Saturday, January 10, 2009

Quilts to the flimsy stage

I have the last 3 Christmas quilts ready to be sandwiched and then quilted. They are Tessellating Stars for Buck's mom and 2 sisters.


The blocks are 9" square. Each quilt is 5 blocks by 5 blocks.


I used scraps of the fabrics to make top and bottom borders for each quilt. I wanted to make the quilts rectangles instead of squares.




Friday, January 9, 2009

It's a new year, ya'll!

It is wonderful having a baby to enjoy this new year. I can't believe how fast he is growing. He is 3 months old already. I won't get much quilting done tomorrow, as Brayden and David will be here.
This is the quilt I made for Brayden for Christmas. It is different textures and shades of blue and white. It is really very pretty. Jenn says it is her favorite of all of the quilts I have made for him to date.
I used large squares of different textured fabric for this quilt. The squares were about 9". The fabrics included flannel, fleece ( the bubbly ducks), velour (with raised dots), satin, terry towelling, and a 'shiny curly lamb's wool-looking' fabric that is very soft to the touch. I really don't know any of the fabric by name. I think all of them came from Hobby Lobby. Every fabric is washable on delicate and in cold water, and can be tossed in the dryer. I serged this one to make sure none of the fabrics frayed. The backing is a 24" square of blue flannel printed with clouds with a border of 6 1/2" squares of all of the quilt fabrics.
I learned the evening that the term for the 'binding' method I used on this quilt is called the Birthing Method. I just layered the quilt top wrong side down on the batting, and topped it off with the backing right sides together with the top. Sewed around the edges with about a 1/2" seam leaving an opening large enough to turn the thing right side out. I then topstitched around the edge to keep everything together and also to stitch the opening closed.
David and Buck are planning on digging a ditch from the house to the shop to bury the electrical line tomorrow. I will be watching the baby, not using a shovel. The ground is very wet and softer than normal, so digging will be easier now than later.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Pray for Breana

My heart is heavy as I write this post. I've not posted much in the last couple of weeks in part due to Breana's circumstances. I've not been able to put the words down to discuss the terrible plight of our family. My grandneice, Breana, is ill with a mitachondrial disease. Mitachondrial diseases vary in their severity, and she is not yet diagnosed with a specific one. Her doctor is expecting test results for diagnosis within the month. These diseases are very dire.
Breana, only 3 years and 4 months old, is the only child of my sister's only child. Being an Early Interventionist, I know her future is very grim.