Grandma's quilt

Grandma's quilt is done!

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  The colors aren't colors that I probably would have chosen, but that is one of the fun things of making quilts for other people...you do things that are different than what you normally do.

I'm happy that most of the points came together correctly.  There are a few points that are off but not too many.  I clipped most of them with the binding, but decided that could be a design feature.

Based on Helix, I originally saw it first here.

I quilted my first pantograph on it.  I need to get better at doing edges, but the middle went really well.  My favorite heart is below...it ended up placed just perfectly.

This is currently hanging up in the rehab room with Grandma, but she's super excited to get it home and to its real location.

Linking up with LAFF, Finish It Up Friday, Whoop-whoop Friday, Plum and June, and Canoe Ridge Creations, Freemotion by the River, and Quilt Story.

Blog tag

I was recently tagged in blog tag by Camilla.  (Her submission to the Quilter's Blog Fest was my favorite.  You can check it out here.)

So even though I'm rather late, I'm still participating! 

Here are the rules:

• every tagged person has to tell 11 things about themselves

• the person who tagged you asked 11 questions, answer them

• ask 11 questions for the 11 blogs you're going to tag (the people you tag should have less than 200 followers)  

• mention the blog that tagged you, but don't tag them back.

So 11 things about me.
1. I have a shoelace collection.
2. I hate shopping.
3. I love winter.
4. My favorite candy bar is Take 5 but since it isn't always available Reeses' Peanut Butter cups are my next choice.
5. I've collected umbilical cord blood from a pig.
6. I love taking naps.
7. My favorite way to exercise is by playing racquetball.  Swimming and Frisbee are close seconds.
8. I wish that Firefly hadn't been canceled.
9. I've gone skydiving.
10. The dead person that I'd like to most meet is Enoch (from Genesis 5:21-24) because it says that he walked with God and that he didn't die...he sounds interesting to me.
11.  I lived in Japan for two months and really missed sandwiches.

The questions I was asked:

1. What is one of the best places you've been to?  St. Lucia

   

   The view off our porch

2. Where would you like to travel to, even if not possible at the moment? The moon.  Or Mars. I have a not-so-secret desire to be an astronaut, but don't want to put in the work to actually be one.
3. What's the best thing you've made?  I'm not sure about this one.
4. What do your family/friends think about your blogging? They seem to enjoy it...especially my personal blog.  It's fun to get comments in real life about something that I wrote there.
5. What else do you like to do in your spare time other than make stuff? Read and play games
6. What's the last good book you read? I just finished "Let's Pretend this Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson...I cracked up so many times.
7. What's on your "to read" list? What isn't on that list, really.
8. What's your real job? Mother
9. Would you choose it again? Why or why not? Mother...yes.  Stay-at-home mother...probably.
10. How many places (different towns) have you lived in since you were born? 6..Indiana, New York, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Michigan.
11. If you weren't living where you are, where would you live?  Upstate NY...I have some good friends up there that I miss.

I'm only tagging one person (because that's how real tag works).  Since there is only one person, I'll just let her answer the same questions that I was asked.
Melia Mae Quilting

Shiny fabric

Hi!  I'm looking for some help.  I have a quilt idea in mind, but I'd like it to have some shimmery/sparkly/shiny fabric.  I saw that Hoffman fabrics has some Brilliant Blenders that might work.  Has anyone used them?  Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Behind the Seams: 5 minute clean up

Welcome to Behind the Seams!

This month I did a five minute clean up.  I really need to do more than five minutes, but at the same time it's amazing how much better things can look after only five minutes.

Before:

Then I put all the scraps in the "to be sorted" box, folded up the fabric that I will need soon but am not actively using, and threw the baby toys to the other side of the room.

Five minutes later:

You can see the desk!  And the floor!

Care to join me?  Link up below.

WIP Wednesday

I took Grandma's quilt off the frame and started to bind it.  This was the first time I've tried a pantograph.  It was a little rough around the edges of the quilt, but the middle went super fast!  I was hoping to not wash it since it's going to be a wall hanging, but I don't think that my piecing allowed for smooth enough quilting.  So it'll be getting washed.  I'm putting the binding on now.

I figured out how many more pieces the duvet needs and am working on those strips.

And I finally started a little wall hanging for myself after talking about it since May.  I didn't get very far, but I can at least say that I got started.

Joining up with WIP Wednesday.

Last week's mail

I got a fun package in the mail this week from Jessica at Quilty Habit!

I really like the colors.  And the patterns.  It'll be fun to make something with it!

I also got some mail from an aunt.  It's a map of the barn quilts on the Foothills Quilt Trail in Kentucky.  I really like looking at quilt blocks.  One of these days I want to make a quilt (or quilts) with just one type of block.  There are just too many quilts that I want to make.

Grandma's quilt

Grandma's quilt is ready to go on the frame!  I'm going to do a pantograph on it.  (Hmm, I'll need to get the info for it.  I think it's called timeless treasures.)  However, some of the hearts looked like spades to me, especially the ones on the left.  So I penciled in some changes so that the middle of the heart goes deeper and meets in the middle.  It might cross over a little bit, but I think it makes it look a lot more like a heart.

This is a piece of scrap fabric and I accidentally ended up going over a different practice pattern. 
I figure I'm just saving fabric.

Here's the top.  Thanks to everyone that voted a while back on the layout options.  I ended up going with the majority.  I feel like I'm getting better with making all my points line up.  There's still a ways to go and if you look (not very) closely you can find errors, but if you take a step back it looks good.

Based on Helix, I originally saw it first here.

Quilting finished

I finished quilting Beth's quilt yesterday!

It is a kaleidoscope quilt with a large border.  She has mentioned that it is from the 80s, but maybe the colors are coming back in style because I think the colors are great.

I quilted it with a design that (I think) brings the blocks together.  So there is a sunshine looking thing at the junction of the blocks.

It's easier to see the quilting from the back.  I was scared at the beginning because every mistake can be easily seen on the back.  But after some assurances from Lea and reminding myself that it's just the back and giving myself a little grace, things got better.  I also started singing per Lea's advice.  This quilt heard a lot of "Jesus Loves Me."

I haven't  figured out how to take decent pictures of quilting yet. :(  But it's better if you zoom in, and at the very least you can see that there is some nice texture. 

Here is a close up of one of the sunshine looking things.  

It was fun to figure out a quilting design and see it appear on the quilt.  Thanks for entrusting your quilt to me Beth!

Blocks

I sent out (or am about to send out) a few blocks this week.  I've never sent out any blocks before and it was fun.  I keep my eyes open for a bee that I would like to join, but what I'm looking for doesn't seem to be very common.  (I'd like to determine the block layout, the approximate color scheme, and the background color.  But I don't want to send fabric out, so it they would be a scrappy blocks.)

Anyway...a siggy block.

And some scrappy blocks for Hurricane Sandy quilts with Knotted Thread.  You can still sign up for scrappy blocks if you're interested.