Border

So last weekend I got the border cut out and sewn on. I am one step closer to a finished quilt! Here is what the border looks like attached.






The next step is to cut out the flannel backing and batting. I hope that this weekend I will be able to get it all cut out and maybe even pieced together! I am getting very excited to meet my future niece or nephew :)

Coming Along Nicely

So the baby quilt is coming along nicely. I spent time on Sunday sewing all of the squares together into rows. I still like the pattern that I decided on and I am excited to see how the border pulls it all together, hopefully. But before I can cut the border I have to sew the rows together! I hope to do this over the weekend. I have a new iron and grid pressing board that is helping out in pressing the seams without distorting the fabric. I have also started looking at quilting patterns to use for the quilt. I am thinking of using a template for the quilting this time around. I have a lot more research to do on this front, so stay tuned for more on this on a later date. To keep you on the edge of your seat until after the weekend here are some pictures of the progress.

A better picture of the quilt squares not pieced

Border fabric

All pieced rows

Quilt Show

So Mom and I went to a quilt show in Salem this weekend. It was held at the old Mission Mill Museum in Salem that I never knew about. There were a lot of really beautiful quilts and some that were from the 1930's and well loved. Mom and I are excited to go back to the Mill and get the full tour that appeared to include demonstrations of wool spinning etc.


I had every intention of taking a bunch of pictures of all of the amazing quilts but I got sidetracked by all of the pretty quilts that I forgot. This quilt was really amazing and beautifully made.


Then I go sidetracked by the fabric. I came home with an assortment of fabrics that I have no idea what I will do with, but I liked them and they were cheap!

I have to remember not to get sidetracked by my new fabrics since I have 3 quilts to finish first!

Baby Quilt Progress

So over the weekend I focused and got a bunch done on the baby quilt. I was able to press all of the washed fabric, square up the edges (very important), cut all of the squares except the border and layed out a pattern that I think I really like. The original yellow border shrank too much when washed that mom and I went out and got something different. It is green on green giraffe print with primary color letters. The pictures below are not the best, I took them pretty quick last night before mom and I went out. I will hopefully get better pictures this weekend. The next steps of piecing the squares together into rows should go pretty quick. I can't wait to see it finished. It is going to be really cute.

Back logged

So I went fabric shopping with mom on Sunday and found fabric for her quilt and for a quilt for myself. So I now have fabric for 3 quilts. It is now all washed, thanks to mom and I can start cutting as soon as the weather starts to turn. It is really hard to want to spend time inside when it is so nice outside, even if the inside time is spent doing something fun. I just feel like I need to soak up the sun before it is gone for months. Anyways I wanted to share what fabrics the quilts will be made out of. Here are 5 of the 8 fabrics that will be used in Tadpole's quilt. I couldn't find the flannel stripe that is the backing and one of the dots. And now I'm not sure what the other fabric I'm missing. I'll take pictures of those and post them later. When I get some more time I will post the pictures of the fabrics from mom's quilt and mine.

Tadpole's Quilt- 2" border with 7 rows of 7-5"x5" squares

Finished!

So here is one picture of my first quilt. I am having some problems with the focus on my camera so I will post more on Flickr later. The back side of the quilt is solid yellow. I am very happy with how it turned out. I almost used yellow blanket binding and then decided the yellow didn't match very well. I ran to the local fabric store and found purple quilt binding. That was definitely the right move. I think it really makes it pop! I am even more excited to start on my next quilt and even have a third on the list for Mom.

Tadpole's Quilt Ideas

So I have been working on lots of ideas for Tadpole's (my future niece or nephew) quilt. I have started sketching patterns and have found the cutest baby elephant applique on Etsy. I haven't settled on a color scheme yet so we shall see if any of these appliques will work. The other potential snag is that I have never worked with appliques. It seems easy enough but you just never know. Last night I got completely sucked in by Etsy. There are so many wonderful handmade items and such a huge selection of fabric. There are some really decent prices on pre-cut quilt squares. That is one of the most tedious parts of making a quilt. I think that I am going to order some squares to see what the quality is like. I have also started a book of quilt patterns and plan on documenting all future sewing projects in this book. It will be my quilting/sewing bible. My hopes are also to make comments after the projects are finished on what went well and what didn't, kind of like making comments in cookbooks like mom taught us.

First Quilt

So I am on the last step of the first quilt I have ever made (attaching the binding). I have sewn a variety of items over the years including placemats, pillowcases, one skirt, and curtains. A few months ago I decided to make a "test" quilt. You see I am going to be an aunt in November and wanted to make my niece or nephew a quilt. The only problem was I had never made a quilt before. Since I can be a perfectionist I decided making a "test" quilt would be wise and not make the baby quilt the first ever. This past weekend I finally pieced all of my rows together and then pieced all three layers. Now the only thing I have left is to put the binding on. There have definitely been some hiccups along the way, but all in all I think that it has turned out quite well. After looking at some quilting blogs today I am tempted to do some more quilting of my quilt. I am really excited to start the fabric hunt for the baby quilt with my sister when she is in town next week. Once I get the binding attached I will post pictures.