Sugar and Spice for Baby

 After finishing this quilt... I had a bunch of Riley Blake's Sugar and Spice left over along with a couple of dresdens that I hadn't used, so I wanted to make an easy baby quilt. 

 Sometimes I take on projects that are so big that it was really nice to do something fast, easy and simple. There is no pattern here, I just cut pieces all the same size and sewed them together... I love how unplanned I am! (Most of the time)

 For the backing, I was able to get a ton of pinks and blues and greys from the Sherbet Pips line REALLY cheap online so I stocked up big time so I would have plenty of backs for baby quilts.  You can really find some great deals on backs if you have a general idea as to what you might need them for.

 For the quilting, I wanted to try a new pantograph that was pretty circular.  Circles are not easy to do freehand... actually impossible -- you need to use a template or something to guide your long arm in order to do a perfect circle.  So, my mom and I have been on the lookout for more pantographs that look like circles without investing SO much time to make perfect circles.

It turned out really cute and I was happy to give this one to a friend of mine who is expecting a daughter this month!

Love Birds Quilt- FINISHED

I just finished up this quilt for a friend of mine.  I bartered with her and made her a quilt in return for her taking our family pictures this year.  I still feel like I got the better end of the deal but she was very happy to receive this quilt, so that made me happy!

 I used Riley Blake's Love Birds line for this quilt.  The center was so busy that I wanted to break it up with the solid white.  I like how it turned out!  I don't remember the exact measurements but I believe it was around 70x70.

 I pieced the backing... I was very short on the fabric I chose which was also from the Love Birds line so I added some of the fabric I had in my stash.  The colors are really pretty-- I like how the back turned out.

 A closeup.

 Here is a closeup of the front where you can see some of the quilting.  I used one of the new pantographs that we got and I really loved it!    I can't remember it's exact name but it was a funky leaf/feather pattern. 

I used a very light pink Glide thread for this quilt but since the quilt itself is very busy, the fabric is more the show than the quilting.  Hopefully my friend will be able to enjoy and snuggle under this beauty!

Dreaming of Dresdens Quilt- FINISHED!!!

Back in August I blogged about a Dresden Dilemmaa I was having.  After staring at those dresends for what seems like forever, I decided to make a quilt that looks very much like the quilt in the Block Party book.  I think mine is probably bigger though... I think it ended up being 80x100!  I had lots of ideas if I didn't already have the blocks assembled by my Aqua and Red bee group.  I really loved it so I felt like I needed one of these quilts as well!  Like I said, not an exact likeness but really close. :)

As I mentioned, each of the dresdens were assembled by my bee mates and then I added the blue or red background fabric and made them a little "WONKY". 

 Here is a closeup.

 For the dresdens, I used Riley Blake's Sugar and Spice.  For the background fabrics I used Michael Miller's Mini Mikes along with Kona Red.

 I wanted to include this picture of me showing off the quilt top at one of my quilt groups because it shows how huge it is. 

 For the back I used a plaid print from the Moda and I used red, white and pink polka dot fabric from Riley Blake's Sew Cherry line. 

Here is  a closeup of the quilting on the back.  I'm not sure I chose the right pattern to use, but it was  a new one that I was eager to try it.  It is pretty though... looks like ribbons throughout.  After much thought, I decided this beauty belonged in our family room.  We aren't hurting for blankets around these parts but this quilt is so big that our whole family can snuggle under it and that certainly is worth while!

Dresden Dilemma

If you are looking to enter my HUGE giveaway, you can find out how to enter and win one of 6 great prizes here.

 What seems like forever ago, I sent my Aqua and Red beemates some Riley Blake- Quilted Fish Sugar and Spice fabric.  Usually, when it is my month in a bee, I hand over chunks of fabric and let them have their way with it, but this time I gave specific instructions.

You see, I got myself a handy little dresden template and was dreaming in dresdens that month.  I wanted each person to make two dresden blocks for me.  It seemed like a lot of work and since I did just get the template, I made all the cuts myself and just had them put them together.  To make it even easier, I opted for a smooth edged dresden as well.

Side note:  I think for quilting bee blocks, it really is best to let the other bee members be creative and make something original. Better to give general guidelines and let them do their thing. That is really the bonus of these bees is that you have others design for you, not just do your work.  I realized that after I did this bee that, yes, I got the blocks that I wanted, and they were all beautifully sewn, but there weren't any surprises or originality either.  I don't know, what sorts of blocks do you think are best for bees?

1. Aqua and Red Bee - Erin's July Block 01, 2. Aqua and Red Bee - Erin's July Block 01, 3. July - Aqua and Red Bee, 4. July - Aqua and Red Bee, 5. Dresden, 6. Dresden 2, 7. aqua and red bee blocks for erin (toerintx) for july, 8. Aqua Red Swap July 2011, 9. Aqua Red Swap July 2011, 10. aqua and red block for (toerintx) erin..., 11. erin sq2, 12. erin sq 1, 13. Aqua and Red Bee- July Sample Block, 14. Erin's Block #2 for the aqua and red bee , 15. Erin's block #1 for the aqua and red bee , 16. Aqua and Red Bee- July Sample Block

Now I have all these beautiful blocks back in my possession but haven't been able to bring myself to work on it.  I just can't come up with a great idea for this quilt!

I thought about something like this:  (This is the quilt from the book "Block Party")

 What I like most about this is the random red squares and the skewed white squares.  That being said, I don't want to copy the quilt.  I mean, I do get lots of inspiration from others and honestly, sometimes I do try do make the exact same quilt, but generally, I do like to change a few things to make it mine.  I am really stuck on these dresdens though!  I think because they are a little plain in that they all look the same.

Any ideas?  I will continue thinking about it and let you know what I come up with.


My aqua and red bee is coming to a close.  They are continuing on a second round, but I won't be joining them :(.  I love my bees, but I am also looking for more opportunities to do my own quilts!

July for Aqua and Red Bee

 July is my month to send out fabric for the Aqua and Red Bee.  I have been drooling over Riley Blake's The Quilted Fish Sugar & Spice line for forever and chose that as my fabric.

 I recently bought a dresden template and since I love the look of a dresden, I decided that is what I wanted from my beemates. 

 Since I asked for two blocks-- I bribed them with a free fat quarter-- I went ahead and cut all the blades myself.

This is what the dresden looks like after it is completed.  I went for the smoothed edge dresden this time around.  I think it makes it a little more modern.  I have big plans for this quilt and am anxious to get them all back!

Alzheimer Quilts

 The West Houston Area Quilt Guild, which I just joined in (my momma's a member) is very active in making charity projects and asks their members to participate in one or two every year.  Well, I was excited about the Alzheimer quilts charity because these small mini quilts are just like mug rugs which take hardly any time at all to make and they are for a good cause!

I used my fabric and pieced them and my mom did the quilting... so it was a duel effort and both our contributions to the guild.

Quilt 1:

 I got a new dresden template a few weeks back and I LOVE it.  So, I used the mini dresden for the first quilt.  I used Riley Blake's Sugar & Spice fabric.  I also used a fabric from the same line for both the backing and the binding.

Quilt 2:

 Awhile back I participated in a string block swap.  I didn't make enough of them to make an entire quilt, so I have been using them in various projects that need a little something.  So, I sewed four of them together for the top of this quilt.  I also received some fun japanese fabric from my May ALFALC swap and chose to use that for the back of this one.  I bound this one is plain Kona White.