Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Sweet Baby Quilt...

Hi, all!

Well, it's Friday again, and you know what that means - it's time to get our whoop whoop on!!  Are you ready?  I am!

This week I've been working on a bunch of projects that I can't share yet - I'll have to wait until after they are given to their intended recipients!  But I did make a sweet little baby quilt that I want to share with you...

We had a request for a baby quilt for a new baby in shades of yellow, lavender and purple.  Well, our stash is really short on purples, but I had some leftover Willow fat quarters in yellow and gray...

I cut those fat quarters up into 5" squares and sewed together a simple patchwork charm quilt.  I love the soft shades of this collection, and I was so happy that I still had the yellow fat quarters!

I did find a pretty lavender print for the back, and a lavender stripe for the binding.

I quilted it with a free motion design I call "girly swirly" - just swirls that come to points, but I think it looks super feminine!

I had to use the kids' play yard as a photography assistant today, because I couldn't get the clothesline up by myself, but I actually think it worked really well!  

This was a wonderful quick project - it's always fun to sew for new babies!  So - - - can I get a whoop whoop??

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's made you dance a happy dance?

Share - we want to dance right along with you!

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight - 

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday - Something Easy!

Hi, all!

It's time to choose another book off the bookshelf and take a peek inside!  I thought this week I would choose a book full of great easy (and quick) patterns - perfect for a little near-instant gratification!

Julie Herman's book "Skip the Borders", published in 2012 by Martingale, is a great book for quickie quilting.  All the quilts in this book are designed without borders, which gives them a slightly more modern feel.  They are divided into three categories - one block quilts, two block quilts, and outside-the-block quilts.

In addition to the obligatory basic quilt making instructions, there is a very nice section on binding, which Julie feels is a very important part of the borderless quilt.  (It's amazing the things you find when you take a closer look at a book!)

And then there's the quilts - this beautiful white star quilt...

...and then there's this cool appliqued quilt! (Something else I found  in my closer look...)

And this one is a favorite - the only one from this book that I've already made...

Here's my version!

And just because it's pretty, here's a picture from the front of the book that shows several of the quilts in the book, all rolled up.  It's a pretty way to take a picture of multiple quilts!

This is a great book if you are looking for simple, fast, modern designs with clear instructions.  Julie uses a wide variety of fabrics and colors, so it's easy for everyone to find something that speaks to them in this book.  And Angela Walters did the quilting, so there's beautiful quilting to look at too - always a nice fringe benefit!

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So that's what's on my bookshelf this week.  Have you looked at yours lately?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - The Back-To-School Issue

Hi, all!

I don't know about you, but my Facebook feed is full of pics of kids going back to school -  all those bright shining faces in their new duds are just so cute!  And because I think my grandkids are the cutest, here are their "first day of school" pics from this morning!

Lilli - I can't believe she's starting 2nd grade!  

And Emmy is super-excited to be going back to pre-K (she started last April when she turned 3) in her "bee-yoo-tiful" new dress!

Poor Nathanael got the short end of the stick today - he had to get one more immunization and he has one more evaluation on Thursday before he can start school on Friday.  I sure hope he got some ice cream to make up for it!

I've had a busy and productive week here - let's see how last week's list fared...

1.  Finish piecing the photo commission quilt.
Done!  I've covered the photos in this pic, but you can get the general idea...

2.  Make a back for the photo commission quilt.
Done!  This back used up all the scraps from the front - SCORE!

And not only did I finish the top and the back, but I got it quilted and bound today!!

3.  Start piecing the signature quilt.
Sort of - I worked with some other folks on Saturday to put together 9-patch blocks that will become the back of the quilt.  We were collecting signature blocks until Sunday, so I haven't started piecing yet....

4.  Make a lavender baby quilt for a new baby coming soon!
Done - but it ended up being a yellow, white and gray quilt with a lavender back and binding.  I love the way this quilt came out!

5.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.
Done!  It's kind of fun to see the progress each week - it makes me aware that even though it seems to be going slow, I AM making progress!

6.  Print out and sew on the kids' quilt labels.

Done!  Well, at least they are all printed out, and I've sewn on all the ones that I had the quilts for at my house.  I need to trade some to my daughter to get the ones she has that need labels...

7.  Start planning the kids' quilts for Christmas this year.
Well, I know what I'm going to do for Lilli's quilt.  She requested princesses and rainbows, so I'll be making my own rainbow bedding version of this quilt...

And this photo has given me the inspiration for Emmy's quilt...

She was all about "ye-yow flowers" this year - dandelions were her favorite, which was a real problem when the dandelions all disappeared!  I want to make a similar block, but smaller, in shades of yellow.  Still need to work out the actual pattern, but I think I know how to do it.

And I have the focus fabric for Nathanael's quilt, but I haven't figured out what to do with it yet, so we'll save that for another day!

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.
Done!  Whew, it turned out to be a busy week...

This quilt went to a woman just diagnosed with Stage 4 cirrhosis...

This one went to a woman whose only son just died in a car accident.  She's having a hard time and we hope that this quilt will bring her some comfort...

This quilt went to a gentleman undergoing open heart surgery this week...

This quilt went to a woman who is going through chemo for lymphoma in her lung...

This quilt went to a little boy who had a horrible tractor accident recently and was severely injured.  (Lilli picked this one out!)

This one went to a gentleman with cancer who lives near our church...

And this one went to a member of our quilt ministry who fell at home the other day and is in rehab now.

OK, not too bad on last week's list.  Here's what I need to get to this week...

1.  Tack down the photo blocks on the commission memory quilt.

2.  Piece the signature quilt.

3. Piece the back for the signature quilt.

4.  Work on making racks for the quilt show.

5.  Create a flyer for the quilt show.

6.  Quilt the signature quilt (if time allows).

7.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.

8.  Pick up more of the kids' quilts and sew the labels on them.

9.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

It seems like a skinny list, but I absolutely have to get the first  five things done this week, without fail!  After all, Christmas is coming on like a freight train!!

So now, the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

PS I don't know why my fonts are wonky this week, but I'm out of time and energy to fix it!