Lily's Bday Gift

This month, I took a small break to work on Mariska's Quilt for A Lovely Year of Finishes and gifts for our dear friend Lily.  She turned two this year.  Here's what she got!

February Finish: M's Quilt

Believe it or not... I actually finished Mariska's Quilt!  I know it's really hard to believe but I did finish something.  

This quilt started off as a tutorial on Pinwheels for my dear friend Becky (June 2011) and morphed into a baby girl quilt just in case I had a girl.  Surprisingly, just a few weeks after finishing the tutorial, I birthed a beautiful baby girl.  It moved from Wisconsin to California in as a UFO and sat in my organizers until my new quilting friend, Shannon, motivated me to finish the top and backing in May 2012.  Again, it sat around until I came across A Lovely Year of Finishes in January 2013.  I decided to pick this quilt for my February project because I'd love to give it to my sweet girl for her birthday in July.  I sandwiched, quilted and bound it as my "finish."  The only thing I forgot is a label, which will happen closer to her birthday.  I think I will call it "Tiptoe Through Tulips." I really hope she "loves" it to death.

As with any quilt, I learned a LOT!

1.  Buy more than just a 1/2 yard extra of your backing fabric.  I didn't have enough fabric for the back so I had to piece it.  I was still a bit short so I called every Joann Fabric's store in the San Jose area looking for it, and had my friends in Wisconsin check the Joann Fabrics store where I initially bought the fabric to no avail.  I even posted a desperate call to my blog friends through a blog post, Help Me Find This Fabric.  Still nothing.  I eventually decided to add a appliqué with the fabric scraps I had left.  It didn't turn out too bad but I won't make that mistake again.  

2.  Seriously over estimate the length of binding you'll need.  I ALWAYS make my binding when I cut the fabric at the beginning of a project.  I wind it around a toilet paper roll to keep it undamaged and ironed correctly.  I then don't look at it again until I am ready to use it.  For this project, I don't know if I didn't make enough initially or if my quilt grew during construction (beyond my plan) but I ran out.  Luckily I found a small scrap that was the perfect size to finish off the binding.

3.  Lastly, don't use pencil to make a quilting pattern.  My marking pen was out of ink so I decided to use a pencil thinking it would wash out.  Well it didn't... at least not all of it.  There are some faint and slightly darker pencil marks under the green thread I used to quilt around the appliqué.  I have tried an eraser, regular detergent (Gain), goats milk washing soap, OxyClean Stain Remover and lastly a load with just OxyClean Versatile.  I have finally given up and decided just to live with it.  I think it will fade as the quilt gets washed again or gets older.

 

I found the below picture in a previous post that I never finished.  Here is Mariska helping me piece the back.

I am linking this to:

Patch Abilities Class-Feb

I attended my first PatchAbilities class at Quilts and Things.  Most ladies who attend the class don't come to quilt but to socialize... since I don't have a whole lot of time to quilt at home, I brought my machine and started working.  Due to it being the first class and a lot of people not showing up, we were late starting the class.  I was able to get the background sewn together and the appliqué pieces cut out during the class.  If the next class starts on time then I can get more done during class time and that is my hope.

After the class, I came home and positioned my appliqué pieces and fused them.  I have not yet started the button hole stitch around the appliqués yet because the teacher told us to quilt it with just the top and batting.  I have never done that before so I am going in on Saturday for more instruction.  Below is a photo of what I have thus far.

We work on the piece for a few months ahead of the current month so that maybe it will get finished in time to use.  In February, we are working on April's hanging.

Spring Arts and Crafts Boutique

I mentioned in a previous post that I will be a vendor at a craft fair hosted by my wonderful Mom's Group, Morgan Hill Mom's Meetup.  Advertisements have been purchased and it is being called the "Spring Arts and Crafts Boutique."  It falls March 9th and I have been working to sew items to sale.  

• I have the 4 full aprons and 1 half apron I posted in a previous post.
• I have also completed two other half aprons, 1 toddler size and 1 kids size. 

• 8 coloring book holders: 4 boy and 4 girl

• 1 of 4 (set of 4) picnic roll.  Plans for two more sets of 4 in different fabric.

• 1 baby quilt (photo not available)
• 2 sets of 10 colored beanbags (unfinished)

Other things in the works is some quilted bookmarks, coffee cup snuggies and two small tote bags.  If I have the time, I should have enough fabric for two doll quilts.  Then I think I will be done.  Hopefully what I have will be sufficient to turn a profit.

Mid-Month Check-in: M's Quilt

It's the 15th of February and time for my mid-month check-in for the "Lovely Year of Finishes" Challenge.

I have basted and begun machine quilting M's Quilt.  I stitched in the ditch around the pinwheels in a dark purple.   I am not crazy about how it looks on the back of the quilt and wish I would have used white in the bobbin but it's done and I don't think it looks bad enough to rip out so it stays.  I have stitched around all pinwheels but one.  That one lines up with the appliqué on the pieced back.  I will probably stitch around the appliqué on the back so that my stitching from the front does not obscure my lovely appliqué on the back.  

My plan was to stitch a vine like pattern on the green nine-patch blocks in a similar green color.  I  couldn't figure out how to make it work considering my limited quilting experience so the *new* plan is to stitch around the center green block of the nine-patch and a second larger square around the center square approximately 1 inch from the first stitch.

Lastly, I think I am going to stitch a large zigzag in the border, but I have been known to change my mind :)  I very much wish I had more machine quilting experience because I'd like this quilt to be perfect for my little girl.

Stay tuned for the finished project at the end of the month.

M's Quilt-UFO Challenge

M's Quilt top

So I have decided to join The Lovely Year of Finishes hosted by Melissa of Sew Bitter Sweet Designs and Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts to help deal with this UFO problem I have.  I am coming in a month late, so February is my first month.

For February, I choose to finish the quilt I started for my baby girl just before she was born, almost two years ago.  It is a completed top and a pieced back but needs to be sandwiched, quilted and bound.  These steps are the hardest for me because I haven't actually finished many quilts.  Check back around the 15th for progress.

 

Pieced quilt back for M's Quilt