WIP Wednesday: A Delay in Progress

After a very productive first two weeks of January, my second two weeks have NOT been very productive.

I did baste my daughter's Fox HST QAL quilt:

And I made the backing for Bluebird's Song:

I also went shopping at The Hobby Horse, my LQS and ordered a ton of Kona White during their white and beige sale, as well as picking up a kit:

Flannelette baby quilt kit...yummy!

And some BIWI fabric (Because I Want It):

Ombre dots! LOVE!

I also pulled out the thread I am going to use to quilt my HST QAL Fox quilt (I really need a new name for that one). It is a variegated purple thread. I can't wait to see how it looks! I think I am going to do straight-ish line quilting on the horizontal. Fingers crossed!

I am dying to cut into this stack of fabric pulled from my stash to start a baby quilt for a friend's sister who just had a little girl last week, but I am telling myself I need to finish the other two first. Or at least quilt the one. We'll see if my resolve lasts.

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Linking up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced!

Cutting Corners=Wavy Borders

I started assembling my Bluebird's Song quilt top and didn't want to pin my borders. I just went slowly and sewed them on. The result? Wavy wavy borders (the white). I sighed and pulled out my stitch ripper. Serves me right for cheating.

Can you see how wavy these borders are? Terrible.

I then pinned and resewed all the borders and I got out 80% of the waves. Phew! Now I'm working on those 3" piano key-style borders. Sides are done, top and bottom next!

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Giraffe Love: A Finished Quilt

A dear friend from work, R, is expecting a baby at the beginning of February. This is her second little boy in two years, so she will be one busy mom! She is a very modern mom who likes bold, crisp colours and patterns. She attended the baby shower for a mutual friend, the mom who received Baby's Birdies from me as a gift. My friend R commented on how much she loved the modern fabric and particularly the Modern Quilts fabric I used for the binding. I used the same binding for her quilt!

The fabric is from Michael Miller's Giraffe Love line of fabric. I really wanted some of the snakeskin-like pattern for the back, but opted for a grey grid fabric instead (honestly, because my LQS didn't have any more Giraffe Love, which I bought back in July). I think this quilt is visually striking and I think the mom will love the dark grey and citron colour scheme.

Here is the finished quilt, Giraffe Love:

What this third finish means, however, is that I have had a very productive January! Three quilts this month equals a fat pile of finished quilts:

It is a bit of a shame that in January, taking pictures of the finished quilts isn't as lovely since we have cold, wet, snowy and grey weather. A super sunny day on a field of snow would be nice, but the timing sure didn't work out! Here's hoping my new few finishes have a nicer backdrop!

Lynn (aka Buttons)
Linking up to Finish it up Friday @crazymomquilts

Bluebird's Song Quilt Blocks

I started Bluebird's Song on Saturday and wanted to show you the results of one set of blocks. I took the idea from a tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company. It involves 2 1/2" strips (in the tutorial they use a jelly roll) but I had fat quarters, so I did it with those instead.

First you cut 2 1/2" strips, then sew 5 of them together (the 5 was my decision, they could have been bigger or smaller). I trimmed my blocks to 10.5" as you can see here:

You then place them right sides together with each set of strips turned a different direction. I took a picture with an overlap here so you can see what I mean (note that the bottom strips go left to right and the top strips go top to bottom).

You sew 1/4" seam around all four edges and then slice the block diagonally in each corner:

This is the result:

After you press them open you get blocks that look like this:

These blocks will form the centre of my Bluebird's Song quilt. I am excited to see more of it come together!

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Bouncing Bunnies: A Finished Quilt

The due date for our friends' new bundle of joy, a third little boy, is rapidly approaching. I made this baby the quilt Things That Go and I love it. The problem was the mommy-to-be loves bunnies. And so when I found the perfect "boy" bunny fabric (Ric Rac Bunnies in blue) I ordered it immediately. I tried originally to combine it with Peak Hour fabrics for Things That Go and it just didn't work. So I did what any insane quilter would do and made a second quilt for this new baby! I chose a variety of Kona greys (Steel, Iron, Coal) and I experimented with HSTs. I also used some Metro Living circles which I think really gives the quilt life and movement (in addition to all those bouncing bunnies, of course).

Here are photos of the finished quilt, Bouncing Bunnies:

Front of Bouncing Bunnies

Front of Bouncing Bunnies

Back of Bouncing Bunnies

I hope the parents love both quilts, and that Baby L gets lots of cuddle and play time on both quilts!

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Things That Go: A Finished Quilt

Friends of ours are expecting their third child (a third boy!) any day now. The mom-to-be is also our daughter's caregiver, so I really wanted something special for this baby boy. I used charm squares and yardage from Peak Hour and I absolutely love the results. I also used some yardage of City Streets in navy. Here are pictures of Things That Go, one of my favourite quilts to date!

Front of Things That Go

Detail of border and binding

Back of Things That Go

I know this quilt will be loved by a little boy whom I will have the fortune of watching grow up. 

Lynn (aka Buttons)

HST QAL Quilt Top and La Dee Da Prep

I have pieced together the centre of my HST QAL quilt top (destined for my daughter) including the 2" squares that were making me nervous (that is small!). I think it turned out great! I then ordered a metre of Kona Eggplant (chosen carefully using my Kona Colour Card!) to make the borders. I hope to get this quilt done by the end of the month!

I also got to work cutting the strips for my La Dee Da Bluebird quilt. I am going to use a tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Company to make the blocks. I'm so excited to see how it will turn out!

I also have found out that:

a) The sister of friends of ours just had a baby girl this morning! So I need to make her a quilt.

b) A work friend just found out she, too, is expecting a girl. She is thinking purple for her nursery. I'm thinking of ideas! (Baby is due in April).

c) My father-in-law's 60th Birthday Party is before his actual birthday (August) and I need to get going on the final details for his quilt!

So I have more things on my to-do list! I'm thrilled to say, however, that I also have finished three quilts this month (all baby quilts, so certainly faster, but still thrilling). Stay tuned for posts on Things That Go, Bouncing Bunnies and Giraffe Love!

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Quilt at Home

This is just a quick post to say is there anything more rewarding for a quilter than seeing a quilt you crafted with love placed in a spot of honour in a baby's nursery, waiting for the little one to arrive? This mom-to-be posted pictures of her nursery today and I was absolutely tickled to see Baby's Birdies placed lovingly on her nursing chair.

I can't wait to see a picture of baby using the quilt!

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Giraffes and Foxes

Two more WIPs are shaping up to get finished by the end of January. The first is Giraffe Love, a baby quilt destined for a little boy due at the beginning of February. I made the binding and have attached it with the machine on one side. Now it just needs hand sewing.

Does the binding fabric look familiar? It is from the Quilt Blocks line of fabric by Ellen Luckett Baker for Moda. This particular print is Grey Hexagon Dots and I used it for Baby's Birdies and also for Bouncing Bunnies. The expectant mom for this baby saw Baby's Birdies and expressed how much she liked the binding fabric, so I decided to go with it! It is fabulous as a binding pattern. I think three is enough, though, and there won't be any more quilts with this fabric for binding coming from me!

I used a wavy stitch and my walking foot to do the quilting in white on the sashing on Giraffe Love. I think it looks great, particularly where the quilting crosses over itself.

I did a free hand zigzag stitch with my free motion foot in the dark grey border. 

I also have been working on the HST QAL blocks that will be come a quilt for my daughter. I pieced the rows:

And I made the sashing for between the rows. I just need to assemble the top, and buy  the border fabric. I think this finish may end up in February instead of January.

Sashing fabric for HST QAL quilt top

And now I am itching to start the quilt I am making with the La Dee Da Bluebird fabric. I can see how people end up with 10+ UFOs. I don't think I will get that bad (at least not any time soon) but I do seem to have a lot of WIPs right now...

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Sugar Block Club: January Block

I finally got to cutting into my stack of fabrics for my first Sugar Block Club block. Have you checked it out?

 I was nervous about the quilting math (and I had to be extra careful with the cutting). Now that the block is done I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

I can't say the same for the flying geese. Remind me to never make a whole quilt of them. Mine didn't turn out all that well, and there were some imperfect point matches:

Overall, however, this block looks awesome without scrutiny and I learned some things (holla out to scant 1/4" seams!). I'm glad I'm challenging myself with the BOM and I can't wait until February to tackle the next one!.

Lynn (aka Buttons)

Progress on Bouncing Bunnies

I continue to sew and quilt up a storm.

Bouncing Bunnies is now quilted using all straight line quilting with my walking foot. I also have the binding stitched on and I just need to hand stitch it on the back.

Giraffe Love is basted and I hope to get quilting on it soon. Right now it is sitting on my sewing table (aka my dining room table) waiting for me to jump in with the quilting. I have a dark grey Mettler 50wt for the squares and I will use white on the sashing...I think. I'm still not sure on that one.

I also have a delicious stack of fat quarters picked for my Sugar Block Club. The bulk of the bundle is a blogger bundle compiled by Red Pepper Quilts for Pink Castle Fabrics.

I am nervous about some of the measurements in this Sugar Block Club's first block (a bunch of 7/8 measurements which, for this math-challenged and Canadian [metric] girl is making me anxious) but I am also eager to start cutting and piecing! 

Wish me luck!

Lynn (aka Buttons)

It's here! It's here! It's here!

When I arrived home Monday I saw this at my front door:

My heart sped up. I started grinning ear to ear. And I believe I said "Oh my God!" several times in excitement. My Christmas present from my husband daughter (she's four, so really my husband) FINALLY ARRIVED!

What is in that delightfully large box, you ask?

32 half yards of Kona solids from Pink Chalk Fabrics! THIRTY TWO, people! I want to carry them around with me, looking at them and touching them. I am SO excited.

But wait, you say. I thought I saw two packages on your doorstep?

You would be right. Because my wonderful, awesome, excellent husband also bought me a membership in the Fat Quarter Shop Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle of the Month Club!!!!!!!!! Every month I will receive 12 print fat quarters and 3 solid fat quarters from the blogger for that month. And my first bundle happened to also arrive today:

 This month was Angela Yosten's, of Moda Home Mom. I love love love it!

And yes, there was one more special treat in that package. *Squeal!*

 A Kona solids colour card! I have been coveting one of these for months and months!

Doesn't it look beautiful with my stack of THIRTY TWO HALF YARDS OF KONA SOLIDS?

I am in heaven today, seriously. I'm more excited than I was on actual Christmas. 

Hooray for husbands who support fabric obsessions! Love you honey!

Lynn (aka Buttons)