Baby Quilt

One by one, I am making my way through my client's "have-to-be-done-by-Christmas" quilts.  There are going to be a lot of cozy babies this winter!

I love this fabric!

Chocolate Minky back. 

Little Surprises~

My client made this quilt for a new grand-baby boy coming in Feb.

If you look close, you can see some little surprises quilted here:

"Children's Toys" by Debra Geissler

Teddy bears . . .

 . . . bouncing balls . . .

. . . rocking horses . . . hearts . . . stars

. . .  and my favorite, the little red wagon.

Caramel color Minky on the back.

So Cute! Another Baby Quilt

Due to the high level of traffic for this quilt from Pinterest, I have edited this post for those asking for a pattern.  There is no pattern, my customer made this with strips, rick rack, circles and a clip art turtle.  She also made a Pony and a Moose.
Sorry I can't help you.
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This is uber cute and I am going to have to borrow her idea!  Strippy quilt with a row of rick-rack, a few circles and an applique.

I love it and it was so fun to quilt.

Caramel colored Minky on the back. 

If you continue on down to the next post, you can see another similar quilt this sweet gal made. This little turtle quilt is for her sister who lives in Alaska.  I'm sure it will keep their new little boy very warm. 

Baby Quilt

I have a little friend that is expecting her 5th boy . . . another cowboy to be exact.

She made this for her new baby who will arrive in Dec.

 It was great fun to quilt! 

Paint pony minky on the back. 

How fun is that? 

Quilt of Valor

In addition to regularly quilting QOV's sent to me, I usually try to make a couple of Quilts of Valor each year. This center panel has been in my Valor project drawer for some time.

I am a regular reader of John'aLee's The Scrappy Appleyard and when I read this particular post, I knew it was time to make my QOV.  You see, John'aLee's daughter was to be married to a young soldier deployed to Afghanistan.  Sadly, he was killed in action 2 weeks before their wedding.

This quilt will go to a "soldier who was his best friend and who . . . was there when he took his last breath."

I contacted John'aLee and asked her if I may make a Quilt of Valor for her to give this young man.

I have loved this panel since the first time I saw it!

Faye Burgos' American Valor Fabric Collection for Marcus Fabrics.  Pattern by Nancy Rink. 

Simple quilting to keep it soft and cuddly. 

Hobbs 80/20 batting.

More red for the backing. 

Washed and labeled--ready to send out tomorrow with a presentation case. 

John'aLee still needs blocks for her other quilts.  She is accepting them through November.  Even though this QOV is done, her goal is to make 4 more quilts for the grieving family. 

Veterans Day

From QOV Newsletter

In honor of Veterans Day,

I am posting a link to the Quilts of Valor website:

Quilts of Valor

If you are new to Quilts of Valor, I hope you will take a minute and look.

It talks about National Service . . .

From QOV Website

. . . and mentions the way our Veterans were treated coming home from Vietnam. This hits home for me every day as my husband is a Vietnam Vet.  These stories of the shabby treatment of our homeward bound vets are true.  We can't erase that period of time, but with Quilts of Valor we can move forward.

One way to do this is a new program called "Under Our Wings."

From QOV Website

  

"Under Our Wings" has been designed to reach out to new quilters, shop owners, fabric designers and a host of other ways to volunteer.

Quilts of Valor is not political, it doesn't support war, but it does support those men and women that have answered the call of duty over the years.  Their mission statement says:

The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover ALL combat service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.  This foundation is not about politics.  It's about people.

 We often think, "I am only one person, what difference can I make?"

Well, here is one person I would like you to meet: Alycia Quilts

When I grow up, I want to be just like her!!

 You can make a huge difference in the life of a veteran.

I would also like to give a call out to my other favorite veteran, my son-in-law.  He served 18 mo. in Operating Iraqi Freedom.

"Over twenty-two million living Veterans today embody our exceptional character and values as a people."  ~~Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Animal Baby Quilt

This baby boy quilt was commissioned by a customer:

1)Animals 2)Green 3)Brown 4)Minky back.

I started with this really cute animal print and then tossed in some coordinating fabrics . . . 

 . . . and a few minky patches for that wonderful "touchy-feely" texture.

 Reminds me of animal fur.

Quilted it with "Seaweed" by Lorien Quilting.

A fun mix of color, fabric and texture!

She said the baby is due in Dec., so this little quilt will keep him warm all winter!

Recycling!

I do love a good recycling project!

I am finally done playing "musical cupboards" with this book case.

It all started in 2007, with this tall bookcase that was left in our shed when our daughter moved to Minnesota after college. See it at the right of the window?  You know the kind--it comes in a box from a big box store and has a folding cardboard backing with a wood grain laminate.

She and her hubby had a couple of these during their college days. She asked me if I could use it in my studio when I got it done.....yes of course.  So, it remained in the shed until 2009.  Here--my books, patterns, and misc "stuff" got stuck on the shelves, but it was really not very functional for me.

In 2010, my hubby made this thread rack and the best place for it was right here where the cupboard was . .  . see that same curtain on the left?

So, the cupboard got sent to the back of the room:

. . . way back . . .

Then, this summer it spent a couple of weeks back out in the shed where it turned from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan.

I had Hubby help me cut it in half and then we reassembled the top half and bottom half--side by side. Since it was only 12 inches deep, we put a new pine top on it large enough to hold my printer/copier. The shelves were measured so my pattern binders, books and file box would fit perfectly without wasted vertical space. Wood cleats make the shelves permanently and solidly installed.  There are now 6 shelves where the original only had 5. Lastly, we put a 1/4" plywood back on it to make it very stable. To finish it off, a coat of black paint!

It fits perfectly under this window. This was wasted space and now its a great little spot for storage.

It's the perfect place for my patriotic little turkey.

You probably noticed these ceramic cookie jars above the window. The pink one was my grandmother's.  I remember pushing a chair across her blue kitchen floor to the counter so I could look in, hoping there were some of her gingersnaps in there. The center one belonged to my Hubby's grandmother and the one on the left was his mother's.

My Mom gave me this little pillow many years ago, and it's still true!

Stay tuned!  I have a plan for another smaller one that is next to my ironing table.  With a cozy fire in the shed stove, it will be a little winter project when time allows.