A Quilty Dilemma

I am still stuck on what to decide, so I thought I would post here in hopes that even just one blogger can comment and help me to decide. One can hope anyway :)

My dilemma concerns the idea of making a quilt for a friend and coworker, who is going to have a baby girl some time this month. I haven't ever given a quilt away, since I've only actually finished one to date, so the idea scares me just a bit, but I'm pressing on. In my mind, I have three choices:

1. Make a baby quilt using a sampling of the quilt blocks found in my new amazing book, Tula Pink's City Sampler book, which I am absolutely in love with

2. Instead, joining in with Fairy Face Designs and the Swoon-along to create a baby quilt with either one or four blocks (which I am also in love with; take a look at Anna's stunning block!)

3. Doing both, while making one a lap quilt size instead (or going in a different direction altogether)


With my busy work schedule, I don't know if option three is realistic, but I know I really want to make something for her to show my congratulations. Below I'll include a picture of my initial fabric pull for the baby quilt, just to show you an idea of where I'm going. Here's my ultimate question: what would you do?

The Random Post

This was certainly meant to be a post about quilting and other sewing progress, but it looks as though there's only one picture from my recent download that I haven't shared here. Still though, it should get it's ten seconds of fame.

 

This little quilt is only about 30'' square, and quite adorable with its black and white pinwheels. I actually made this quilt for my rabbits, as sort of a plaything and maybe something to wrap them up in when I want to snuggle and pet them. We'll see how much it actually gets used, instead of just sniffed at. :)

 

I'm working pretty crazy hours for my "part time" summer job (think 75 hours in two weeks) so unfortunately I don't see myself being able to post here more often than my usual. :/ I still hope to show some in-progress photos from a project or two next time. And I need to get a picture of my recently-stashed, wonderful stack from the ever-awesome Form and Fabric. I must also show a picture of a fabric pull, for a quilt along I'm thinking about doing. Should I Swoon along?

 

Oh and I almost forgot (how could I?!) that I recently received my shipment of the amazing Tula Pink City Sampler book! I'm even drooling over the cover; I can't wait to open it. I'm not sure when I'll start anything in it, or what fabric I'll use, or anything about it really, but I just can't wipe the stupid grin off my face that I actually have it. I can only hope to make blocks as stunning as those made by the wonderful sewer behind the blog Sew Crafty Jess. I swear, go and look at her most recent blocks!

Away again

In recent weeks I've been far, far too busy. Fortunately, I have just one blog follower at the moment, so I'm betting the rest of the quilting blog world didn't notice my absence and that's okay I guess. Anyway I will try to be back here SOON, but for now I am just claiming my blog on Bloglovin :)


Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Part Deux: A Finished Quilt and New Stashes

Though later than I promised (again), here are some much needed pictures of what's been going on around here. First up is pictures of my first ever completed quilt!

Can you tell that I really, really love rabbits and Easter? :) These pictures were taken before it was washed, and I can now attest to the addicting feeling of crinkling a quilt washed for the first time. It's no wonder quilters can't wait to finish a new project and put it in the wash!

This next picture is some of the fabric I stashed recently. The Simply Color prints were some of my favorites around blogland and on the internet, so when I received a coupon code for Fabric Depot after my credit card number was stolen from their previous payment system, I treated myself to some of this drool-worthy fabric. I also bought the jelly roll (my first!) with this tutorial in mind, maybe to make a quilt half that size, but I couldn't pass this up when my coupon meant the jelly roll rung up at $20!

The top five fabrics are from Simply Color, in the leaf and ikat patterns, and the bottom orange is a saturated organic solid, also on sale for a great price.

These fat quarter fabrics are the ones I received as a free bundle with my purchase from the fabric seller listed above. Although they aren't necessarily my style, I bet I can come up with a Christmas gift or two to make from these that will suit some of my family members perfectly.

And last but not least, an awe-inspiring stack of fabrics received from Form and Fabric. They came beautifully wrapped in pink tissue paper along with three "post cards" with their logo. I can't tell you how much more I enjoy a fabric purchase when it's thoughtfully wrapped, so I would certainly suggest checking them out, especially if you haven't already. Their sale section, where most of these fabrics were from, is pretty great!

From top to bottom, there's Tula Pink in Coral, a light blue organic solid, Anna Maria Horner's Maybe in Indigo, Amy Butler's Laurel Dots in Cherry, Joel Dewberry's Opal in Jade, Green and Fuchsia, Maybe in Blossom, Laurel Dots, Tula Pink Hex Box in Olive, Indigo, and Honey, and Tula Pink Dandelion in Olive, Cream, Coral, and Aqua. Hidden on the bottom are two Etsy purchases, an elegant Lily and Will fabric with cute bunnies and a (not visible) Tula Pink Hushabye droplet fabric in olive. Boy do I love all of these!

Four Bibs, Two Bags and a Messy Table

I'm back! And I have lots of fun pictures to show what I've been up to. Just to keep things (sort of) consistent, I'll post a "Part Two" in a day or two. First are four adorable baby bibs that I created for a Craft Hope project, and these were collected with the numerous others and sent to orphanages in China. It really warmed my heart to know this :) The pepper print was one I received as a gift from my Oma (German for grandmother) and it was very fun to use with red topstitching.

 

 



Next is just a view of my cutting mat a couple of weeks ago, making some log cabin and strip-style pot holders for some gifts. Unfortunately these are still unfinished...

 

 I also was able to finish up my second lined drawstring bag from the wonderful tutorial by Jeni at In Color Order and I think it turned out simply adorable.

 

And here they are together, cute as can be before I give them away to the two girls I was a nanny for this semester.

 



 

 I'll be back in a day or so to show the rest of my first quilt pictures, and some photos of wonderful new fabric stashes I haven't been able to cut into yet :)

 

Finally a quilt photo

It's a terrible cycle isn't it? I take a glance at the last date that I wrote a post, and promptly promise myself that I'll post much more frequently from then on. And even with my good intentions, it doesn't happen. Although I'm realistic and don't expect myself to post every other day, I can be sure I'll have much more time to take pictures and create blog posts once this semester comes to a close! Only 5 more days, but that includes one final on each weekday until I'm officially done with my sophomore year on Thursday at 11pm...wish me luck!

Anyway, although I'm away at school until summer of course, I do happen to have a couple of photos of what I've been working on these last couple of times I've been home for the weekend. And I just added to my horror by clicking "view blog" just in case I was wrong, but indeed I've never posted a picture of a quilt, even an in progress shot! Now I really need to hang my head in shame. But at least I can remedy that! Here's a photo of the quilt I started a little too early before Easter arrived, using some Joann's fabrics. (shh, don't tell anyone, they were too cute to pass up since I adore rabbits but I promise that my stash is 90% quilt shop quality!) Once I get ahold of the photos taken on my parents' camera I'll be able to show you the finished quilt and all of its loveliness, and technically my first one ever!

 

This shows the quilt blocks sewn in rows I do believe. Can you tell my favorite color is purple and that I absolutely adore rabbits? :)

And here's my most recent sewing related finish. I poked around in my small bin of scraps and decided that this combo was a good one as I have used it along with a solid purple for some (yet unfinished) quilted potholders. I've seen many cute pincushions with buttons in the middle and thought that I should try that technique too while I was at it. But now I know I'll be on the hunt for some white buttons or a rainbow mix because I had to dig around in my mom's bin of extra buttons from sweaters and cardigans!

Summer's now just fours days away due to my after-midnight posting, so I hope to be here much more often by then. Happy sewing!

TGI(almost)F

I've been away again for so long (or so it seems)! I am happy to report that I am going home this weekend, to meet back up with my sewing machine and make some progress on wonderful quilts, potholders, and a drawstring bag still in limbo. And as if this coming weekend couldn't get any better, I also discovered from the sly Blogger that I had just acquired my first follower, what a happy day! Maybe this good news will help me kick my productivity into high gear and actually finish some things to show you - now wouldn't that be something?!