Two More Baby Quilts

The next two quilts I finished for my cousin were a smaller version of my Hole In The Barn Door quilt from last year and a smaller version of the Chain Linked quilt.  (Click those links if you want to see the full-size versions.)

She had seen those two quilts on my Facebook page when they were for sale in December as part of my "make room in the quilt closet" efforts.  As with the Ship Shape quilt mentioned in the previous post, the overall designs of these quilts appealed to her, so she asked me to make something like them, but smaller, for her newest grandchildren.  

Here is the Hole in the Barn Door quilt that I made for her.  It measured about 43 x 55 inches before quilting.  I forgot to measure it again after quilting.

This is where I will give the block construction details, because, yes, you may be interested, but also because otherwise I will forget.  I've often had to refer back to the blog for the specifics on how I did something, and I will probably keep having to do that.  I'm sure keeping a written quilt journal would be a helpful and handy reference, but I can't seem to be bothered to be that organized on paper.  I tend to scribble things down on whatever is handy and then toss it aside, or worse, jam it into a "safe place."  Unfortunately, experience indicates that after a couple of months, those "safe places" are indeed quite safe from even me!

So here are the details.  For each 10-1/2-inch block, cut:

• Two 4.5-inch squares of solid color fabric (for HSTs) - trim HSTs to 4 inches*
  
• Two 4.5-inch squares of background (i.e. white) fabric (for HSTs) - trim HSTs to 4 inches*
  
• One 4-inch square of solid fabric (for center)
• Four 2.25 x 4-inch rectangles from background (white) fabric
• Four 2.25 x 4-inch string-pieced rectangles
  

*OR cut these squares 4-3/8" if you are careful about your scant 1/4-inch seam.  I actually ended up doing that, and there was no trimming necessary to make a 4-inch HST.

I just love the brightness of this quilt.  It has such a happy vibe!

Next, here is the smaller version of Chain Linked, which came in around 44 x 54 inches before quilting.

I followed the Chain Linked quilt pattern cutting instructions but decreased the number of blocks required, laying it out 5 blocks across by 7 down (20 tan bordered and 12 white bordered in my quilt).

Funny thing, as I finished sewing the last seam of this quilt top, I won the game of bobbin chicken!  That three-inch piece of thread was all that was left in the bobbin.  Because my Juki bobbin is hidden from view, I didn't even know I was playing, but I'm happy I won!

(Like my mug?  My brother can make one for you HERE!)

These quilts, along with the smaller version of Ship Shape, were mailed off to my cousin earlier this month.  She called me after she got them and said she absolutely loved them.  That's always so nice to hear!

To be honest, I wasn't sure about this quilt at first.  I had a fat quarter bundle of various graphic prints in the stash that were calling me, so once I landed on a combination of solids that would tie everything together reasonably well, I just started cutting.  

By the time the quilt was done, it had totally won me over.  Sometimes it's good to get out of your own way and just do the thing!

Linking to:  Finished or Not Friday! at Alycia Quilts and Can I Get a Whoop-Whoop?

~Paulette

Chain Linked Quilt Finish

There was a mysterious box on my doorstep last week, a delivery by the post.  Okay, maybe not so mysterious, because I knew it was from Angie of 5 Little Monkeys Quilting.  The mystery, though, was how my Chain Linked Quilt had been quilted.  We had talked about some ideas, in general, but I had left it up to her to surprise me in the end.

And it is beautiful!  She did an allover oval or bubble type shape in gray thread.  It works perfectly against all those squares, and I love it!

I had finished the top in early January and it was in the processing of ripening in the quilting queue (aka sitting folded on the futon in my sewing room) when I happened to win a giveaway by Elizabeth for a discount on quilting by Angie.  Oh, happy day!  Angie had quilted another quilt for me in the past, so I knew she did very nice work.  I hastily put together a backing and sent it off to her for longarm quilting.

Yeah, about that "hastily" part...  I was too impatient to unpick a couple seams and fix my backing so that the end squares wouldn't be cut off, and I knew that when I sent it. 

Well, how about we just call it a design decision.  Or something.  In a way, I kind of like it, actually.

The binding is another one of those things that reflects my impatience.  I started out thinking I'd hand sew it down on the back, so I deliberately took a more generous seam allowance when machine sewing it onto the front.  But when I started to fold the binding over and put the binder clips on and stared at that long, long line of binding to be stitched down...well, impatience kicked in again and I decided to machine sew the binding down.

As you can imagine, with that bigger seam allowance, sewing in the ditch from the front side of the quilt didn't manage to catch the binding all the way along, so after about two feet of that foolishness, I took it off, flipped it over, and started to machine sew the binding down on the back, knowing full well it would probably look heinous on the front side.  And the stitching line on the front does indeed go off the rails like a crazy train, but that train just kept-a-rollin'.  It is done, friends.  D-o-n-e, DONE, and that's all I've got to say about that.  At least it lies flat.  Okay, that was one more thing to say about that.

I still love it, with all its idiosyncrasies!  

The Chain Linked pattern is by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter. I mentioned the fabrics used in my previous post here.

I'm linking to Quilting by the River's Linky Party Tuesday.  Come join the fun!

Also, linking up to A Stitch in Time 2012 June Finishes at Such a Sew and Sew!

Whoop-Whoop Friday ~ Chain Linked

Temps in the mid-40s, hardly any snow, in January?  In Wisconsin?  It's true!  It felt almost balmy today as I hung my latest flimsy on the clothesline.  I am not complaining; I'll take this any day over all the snow we had last year at this time.

I finished the Chain Linked quilt earlier this week.  I'm loving the pops of yellow and orange and turquoise!

The pattern is by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter.  It was a fun one to put together, once I figured out what my sashing colors were going to be (Mink is the dark brown, and Ash is the gray, from Connecting Threads).  I ordered a pile of other solids spread out over several orders because I just couldn't seem to hit upon the right combination.  Finally stumbled upon it, though, I think.

The other browns and tans and creams that didn't make the cut will get used in something else eventually.

I've got it hung sideways in these pics, because my clothesline is only so high and I didn't want it dragging the ground.

The print fabrics I used included Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda, among others.  I combined two different FQ bundles won in giveaways this past year, plus a couple others thrown in, some Paula Prass Woodcut Garden, the orange and turquoise from Joann.

 
Now I'm wondering what color thread to quilt it with.  Always an afterthought!

How about you?  What have you been working on this first week of the new year?