a sewing studio
This is the strip quilt made from those previously posted fabrics. We took at trip over to The Winspear Opera House for a fun photo shoot. Strip quilts are fast becoming my favorite. I especially like the combination of wide patterned strips with skinny bright solids.
I think it turned out great, the fabrics my friend Jennifer picked out really worked well together. The perfect quilt for a new baby girl!
I added a little something special on the back.
I’ve been delinquent in sharing my projects with you. I made this quilt for some friends in Dayton who just welcomed a little girl into their family. I’ve been wanting to try a Plus One quilt for a while now. I think this is the quilt that made me finally decided to make one. Our friends are a strictly University of Cincinnati family and so it was a red, black, and gray quilt for them.
True to form, I made a grid using AutoCAD and then used Photoshop to which fabric to buy. When the fabric arrived, I ended up swapping out a few fabrics in an effort to make the selections look more like a baby quilt. I’m not sure if I succeeded but I think the end result turned out nicely.
As an added bonus, I appliqued a C-paw on the back which I then quilted around to bring the design to the front.
Believe it or not, I started this quilt last December but it was another 4 months before I finished it and another 2 months before I’m managing to share it will you. I’ll try to be a little more on top of it next time.
You may remember these burp cloths that I made a while ago. I decided to fancy them up for a little guy named Milo. I added some embroidery and a binding. You know how I love to sew bindings.
I love them. They are such a pretty and practical gift for new parents. I have it on good authority that the cloth diapers make the best burp cloths. They are super absorbent for any and all baby messes. The embroidery makes them extra special.
Off they go to new mama, daddy, and baby. Happy Birthday, Milo!
I shipped another quilt last week to one almost-born-baby.
I finished this quilt back in January and just now have gotten it photographed and in the mail. It could be my favorite quilt to date. There is something about those whales…
I used Elizabeth Hartman’s New Wave pattern and found it incredibly easy to follow. I chose to machine quilt staight lines following the gray sashing to bring the zig-zag pattern to the back.
The finished new wave measures approximatly 51″ x 55″. You can see all the fabrics I used here.
This New Wave has a lot of cutting involved. A lot. It’s clearly evident in my stack of 72 trapezoids. That’s 4-6 cuts per piece. That’s 288-432 cuts and that doesn’t even include the sashing (we are getting all mathy up in here lately). Of course, I didn’t actually make all 432 cuts. I did get smart and cut many pieces at once. Still. It’s taken days, but they are very pretty. I’m eager to see how this one comes together; there is something very charming about those whales and pinwheels.
When I first saw a photo of the New Wave quilt you know what I thought? “Gee that sure looks pretty.” You know what I should have thought? “Gee look at all those pieces.”
Another trip to City Craft yields the makings of a super cute baby quilt. I think I’m going to try Elizabeth Hartman’s New Wave this time. We’ve fallen head over heals for the Whale Watch in this house. I think I’ll have to go back and get some more.
Left Column: Kona Cotton, Natural | Little Apples by Aneela Hoey for Moda Fabrics, Aqua Sweater Check | Jay-Cyn Designs Storyboek for Birch Fabric, Whale Watch in Shroom
Center Column: Robert Allen, Metro Living in Pewter | Children at Play by Sarah Jane for Michael Millwer, Stripes in Aqua | Children at Play by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller, Pinwheels in Cream
Right Column: City Weekend By Liesl Gibson for Oliver + S for Moda #11165 | Jay-Cyn Designs Storyboek for Birch Fabric, Field Friends in Coral | City Weekend by Liesl Gibson for Oliver + S for Moda #11166
The strip quilt….it is done. After machine quilting for what seemed like an eternity (In actuality it probably didn’t take that long. It just felt like an eternity because I don’t have a walking foot and was forced, several times, to rip out rows of stitches due to bunchiness. Note to self, get a walking foot.) the strip quilt is finally done!
I put it all together with a medium gray French binding and called it a day. Calling all babies, it is now ready for play time.
I started with this…
…then I cut my strips, 1-3 of each ranging in widths from 6″ (for the bunnies) to 1-1/4″ (for the solids). That led me to this.
I rearranged the strips on the floor until I had something I liked. Then I had this.
Then I just sewed them together, usually in groups of 4. Now I have this.
(I apologize for the horrid cell phone photos.)
Now all I need is a back and a binding. Good thing I went to the fabric store…
Lily June Strawberry Girl 