Always Sunshine and Silver Linings (Baby Quilt for Grace; New Technique Piano Keys Border)

Cousin Kristi’s granddaughter Grace was born October 8, 2020. I thought the baby needed a quilt, the utility kind that you can put on the ground for the baby to roll around upon.

The name for this quilt came from the two fabric lines used to make it, “My Sunshine” is the 10” bright print layer cake used for the star and piano keys and “Silver Linings” is the off-white fat-quarter prints used for the background. I thought the names put together made a good wish for Baby Grace. From my stash, I added bright yellow and green prints for the solid borders and a bright pink print for the binding. 

I used a Bloc-Loc 9 1/2” Square Template to trim the blocks to the correct size. The Bloc-Loc templates (various sizes) are some of the best quilting tool purchases I’ve ever made. They really helped step up my half-square triangle game. The templates have a groove down the diagonal center that just fits the quarter-inch seam and hold the block exactly right during trimming. 

I made a “piano keys” border for the top and bottom to make the quilt a better crib size and less square. The borders were easy to make if a bit oddly proportioned. I knew the pieces would look like fat, short keys, but this size worked best for the overall proportion of the quilt. This was my first attempt at a piano-keys border (new technique).

• 44 1/2" x 52 3/4" Crib size
• Quilting: Quilted in a loose meander with occasional loop-de-loops.  Besides the signature rabbit, I also quilted “Grace”, the baby’s name. Used butter-colored 100% polyester thread (Omni from Superior Threads-named "Butter").  Free form quilting. 6 bobbins. Quilting by Patty.
• Backing: Pink flower print on a blue background from a Connecting Threads sale.
• Batting: 80% cotton/20% polyester. “Comfort Blend” from WinLine. Piece was left from a previous project.
• Binding: Bright pink cotton print from my stash.
• Pattern: "Morning Star Baby Quilt” by Amy Smart from the internet.  
• Piecing by Patty
• Pinned into frame January 29, 2021. Quilting on long arm quilter January 29- February 5, 2021. (Patty). 
• Binding by Patty. 
• QC by Spencer

Doll Quilt

Great nephew David received a baby doll. He loves her and named her Quinn after his cousin. So Aunt Patty decided to send the new family member a quilt.

I used strips from a jelly roll to make the top. I used a label from the new ones I ordered from Etsy. What an unexpected way to begin my 2021 quilting journey!

• 20 1/2" x 30" Doll size
• Quilting: Quilted along the edges of the stripes using my domestic machine. Used a zigzag stitch for the quilting. Used beige 100% cotton thread (Aurifil). Quilting by Patty.
• Backing: Beige cotton flannel left from another project.
• Batting: Same cotton flannel used for the backing.
• Binding: Strips from the same jelly roll.
• Pattern: Simple stripes.
• Piecing by Patty
• Quilting on domestic January 13, 2021 (Patty). 
• Binding by Patty. Turned the binding and sewed the edge (second stitching) by hand on Jan 14, 2021, because our electricity was out due to PG&E work on electrical poles. 
• QC by Patty

Thank you for the quilt! Thomas way happy to receive it 

I knew the blanket would be used like a “burrito wrap”.

Goals for 2021 and 2020 Year-End Report

County Line Quilts

2021 Goals

2020 Year-End Report

2021 Goals

• Complete  4 long-armed quilts, including:
• Make a baby quilt for Cousin Kristi’s new granddaughter, Grace.
• Make a quilt for friend Grace’s new daughter-in-law, Grace’s request.
• Finish the sampler quilt begun in 2019 before my eye problem. The blocks were completed in 2020, but the quilt needs sashing, borders, etc
• Make 1 quilt from the To Do list of 27 Projects in bags (PIGS) as listed here (strongly recommend quilt for Thomas):

1. Dog Park (Quilting Bee--"Community Garden") in Cal-Asia bag and book
2. Sea Star (Binding Tool Star) in clear plastic orange bag
3. Garden Gate in gold NM bag
4. Marbles (Modern Baby) in UNICEF bag
5. Jumping Jacks (quilts from sweet Jane) in MSQC red bag to be named Tomato Soup?
6. 3 half square triangle quilts in red reptile N-M bag. One red, one blue, one pink
7. Crosswalk in blue clear bag. Needs white. See MSQC video.
8. Strips and tool in brown homemade tote bag for MSQC Basic X quilt. Needs fabric for center(gold?) See MSQC video.
9. Volunteers (Hands) in black Doctors Without Borders bag.
10. Black, White, Red Quilt in bright pink N-M bag—contains instructions
11. Green bug in Kaffe Fasset bag. Needs off white
12. 5”sq baby quilt in UA small canvas bag
13. Koala Jumping Jacks quilt (see Tomato Soup) in medium blue NM bag
14. A couple pieces for STEM quilt in Aunt Janet long skinny bag. Rest of pieces on shelf
15. Burst quilt and tool and instructions in tan and brown NM bag
16. Kiss Me Kate half square triangle quilt in UNICEF bag. Instructions on her web site
17. Half square triangle quilts in blue bag from sewing machine store. See book with dog park quilt for instructions
18. MSQC Wonky Star quilt in La Prairie white paper bag
19. Don’t remember in Thailand Elephant bag
20. 9-Patch and Hourglass on MSQC or stretched Periwinkle on MSQC using fabric from Lynda at Belmont sewing group. In 2 clear bags.
21. Tula Pink Monkey Wrench . Pattern unknown. In Kaffe Fasset bag
22. Thomas’s ship quilt in wild print NM bag 
23. Jelly Weave in “give quilter an inch” cloth bag. Needs background fabric
24. Scrap Patch Boxes in clear Quilt in a Day bag. Directions in iBooks
25. Scrappy succulents in clear Quilt in a Day bag. See iBooks.
26. Cacti and Succulents from MSQC in black Williams Sonoma bag
27. Red strips in “Start Over” canvas bag. Dart pattern in iBooks. Use white for back ground. Make it a few inches wider.

• Organize sewing studio—deep clean the fabric shelves! 
• Try a new technique. Consider curved piecing, needle-turned appliqué, or free-motion quilting on the domestic machine. Consider this a fun project.
• Make a few more masks, because COVID-19 is still with us.
• Only buy fabric to finish quilts, such as backs and bindings. Otherwise, use what is already in my inventory. An exception can be made for the quilt Grace commissioned for her daughter-in-law.

2021 Outlook

After the unexpected plague year of 2020, I read advice to keep goals for 2021 modest and achievable. I think that’s good advice. We need to give ourselves a break and a pat on the back for surviving a difficult 2020. Therefore, my new goals are not too ambitious. On the positive side my eye is better. Though, I will still need cataract surgery when COVID-19 abates.

2020 Year-End Report

• Completed 13 long-armed quilts, including the baby quilt top pieced in 2019 before my eye went bad (quilt given to new grandnephew Miles Rangel, Stacy Wong’s baby), t-shirt quilt for Tomiko, t-shirt quilt for Mother that I started in 2019, 4 quilts for Aunt Linda, a quilt top from the guild, and a baby quilt for the new grandniece Quinn Charlotte. In addition, I quilted a small top on the domestic for Aunt Linda. It was a lot of work and took a long time but turned out pretty. Goal exceeded for long armed quilts. 
• Made 2 neonatal quilt for guild. Goal exceeded. These quilts were quilted on the domestic
• Made one "kit" quilt, the quilt for Quinn Charlotte. Goal met.
• Made 2 T-shirt quilts. Goal met.
• Long armed the top Sally and Mother started in 2019. Goal met.
• Made 1 quilt from the To Do list of  Projects in bags (PIGS), Alaska quilt from fabric Ann gave me. Goal met.
• Tidied and organized sewing studio, including making more bags of quilting projects (PIGS). In addition, made two quilts from the new PIGS list, the quilt kit for Quinn Charlotte and the Aunt Linda Dream Weaver quilt, now named Quilt in the Time of COVID. Goal met.
• Made a dog bed stuffed with scraps. This was a big job, and from now on all small scraps get thrown away! Goal met.
• In addition, I made many masks for friends, family, and myself to help stop spread of  COVID-19.

All of my 2020 goals were met and one exceeded. I give myself an A for 2020, a very difficult pandemic year.