ZigZag for Rex

In the summer, one of my coworkers and his wife had a baby boy.  I made Rex a zigzag quilt using Amanda Jean's pattern.  I used snuggly red fleece for the backing, with no batting. 

 I have a lot to learn about color values and how to select the right fabrics.  

 This cute print may not have been the best choice with the other fabrics, but I loved the cute alphabet animals.

Check out that fabulous mitered corner!  Of course, the other 3 corners don't look that good, but I'm obviously very pleased with this one!

Dresden Turkey

A couple of friends and I rented booth space at our local Junior Club Craft Fair in October.  In addition to several sets of Christmas cards, I made a couple of these Turkey wall hangings.  I got the idea from Jenny Doane at Missouri Star Quilt Company (one of my favorite places!).  Come to think of it, I got the Dresden ruler from there too!  I used parts of a Perennials charm pack from Kansas Troubles. I think he's pretty cute!

Haley's Bonnie Scotsman

In September, I made a pink and brown quilt for Haley Lena Crowe when she came home with Teresea and Troy Crowe, but I neglected to get a picture of it! It was a Bonnie Scotsman pattern. I finished it just in time for the baby shower, so it got away before I snapped any pictures of it. I'll be sure to post a picture with Haley on it --- that beautiful baby will make everything look better!

Peggy joins the Half-Century club

I created this blue and red quilt from the California Roll pattern for my BFF Peggy's birthday.  Peggy is the most feminine farm girl I've ever known but this quilt doesn't look very feminine!  Maybe for her next big birthday, I'll make one with lace! 

I pieced the backing with a cool blue polka dot, which I also used on the front, and a red floral.  I love that red flower fabric.  I picked it up in the clearance rack at my LQS.  Wish I had bought all they had!  Here's a better picture of those gorgeous tone-on-tone flowers.

Liz's Orange quilt

In the weeks before my baby girl left for her freshman year at Missouri State University, I created her an XLong twin quilt for her dorm room.  During the hours I spent making her quilt, I thought about the 18 years she spent with us.  When she packed the quilt into my old car, along with most of her possessions, and drove off to college, I was totally unprepared for the giant hole she would leave in my life.  It took awhile, but I've finally learned to live with it.  Anyway, here's the colorful quilt I created for her, using the pattern Breaking Waves.

The backing is from a Halloween collection.  I knew it was perfect for Liz's quilt when I saw it in the quilt store in Potosi, MO. 

I collected several fabrics in Liz's favorite color to make this quilt.  One of my favorite is the orange with yellow monopoly pieces.

Here it is on move-in day.  Since then, I've made her a matching pillow case for her body pillow.  I think this may be the only time Liz's bed has been made since she left home. 

Disappearing Origins

I fell in love with the sunny yellows in BasicGray's Origins (from Moda) when I saw the line in a quilt at my local quilt shop.  I used 2 -3 charm packs and some additional yardage to create this Disappearing 9 patch quilt for my mother-in-law's birthday (ssshhh, don't tell her!).  This is my favorite quilt so far!

Basic Coins Quilt

This quilt is made with Moda's BasicGrey Basics jelly roll and some red fabrics from my LQS. 

I was disappointed in the colors and let it sit for a couple of weeks before I was convinced to finish it.  Now, I'm glad I did.  I used dark brown fleece for the backing, sans batting.  It makes a great throw to carry in the car.  It recently went on a road trip with me to Fort Worth and back :)

Limey Black Irish quilt

I had so much fun creating Tessa's baby quilt that I took a quilting class at my LQS.  The class was called "Jelly Roll Quilt."  Turns out to be an irish chain pattern.  I was determined not to make any "old-fashioned" quilts.  I bought a black and white jelly roll and choose a charcoal tone-on-tone leaf as my background.  During class, my instructor suggested using a red for a pop of color.  I picked a swirly lime green instead. There are 9 green 2 1/2" blocks randomly pieced into this quilt.   I used the green as binding and had intended to use it a backing too, but made a rookie mistake when cutting it out.  I improvised (my favorite part of screwing up!) by using a couple of yards of music fabric I'd picked up at my LQS just because I liked it! 

I machine-quilted it in straight lines, following the points of all blocks.  I used invisible thread on the top and gray on the back.

I made it big enuogh for a twin bed because I thought I'd send it to college with my daughter in the fall.  Her favorite color is orange, though, so I have built an incredible stash of orange fabrics with her in mind.  Stay tuned for her orange quilt!  She's headed to college in 6 weeks, so I have a deadline!

My first quilt

My lifelong friend, Jane, had her first grandchild in February.  I made this quilt for baby Tessa.  I hadn't seen the baby's room when I designed the applique.  I based it on this webpage.  It's made of soft flannels from my local quilt shop (LQS).  The dark brown fabric is fleece.  I used the brown fleece for the backing too, and didn't use any batting.   I used HeatnBond Lite iron-on adhesive before I made my appliques.  I cut the letters out using my Cricut. 

I used my Big Shot and some Sizzix dies to cut the bird and flowers. The tree branch is freehand.  I used a fancy stitch on my Husqavarna Emerald 118 to quilt "in the ditch" -- I didn't realize it was called that at the time :) -- and a zigzag around the appliques. 

It is the first quilt I've made since my kids were babies -- they are now 18 and 15.  So, this is actually my 3rd quilt ever.

My first post!

Shawna at 1 Choice 4 Quilting convinced me to start my own blog!  So here it is.  My first post!  I'll be adding photos of my quilts soon.