Sometimes it makes sewing a little difficult :)

My first curved block…

Batiks are not usually my thing, but it is actually kind of fun to use someone else’s fabric scraps since you get to make something you normally wouldn’t! These batiks were from a class she use to teach & the finished quilt was named something with sunset in the title. Very appropriate! :)

And on the topic of neighbors… My neighbor on the other side locked herself out of her house the other day & spent the afternoon visiting at my house until the locksmith could get there. Truly amazed to live in essentially a big city & yet have neighbors who I actually know!

Let me be clear, those are works in progress already cut & in the process. That total does not include the stacks of fabric that are set outside my stash already for the express purpose of a specific project. (If I counted those, well let’s just say I don’t want to even think about that number!)

Anyways, I thought I would share what is currently on my design wall…

My Far Far Away Zig Zag Quilt, I kind of love this quilt! It is almost perfectly square (or going to be), which is a strange shape for me. I don’t usually make square quilts… It is just darling though & I love the use of lights versus mediums/darks to convey the zig zags. I kind of stalled out on it for awhile, but sticking it up on my design wall has given me time to finish laying out the design & start piecing it together some more.

And what is currently in my sewing machine being quilted…

A cat quilt! That I am not going to fully reveal until it is finished. I promise it is just as cute as it looks :) I thought about keeping this one, but I think I am going to donate it to charity… I already have so many quilts :)

I actually attended my sister’s baby shower back in January & was able to hand deliver these to her… *(Notice the small amounts of snow on the ground, that is how you can I photographed these at the baby shower & not at my house – we haven’t had snow all winter :)

I had some of the “I Love Grandma” fabric leftover so I used that on the back of this one… Not a perfect match, but it works :)

Excited for the little guy to arrive in the world so he can use all these blankets!

Seriously they are so cute & practical, that it makes it the easiest/quickest/best gift… Oh & the flannels were all on an amazing black friday sale, so I have to use them up right ;) (They didn’t have an Auntie fabric, so I got the next best one – Grandma – since I know our mother is going to dote on/spoil the little one when he arrives! :)

Oh & expect to see a couple more of these. I really got on a bit of a kick making these the other day :)

I actually finished this quilt right around Christmas, but didn’t have time to photograph it until after Christmas… So I guess it is ready for next Christmas now :)

I love how it turned out! (Although I think I say that about every quilt :) The jelly roll 1600 pattern thing is so simple, but looks cool. I of course free motion stipple quilted the whole thing (OH & this is the quilt I sewed straight through my finger while working on! Not recommended!!). It wasn’t worth the pain, the tetanus shot, the antibiotics, but yet it sort of is now that all that is a distant memory :)

I almost can’t wait for next Christmas so I can set it out on the couch! (Except let’s be honest – I really want sunshine & warm weather right now over cold weather & rain, even if it means Christmas! :)

These quick little receiving blankets are my go to present for new babies. I have been making a couple of these for a special new baby that is arriving in our lives in the new year (I am going to be an auntie again.) So while I was putting together the last one, I thought why not put together a tutorial as well. I am sure there are plenty of tutorials out there on this already, but this is just my way… Pretty basic & easy, but that is kind of the point ;)

Supplies:

1 & 1/3 yard of flannel

1 & 1/3 yard of flannel or quilting cotton (your choice)

Matching thread

Step 1: Since you are making this for a sweet little baby, always be sure to pre-wash your fabrics… Flannel shrinks/stretches a bit, so this is extra important if you want to be sure the blanket stays in a nice shape.

Step 2: Iron your fabrics. (I HATE ironing, but yes it is better if you just go ahead and follow this step.)

Step 3: Cut your fabrics to size.  40 inches wides by 45 inches long.

You want both your top & bottom fabrics to be the exact same size, so make sure to measure precisely. I usually trim the selvages off first & then cut the top & bottom.

Step 4: Lay your fabrics out right sides together. Stitch the fabrics together using a 1/2″ seam allowance, all the way around the outside leaving a 5 inch opening (for turning later).

Step 5: Clip the corners before turning.

Step 6: Turn the two fabrics right sides out through the opening you left. Get everything to lay flat & iron again if necessary.

Step 7: Pick a cute decorative stitch (or zigzag if your machine doesn’t have any other stitches). Top stitch using this stitch all the way around the edge of the blanket. This will close up the opening you left (no hand stitching necessary!), plus it is a darling little finishing touch all the way around the blanket.

Admire the cute, quick receiving blanket you just made!

(Oh & if you have 2 directional prints like I did on this one, just be sure you match up the direction they are going! :)

Very simple & basic, but from what I have heard – a great present! A lot of my friends comment that they love these, because the receiving blankets you buy at the store are just too small & are not as warm/cozy as these. On this one I used flannel on both sides (since this little guy is going to be born in Minnesota in the winter!), but you can use cotton as the front & flannel on the back for a slightly lighter weight/easier to lay on the floor & not pick up everything combination :)

This was my first time machine attaching the binding all the way around. (Normally I attach it via machine to the front, then hand stitch it to the back.) This time I machine attached it to the back & then stitched it down with my machine to the front. Honestly, I wouldn’t use this method again unless it was on another charity quilt. (Not worth it for my own quilts, but if it means cranking out a few charity quilts over the slow time it would take me to stitch the binding on one. Well then it is probably worth it.)

A few things I learned though – the binding probably needs to be a bit wider to begin with (I used a scrap binding I had leftover from another quilt that was meant from hand stitching it down & it wasn’t wide enough). I would also use a decorative stitch for attaching it to the front instead of a straight stitch next time. Just my thoughts though :) Anyways, it turned out just fine this time around…

Now if I could remember to drop it off, instead of leaving it in the pile of stuff on my desk! :)

What is the saying? Something like the shoemaker’s kids are the last to have shoes or something… Well, the photographer’s family is always the last to have photos right ;)

I went on a bit of a holiday/vacation this summer to visit family & be in warmer temps. It was the end of July, when the rain just felt like it was never going to stop & we had not had a nice warm day yet in Seattle. (To all the people who I overheard in the grocery store/target/doctor’s office saying we had such a warm summer this year – I have proof we didn’t get summer until August! And summer until August does not count as being a warm/nice summer in my book! My husband commented at the time that it was good I was going to get a visit in with family & get some warmer temps, because he knew how much I needed some warm weather!) Anyways ;) It was lovely getting to see family & warm up a bit. I took lots of photos of course, but you wouldn’t know that until recently since of course my own personal photos & family photos are always the last to get processed around here :)

Just thought I would share a few of my favorites from that long weekend… (I apologize for how many there are, but I loved all of these so much :)

You can’t have a vacation without the beach :) And sunsets along the beach are the most beautiful!

I love how just a minute or two can totally change the light & colors of a sunset!

My sister’s sweet rescue kitty… He showed up on their doorstep one day & never left :)

More time enjoying the beach & water…

Eating brunch at one of my favorite restaurants ever! Where they have goats on the grass roof!

I am fairly certain I took this next photo from the moving car (I wasn’t driving)… I just couldn’t resist snapping a photo of a barn quilt though!

My mother’s (new to her) sewing machine… I think it even works! And it looks darling in her home…

I asked my dad to pull the car over when I saw these cows standing in the field next to the road… For a girl who grew up around farm land, you wouldn’t think I would get so excited to take photos of cows… But for some reason I sort of miss seeing them on the sides of the roads… And these cows were so social & friendly! The kids in our family all got to pet them and we had a blast while I took some portraits of the cows :)

I love the Pacific Northwest with its mountains & trees, but there is something just as beautiful about a sunset over fields & prairie… Contemplating printing this one for our house even… I love the feel of it!

And yes it is true, life at the beach is pretty great…

It was wonderful to see my quilt hanging next to so many other beautiful quilts! When I started quilting I had no idea there were quilt guilds, quilt retreats, and such a whole world surrounding quilting. I was already blogging, so I knew about some of it but the more I quilt the more women I find who also quilt. It is an amazing community! Being a “younger” quilter, I wasn’t sure about joining a traditional guild… I had no idea if the yearly dues would be worth it or if I would connect with any of the women in the guild. Well, I am happy to say it is so worth it! If you can, join a guild! I know there are modern guilds (I even go to the Seattle one on occasion), but I love the traditional guild I am a part of so much! I might not be the most traditional quilter ever, but there is so much you can learn from other quilters even if your style is not the same.

Also, if you get the chance to have your quilts in a quilt show jump at it! This is the second time I have had (this) quilt on display & it is so exciting to see it hanging up in a show! It really doesn’t matter if you win a ribbon, just getting to experience seeing your quilt hanging & pushing yourself to do something new is worth it! I am so happy I did! In fact, I am already thinking about next year’s quilt for the quilt show! :)

A glimpse at the quilt show floor (you can see my quilt hanging on the left there)…