Penelope's quilt / Scallop edge

I recently completed this quilt for the new grandbaby we are expecting any day now! I used a panel which was purchased several years ago and tucked away in my stash, as soon as my daughter told me it was a little girl I knew what I was going to use.  I cut the panel up and pieced the hourglass blocks using solid pastel fabrics and mixing it up with my slowly growing stash of 30's style fabric. 

This is a terrible picture, but the best I have of the entire finished quilt. That is my daughter with the big smile at her baby shower. I think she likes it.   Here are a few in progress pics. 

A few quick notes on this; I used two different marking tools; the Quilter's ultimate marking pencil and Frixion pens.  The Frixion pens worked great - the ultimate marking pencil did NOT come completely out, even after using pretreatment and washing the quilt three times.  I used Hobbs wool batting and did all the quilting myself on the Juki98.  Love, love, love the wool batting because the quilting shows up so nicely.  Also, this is the first scalloped border I have ever done and am very pleased with the result.  I googled and read several instructions for scalloped border and because everyone cautioned to be careful not to stretch the bias edge, I stabilized it with bias stay tape.  I have used this product before and think it really helped me when applying the binding. 

Then I proceeded to mark my quilt top and quilt it.  I used a combination of spray basting and pinning.  I spray basted lightly and then pinned like crazy. :)

The backing is a pink plaid flannel and the thread I used was Superior's So Fine in white for both bobbin and needle.  

A lot of love goes into the quilts made for my grandchildren.  I read somewhere about prayer quilts, quilts which are made with prayers being said by the quilter for the person the quilt is being made for.  When I made this quilt and the quilt I made last summer for my grandson, (and before that the quilts I made for my granddaughters)  there is a special feeling in my heart - looking forward to their birth I find myself saying little prayers for them also.   I try to make these quilts as best as I can, not so that they can be put away and saved, but so that they can wrap that baby up and keep it warm and later be drug around and used for naps and tents and picnics and play, it is my wish that they be used daily and I hope they have been made well enough to hold up to long use, long enough to comfort and keep warm.   Adios,  Bernie

A quilt in remembrence . . .

Back at the end of September a coworker (and friend of mine) came to my office and asked me if I sewed quilts for people? to sell? No. no. no.  I shook my head, no.  I have made a few small baby quilts for expectant mothers at work and when a very good friend retired I put together a signature quilt for her, but I don't take on commisioned work.  I have been asked before and always answer no.  Why not?

• Because I don't believe my quilting skills are professional enough to take money from others for them. I still send out my own quilts over a twin size out to a professional longarm quilter to be completed. 
• Because I don't have enough time to sew for myself. 
• Because I am slow, even the most simple quilts take me months to complete.
• Because I don't think most people who do not quilt understand the time and expense that is put into a quilt.
• And last - because I don't want to disappoint anyone. I would stress about this last point A LOT.

Despite all the reasons listed above, my friend told me she had a good friend who had been diagnosed with cancer in August and that she (the friend with cancer)wanted to have a quilt made for her husband, for Christmas.  A Tshirt quilt.  Well, after I heard her story I said okay, have her bring me the tshirts and I will try to get it done by Christmas for her.   She brought me two small bags of tshirts - she had pinned little notes on them suggesting layout and could I please use all pieces, (some of the shirts had designs on the sleeves). Her only other request was that I put a red back on it.   As I started to work on stabilizing the tshirts and cutting them square I prayed for her and I realized she really had put some thought into the arrangement of the quilt top.  A couple of weeks passed and my friend from work came in one morning and asked me if I had started the quilt.  Yes, I told her, I worked on it all weekend.  She began crying and told me that her friend had passed away the previous Friday.  I felt so sad for her.  After hugging her and telling her how sorry I was I asked her if she wanted me to finish the quilt? Yes, she said, please finish it for her husband.   Well, I finished it this past weekend and it turned out very nice.  Nothing fancy, I just quilted it in the ditch around all seams.  Her husband did not know she was having this quilt made for him.  I believe she would be happy with how it turned out and I believe God sent me this heartfelt request from a woman dying of cancer to teach me a lesson. 

They belonged to an organization called B.A.C.A.  Bikers against Child Abuse.  I googled them on the internet. This organization (from what I read) provides a kind of big brother figure in the lives of abused children.
God Bless.  Bernie

Tis the Season to be Jolly

Busy tablerunner, new tumbler Christmas quilt

Ah Well, no takers on the pay it forward - but I have been busy with several projects.

another project I started last fall and just finished up - in time for Turkey day. I quilted it freemotion with a leaf pattern, but then kind of filled in blank areas with swirls.  I used the chalk pouncer to mark the stencil and sprayed it lightly with cheap hairspray to hold it on (I read that tip somewhere); but even on this small piece I had to go back and trace over with a chalk pencil as the marking rubbed off with all the scrunching and moving around.

I used King Tut varigated thread in the needle and masterpiece thread in the bobbin. I had to adjust the tension a bit, but was satisfied with it. 
I also traded my BabyGo awhile back for a regular size GO and with it came a tumbler die which I was just frantic to try out - so I took out my bag of Christmas themed fabric and cut it all up and laid this out on the bed last night. Whaddya think?

I think it is soo busy it makes me dizzy. Ha! Really, I wanted a scrappy look but didn't haveenough variety to really be scrappy.  It is larger than I intended, so it will be the living room couch quilt during the holidays if I can get it finished by December.  Absolutely love the GO cutter, these blocks fit together perfectly and there are 144 of them and the GO made it a so easy.  Some of that fabric is pretty old, I think it moved with me 11 or more years ago.  It always feels good to finish a project.  I have seen several Christmas countdowns on the internet - the holidays are just sneaking up on me.  I hope to be able to sew a few small gifts for friends at work, my intentions are good, I just need to schedule my time a bit better.  Well that is all for now, I want to go visit a few blogs before bed. Adios. Bernie