Matching Twist Bag

 

This is the little twist bag that I made to match the tote bag that I made for my oldest granddaughter, Lilah. It is made from the same fabric as the tote bag.  I had a little trouble figuring out how to add a pocket to the inside of the bag, but after one false start and one near miss, I got it done.  I hope she likes them both.

A Book Bag for Lilah

 

My oldest granddaughter likes "spooky things" so I decided to make her a book bag with this cute skull fabric from Me & My Sister's Fab-boo-lous fabric line.  I added some pockets, which I haven't done in the past with these book bags, because she said that she likes big bags with pockets.  Hopefully the pockets function okay.  Two are small and one is quite large.  I probably should have added a Velcro closure to the top of the large one.  Oh well, you live and learn.

I'm also planning to make her a smaller twist bag from the same fabric.  I have a matching twist bag and book bag set (in different fabric) and I enjoy having them match.  Hopefully she'll enjoy it too. 

Ride the Train

 

Gus's quilt is finished and ready to give.  Even though it was technically finished after Christmas, that didn't really matter, because we weren't going to see them until after Christmas (Dec. 29), so all is well.

I quilted this one in an all over meander pattern using white cotton thread from Hobby Lobby.  It's not my favorite thread, but it's what I had.  I feel like it doesn't unwind as smoothly as the polyester thread, so the stitches come out a little less even. 

The binding was attached to the front and turned to the back, then machine stitched down using a small zigzag stitch in matching red thread.

Disclaimer:  This post is being backdated to the date I finished the quilt.  I was having computer issues and didn't get things posted in a reasonable time frame, but I wanted the quilt to show up in the right time frame when I look back at the year.

All Aboard quilt

 

This is a twin sized quilt for my oldest grandson, Gus.  He's about to graduate from his toddler bed to a twin bed.  He LOVES trains, so his mama asked that I make him a train quilt for his new bed.  It will also be the biggest part of his Christmas present this year.

The quilt top is made from the All Aboard pattern by It's Sew Emma, but it doesn't use the featured fabric.  I assume that's not available anymore anyway.  The quilt top measures 71.5" x 91.5".

Disclaimer:  This post is being backdated to the date I finished the quilt top.  I was having computer issues and didn't get things posted in a reasonable time frame, but I wanted the quilt to show up in the right time frame when I look back at the year.

Toddler Book Bag

 

 

My oldest daughter asked me to make a book bag for my three year old grandson to take to the library.  She wanted it to be wide enough to accommodate large books that were 12 inches wide, so I modified the pattern that I used earlier this year for a bag for my mother, and made this bag.  It measures about 15 inches tall, with a base that is 5 inches by 12 inches.

She suggested either trains or big trucks for the theme.  I couldn't find any train fabric that I liked, but I found this fabric with heavy equipment on it at Hobby Lobby.  I think he should like it, and I think it will hold plenty of toddler books.  I hope mom and son both like it and enjoy it.

Rainbow purse

 

 

I made this rainbow colored bag for my oldest granddaughter's 7th birthday, which is coming up later this month. It is a highly modified version of a Japanese Twist bag that was patterned in Quiltmaker magazine a few decades ago.  The outer shell of the bag is machine quilted.  The shoulder strap was cut at 28 inches long and is padded with quilt batting.  The little flap has sew on Velcro for the closure.  I think it turned out really cute.  I hope she likes it.

Now I just need to buy some stickers and gel pens to go with the rainbow journal I made for her, and I'll be all set for her birthday.

Wesley's Wilderness

 

Even though he arrived well over a month ago, his quilt just got finished.  We won't be seeing him and getting the quilt to him until the end of May/beginning of June anyway, though. I'm glad to have it finished.

The quilt is machine quilted in a crosshatch pattern, following the angles created by the peaks in the mountain blocks, and hand bound.

Another Bear in the Mountains Baby Quilt

 

This is the finished quilt top for my newest grandchild-to-be.  It's a little boy due the beginning of March.  They decided on a mountains and bears theme for the nursery this time, so I thought this would be a good pattern to pull out and use.

Baby blanket

 

Today I made a receiving blanket for my soon expected grandson.  This time they are going with a bear and mountain theme.  I thought that the bears and other woodland creatures was really cute.

It's a self-binding flannel blanket like I've made before from a Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial.  She says that it takes about 10 minutes, but time must pass at a different rate in Missouri, because it took me well over an hour.

Flowers and Hearts

 

This quilt is a Christmas gift for my elder granddaughter, Lilah.  It is the companion quilt to the one that I made for Maddy.  It uses the other half of the same jellyroll, but on this one I made the outer border slightly wider, using different fabric.  Just like the one for Maddy, I machine quilted it myself in crisscrossed diagonal lines approximately 5 inches apart.   I'm happy with how all of the quilts for the grandchildren turned out.  I hope they enjoy them.

Hearts and Flowers

 

This quilt is a Christmas gift for my younger granddaughter, Maddy.  I machine quilted it myself in crisscrossed diagonal lines approximately 5 inches apart.  It think it worked out nicely and gives the quilt good body without being stiff. 

Adventure Friends

 

I finished this quilt for my grandson Gus a few days ago, but I'm just getting around to posting it. I decided to name it Adventure Friends because the figures on all the different fabric could be companions on imaginary adventures.  In fact, I decided to get him stuffed animals that are represented in each of the fabrics, too.  He's still a little small for imaginary adventures with stuffed animal friends, but maybe it will be fun for him as he grows.

I decided on a straight-line quilting motif that echos the concentric squares of the quilt design.  It was really easy to quilt using the seam lines as guides, sewing about 1/4 inch from each seam on each side.  It made for several threads to bury in the end, but it wasn't bad at all.  The quilt finishes 40 inches square.

Below is a picture of the quilt with the stuffed animals on each corner - a parrot, a monster, a whale, and a dinosaur.  I hope he enjoys it.

A New Quilt for Gus

 This quilt is made from my Four Corners pattern, and it's for my one-year-old grandson.  When his parents were trying to decide on a theme for the nursery they had several that they liked and had trouble choosing.  So I decided to make him a quilt that incorporates all the ideas they mentioned - pirates, ocean, space, and dinosaurs.  While the little monsters aren't necessarily aliens, I thought they seemed kinda space themed.  Also the fabric for the backing has bear astronauts, so I think space is sufficiently covered. 

I think that I have everything I need to finish this one up, so the next thing on my agenda is to quilt this one.  The problem is deciding how to approach the quilting.  I don't know if I want to do diagonal lines, concentric squares, or something else.

As a side note, I'm not 100% sold on this quilt pattern.  I feel like maybe it has a little too much background fabric, but I'm not sure.  I always intended it to have something of a modernist look to it, but it might need a little tweaking.  I'm thinking about it.

A New Quilt for Lilah

 

After making the quilt top for Maddy, featured in the previous post, I decided to make a few changes.  I constructed the hearts for the heart row just a little differently this time in order to have fewer seams.  I also decided that I wanted the border to be wider.  It may not be obvious between the two pictures, but this border is cut an inch wider than the other one.  I considered going even bigger, but decided that was too much.  I also had a floral fabric picked out for the border, but I decided that it was too busy.  I like the way that the monochromatic fabric in the border calms the quilt down a little bit.  With all those jellyroll strips it is a bit of a busy pattern to begin with, so a calming border seemed like a good idea.

I've written up the directions for this quilt, and updated it as I've made changes.  Once these two are quilted I may make the pattern available in my Etsy shop.  That's down the road still at this point. I've also been thinking about making this pattern with yardage for a less scrappy look, and also modifying it with different blocks in what is now the heart row.  So many fun ideas...

Update: The pattern is now available at my Etsy shop as "Love Struck."

A New Quilt for Maddy

 

Back in January of 2018 I had the idea for this quilt.  It was an alternate take on the larger Heart Strings quilt that I had patterned.  I've been thinking about it off-and-on since then, but could never find exactly the "right" fabric for it.  I finally decided that perfect had become the enemy of good, and so I just chose some fabric that I liked.  It is made with half a jellyroll of Chickadee fabric from Create Joy Project.  The border is from a different fabric line by Create Joy Project, but I forget which one.  I really like the watercolor florals that this designer uses in her fabric lines.

This quilt is for one of my granddaughters for Christmas.  I'm planning to make quilts for all three grandchildren this year.  The other two quilt tops will be posted shortly.  The other granddaughter is getting a quilt in this same pattern and the other half of the same jellyroll.  The grandson is getting something completely different.

More Trick-or-Treat bags

I made a couple more trick-or-treat bags from a different pattern. This pattern is modified from a Japanese Twist bag that was published in Quiltmaker Magazine about 19 years ago, I think. They are smaller than the first two bags.  The outsides of the bags are made from two fat quarters that I won at the quilt shop several years ago.  I really like the twist design, but it does make the bag a little trickier to put together than the first two.

These two are for my grandson and the grandchild that is still on the way. 
 

Trick-or-Treat bags

 

These two bags are made from orphan blocks and fabric from my stash.  My intention is for them to be trick-or-treat bags for my granddaughters, but they are a little large for that.  They are purse-size, or book bag size actually, so they could be used for those purposes if they prefer.  

It feels good to be doing some sewing again.  And I especially like making things for my grand-kids and using stuff from my stash.

August's Aquarium

 

This quilt is for my soon-to-be-born grandson, August Raye Henry, who should be arriving in about a week and a half.  I finished the binding on Wednesday, now it just needs a label.  I'm waiting until he is born for that, so that I can put his birth date on the label. 

The quilt is made from my own design, an ocean waves style big block quilt.  I wish there had been a bit more contrast between the fabric in the center of the quilt, but it's still good. I machine quilted it myself on my home sewing machine.  I used a dinner plate to mark curved lines and then used my walking foot to quilt them.  Overall I'm happy with how it turned out.

Blanket for Gus

 

I finally did some sewing this year.  Woo-hoo!  We are expecting a new grand-baby in August and this time it's a little boy.  His parents (finally) decided on an ocean theme for the nursery, so I got this cute flannel fabric at the quilt shop and a self-binding baby blanket was born.  

 I'm having less luck finding fabric that I want for an actual quilt, though.  Hopefully I'll find something soon.  Time is ticking.

Under the Sea

I finished the binding on this quilt on our trip down to the beach over the weekend.  I'm calling it Under the Sea because of the mermaid fabric and wave-like design in the piecing.  It is going to be a Christmas present for my 2-1/2 year old granddaughter.  She loves to go swimming and playing in water, so hopefully she will appreciate the mermaid theme.  The quilting is an all-over dolphin design done by the Gammill Girls at the Front Porch quilt shoppe.

Other than attaching a label to this quilt and the one for my younger granddaughter, I'm finished with my Christmas sewing for this year.