Featuring "Lula's Big Girl Bed" Quilt

One day last spring, my daughter, Megan, came to me and asked if I would help her design and create a quilt for Lula to use when she started sleeping in her "big girl bed". Of course, this was music to this quilting maniac mama's ears. We sketched out some blocks and  figured out the dimensions. We even shopped together for the fabric...which was really fun with a then almost-two-year-old in tow! 

The simple  blocks really highlight the fun fabrics Megan chose. She has great color sense and I always am inspired when shopping with her. Meg wanted to do everything on the quilt herself, including the machine quilting. She'd learned how to quilt on my Grace frame earlier in the year when we were making all the quilts for New Hope Homes. 

Lula's quilt is so adorable and I'm hoping that there will be many more in Megan's future.  She's pretty talented, if I do say so myself!  Click here to see more pictures of this fun quilt and cute bedroom.

Nitey nite, Lula!

It's a Secret

Today,  I stopped waffling about cutting into my charm pack of pastel solids donated by Kona. Our Modern Quilt Guild is hosting a challenge called "No Prints Allowed". The big reveal is at our March meeting so I figure I better get busy if I'm going to have a quilt for the challenge.

The cutting is done. Now for the fun part.....................

The challenge is to make any size quilt using at least a part of every charm in the pack. We can add as much fabric as we want...... The deal is, no prints are allowed! There's a quilt I've been wanting to make for a while now and I decided this is the perfect opportunity. Course, it's all a BIG secret!

Any guesses?

Snowpacolypse of 2011

Frosty is still here. At least, I think that's him out there in the blizzard going on here in Kansas City! It's snowing about a inch an hour and the wind is whipping around at 40 MPH!

 The birds are really hungry.....

Living in the country, the snow is beginning to drift. The mailman didn't even come by today!

Who knows when I'll be getting out of our driveway......but I'm warm and happy and having fun sewing away,turning this mess........

into this!!!!! 

February is my month to be Queen Bee for the K.C. Scrappy Bee, which is a part of the KCModern Quilt Guild. I'll be asking the other eleven quilters to use red/aqua/grey/pink scraps from their stash to create four blocks like this:

I'm wanting to recreate a fun X- Block quilt that I made last spring and sent to Rwanda, where it's keeping a young child cozy. I loved this quilt so much and am excited to make another one for myself using a little different color scheme.

Since the snowpacolypse is keeping me indoors I might as well stay busy!  Right!!

Hope you are warm and safe, even if it is a blizzard outside!

A Blanket for Frosty

 My little sweeties and I were finally able to get Frosty to visit yesterday.  Until then, the snow just wouldn't pack together enough to form a snowball. With temperatures reaching 50+, it was now or never!

Today, when I checked, Frosty was fading fast.  I had to search for his nose and never did find those pebble eyes. One arm had fallen off already.  I felt so sorry for Frosty that I decided he could use a little cheering up! A cozy blanket.... that's what he needed!  I had just the thing....fresh off the sewing machine and needing a place to land!!

Yes, I finally got my Innocent Crush quilt top together. I don't know why I had so much trouble finishing this cute Serendipity pattern.....it wasn't difficult or anything....I just had to force myself to keep going back and sewing on it...a little here and a little there.  Do you every have a quilt effect you like that?  I may add a little khaki border...still deciding about that. Oh ya, there's the quilting to do, as well. But still..........!

I think Frosty really felt happy modeling Serendipity and if he can just hang on another 24 hours, I hear another snowstorm will arrive and he'll be able to stay and visit a while longer!

I know that would make somebody happy!

Just Playing

Just playing for 15 minutes (or so!) before I begin on the REAL sewing for the day has gained me this so far.............

 It's been so much fun, that it truly is like play. It might even become a habit.  We'll see. How long does it take for that to happen? Anyhoo, I've been playing around with ideas of how to set the blocks together, too. Thank you, Kleenex, for the inspiration!

 These helter-skelter blocks have lots of seams.  Sometimes, I press to the side....other times I press the seams open...it just depends on the "seam situation". But, regardless, this little spray bottle of Best Press has become my best friend. It was on sale at Hancock's one day and I decided to give it at try, after hearing so many rave about it's virtues. 

Well, I'm here to join the band wagon of singing the praises of this product...and it smells good, too. All those seams are under control and lying flat, just the way I like them...no flakes or stiffness. It's incredible, really! 

I see that you can buy refill bottles....better get some.... I know, I'll need lots more!
Wonder what scent I should try next?

My Baby Quilts

Brrrr...... Baby, it's cold outside! The baby quilts are getting quite a workout at my house when the little girls come to visit. Just in case you'd like to see them...............

 This first one has been around since 2001. It's a Crazy Nine Patch that I made when teaching a class for Harper's Quilt Shop that year. It's a favorite for laying on the bed when a sleepy newborn needs a place to nap.

 The bright colors attract the attention of little ones during tummy time so it often is laying on the floor with toys and a baby on board!

 When colder weather merits a quilt to snuggle with in the crib, this Yellow Brick Road quilt is the one I turn to. The quilt was put together in 2006 and the more I wash it, the more snugly it gets!

 Isn't the Dick and Jane fabric just perfect coupled with the cute 30's reproductions?

 The back features Dick and Jane playing in the summer, making it a sort of reversible quilt. The Dick and Jane print always reminds me of my childhood and learning to read.

The addition to my latest baby quilt collection, the Disappearing Nine Patch I'm calling Happy Daisy, will get lots of love too, I'm certain!

In other news, I was pleased to be nominated this week for two awards by other bloggers!

First, both Jackie and Jodi of Sisters in Stitches awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award. 

Being a bit uncertain as to how this award originated, I'm a little suspicious that perhaps it may not really be meant for a blog about quilting, even though I do think that the bird on my header is pretty cute! I'm asked to pass the award on to 8 other blogs, but being a bit rebellious, I am going to l limit it to only two that I think really are stylish......

homemade ginger

and

cheepmomma

Another part of the award is to pass on to you, 8 things about me that you might not know.

So....since this is a blog about my love of quilting, here are 8 color combos that I would love to include in a quilt sometime:

1. red/robin's egg blue/pink/white 2. grey/ yellow/white 3.orange/turquoise/white 

4. grey/aqua/ white 5. brown/light blue/white 6. brown/purple/white 7.pink/orange/white

8. green/turquoise/white

(I'm a bit enamoured with white, huh?!)

Cindy at Rose Room Quilts also nominated me for the Liebster Award, which is given to blogs with less than 300 followers, but are an interesting read.  The recipient is then asked to pass it on to 3 other blogs to help spread the word about great reads.

My nominations are Teaginny Designs,  a blog by a fellow Kansas Citian with incredible talent, Andie Johnson Sews who is always sewing up something cute, and Elizabeth's blog Don't Call Me Betsy who is just starting her first quilt-along.

I hope you will pay these great blogs a much deserved visit!

Snow Happy Wordless Wednesday