Last but not least, the quilts I made for Baby J --
I had a beefy post all typed up. It's been in my drafts folder for days just waiting for me to photograph Julia's quilt and add photos of a few others. Then I sat down to download the photos of Julia's quilt...
To heck with the other three, I leave you with this:
I promise not to bore you with all eighteen quilts from Quilt Summer -- especially since I don't have that many photos! But for today we have the Katrina:
The Maggie Mae:
And the Heather:
On the table tonight: potato soup
At one point last summer, I was pretty behind on the babe quilt roster. Not only were there a few stragglers whose would-be owners were getting closer to their first birthday than their original birth day, but I was also looking forward to having a Birth Day of my own, and I knew that once Julia arrived in August, I would not have time to quilt for the babies due in September, October and December.
Between catch-up and getting ahead, I finished eighteen small quilts last summer. (I should repeat, they were small quilts. These are considerably less work than full size. Lawsy, to accomplish eighteen full-size quilts plus real life, I'd have to be committed.) For a few weeks there, my kitchen became a veritable quilt factory, as quilt tops were assembled, steamed, and pinned up to await quilting. Again, I wish I had taken more time for photos before they went out the door. In the top photo, L-R, are: the Olivia, the Adam, and the Noah quilt tops. Second photo: the Emily, the Lizzie (partially finished), and the Sophia.
I adore those Sophia fabrics! There are some Amy Butler, some Heather Bailey, and of course, some Kaffe. Gotta love Kaffe. On the ironing board, finished and folded, is the Roman quilt, made in soft, sapphire-toned flannels.
The Emily fabrics come from (I think) a Moda collection, but I can't remember the designer. I love the buttery colors. They reflect Emily's mama perfectly, and I knew immediately who should have them. These all came to me in a scrap bag from a friend. AWESOME scraps, eh?
The Adam Quilt was an exercise in free-form, recycle-style, scrap-happy creativity. It was put together in traditional patchwork form, and with no planning, just grabbing a piece from the pile and sewing it on, one scrap-patch at a time. I was trying to pull away from any kind of perfectionism and just relax and let it take on whatever personality it liked. It was made entirely with small, "throw-away" sized scraps, with nothing purchased for the project (including the batting, which is also patched -- two smaller pieces basted together). The back is a nice heavyweight, unbleached muslin, quilted in random criss-crossing lines, which follow some of the seams along the patchwork. Looking at it now, I think I should have done more quilting, but all in all I am pleased with the result. It reminds me of a quilt that I vaguely remember from my childhood... either a camping quilt or a quilt from the saddle shed? I can't quite be sure. Surely, though, made by my grandmother and used until it was threadbare. It was the most fun to make of all the collection for the year, and it became Adam's because I knew his mama would understand and appreciate the creative exercise that it had been.
And getting back to routine, on the table tonight: Moroccan chicken
It is quilt month over at Sew Mama Sew, a good time to do some catch-up posts on recent quilts. I have seventeen (yep, 17)* sisters and sisters-in-law. (They are all true "sisters," equally, by the way.) Mine is big family full of big families, and my kiddos are lucky enough to have dozens upon dozens of cousins, which means they have lots of best friends and there is always a new babe needing a quilt to cuddle in. My grandmother was a marvelous quilter. She made quilts out of everything and for everyone. I did not have the opportunity to ever quilt with her or learn the art from her, but her legacy is an inspiration, and now that she has gone, I have taken up the needle and given myself the joyful task of greeting each new niece or nephew with a quilt. Problem is, I am just terrible about photographing them! Way too often they leave my house with no photos... it would be a good crafty/bloggy goal to get photos of my stuff more. Regardless, and although there are several missing and the photos are less than stellar, I'll spend a day or two sharing a few from the 2007 line-up.
*(Edit: I have twenty-three. Seventeen are on my side of the family + my husband has four sisters.)
First up, the Lizzie quilt. This one was fairly labor intensive, with all its tiny 2" squares. I typically choose simple designs that go together quickly. All of my quilts are machine pieced, machine quilted, and even machine bound. This fits my my super-busy life better than intricate designs or hand quilting, and allows me the fun and satisfaction of more finished projects. Also, it allows me to (almost) keep up with 6-8 new babies each year. I really loved this quilt; I had it in my head and collected bits of pink for about a year before I finally made it. The placement of fabrics was random, and I love the way it feels so patchy and very very -- pink! The back (no photo, dangit) is all one fabric with just one row of pink patches.
I love the gratitude posts that I see on autum's and other's sites. I like the idea of making it a regular thing but I really want to do the Free Friday thing too, so I thought there was no better day than Sunday to count a few blessings. One of the things I love best about blogging is that every day I have to look for some rosy tidbit to share, really, count a blessing aloud and in photos several times a week. While I realize there is a certain sheen most of us wear for our blogging lives, and I love the idea of "get real" posts, I also appreciate the fresh-faced, best-foot-forward moments this forum provides. So, to really pour it on (and yet, not even to begin to tap the gifts I have been given), a list. Humble thanks.
1. My sweetie. Always first and last, in every sappy way I can say it. Man, I am just nuts about this guy. I can not believe I am so lucky.
2. My Saviour. (I will try not to just be gushy and list these two and my kids every single week in exactly the same way...)
3. My van. (Well who isn't excited to be driving a van??) Okay, no, this is not a glamorous one, and it ain't exactly my dream machine, but this crewmobile takes us everywhere. Going on drives at a moment's notice is one of our favorite things. Sometimes we pull kids out of bed pre-dawn and end up having breakfast in Moab (3+ hours away) just for the heck of it. Standing joke among the crew is that if mom and dad surprise you with the words "get in the car," you'd best stuff a toothbrush in your pocket on your way out the door. I love having a car we all fit in that is a comfy and reliable ride.
4. This quilt. (It should be part of a "Christmas Quilts #3" post, because it was part of the holiday lineup.) Making it was an act of pure creativity. I was neck deep in planned-out Christmas projects that I had to finish (and you know how fun those "have-to" projects can be), and I decided to take some time off and make something just for the joy of it as a gift for my husband for our December anniversary. A shared need for creativity is one of the reasons we fell in love with one another, yet life is so insane sometimes, creative joy hides in the hubbub. I wanted to give him something that said "I remember what we came here for." It covers the foot of my bed and makes me smile every single day. He says it does the same for him. Joy.
5. This cute kiss. Can you even stand it? :)
Speaking of Free Fridays (and a block swap, and tie one on, and another swap...), I really really need to learn how to put buttons up. Sometimes my computer time is kind of "grabbed" though, so I've yet to spend the necessary time to learn how. If it's easier than I think, please, leave instructions!)
On the table tonight: pork chops
Two posts in one day? Well yes, because although I said it was a day for catching up on laundry and blog reading, as it turns out, the laundry can wait. I have puttered and played. I have baked cookies. (I should have "accomplished" more. Responsible things. I have work to do! Bah! You see what a winter vacation can do to a person?) I have also spent time on the computer and amidst my fabric. (Surely that counts as accomplishment.) And now there is this, the finished block. There are some places that I am rather dissatisfied with, but I won't be picking any stitches out. I won't be pointing out the rough spots either (the main one is unfortunately obvious anyway). :( Nevertheless, it was ... fun? well, satisfying, anyway to do such an intense block. Actual dimensions are 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches, machine pieced (with over two hundred pieces!). I am quite happy with the area around the quilts in the trunk and also those balls of yarn and knitting needles.
And then the mail came, and there was this, the pretty fabric used here, by this artsy-craftsy superwoman. I am already buzzing over how to use it. Thank you Beki!
On the table tonight: chicken and vegetables
A very grey Monday here. Snow is still falling, and all is beautiful, but I am not in the proper mood to appreciate it. I love winter very much through the holidays, but by the time March is getting near, my affection begins to wane. For today, we'll honor the snow and post more Christmas projects.
First, one of my favorite. The stockings were a very time-intensive
project, but I loved doing them and I loved looking at them. (It was so convenient that they were to hang on the fireplace where I could sit and admire them while pretending to be reading. Amazingly enough, there is no great photo! Shame!)
Each stocking is my own pattern, machine pieced, quilted, and lined in
coordinating fabric. Don't be surprised if I
try to sneak in a second post about these next December! 
Quilt #2 in the Christmas Quilt line up: There are over thirty different greens in this quilt, and over seven hundred strips. It is my biggest so far, at 90x100 inches. It was also a lot of fun. I loved the freedom of choosing so many fabrics, and the loose, strippy style. 
Smaller projects included ruffled, monogrammed aprons inspired by the tie one one theme (but never posted to the gallery -- I forgot to send them in time): 
And this quilt, which was a last-minute gift for a last-minute Christmas houseguest who loves purple. It is tied, using very large blocks of fabric that went together quickly. And yes, I machine-stitched the binding, even though my quilt-perfectionist friend would never dream of taking such a shortcut! (I am on the right. Love that Christmas morning hair.)
As promised, a post regarding my Christmas projects. Actually, this will be the first in a series, because there were many. These quilts were all finished between Halloween and Christmas. In fact, one is missing, bringing the grand total of my Christmas quilts to (drumroll please) TEN! It was nuts. I am sworn to finish all sewing and quilting peojects MUCH earlier this year. This one was made for a wee babe born in December.
To repent for such a lousy photo of the quilt, a better one of the fabrics. Soft, yummy cottons. I often just shop JoAnn for fabric, simply because she is kind to my pocketbook. But I am sad along with this post about the mass-market changes she has gone through. From my town I can drive equal distances in either direction to find a JoAnn store. One is shiny and new and one is a little more... broken in. I choose the little personal one every time.
On the table tonight: chicken pot pie
