Oh Boy!!!

Paul: Hey babe, do you have a quilt?

Me: Yes, I have several.

New Quilt for New Baby

Paul: I need a baby quilt.
Me: For?
Paul: Bella's (not her real name) baby boy
Me: When is the baby shower?
Paul: That was last month.

Blue, Green and Sparkle Grey

Me: So when is the baby due?
Paul: Baby boy Ryan (not his real name) was born on Easter. 
Me: And you are telling me now???
Paul: Just got the email.

Silence.  Sheepish Grin.

Scallop Quilting

Paul: I figured, you'd have a quilt on tap.
Me: Which may not be suitable for a baby, or for a boy.
And even if the baby does not mind hot pink butterflies and polka dots, I am sure his parents will definitely be averse to a girly quilt.

A happy finish

Me: Can you tell me anything about the colors?
Paul: Blue, Green and Gray
Me: Let me check. I have Jack. It is Blue and Green but it also has these beige/gold fabrics.
Paul: Let me see the back.

Paul: Yeah, this works.
I was not so sure. I wanted something more baby-appropriate, in the chosen colors - blue, green and gray.
I wanted to make a new quilt. But it had to be quick.

Alphabet Backing, Blue Binding

Me: Well, since the baby is already here, when are you going to give the quilt.
Paul: Oh, when she comes in next.
Me: That may not be for 3 months.
Paul: No, she will stop by to check on things every couple of weeks.

Labelled

Baby Appropriate

Me: Let me make a new quilt for baby Ryan.
Paul: Oh ok.

Quick & Easy

Rolled up beauty

Animals and Alphabets make it cute

Paul: I got a card. Will you sign it.
Me: Sure.  I made a few burp cloths and put it in this basket to go along with the quilt.
Paul: Oh babe, you are the best.
Me: I know.  But it is so much better when you say it.

Burp Cloths

Card

And here is a picture of the baby boy.

So Cheeky

Oh Boy!!! Wish I could kiss those cheeks.
Such a cute boy, I said.
Such a cute quilt, said Paul.
And we lived happily ever after (or till the next argument.)

What have you been making?  I'd love to hear from you.
I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties, see sidebar.

Aquaculture & Addiction

Happy Friday to you all. I have a finish to share.

Friday Finish!!!

I chose to call this quilt Aquaculture - aqua for blue and culture for green (imagine growing a culture in a petri dish) Since it is growing, it is green.

Green Blocks

Blue too!

But it could also mean growing things in water.

Piecing in Progress

And the green blocks within blue outlines seems like green things growing in water. Therefore - Aquaculture.

Charmed

I bought the charm pack (Pineapple Fabrics) from the Quilt Show in 2015.  Threw in a couple of other fabrics to match/make do.

Assembling Rows

OK, I admit, it was a UFO. But I am happy to announce it is  FINISHED  now.

Aquaculture

No body in mind.
Just a quilt.

Quilted

I am sure  a recipient will miraculously appear.

Quilting Detail

The batting is Warm & Natural.  I quilted it in a grid - horizontal and vertical lines, using my walking foot and a decorative stitch. on my Janome.

I chose the same teal blue for the binding to bring the quilt pattern together.  I think it works.

Backing and Binding

The backing is just so cute!!!  This is my September finish (one of them at least) and I will be linking with Heidi of Red Letter Quilts.

Friendly Animals :-)

Here is what the label looks like -  Name on one half, and care instructions on the other half.  I got it from ikaprints. 

My label

This is how the finished label looks.

Labelled

Since my quilt holder-upper is still out of commission, the mail box will have to do for now.

What are you working on?
*********************************************************************************

Let's talk about Addiction now.  Fabric addiction that is.
Let's admit that there is  no cure. We can manage it...or at east try.

I have allowed myself to buy new fabric in the following conditions
1. When I finish a UFO.
2. When a desired line goes on sale.
3. When I do a giveaway.

Amazingly, all three are true for right NOW.
I just finished Aquaculture.  I just completed my first giveaway. The packages in the mail today.
And look at all this yumminess on sale!!!

Here are a few of my favorite picks.


Cotton and Steel FQ box - Just over a dollar for a fat quarter, this needs no introduction.  Grab it before it is gone.

Andover Sun Print by Alison Glass - This is the fabric line that Molli Sparkles has been raving about.  Need I say more? Fine, it is also on sale!!!

Arabian Nights - Love the rich dark colors. And it is 50% off.  I probably won't use the kit for the pattern (I think it needs some lighter colors too for the eyes to rest), but boy do I love the fabric?

Moda Ombre Basic by V & Co. - Such a  great value for such versatile fabrics. Wow!!!

Which one of these caught your eye?  Do let me know because I love to hear from you!
I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties.


This blogpost contains affiliate links.

Diamonds - Girl's Best Friends

Meet my first finish of 2016 - Diamonds in the Rough!!!

Diamonds in the Rough

Diamonds take a lo........ng time to make.  This quilt is no exception.

I started this quilt in 2014.
One day, while shopping online for a sweater, I noticed the argyle pattern.
Immediately I thought - how would that look in a quilt?

I had never before made a quilt with diamond shapes.  So, this was going to be a new experiment :-)

What is the worst that can happen?
I'll ruin some fabric.  I have plenty of fabric to ruin.

Sew and Cut

So, I started with a few 2.5" wide strips of fabric and started playing.
First, I stitched two strips together and cut them into diamonds.  If two is good, won't four be better?
Only one way to find out.

Of course, I cut one strip set this way and one strip set the other.

Design wall 

And then I started playing with them on my design wall.

I played and played. I could align them vertically or at an angle.
Like these peaks and valleys.

What does that remind you of?
Rise and fall of the waves? Or does it look like the rise and fall of the ECG line on the heart monitor?
Obviously, I had forgotten all about the Argyle by now.

Seams to Match

Before I proceed further, I decided to stitch a few of those diamond strips together. 

Oh boy, that was fun.  I quickly realized that I need to pin 1/4" from the edge of the fabric, on the stitch line of both pieces if I wanted the points to match.

Pinned Properly

I hope these pictures convey what my words fail to do.

Matched Points!!!

In the end, I decided on this layout. Eight simple (may be) diamonds, arranged in a staggered layout.

Final Layout

All I needed to do now, was to fill in with a background.

That was more challenging than I thought. Oh well.

Adding the Background

I proceeded in angles. Not the best way.

Next time, I will take each diamond and place four triangles in background fabric around it - something like an economy block.  That way I will end up with a rectangular shape. Much easy to piece.

Nevertheless, I managed to finish the top!!!  Sorry, I forgot to take pictures at that time.
I took the left over diamond blocks to make a pieced back and I am very happy with that.  I am kicking myself now for not taking more pictures along the way. Grrrrr.....


Let's try something new in quilting. Shall we?
How about using a charcoal thread, instead of a beige/cream one.

Hate the charcoal thread

Quilted a few lines and hated it.

Rip it out

Proceeded to rip them out.  See, I told you it takes a long time (many ups and downs) to create a diamond.

Tweezers to the Rescue

Seam ripper and a pair of tweezers, followed by a lint roller.

Finally, a Lint Roller...

Finally, it is all gone.

Can you believe this? I have pictures of the disasters, not the accomplishments.
Guess you just learned what not to do.

So, now the good news.  I have plenty of pictures of the finished quilt and the back too.

Finished!!!

Since Paul was not around to hold the quilt, I placed it on my design wall, secured with a few pins and took it out for a better daylight picture.  The finished quilt measures about 40" by 57".

I love love love this grey background fabric. But I cannot find it anywhere. It is grey hatch by ModKid. Have you seen it anywhere?

Hello Beautiful

The quilting is wavy lines using just my walking foot.

Love the Blue-Greens on the Grey Background

Yes, I know the diamonds are not uniform. Hence the name - Diamonds in the rough!!!
It does not have to be perfect to be pretty.
Besides, this one quilt taught me several lessons in piecing!!!

Speaking of piecing, are you ready to see the back?

Pieced Backing

I like it  a lot.  And here are a few more pictures.

Wavy Lines Quilting

 I used the same grey for the binding, hoping to create an artsy look to the quilt.
At one point, I considered naming it Desdemona's Jewels!!!

Imagine large shimmering earrings dangling from the princess's milky white earlobes.
What? I have a fertile imagination.

Walking Foot Quilting

Labelled

Girl's Best Friend!!!

I am so proud of this one.  I tried something new. I learned a few things. It is my original pattern.
It is not perfect but I love it.

On Tuesday, I took it to Show & Tell at my Guild Meeting. And, Jennifer asked me to submit it for the Quilt Show.  I was speechless.  But, I want to hear from you.  Your comments make me smile :-)

I will be linking up with favorite linky parties.