The Place Holder Baby Quilt

 I am in love with how this little quilt turned out!  It was made by using two charm packs of Sandy Gervais's Flirt fabric line for Moda.  The pattern is Four Square Layer Cake Quilt by Sherri McConnell and is a free pattern over at Moda Fabrics.  The original pattern makes a 70"x 80" quilt, which I made back in 2012 for my mom's birthday.

When I found out my co-worker and his wife were expecting their first baby, I knew I would make a quilt.  I ordered a special print of fabric that the mother loved to use in the quilt.  Unfortunately, I knew it wouldn't arrive in time for me to make a quilt for the shower.  So I needed a cute quilt ASAP to use as what I call the "place holder" quilt.  It's a quilt.  And it's your quilt.  But it's not the original quilt I planned...it's still in the works...this is just a place holder.  Yes, you keep both quilts.  Only a quilter would think like that, right?

So, I quickly got to work on the place holder quilt.

I knew I wanted to stitch fun scallops in the border, so I opted for a larger sized border than what the pattern called for.  Bigger is better in most things.

I quilted all the curves using Natalia Bonner's 4-N-1 Mini Ruler.  All of the quilting was done using a 50wt light pink Aurifil thread.

To finish this one off, I opted for a flanged binding.  It's probably my favorite way to bind a quilt.

I am happy to report the quilt has been delivered and is patiently waiting on the little bundle of joy to arrive.  For me, I need to get to work on the "real quilt".  Arrival date for baby is mid January, so that's like a million years in quilter's math.

Bento Box Baby Quilts

Need a quick easy baby quilt finish?  This quit is 100% for you!  It is the Big Bento Box pattern at Ronda's Creations and it is free.  I think I stumbled upon Ronda's post when I was searching good old Pinterest for possible charity quilt patterns.  What I love about this quilt is, it could easily be made from start to finish in one day...of course I manged to drag them out for weeks.

 

 I kept the quilting on both quilts super simple.  I used Aurifil 50wt #2600 Dove for the quilting.  It is probably my favorite go to neutral color.  One quilt received a classic meandering stipple.  While I took time to practice big rolling swirls on the other.

 

I'm not sure what the fate of these to little quilts will be.  The goal was for them to be part of my guild's charity projects this year but with no meetings on the horizon, I'll hang on to them a bit longer.  They will let me know when it's time for them to go home.

 

One thing I'm happy to say about these two quilts are that they will not be counted as UFO's.  They are 2020 start and finishes!  It's very rare I get to say that.  

 

 

Flying Geese Baby Quilt TGIFF Party

Welcome to TGIFF--Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday!

If you've never been here before, my name is Tish and every Saturday I host a UFO Busting party.  But really it's a party for everyone.  I want to celebrate finishing those UFO's, ignoring those UFO's, what ever you want to show us.  But today we are celebrating those ever so sweet Friday Finishes.  Today I'm sharing my Flying Geese Baby Quilt...and yes it was a UFO.

This quilt started life as a guild challenge project back in 2018; make anything using flying geese.  I wanted something simple and modern.  It was super easy to piece.  So why did it become an UnFinished Object?  Simple answer.

All of that open background negative space.  It seemed like a good idea when I was piecing it.  But when it came down to quilting I let all of that white get in my head and had no idea what to do with it.  Should I do something all over?  Should I try something custom?  Too scary...bye bye.

So it sat until now.  It's time.  And the funny part?  Once I started quilting I couldn't stop!  I decided on a divide and conquer method.  When in doubt start with some straight lines and echo them.

An echo makes everything better.  Then take those straight lines and add a small safe curve.

And before you know it you are swirling.

Then, BAM, a finished quilt that leaves you saying, but I want to quilt more.

I quilted this one using my favorite go to neutral Aurifil 50wt #2600 Dove.  

I love how this shade provides just the right amount of contrast without screaming "LOOK AT ME" on the white background.  I used a fun green/blue print from my stash to finish this one off.

  

How about a few more pictures?

I'll admit, I'm in love with this one.  I don't have a home in mind for it yet, so I'll probably hang on to it and pull it out and pet it occasionally.  It also serves as a reminder of, don't put it off.  You CAN do it.  Backgrounds are not to be feared.  So maybe I'll hang it in my sewing room?

Ok, enough about me.  Let's see your finishes!!!  Link up below and show us what has you doing a happy dance today.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

A huge thank you for stopping by today!  Come back tomorrow and party with us, and every Saturday, for UFO Busting, to celebrate what you've done for the week....UFO or not.

Ready. Set. Go! Quilt Challenge

It's that time of the month again!  Time to share what I have made for the Island Batik Ambassador Challenge.  This month Island Batik and their partner AccuQuilt challenged us to make a baby quilt using the Go! Cutter and dyes provided to us by AccuQuilt.  

Bohemian Baby Star Burst

Time to celebrate a long over due quilt finish!!  When a quilty friend of mine told me a few months ago she was expecting, I was so happy for her!!!  I know this baby will never grow up wanting for quilts, because it is being born into a family rich with quilters, but I had to make a quilt.  That's what we do!  After inquiring about how she intended to decorate the nursery, I knew these prints in Kate Spain's Voyage would be perfect; modern, fun and kind of bohemian.

Star Blossom is a beginner friendly, piece up quickly and an original design here in Wonderland.  If you'd like to learn more about it or pick up a copy you can find it here in my Craftsy Store.

UFO Busting #29

"A journey of a thousand quilts begins with a single stitch."  I was quite happy to see this piece of sage advice when chopping up this beautiful Kate Spain FQ last weekend.  Isn't that true of everything?  Do not discount the small steps we take, they lead to many great things!  Even when that one small stitch seems impossible to make happen.

My focus this week, when I could find the time has been finishing the piecing of this Star Blossom Baby quilt.  Slowly she moved in various stages.

Bring Back UFO Busting

With the completion of anther baby quilt top and feeling like my sewjo may have returned, I'm thinking next weekend it may be time to bring back UFO Busting.  Does anyone agree?  Is anyone still out there?  I hope that you are.  So if you are up for it let's make a date of it.  I want to be here encouraging you to finish those old projects and the ones you start.  Don't let the title fool you, this party is for everyone, not just alien lovers.

Baby Quilt Finish

I'm celebrating a quilt finish today and it feels good.  As of right now, it doesn't have a name.  This was due to be the next quilt pattern release for Wonderland, but due to some technical difficulties, that has been delayed, but we won't get into that.  It's neither here nor there.  I still want to share this fun finish.

UFO Busting #4

We are four weeks into this UFO adventure and I would just like to say how proud I am of all of us.  We have already seen some finishes and definitely have made major progress.  Let's stop and give ourselves a pat on the back.

This week I was able to finish piecing together a baby quilt made from left over bits from another quilt.

I want to quilt this up so badly, but for now it must join the pile of to be quilted.  I would like to work on the companion quilt to this quilt and finish it up as well.  These quilts will have a special story, but I can't share it quite yet.  But I declare they will be finished this year!

Remember David's Not Turning Twenty Quilt I shared last week?  After much back and forth in my head I have finally started quilting on it.

I am quilting each of the pieced sections separately with the woodgrain motif.  I'm hoping it will give it a wooden plank look.  At least that is what I'm telling myself.  Hopefully, with in the next two weeks I will be sharing it with you as a finish.

These bits and pieces will become the January 2018 Aurifil BOM block designed by Katja Marek.  I will be making my block similar in construction to the way Pat Sloan made her block.  So why I am showing you this in my UFO post?  Technically it is a new project.  One, it's a new project distracting me from my old ones and two, I hope that the same technique will work with the October Aurifil block I still need to make from last year.  Fingers crossed that it does, then all I need is Pat's setting instructions and I am good to go.

Did you see this quilt last week by Anja at Anja Quilts?  She was finally able to finish up her Wayward Transparency Quilt, just in time for Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirls linky party (If you hadn't heard the party has been extended until February 7th).  I love those simple straight lines and those yummy green fabrics!  Congratulations on your finish, Anja!!  

Now it's your turn?  What have you been up too?  Are you stuck and don't know how to finish something?  Do you have a UFO finish to celebrate.  Or are you pouting in the corner because you got distracted or frustrated?  Link up and share with us.  Feel free to grab my button below and let people know, you do believe UFO's are real...you have a shelf full of them!

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An InLinkz Link-up

And on a completely different note.  For those that like to follow David and his quilting adventures, he recently checked into his blog and wrote what he's been up too.  His blogging due to time is hit or miss.  I try to mention him and his quilting from time to time here.  You can find him over at Dave The Quilt Engineer.