Fall in Winter

I finally finished my Modern Maples quilt!!!!  It's the middle of winter and I'm celebrating fall, but who cares?!?!?!?

This is my take on a pattern by Amanda Jennings in Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays.  I changed the layout some and I decided to use various neutral solids instead of just one color.  I also gathered my courage and used lots of hard to find fabrics!  See that bit of blush colored Presentation Mermaids?  Yeah, that's the last little bit I had! Sniff. Sniff.  It was worth it though!  I love each and every print I chose!

The colors and fabrics I used are really outside the box for me, but I am thrilled with the results!  I also quilted this in no time with my new machine, Bea (a Tiara).  I don't think this even took me 2 hours to quilt!  I used the double loop style from Angela's free motion book (such a great book!).  My stitches and transitions are not as smooth on this pattern as on my regular stippling, but it's getting there!

I couldn't just put the special stuff on the front!  I used almost all of these Lush paint dots I had for the back!

We can't forget the label!

Blissful Bea!

Bea (my new BabyLock Tiara) and I have been getting aquatinted!  It's been blissful!   This is a custom order full size quilt using Moda's Domestic Bliss.

I managed to quilt this 85"x95" quilt without having to wrestle it! You know what I mean--the rolling, the shoving, the cursing-yourself-for-making-a-quilt-so-big moments we all have when you try to free motion on your home machine.  There is just so much room now! 

Quilting larger quilts is so much easier!   I used a floral motif from Angela Walters' book.  I won't lie, this design took a while to do all over this big quilt.  It's not difficult, just lots of bobbin changes!

Here's a peek at the backing.  This may be my all time favorite print for backing (from Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line)!  It's at least tied with an Ikea text print I'm pretty nuts about!

While I have a stitch regulator for the Tiara, I did not use it for this project.  I'm really comfortable with this design and I like to go super fast so I chanced it. :)  I'm pretty happy with how the stitches came out, especially the back!!!!  I had absolutely NO tension issues! Oh happy day!

Le sigh.  I seriously love the back!  It's making me want to quilt a whole cloth quilt using just that print! 

I'm also using Bea to expand my FMQ horizons a bit.  I'm trying some new things out with this quilt--not quite sure if I should be experimenting on my Wonderland quilt, but oh well!  Bea will make it beautiful I'm sure. ha ha!

Made this little mini version of a quilt I made last year.  I gave this one to my quilty friend Stephanie who lives just down the road from me.  She is about to move into her new house and I thought her new sewing room could use some decorating!

The backing on this one is pretty special too!  This is an IKEA print that Faith gave me a while back.  I've been hoarding it waiting for just the right project.

Whew!  I think I'm all caught up now!  I'm headed to Dallas tomorrow to visit my best friend who is 9 month preggo!  She's still disgustingly tiny though.  So unfair! 

She's HERE!!!!!

I'm a proud Mama again!  This is Bea!  She's my new quilting machine (a BabyLock Tiara).  I'm still setting her up and reading the manual, but I cannot WAIT to starting quilting those 5 quilts I basted last week!  Also, remember this quilt?

Yeah, my 100"x100" AMH beauty?  I'm so excited to have Bea because now I don't have to send my pretty quilt off for quilting, I can do it myself!

Baste That Quilt!

I am way behind on quilting the (rather large) number of quilt tops I have accumulated.  I have a good excuse, I swear!  I can't tell what it is yet, but it's a really good one!  I decided I'd at least baste a few so I'd feel productive.

This one is a custom order.  It's a full size replica of a baby quilt I made last year.  I love Domestic Bliss and that Anna Maria Horner print paired together!

This one I just made for fun.  I had the idea in my head and I just HAD to make it!  Ever feel like that?

Here's what the full top looks like.  

Finally got around to basting my Wonderland quilt too!  I so love this line!  It was actually harder for me to use the backing fabric that it was to cut into my last two charm packs! I really dig that patchwork print!

I managed to baste my Scrappy Trip Along quilt too!  I started with the backing fabric here and chose the prints for the front basted on that palette. 

Here's what that one looks like on top.

Last but not least, I basted the quilt top I made for my mom months and months ago!  Her favorite fabric line is Nest and I managed to get enough FQs to make her a throw.

This is the full top view.

It was a marathon of basting, though, sadly, I still have a few more quilt tops!  For those of you who are curious, I use 505 basting spray which I buy at www.sewforless.com  I have a basting video tutorial here.  

Just a Walk

Sometimes, it's the small things.

Like taking the dog for a walk.....

Or trying to.....

Or watching him walk ahead.....

That remind me these moments are fleeting and precious.  All too soon he will leave to become the man he is destined to be.  

All too soon I will stand alone and watch....

As this little man enters the great big world.

But for now, I will live in the moment, love every second, and thank my lucky stars.

2012 Projects in Review

I love making mosaics of everything I make in year!  It's fun to see the progression and remember projects I loved (and some I didn't!).  I couldn't fit all my quilts into one mosaic so this is part 1!

Here's part 2!

I made a lot more than quilts this year!  Here is a sampling of some of the other projects I managed to finish.  I couldn't include every bag, scarf, and pouch, but you get the idea!  Here's hoping 2013 is just as productive!  Happy New Year!