#7 J-Blue & #9 Simply Slade

I found a flickr group that was doing a modern sampler quilt along I decided to join. http://www.flickr.com/groups/modsamplerquiltalong/ (Just look at all these fun and yummy quilts!)

I loved all of the blocks, they were so fun. As I look through all the fun pictures of other peoples quilts, I found that I loved the back side of the quilt as much or more than the front side. I needed quilts for the boys in their room and I thought that these blocks would be the perfect touch of quilting and simplicity and look very manly at the same time. I took two sheets, a dark blue and a medium blue and cut those 1/3 by 2/3 for the front. I used my fabrics and made all the blocks for the mod sampler then we placed them all up on my design board and I let each boy choose a favorite block. We went around and around till they each had their choice of 7 blocks. I got the blocks in a strip and pieced in and then there they sat...waiting for me to finish. Christmas gave me the push to finish. Also at that time J was going to be getting a bigger bed than a twin size so I quickly used some of the leftover blocks and made his quilt wider. (I thought it was quite ingenious and a good thing I had more blocks.


I still have a few more blocks and plan to make some toss pillows for their beds....someday!


So what have I learned...... a quilt can have as much or as little piecing
as YOU want on it.
Go with what you like and want....that is right for YOU.
Maybe that is why I like to quilt....I can be my own boss and call my own shots.

#4 Piece o'Papa

I have been saving old jeans and shirts from Jon for awhile now and have wanted to make a quilt to enjoy using them. I saw the idea for 1/2 triangles with shirt strips that I thought would be fun to do. As I collected together the fabric scraps because they were mostly in the red and blue colors they made me think of Camille and her home. So I decided that for the Steven's picnic quilt it would right match. Rugged jeans (light and dark) and old boyish shirts for her male dominated family. Just for fun I threw in a fun fun extras (like the smiley fabric from a pillowcase she got for Christmas one year). I hope it brings fun memories for years to come, memories of home, memories of her dad (Papa Jon) and many new memories as used.

It makes me so happy...a place of honor in her home!




So what have I learned...... it's all about layout. This is made by the exact same block but the color of the jeans and the placement, make the design pop!!
And of course the fun dots on the border just make it fun!

#3 Redical ....dude!

This Christmas I wanted to do picnic quilts for the older kids but Kathryn already had a great one she had made. She had just moved into a big spacious home so I wanted to make a quilt for her home. Especially for her family room to be loved, used and cuddled with for many years to come. I enjoy looking on the Internet for ideas and I saw a picture of the back of someones quilt and loved it and knew I wanted to make one just like it (as the front - the real quilt). I backed it in cuddly corduroy with leftover scraps and quilted it with triangles.

So what have I learned......

Simplicity is powerful.
I love the simple blocks that look like they are inter-connected. It was so fun figuring out how to make this one as I only saw a picture. I can figure out things, it's fun to design things from scratch with only an idea and the guts to try!
You may be surprised at what you can do if only you will try.

#10 Kimree's Krumbs

#8 Orange Blossom Joyz

What I have learned.......
Every little bit counts....every little bit adds....when you add it all together....WOW. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. "We may not have it all together but, TOGETHER we have it ALL!
If we each stand alone, we are OK but can get lost and looked over easy but when we unite ourselves together....
..watch out world;
we become magnificent!"



This fun little quilt was all (OK just the inside) from scraps. It was all the little leftover pieces from the quilt "Kimree's Krumbs" and leftover scraps from a white sheets I have used in the past. I did plan it from the beginning though. While I cut out the pieces for "Kimree's Krumbs" I noticed I had leftovers in small short (about 8") strips of 2 1/2" wide, so I decided to use those stripes with my leftover sheet scraps (many which also happened to be 2 1/2 inches wide too) and make 9 patch blocks. I LOVE 9 patch block with white and color. It makes them so bright and fun. I love the magic made by just placing them in diagonal rows instead of straight and adding a white block in between each 9 patch.

When I got this quilt top done, My DH named it. He thought it looked like an "orange blossom special", I tweaked that just a bit and named it the "Orange Blossom Joyz" both for who it was made for and it is so happy and joyful with that bright fun orange. This quilt is backed with soft fuzzy orange just great for cuddling and quilted with blossoms to match the "orange" blossoms on the border.

#1 Poochy PicNic

Jenelle has been introducing me to a whole new world of trying to be a good and enjoy being a dog owner. She convinced us to let Kimree have these 2 Shih Tzu puppies for her birthday (responsibility, right?) Truthfully she enjoys these two dogs as much or more that Kimree does. So for Jene's picnic quilt it only seemed appropriate to make it using dog fabric and quilt it with dogs and bones. I used a simple pattern of denim blocks between a bordered dog block. Adding a fun rainbow strip (material used at Aunt Janel's wedding) that Jen had a dress out of as a child. Also this quilt is backed by an old sheet that Jenelle had on her bed as a child. So this quilt brings all kinds of memories. Bringing the old in touch with the new.



So what have I learned......
quilts are a fun way to re-use,
re-purpose and remember!

Christmas quilts.......2009

I have been a great slacker in the last months about posting to my blog. I was working really hard to finish up 11 quilts for Christmas. I so wanted to post them as I was getting them done but I was afraid some of my family might see my blog and would discover their Christmas gifts and ruin the surprise. So here all the great quilts given this past year.
1. Poochy PicNic
2. Fruit Salad
3. Redical...dude
4. Piece o'Papa
5. Dot to Dot
6. Turtle Crossing
7. J-Blue
8. Orange Blossom Joyz
9. Simply Slade
10. Kimree's Krumbs
11. Bessie & Bill

I will individually post pictures and write-ups for each one.

Celeste's Baby Quilt

Celeste is having a baby girl. For her shower I quickly made a baby quilt.
Pretty fun and bright colors to welcome her into the world. I forgot to take a picture earlier but we took it out of the gift bag and took a picture in the car on the way over to the shower...funny.
 
 


When I gave Celeste the quilt,
Erica noticed the rainbow fabric that I used and let me know she wants a quilt for her baby girl with some of that fabric in it. It is fabric used at her mother's wedding so that very appropriate to use and do for them.
***I must remember***