Time for a Re-Show...

Do you remember this quilt top?

Well, it just got back from the quilter---
I love it even more. It's amazing what quilting can do for your quilt! It brings it to life!


The nubby minkee on the back looks so soft and comforting.

Good job on this quilt, S! It's beautiful!

E's Show and Tell--Auction Quilt

This is a quilt my cousin, E, made. I love the scrappy look it has and it is an ingenious way to use up lots of little scraps! I also love how the quilting and attaching squares is all-in-one (check out the detail picture below)! It's a fantastic way to put a quilt together! Here's her story:

I made this quilt in March for an auction to benefit a family who's baby daughter was diagnosed with Schizencephaly. This is a syndrome where the two sides of the brain don't communicate with each other and can cause a lot of problems including frequent seizures. Baby M has three older sisters, and was traveling hundreds of miles across four states to a clinic to try and help her little body control the terrible seizures she had, leaving her father and sisters at home. Her grandfather organized an auction to try and help with some of the medical bills. I got an email about little M and knew I could do something to help.

I made this quilt entirely from my scrap box. The front and back are old sheets that I've been saving for a really good project. A lot of these colorful scraps were given to me when I very first decided to sew by two amazing women, who the quilt is named for. They are full of strength and faith and love, and if little M and her family can posess any of those qualities I know they will be able to make it through all the medical issues they will be dealing with. This quilt sold at the auction for $95 and I couldn't be more pleased.

E: I'm in love with how you do so much to help others. You hear of someone in need and don't even think twice about doing something to help--you're the first to sign up! You're a great example to all of us! Thanks for sharing!

M's Show and Tell

This quilt belongs to my husband's nephew's wife! Funny how quilting can bring distant relations together! M is an awesome quilter and has a great sense of style! I love this spring quilt and I love how she was persistent until she got it how she wanted it! Wow! What a difference good quilting makes! Here's her story:

This is a quilt I made from a kit sold in a nearby store which I fell in love with. I love the reds in a spring quilt! It's unexpected - but so cute! I also loved that it has a little bit of everything in it - it has pieced blocks, appliqued blocks, even one paper-piecing block (the basket). All of them have embroidery on them which really adds to the sparkle (and learning) - and when I saw it, I just knew I had to make it.
I spent a couple of months putting the top together and was thrilled with it - it was my best work yet and I love it so much. I knew that I didn't want to quilt it myself because I am not experienced enough at that and did NOT want to ruin my favorite quilt, so I took it to a lady who has done several quilt for me "edge to edge" and has done a beautiful job. I asked her if she could customize this one - do special stuff inside the blocks (a shadow effect on the applique blocks, and some fun stuff on the shoefly blocks) - she said she'd done it before and could do that for me but it would cost extra. I was okay with that because this quilt was special to me (for some reason) and I really wanted it done well.

Anyway, here are some pics of the work she did. I was pretty bummed when I got it back (after paying $96.00 for the quilt work!!) - and it was pretty much a horrible quilting job. I don't know much about quilting, but even I could see that this wasn't a good job. I was really depressed for a couple of days, then, I got myself together and got my unpicker out. I unpicked the whole entire thing and then, took it to a "professional quilter" to try again.

Here are more pics of the finished job. It was absolutely beautiful and exactly what I'd hoped for!! (and I only got charged $24.00 for the whole thing!) - I think she felt bad for me.
So, anyway - just finished binding it last week (and I did the curvy edge this time - for extra perfection) - and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

It was worth every unpicking moment because I wouldn't have ever been as happy looking at it on the wall if I'd left it like it was.
I guess the moral of this story is be careful who quilts your precious quilts!! Make sure they know what they're doing - pictures would be good as evidence!

Bunny from the first quilter.

Bunny after the second quilter.
First quilter

Second quilter.
Love the yo-yo's and the basket!

Here's the back of the quilt. Well done M!!! Love it!

C8's Quilt: Squaring up your Blocks

C8's quilt is coming along--a little slower than I would like, but you know, life happens. Anyway, I was able to work on it for a while today and thought it would be a great opportunity to show how to square up your blocks.

Most quilts are made up of blocks and with most of those, the blocks measure the same size. The blocks in this quilt are 9" square. It's important to square up your blocks so you have a nice, even finished product and all of the blocks will fit together well.

It's a good idea to square up as you go. Add a strip and square it up. Add the next strip and square it up. Basically you're evening out all of the rough edges that happen through sewing and pressing. Make sure you have lined up your seams with the grid on your cutting mat and with the lines on your ruler and keep your ruler straight. Cut off as little fabric as possible when you square it up as you go.

When squaring up a finished block, it's best to start in the middle of your block. With my 9" desired size, I find my center and measure 4 1/2" on each side and cut off the extra. With this block it was easy to find the middle seam and I lined that up on a line on my cutting mat grid.

Then I measured 4 1/2" over from the center line and using my ruler and rotary cutter sliced off the extra fabric. That took care of side 1. Then I flipped it over 180 degrees and lined up the opposite side on any inch line on the grid and made a cut 9" over.

Then I do the same to the remaining two sides. I find the center, measure over 4 1/2 inches and using the lines on the grid, cut off the extra in order to make a 9" square block.

You should end up with all of your blocks squared and measuring the exact same. This will help you immensely when it's time to put it all together.

Soon I'll be sewing all of these into rows! It's getting there!