6 x 7

Some quilts make a mark on you and this is one of those quilts. I bought a set of 9 1/2" squares of Amy Butler fabric from a destash on Instagram and set it aside. It was one of the those impulse purchases and after I received the squares in the mail, I was like, what was I thinking? I have nothing that coordinates with this fabric and all of the quilt shops around me don't sell Amy Butler fabric, so I set it aside.

A few months go by. I was edgy and restless and needed something to sew that was quick and easy, so I pulled these out, and sewed them up quick as a flash.

 I knew as soon as I finished the top that this quilt would stay with us, so I decided to try something new and ordered some Amy Butler voile fabric for the back! I couldn't tell you what the fabric lines are in this quilt, but they all seem to clash well together (for lack of better words).

I also used a different type of batting (Polyester high loft) than I normally use (Warm & Natural) and it resulted in a nice, squishy quilt. I quilted with simple diagonal lines because I wanted it to stay poofy.

It's like snuggling a silky cloud - I love it :)

I have a couple of other projects in the works, which I'll share next time.

'Til then, best wishes,
Michelle

My First Commissioned Quilt!!!

Can you tell that I'm a little excited about having completed my first commissioned quilt???! This came about when a coworker saw the quilt that I made for another coworker for her little baby boy (here), and she asked me to make her a quilt for her first grandbaby, a girl.

I showed her some fabric ideas, and she picked Moda's "Lil' Red" by Stacy Iest Hsu, which I just happened to love! She also wanted minky on the back, and let me pick the quilt pattern. Even though I have made several quilts, I completely doubted every single choice I had to make on this quilt: questioning the pattern I picked, the fabric, the piecing, the quilting, everything to the point where it wasn't enjoyable for me to work on it, but I powered through and love the end result! I just need to lighten up and believe that everything will work out for the best, which it did.

I chose this pattern after going through my Pinterest board of quilts, and realizing that I had pinned a quilt like this several times. I liked it because it showcased the fabrics, but it also has an interesting secondary pattern. The pattern is just a 5" square of printed fabric with 2 2.5" squares sewn on opposite corners and then trimmed. Super easy!

I added a border to frame the prints, and then brought the backing minky forward to use as binding, so that the baby could have a soft corner to snuggle with.

This was the first time that I have spray-basted a quilt, and I have to say...I love it! I have been really frustrated lately with puckering/gathering on the backside of my quilts and honestly, it's probably because I don't use enough pins when basting, so I decided that since this quilt was commissioned, I better hedge my bets, and spray-baste, especially since minky was the backing.

The only problems I had were some rolling when I brought the minky forward to be the binding - and that was probably from pinning it and accidentally stretching it when I was sewing it to the front. Other than that, the spray-baste was great!

I also made the doll from the panel that is part of the fabric line and having never made a stuffed doll before, it was a little tricky. I kind of sewed through her neck a little bit and it ended up looking like a fabric vampire bit her or something, so I had to patch that by hand sewing over it a few times. Hopefully it's not too noticeable... :/

Until next time,
Michelle

Green and Blue Quilt

Wow, where has the time gone?! The last time I posted it was still pretty chilly and grey outside...I blinked and now it is summer, with all of its bright colors! You know what that means...better lighting and backgrounds for photos :)

I made this quilt in January/February for a coworker of mine who was having her second baby. I made her a quilt for her first baby, a girl (here is the first one), and kind of felt that I should make her one for her second, who is a boy. I wrestled with that decision though, something I've talked about here before, that line between the desire to give and obligation to give because it has been done before.

In the end, after I chased my tail a few times, I settled in and made a quilt for her. I wanted a simple pattern, and wanted to use fabrics that I already had, so that it didn't feel as much as an investment, more like a gift, so I chose a pattern that is called "Mini Super Six". It uses six half-yards of fabric, which I just happened to have in my stash :) The fabric is from Jo-Anns.

The backing is a really thick fleece that I bought for my stash, just because it was too cute not to come home with me. I also used batting, so this quilt is a little heavy, but will be super-warm as her little boy grows into it. I used the backing as the binding, so her little boy will have a nice, soft edge to snuggle with and will totally use that method on more quilts from now on!

I have since misplaced the pattern, but the size was around 48"x60", plenty big enough to grow into! I kind of shy away from smaller baby quilts, mostly because smaller quilts can only be used for so long, and if I am going to put the time and effort in to make one, I want them to be able to use it for as long as possible!

Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon with more pretties :)
Michelle