Ah... To Be A Quilter...

I guess I must be one when I have a pile of WIPs needing my attention WHILE I am making a list of the projects I would like to start (and finish) this summer!

Here's an inventory of what I have on the go:

Double Wedding Ring (lapsize)
Status: need to sew borders, sew backing, sandwich, quilt, and bind. Needs a proper name.

This one I want to keep for myself. In some ways, it's too special to give to anyone - hello! It's my first double wedding ring quilt. Also, because it's my first double wedding ring quilt, there are far too many mistakes in it to give as a gift!

Pretty & Prep (Lapsize)
Status: need to finish the top - I'm 2/3 done, sandwich, quilt, and bind. Needs a proper name.

This one I may give to my mom or I might auction it off for breast cancer research if I do the End Breast Cancer 2-day Walk again this year. I know for sure that one of my quilts this year will be donated to charity.

Santuary Disappearing Nine Patch (Lapsize) DONE!!!! (as of June 2009)
Status: top is done, need to sew backing, sandwich, quilt, and bind. Needs a proper name.

I wanted to keep this one for myself, I really did. But I found out this week that my fav aunt was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, so it now has a new home. I know my aunt is going to pull through and beat the cancer, I'm not worried about that. But I wanted to make her a quilt and the colours are so summery, I think it'll give her the extra zing to put the cancer behind her.

Santuary Pinwheels (crib size)
Status: squares are cut, need to piece together for the top.

I think I may give this to my cousin and his wife to celebrate the birth of their second child, a daughter.


Project Wish List

Now! Here's a list of the projects I would love to start and finish this year! It's crazy ambitious given my work schedule and my desire to have a social life, oh and also enjoy being outdoors while the weather is nice!

Christmas Quilt

I need one!! I'm inspired by Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts, and may do a Candy Bar lapsize quilt or a stacked coins quilt, mostly because hers look so pretty and also because they look like a fairly easy and quick top to put together. Right now, I'm all about speed and wanting to get something done!

In an ideal world, I would also make one for my mom and another for my dad to give as gifts at Christmas (well, for my Dad, I would give him a neutral, year-round quilt because he doesn't decorate for the holidays the way my mother does).

Sweet Disappearing Nine Patch

I LOVE Moda's "Sweet" fabric line, just love it! And I also love how easy this pattern is. I mean, it is stupid easy. I was so delighted by how simple the Sanctuary quilt was to put together and by how it shows off the fabrics. So I just might splurge on another two charm packs or fat quarters, and make one of these for me. A girl can't have too many quilts, can she?

Quilt for My Aunt Mary

I am participating in 101 in 1001 days, and on my list of things to do, I have included making a homemade gift for my aunts and uncles, and delivering it in person to them (well the ones who live within driving distance). So if I give my other aunt the Sanctuary Disappearing Nine Patch, I would like to make something for Mary and give it to her before the year is over so she knows that I haven't forgottten about her. I need to repair my relationship with her - it's fallen by the wayside, but not because of any bad blood. We're just not close.

Fresh Cut Flowers Queen Size

I have two sample packages of Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut Flowers line and I think I know what I want to do with them! I am so inspired by the many quilt blogs I read, and when I saw this scrappy patchwork square (or rectangle) Ashley of Film In The Fridge made - I thought "Aha!"

I love the look of white accented by colour! This would be a fantastic design to show off my favorite fabrics. The pattern reminds me, too, of Denyse Schmidt's Single Girl Ring quilt, but will be so much easier to do with straight lines and no curves. Whew!

Aprons & Placemat gifts

I really want to make some home-made gifts for Christmas this year, and I'm thinking that aprons and placemats will be my signature present for the people near and dear to me (who aren't getting quilts). So I better start cracking on this because I am also moving this fall too, which will mean all my sewing will be in a disarray come holiday-prep time.

That's quite a to-do list!

Wish me luck.

-k

Disappearing Nine Patch

Photo to go here of Moda "Sanctuary" Disappearing Nine Patch quilt.

It's a lapsize quilt and I finished the top in record time. Started Monday evening and finished the top tonight. Just need to decide on fabric for the backing, then baste, quilt and bind. I could have this sucker finished before the end of the month if I am diligent.

Coin Quilt Pattern

From one of my fav daily reads, Cluck Cluck Sew, this is a pattern I am REALLY looking forward to trying:

Colorful Coins Quilt Pattern

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-to-Guides & Manu Non-fiction hobby

Sanctuary Pinwheels

Photos of quilt in progress to go here.

Why I Quilt

A couple of years ago, my best friend's mom, Rose, taught me how to do a 9-patch quilt. I've been hooked ever since. Even as I was working on my first quilt, I was dreaming of the next quilt I'd make and the one after and the one after that one and so forth. That's when Rose declared another quilter had been born. You know you're a quilter when you think of five other quilts you want to make even before you start to sew your first block on a work-in-progress.

I attribute my love of quilts to being a former blanket-baby.

From birth to age seven (okay, longer than that), I dragged Ninnie everywhere. He was a yellow wool crib-size blanket with yellow satin edging. He was also my best friend, confidant, and comforter. Where ever I went, he went too, and he gave me a sense of home. Peace. Contentment.

Ninnie has long since been retired (although he still maintains a spot of privilege at my father's house), but I still get a profound sense of security from wrapping myself up in the comfort of a snuggly quilt. Nothing beats it, especially when that quilt has been handmade with love.

This is why I quilt - to create works of happiness and comfort that offer up warmth and love.

- k

Pretty-n-Preppy

Photos to go here of pink and green lapsize quilt-in-progress

Katie Jump Rope Double Wedding Ring Quilt

The photo quality is terrible (but actually kinda good when you consider it was snapped on a cell phone...), but this is the start of my Double Wedding Ring Quilt using mostly Denyse Schmidt's "Katie Jump Rope" line. I have a few prints from other lines, like Lecien and I think, maybe, Aunt Grace.

The wedding ring is raw-edge applique. I have the blocks all finished and now *all* I have to do is add the border (plain white), sandwich, baste, quilt and bind.

I'm thinking that this is a quilt I will send out for quilting - mostly because I don't trust my skill-level yet on a quilt this time-consuming to put together.

-k