  Really easy, and great result!

 For the back, I just used whatever left over charm squares were available and sewed them all together into a square.  Then I did the opposite framing as the front.  I love a pieced back!

The quilting was done with a varigated thread and I love it!  It shows up awesome on the bold/plain Kona fabrics.  I used the pink fabric as the binding and I love the way that it really pops!  I think it's great to be able to buy a couple sale packs of charms and throw in some on-sale solids and have a great quilt!

This beauty resides in our family room, usually found with a child inside :).