Polka Dot Patch Quilt

Earlier this year I got word that another teammate from my AmeriCorps Team was expecting her first baby, gender to be reveled at birth. I then went looking for a gender neutral but adorable quilt pattern. I found this Polka Dot Patch Quilt on Craftsy and knew it was the one.

The back is a simple but colorful polka dot print. 

The front is bright and colorful, perfect for baby Charlotte who joined us just a few weeks ago.

Strawberry Sisters Carry Along

This Spring Katie's tote bag she uses for American Heritage Girls fell apart. THis is the bag that she carries her book and other meeting items in. I had seen a kit that I thought might make a cute replacement bag at the Fat Quarter Shop. It is no longer available but was called Strawberry Sisters Carry Along. The kit came with everything I needed to make the bag, but I did add a layer of interfacing to give it more structure.

Here she is ready to go with her new bag!

Zig-Zag Baby Quilts

I have had a pattern from Moda Bake Shop for the Zig-Zag Baby Quilt for quite some time, waiting for the right opportunity to come along to make it. Earlier this year one of my coworkers announced she was pregnant with twin boys and this seemed like the right quilt to make x2. I used Moda solids for the front and binding. Katie picked out a cute whale print for the back.

The first quilt had a grey binding.

The second quilt had blue binding. It also has a small whale patch.

The boys are expected to arrive any day now and we are all waiting to meet them!

Wildflower Meadow Stacked Coins Baby Quilt

A coworker announced earlier this year she was pregnant so it was time to make another baby quilt. I went to my go to pattern Stacked Coins Baby Quilt. After much deliberation I chose Wildflower Meadow by Riley Blake Designs for the fabric. 

Here is the quilt.

A closer look at the front, I love all the little animals, especially the hedgehogs.

She was having a girl but did not want too much pink but I thought the pink binding really set the quilt nicely.

The back has the accent row and the animal print.

A closer look.

And here is the front and back.

New Table Area

Just before Christmas I got a table from my Grandmothers house. We are still in the process of sorting out her belongings after her death in December. I got a bunch of cool old quilts that I have been cleaning and will post here eventually. The table held Katie's pink Christmas tree until a few days ago but then I needed to decide what to do with it. Here is what it looks like tonight!

Katie and I created this Pinterest art piece and finished it in early December. Simply search for toilet paper roll craft and you will be amazed at what people can create. Basically you collect then cut up toilet paper and paper towel rolls, hot glue them together and spray paint it. I dont know how long it will last but looks good on the wall.

Tonight I decided to make a table runner. I used fabric squares I had from an early quilt I made in 2008. It was super easy and I made it in about 30 minutes. 

The back is a red fabric, no batting was used and it was very basic construction. It fits perfect and will protect the table.

The table was in questionable condition when I brought it home. I thought I would need to refinish it but after a few coats of Old English it took on a whole new look and was in great shape. There is some staining and it will eventually will need to be refinished but work for now.

Here is another look at the table...

And another...

I am very pleased with how this area came together.

Scrap Happy Purse

One of the blogs I follow is Crazy Mom Quilts and recently saw her post about making a Scrap Happy Purse. I loved the look of this bag and really wanted to try making it. Given my past lack of success in making any kind of bag I was hesitant but finally decided to go for it. I went though the basket of scraps that I keep for Katie to play with and found more than enough scraps at the right size. It is pretty awesome because I remember all of the quilts and projects that I used these fabrics for, this makes the bag that much more special. I began the bag and thought that I would finish it quickly, however my Grandmother encountered some health issues and passed away quickly which led to family coming to town. Things are beginning to return to normal and one of the first projects I wanted to get back to was this. Tonight I finished sewing on the last handle. Here is the finished purse.

Here is a close up, I quilted lines on every 1/4 inch which took some time but really looks good.

Inside there are two pockets and a snap.

This bag was a lot of fun to make and I am really happy with how it came out!

Easy As Pie

Earlier this year, around April my office mate (we share an office at the library, she is also our teen librarian) came to work then had horrible stomach pain which took her to urgent care then the ER. Long story short she had several cancerous ovarian tumors which were removed in subsequent surgeries. She is now in chemo and doing good so we are all awaiting her return to work this December! What can I do when something happens to someone and I feel helpless...well a quilt is one thing. Here is her Easy As Pie Layer Cake Quilt. I used a layer cake of Strawberry Fields fabric. 

The boarder is a pink floral fabric and the back is a yellow strawberry print.

Very happy with how this quilt came out and cant wait to send it to her!

Precious in Pink Quilt

This quilt is called Precious in Pink and is a pinwheel quilt. The pattern is by Caitlin Bevevino and uses Sweetie Pie fabric. I first saw this quilt in Quilt magazine which I got from the library and the quilt kit was available from the Fat Quarter Shop. I really like quilt kits because everything comes together, pick coordinating fabrics is not my strength. 

 First the fabric is cut into squares.

Next you draw lines to sew along, ignore the diagonal ones.

Once the line are sewn you cut a 1/4 inch on each side of the sewn lines.

This results in little triangles....

...which are ironed flat into little squares. This is a simple method to create a lot of squares easily.

The squares are sewn into pinwheels and the pinwheels are sewn into rows with white pieces. Once completed a checked border is added, then a white border. Here the quilt top is laid out and pinned. 

Here is the finished quilt. This quilt was a challenge once washed as the red fabric bleed into the white. This caused quite a bit of panic as I have read about but never experienced this before. A trip to my local quilt shop I got a little bottle for fabric dye sealant. The quilt took several trips in the bathtub with near boiling water and soaked for long periods of time. Eventually the issue was resolved and my quilt looked normal again. Here is the finished quilt: 

This is probably one of my favorite quilts I have made, I love the pattern and color.

The backing is the red polka dot print found in some of the pinwheels on the front.

Rag Quilt

For my next quilt project I wanted to use up some of what I have laying around my crafting area. I have made several baby quilts out of Moda's Lily and Will is the past and had a lot of 5" squares, I also have lots of scrap batting. Together these two items crate a rag quilt. I purchased three packs of Moda Bella Solids squares in Porcelain which is an off white color.

First I sewed the sandwich which is a white square, a 4" batting square and a print, an X is sewn across the square. Next I laid them out to find the best size arrangement and color organization.

Next the squares are sewn into rows, then the rows are sewn together. The key to a rag quilt is the frayed edges of all the squares, the seams are sew out and then snipped. This time I purchased a pair on snips which made this much easier. I have washed and dried it twice to get the fraying going and it will still need a few more cycles. Here is the finished quilt:

A little closer look:

And closer:

And here is the back: