A Quilt Finish.

Yesterday was Wednesday so Grandma had the kids during the day and returned them late afternoon. After dropping them off I did a quick run to Walmart and then home for the day. I really wanted to get that little baby quilt done. I pieced a back... I found a yard of dark blue baseball fabric and I knew I picked up some from the 1/2 off bin in Joanns a while ago (2+ years?). Yup - another 44 inches. Perfect to piece the backing I needed. Then batting.... I did not feel like getting the big roll out so I pieced three leftover parts to get the size I needed. I just butt them up together and overlap 1/2 an inch and use a zig zag stitch to keep them together.

Then it was a quick pin on the floor and off to look at books. I knew I wanted an all over pattern - should it be baptist fans or something I saw in Kim Diehl's book Simple Comforts- concentric circles.

I went with the circles and think it is now my favorite pattern! After a big dig to find something dark blue  and enough of it for the binding - that got made and sewn onto the front. Last night I stitched it to the back while watching National Treasure and am happy to call this little quilt done!

VTQuilter - finished Baby Quilt - 

VTQuilter - close up of some circles.

VTQuilter - the perfect backing! Baseballs.

A little top completed.

I decided I was done with red so instead of pieced borders this just got some plain borders from scraps. I think I am almost out of the blue fireworks fabric and the red stars print is going down. It ended at 46 or 47 inches square. I have an internet friend from when I was pregnant with Emily (A Mommy board) and she is expecting a little boy in the next 6 weeks. I think this one will get quilted and bound with some dark blue and sent up to PA for her baby boy. The best part... this is all from scraps or the fabric closet. Nothing was purchased so this is a 'free' quilt, right?

It was a bit windy so here are some inside shots.

Last Saturday in Red

I'm a little late posting today since I didn't get a chance to sew together my RSC Sampler blocks until after I got home from work tonight. Greg got to work with me today and we hit Sweet Tomato's for dinner before he headed to pick up the kids from Grandma's house. I headed home and got right to work winding some bobbin so I could sew. I sewed a few more of the sashing's onto the little star quilt while I was finishing off the blocks.

All my Sampler blocks in red.... unless Angela decides to sneak another red one in before the end of the month. I need to go back and make the middle smaller for the wonky star... or just make a new one.

My little star baby quilt. I seem to have counted wrong and need a few more yellow cornerstones to finish this off. Not sure what the outer border will be yet, maybe inspiration will hit sometime this week. I'd love to get this a little bigger to a top stage by the end of the month. Now to get some sewing room time..... after I do the necessary cleaning up and putting away a bit. I seem to not know what the bare  floor looks like with all the piles of fabrics for different projects pulled out!

This week was spent organizing things up a bit. The mood for this does not happen very often but when it does I do pretty good. Tuesday I tackled Emily's room. I am happy to report it is still organized and picked up four days later =). It turns out her carpet is beige..... I think we had forgotten! Wednesday I dropped kids to Grandma for a movie day and ran errands all over central Florida  =(.  Four huge bags of outgrown clothes and toys are out of the house... now to do the boy's room. Thursday we cleaned and cleared out the garbage cabinet area and coffee storage after a play date, fruit stand stop and haircuts for the kids. Friday..... I tackled the pantry for 3 hours after some leaf gathering and tracing/rubbing in the back yard. Then it was garbage and recycle to get rid of lots of boxes, some outdated things and lots of leftover candy from the past year.... shhh, don't tell the kids =). I moved things around and now if I can remember where I changed things I'll be all set. All the kids snacks, cereal and things they need are on the bottom two shelfs so hopefully they will keep the chairs out of there so I stop tripping on them!

Head on over to SoScrappy and see all the great red projects. I do wonder what color will turn up for August - baby pastels, orange, black, neutrals/browns...... I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

What I was working on yesterday during the rain and no kids day.....

I got a ton of stuff done in the sewing room. Nope - I did not tidy up and put things away, I did not file all the business and personal stacks of paper, I did not clean the house..... I sewed!

I prepped and sewed my 12 red churn dashes which I will show on Saturday. I prepped a bunch of red hexagons and managed to make a bunch of them last night - also will show on Saturday. Got the wonky star done for the RSC.... although I need to rip and make the middle the correct size. I did mine 4.5 inches instead of 3.5 inches. A wee bit too big!

What I will show...... nine of the star blocks in red and blue are completed! Each will be 8 inches finished so this will be a smallish quilt. Now the decision - do I make more of them or keep it small? No real plan for this quilt other than to have a 'neutral' baby quilt on hand. It will have sashing with yellow cornerstones and I think I might make that cornerstone into a pinwheel or star for the four middle ones. I can see a pieced border of some kind..... either a ribbon, flying geese or diamond?Maybe prairie points of red and blue on a cream solid as one border to make it a 3D quilt? As you can tell, it is still a work in progress. I'm not sure I like the blue check print in the middle row...... it might have to change but then again...this is a scrappy quilt....

While I was doing that Mom was in surgery up in Vermont. It was a planned surgery with a 3 month recovery time of no lifting. All went well and she should be heading home sometime today to recover at the camp overlooking the lake. Wishing her a speedy recovery and remembering to take it easy even if you start feeling better in a week or two! We want you back to 100% by December so I can cook up a storm for you in your kitchen and you'll enjoy eating it.
This will be her view while recovering.