Laura's Birthday Blanket & Pillow

Few things make me happier than crossing something off my to-do list.  Today, I get to cross off two things!

I originally posted about this quilt here, and it is on my May Small Project Sew Along List.  This quilt will be a birthday gift for a friend of the family.  She turns five in August so I am way ahead of schedule on this one!  

The flimsy for this quilt has been complete and hanging over my banister for at least two (probably three) years.  I don't remember why I chose this pattern and it seemed so simplistic to me that I had little desire to finish it... until my daughters asked if they could use it to make a fort.  That motivated me to get it sandwiched and pin basted... then there it hung again for at least another 6 months. 

I've recently begun experimenting with FMQ so I thought this would make a great practice quilt.  Turns out, the FMQ adds just the missing touch.  It went from an "OK" quilt to a "really super cute quilt."

I have a lot of work to do on my FMQ designs, but this quilt made me much more comfortable with the basic technique.  I tried some loopies in the purple borders and some hearts in the center squares, but my pink areas still look like tentacles to me.

I had some fabric left so I made a pillow to go with this.  It has an envelope closure in the back so the cover can be removed for washing.  (Forgot to take a picture of the back, but it's not really all that exciting anyway.)

This last photo makes the pillow look way too big for the quilt... but my (almost) 6 year old tested them out and I think they'll be the perfect size for our little 5-year-old friend.

Here's my updated list for the May Small Project Sew Along:

1. Complete H2H quilt - link here
2. Complete Laura's quilt - Done

3. Make pillow to match Laura's quilt - Done
4. Finish quilt for Sujay (flimsy is complete)
5. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) wall hangings (1 done, 2 not started)
6. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) Mickey pillows

7. Make a green mug rug in time for Mother's Day  

8. Make a pink mug rug just because I want to
9. Finish April Seasonal Skinny (flimsy is complete)
10. Complete 2 ladybug Seasonal Skinnies for May
11. Cut fabric for summer hexie project
12. Make a portable sewing kit / bag / holder / something-or-other - link here
13. Start (and finish) embroidery for "The Forever Project"
14. Complete "Om" block for "The Forever Project"
15. Make or find a simple pattern for a tote / beach bag
16. Make a year-end gift for my kindergartener's teacher
17. Make a year-end gift for my 3rd grader's teacher
18. Make a birthday gift for kindergartener's BFF
19. Make a "surprise" for my 11 running partners + myself
20. Make an Unruly letters pillow for Kim
21. Update my running scrapbook (no sewing involved!)
22. Figure out a plan of attack for the "Unless" quilt

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

H2H 2012 Update & FMQ Tips Request

Are you participating in the Hands 2 Help 2012 Challenge over at Sarah's blog?  If not, check it out, there's still time to sign up to make a quilt for one (or both) of two great charities!  

This is the first time I've ever signed up for a quilting challenge.  Though incredibly intimidated to know my quilt will be next to ones made by insanely talented people, I am still very excited to be participating.  I've learned a lot while making this quilt -- mostly about free motion quilting (FMQ).  I've written a little bit about this quilt here and here, but I didn't get to quilting until this past weekend.

Having FMQ'd a grand total of *one* other quilt before, I knew this was going to be a piece of cake.  Maybe even easier than cake, since I had since purchased a really big extension table for my Singer, to help me support the quilt.  I mean really, I'm an expert now, right?

*sigh*

Let me just say that I ripped more stitches out of this quilt than I left in.  I tried 3 different threads, every possible combination of tension and stitch length, crying, wine drinking and for good measure, a few select curse words.  I finally decided to change my needle (because honestly, it's the only other thing on the machine that I know how to do).... but it did seem to help.   

This is far from "good" but now that I've had time to dry the tears, I think I'm willing to call it "OK."  The quilting is much more dense on one corner of the quilt than the rest, there are about a million stops and starts, but I'm feeling pretty confident that it won't fall apart in the wash.

There is no rhyme or reason to my quilting. My only goal was to not have to rip more stitches out. 

I will definitely be researching some FMQ "patterns" (I use that term loosely) to work on, since my current FMQ reminds me of tentacles.

On the back of the quilt... a little easier to see on the yellow and blue.

Of course, now that I was *really* a FMQ expert (having completed a grand total of *two* FMQ'd quilts), I decided to keep right on going.  The flimsy for this next quilt has been finished and hanging over my banister for at least 2 years, probably closer to 3.  About 6 months ago, my kids asked if I was ever going to finish it, or if they could use it to make a tent.  Ahem!  

I pin basted it and then hung it back over the banister to quilt "tomorrow."  (Did I mention that was at least 6 months ago?)  Anyway... since the machine was already (finally) on the right settings, I decided to give it a go.  The second quilt went MUCH better than the first.

Well, except for this.  Whoops!  (I'd already taken out about half the stitches before I decided to take a picture... this corner was completely covered.)

I decided to be SUPER ambitious and try my hand at writing a name in my quilt.  This photo still has the marking pen lines, but it's easier to see this way. I also practiced loopies in the purple borders and more "tentacles" in the pink sashing between the blocks.

I added hearts to the center of each block.

Here's a shot from a little farther back.  The hearts still have blue marking pen under them but I washed it off the name and - wow! - I can actually read it!!

I would LOVE any "FMQ for beginners" tips you might have to share, or links, or books, anything!  As you can see, my designs need some work but I want to start with baby steps.  Really, really small ones :-).  If you have any suggestions for me, please leave them in the comments.  Thanks in advance!!

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Baby Megan's Whirlygiggles

Note to all the babies-to-be I know (or will soon meet): If you are born in the month of December, or even in early January, your baby quilt will be late.  Please plan accordingly.


I have just (finally!) finished a baby quilt for my first little niece, Megan.  She was born in mid-December but I was so buried in Christmas gift making, other projects and a broken hand (in a brace for a few weeks in January) that I'm just now finishing up her quilt.  I had the fabric well in advance and knew what colors I'd use, I just didn't make the time to put it all together.

I *so* badly wanted to take fabulous pictures of this outside in the beautiful South Florida sun but alas, 

it has been overcast and dreary here for 3 days.

As usual, I started with a pattern I liked (I used AmandaJean's Whirlygiggles - she has a great tutorial here) and then added a few things of my own.  Of course, I changed the measurements some (started with smaller blocks), cut some of the fabric upside down (Doh!) and ended up with fewer, smaller whirlies than I had planned.  Oh well... I still think it came out great and I will most definitely use my "backwards" whirlies for another project.

The white background fabric (with the flowers and ladybugs) is from a crib sheet.  Megan's mom (my sister-in-law) had this on her baby registry so I was pretty sure she'd like it!  I put Megan's name on the quilt with big appliqued letters and added an embroidered quilt tag with her birth stats.  

This was my very first time trying free motion quilting.  I am SOOO excited about it!  I clearly have a lot to learn in terms of FMQ patterns.... I went with a pattern I'm calling "seaweed" because I think it looks like those underwater plant tentacle thingies (yes, pretty sure that's the scientific name) you see on Finding Nemo.  (I'm actually hoping someone will tell me this is a real FMQ pattern and it has a real name.... that way I'll feel like I did FMQ the right way, even if it was only by accident!)

The FMQ made the quilt a little "stiffer" than I'm used to (I've only used stitch-in-the-ditch or other straight line quilting in the past), but I am in *love* with the "pucker" that the FMQ gave it after it was washed and dried.

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Linking up (for the very first time!) with: 

Crazy Mom Quilts for  "Finish it Up Friday" 

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for "Whoop Whoop Friday"

AmyLouWho for "Sew and Tell"

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~