Blind Baby Quilt 2

This is the second kit from the quilt guild. All the details are the same for this quilt, except the every other tactile-neutral block was a plaid, cotton flannel. This neutral block was much easier to handle than the first quilt. If I do anymore of these quilts, I will check the kit to make sure I'm selecting one with an easy to handle neutral.

Size: Approximately 42" x 48" 
Quilting: Stitch in the ditch, using my "domestic" machine, 100% cotton, light gray, machine quilting thread. 
Backing: Dark rusty-orange, plain cotton from Mother's stash. Chosen because it is a little wider than 42" inches so wouldn't require a seam in the backing
Batting: 50% Cotton/50% Polyester (Warm Blend)
Binding: Dark blue plain cotton from Mother's stash.
Pattern: Tactile square alternating with a tactile-neutral square. Kit from the quilt guild.

Piecing by Patty using serger.  Quilting on domestic machine with walking foot. Stitch-in-the-ditch.

Patty). Binding by Patty. QC by Spencer.

Location:County Line Quilts

Blind Baby Quilt 1

I took 2 kits from a quilt guild meeting to make quilts for the Blind Baby Foundation. The quilts need to be tactile and not necessarily pretty. Some of the fabrics are faux leather (essentially plastic) and are thick to sew. Indeed, most of the tactile fabrics were difficult to handle and sew--slippery, raveling, or sticky on the sewing foot or feed dogs. I used my serger to sew the blocks together for all of the above issues. It was a good choice. For the most part the serger zoomed through the seams. Every other block is a tactile neutral one. On this quilt the neutral block was not cotton and also had raveling issues. Another good reason to use the serger. 

An Imitation Leather Block

The instructions said to use a plain, dark back and quilt--not tie--the pieced top. I quilted using my "domestic" with a walking foot and stitched in the ditch. I used a 50/50 poly/cotton batting because it only needs to be quilted every 10 inches (100% poly batting needs to be quilted much closer). The squares in the kit finish about 6 inches. There are 56 squares in a kit making the finished quilt 7 squares to a row and 8 rows long or about 42 x 48 inches. This quilt was approximately that size--maybe a little smaller, but not much.

To prepare the sandwich for quilting, I taped the backing, batting, and top on my granite table using drafting tape. Drafting tape works really well.

Taped to the Table

Size: Approximately 42" x 48" 
Quilting: Stitch in the ditch, using my "domestic" machine, 100% cotton, light gray, machine quilting thread. 
Backing: Dark rusty-orange, plain cotton from Mother's stash. Chosen because it is a little wider than 42" inches so wouldn't require a seam in the backing
Batting: 50% Cotton/50% Polyester (Warm Blend)
Binding: Orangish-brown cotton print used for the back of Autumn Roses 2 in 2012. This was a piece left from that project. 
Pattern: Tactile square alternating with a tactile-neutral square. Kit from the quilt guild.

Piecing by Patty using serger.  Quilting on domestic machine with walking foot. Stitch-in-the-ditch.

Patty). Binding by Patty. QC by Spencer.

Location:County Line Quilts

Socky

I loved this fabric line called "Socky" and this pattern called "jumping jacks" from Sue Pfau's book "quilts from sweet jane". So, it seemed natural to marry these 2 loves--fabric and pattern. The fabric I used was charm squares, "Socky" from the Missouri Star Quilting Company. The pattern took almost 2 charm packs. I found the perfect backing on a fabric.com sale. It is the same teal print as in the fabric line. The background fabric is also perfect and from a fabric.com sale. It is cotton printed to look like the socks (Rockford Socks) used to make sock monkeys. It was not part of the same fabric line (different manufacturer), but perfect nonetheless. The brown background color made the bright colors of the other fabric really "pop". I named the quilt "Socky" after the fabric line. This is no doubt the cutest quilt I ever made, due to the fabric colors and prints.

I rate books and patterns based on how easy the instructions are to follow and how well the quilt top turns out. This pattern got a perfect score on both accounts.  I will try more patterns from the book.

 

Size: 38" x 50" Baby Size
Quilting: Loopy, free form design using brown polyester thread (Omni from Superior Threads-named "Milk Chocolate"). Free form quilting. 5 bobbins.
Backing: Sock monkeys on teal cotton print, fabric from a fabric.com sale
Batting: 100% Cotton (Warm And White)
Binding: Brown cotton printed to resemble Rockford socks from a fabric.com sale, also used for the background in the quilt top.
Pattern: From "quilts from sweet jane" book by Sue Pfau, called  'jumping jacks'.

Used almost 2 charm packs.
Piecing by Patty Pinned into frame April 30, 2014. Quilting on long arm quilter April 30, 2014. (Patty). Binding by Patty. QC by Spencer.

 

 

Location:County Line Quilts

Jelly-O

When I finished quilting this one it was a rainy day and Spencer had muddy paws, so Auntie Ann kindly did the QC for us.

The next door neighbors had a baby girl, so I decided to make a quick baby gift.  The pattern is one I saw on a Missouri Star Quilting Company video with Jenny.  The pattern is called Jelly Roll Race II and it indeed was a very fast quilt to make. 

The quilt name on the label is sort of a family joke. When my father was a little boy he once said at the dinner table when the circuit riding preacher was visiting, "Give me a little jelly-o to fill my little belly-o!" Apparently this was vulgar language and quite shocking to his parents. But the phrase has been etched in family lore. 

Size: 55" x 62" Crib Size
Quilting: Spiral, flowering  design (similar to Peace by Piece) using white polyester thread (Omni from Superior Threads-named "Bright White"). Free form quilting. 7 bobbins.
Backing: Leaves on a blue-white cotton print, fabric from a Connecting Threads sale
Batting: 100% Cotton (Warm And White)
Binding: Pink cotton print from Mother's stash, used for a Tata blouse and borders on Spring Hearts quilt.
Pattern: From a Missouri Star Quilting Company You-Tube video, called Jelly Roll Race II.

Used a jelly roll of '30's reproduction fabrics called "Chloe's Closet" from Moda.  Took one jelly roll.
Piecing by Patty (took one afternoon to make!) Pinned into frame April 23, 2014. Quilting on long arm quilter April 23-25, 2014. (Patty). Binding by Patty. QC by Ann.

 

Location:CountyLine Quilts

Blue "Beary"

Selfie-aka 2 Long Arms

After a long lay-off whilst I hand quilted the Many Steps quilt, the quilting flood gates finally opened. Since it had been a while since I used the long arm and since I'd never used it in its new location in the garage, I felt I should make a small practice quilt first, hence Blue "Beary". It is a whole cloth quilt made from flannel. It quilted like a dream.  I suspect the long arm likes the basement! It probably figures it's a power tool and belongs with the big equipment and NOT the delicate sewing machines upstairs. I'm enjoying being back in the long arm business. I also used this quilt to make my first attempt at feathers.  Boy, do I have a long way to go with those.  However, I believe in "practice, practice, practice" (like my 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Messier used to yell at our class- which made a big impression with me!) and with practice I shall improve! 

Practice Feathers

After moving the long arm to the basement, Sally decided the rails that stick out from the machine were dangerous and Mother might get hurt on them, so she installed the red sock safety feature. To me it looks ever so much like the long arm has landed on the Wicked Witch.  But so far no one has run into the rails!

Safety Feature

Size: 42" x 54" Crib Size

Quilting: Meandering, free-form design, including practice feathers, using light turquoise polyester thread (Omni from Superior Threads-named "Light Turquoise"). 5 bobbins.

Backing: Plain turquoise flannel from our stash

Batting: 100% Cotton (Warm And White)

Binding: Same blue flannel that was used on the back.

Pattern: Whole cloth using blue bear print flannel from our stash.

Pinned into frame April 18, 2014. Quilting on long arm quilter April 18-21, 2014. (Patty). Binding by Patty. QC by Spencer.

Location:County Line Quilts