Friday, May 4, 2012

Welcome to my corner of the web!

Well, hello! Welcome!

I have decided to jump on the blog train and share what I've been doing. I was bitten by the quilting bug and have been going crazy making quilts and other goodies for my girls. I have loved making bedding for them and I would like to start making bedding for others as well. I have never liked the options on the market, so it's fun to be able to give my girls something unique and pretty that doesn't have "Dora" plastered all over it!

I want to start by showing the first quilts I ever made. The first one is Ashlyn's. She loves purple and I've been in a real Miami phase (I'm obsessed with the bright colors) so I used Amy Butler "Soul Blossoms" and Tina Givens "Opal Owl" to make this bright and colorful Pinwheel Quilt.


I hand quilt all my quilts. This is half because I really like the look of hand quilting and the nostalgia of it, and half because I don't have a very large machine, a walking foot, or the extra disposable cash to send them out. Besides, I think it makes the quilt special for the girls knowing it has my blood, sweat and tears (literally) sewn into it!

The back of Ashlyn's Pinwheel quilt, showing the hand quilting.


A few of my favorite fabrics. I think Soul Blossoms is one of my all time favorite fabric lines!

The next quilt I made was Micaela's. I made it before she had really discovered her favorite color, so I might have to make her another one (she LOVES pink). Lesson learned! Still I like it a lot. I really loved Zig Zag quilts at that time and was dying to make one. 




I really like how crinkly the quilts start to look over time. Unfortunately, this one has a nasty stain on it. The girls had been playing in a hamper in the kitchen and Ashlyn dumped Micaela in the floor, busting her mouth open. It continued to bleed a little after she went to sleep and, of course, she drooled all over the white part. Oh well... just adds another story!

I think I did pretty good for these being my first quilts! People ask all the time who taught me, and as much as I'd like to say my mamaw, she never actually taught me about quilting. She and my Mom taught me how to use sewing machines, but it wasn't until I discovered the joys of YouTube that I figured out quilting. I will say, The Missouri Star Quilt Company has some AMAZING tutorials on their YouTube channel! They are very well done and easy to follow. For the hand quilting, I just searched Google and if I use patterns, my favorite shop is, hands-down, Cluck Cluck Sew. I bought a Modern Chain Quilt from her a while back that I'm itchin' to start on. It might have to wait, though. I've got my eye on a Wonky Star quilt that I want for my bed...

Seriously... quilting is addictive! I've got a lot going on right now with Baby #3 on the way (name still to be determined), so I'll be posting pretty often. Check back soon and be sure to check me out on Flickr and Facebook for the latest updates. I'll be opening an Etsy shop soon, so be on the lookout for that as well.

6 comments:

  1. Gorgeous quilts!! A rainbow quilt is on my to-make list... soon!

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  2. Love the quilts. My son wants a "colorful quilt" so I may have to whip something up. BTW, hydrogen peroxide usually removes blood stains. Think straight hydrogen peroxide or put some oxyclean on it and let it sit a while.

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  3. Thanks! I didn't even think of the Hydrogen Peroxide :(. I wonder if it will work even after the quilt has been washed and dried?

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  4. Very nice! Love your hand quilting. Welcome to the Blog world. Love you chevron bg.

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  5. Congrats on your blogging adventure. Both quilts are beautiful.

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