"Simply Sonya"

Finally the finish of my Dilly Dally creation...

For my niece's new addition, Sonya Rose,

born December 28, 2012.

When I started this quilt, I wasn't sure who

it was going to be for.  And then came Sonya. ; )

The top (front) is made of simple pinwheel blocks

 and a prairie point border from charm packs

 and small dotted white on white fabric.

The back and binding are made of the same Dilly Dally

multi-colored fun flowers.

Ready to be delivered to the new baby!

And so happy for another finish!

So. Sweet. Sophie.

No sweeter finish for me than this...

Sophia Annabelle

Born: June 1, 2011

7lb. 2oz, 19in.

When my neice, Erica, first told me the name she and Brian had chosen for their little baby girl was Sophia, I thought it was so pretty, so original, so vintage.  I decided the quilt I would make for Sophie should reflect that vintage feel.  I found this pattern, called Baby's Little Goslings, in a book I'd picked up a while ago knowing someday it would be perfect for a very special baby. 

Instead of more contemporary pastels, I decided to go with the dotted fabric from Fig Tree I'd been holding onto for just the right moment.  The soft creamy, peachy, orange florals surrounding the dotted flying geese was also used for the backing.

Since I always name my quilts, this one became "So Sweet Sophie" and I created a label (that was not yet sewn on during my photo shoot) in keeping with the vintage theme. You can click the pic for a close up.

But my very favorite part of this quilt is the prairie point border.  Partly because I've been wanting to try something with prairie points, but mostly because I think it's the perfect finish as a reflection of the larger flying geese blocks.

For my non-quilting friends, prairie points are those little folded triangles around the edge. 

(I like folding fabric just as much as folding paper...fabric origami.)

I had such a fun time photographing the final project, hence

 the So Sweet Sophie parade that follows:

Now it's all washed, warm and comfy...ready to be delivered this weekend to

So Sweet Sophie

Thanks for all your interest and comments throughout this process.

It's so nice to be able to share such sweetness.

Aaargh!

Aaargh!  It's been one of those days...or maybe I should say weeks.  Craziness from one day to the next!  Between problems with my sewing machine and me just being tired and careless, I've found myself many times cursing under my breath like a pirate!  My baby quilt is coming along (good thing since my neice had her baby, Sophie on June 1st). 

But I did end up ripping out an entire edge to undo the backing that wasn't supposed to have been sewn into the prairie point border.  Eventually, I got it straightened out and should have the backing/binding finished tomorrow.  I love how the prairie points are turning out and I learned a lot about how I will attach this type of border in the future and have an easier time of it.

Aaargh!! Speaking of pirates, I managed to get out to see the new POTC, On Stranger Tides last friday (I think anyway...the last two weeks have been such a blur of activity...graduations...birthdays...newborns...school ending for summer, yay!).  But anyway....

I wouldn't say it was the BEST of the four, but it definitely lived up to the three previous movies. Very entertaining...and who doesn't just love Johnny Depp's, Captain Jack Sparrow?

Aaargh!!  Also in the midst of the craziness of the last few weeks, I had to watch my Roger accept defeat at the hands of the rogue spaniard, Rafa once again.  He had some sweet victories on the way to the French Open final but in the end wasn't able to come through with the goods.  Aw, well...it was a great tennis match in spite of the loss and tomorrow's another day and the beginning of another tournament and so it goes.

Aaargh!!  I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I posted anything here.  Like I said, it's been crazy busy and I'm hoping now with school out I'll have lots of time to quilt & blog! Good thing because I have several projects in the works.  Can't wait!

Almost One Flower Wednesday

And by almost, I don't mean wednesday.  I mean I ALMOST FINISHED ONE flower.  Got the border on but never got back to attaching it.  When I do, it's the start of row 3!

Last week I claimed I was on a roll, but these other projects (priorities) got in the way.

My little goslings are basted and ready for quilting.  YaY!

And here's a sneak peek at the block I did for Let's Bee Together.

The fabric was chosen by Mollie and she left the block pattern up to us.

I'll show the whole thing after she receives it.

And so goes another One Flower Wednesday. Thanks for stopping in!

Progress? Yes!

Well, I wanted to share the progress I made on my baby goslings quilt but for some reason I'm having a terrible time getting good photographs...day or night...doesn't seem to matter.  Color & lighting are way off and quite frustrating.  Anyway, I'll do my best.

I was able to add the sashing and outside border last night.

In real life the sashing is greener and the white parts are creamier.

But they all blend perfectly.

That's where it pays to have all the fabrics from the same line!

Basically the quilt top is finished. 

Just need to layer with batting and baste it to the backing fabric

 (which is the same fabric as the outside border in the picture). 

I'm not looking forward to crawling around on the floor

for the basting process. 

My back has been bothering me this week,

as well as my wrist.  (Yeah, I'm falling apart!).

Anyway, before I start that, I wanted to see how the prairie point border was gonna look so I pinned a small section and tucked them under the outside border.

Aren't they the cutest?

I think they'll be the perfect finishing touch.

Hopefully my next post will be the big FINISH!

Flying in Formation

Well, the little goslings are truly geese now and flying in formation. 

From this...........................................to this.

I completed all four rows and will be adding

sashing and borders today...I hope!!



Baby's Little Goslings

I gave it my best effort but the shower is tomorrow and the baby quilt is no where near finished.  Fortunately, the baby's not due til June 3rd so I'll work at finishing before then.  I did manage to chain piece half the flying geese.  Here they are waiting for their final cut!

The sashing fabric that I ordered arrived on friday but there was a mistake in the ad for the border/backing fabric and I couldn't get the amount I needed.  So I canceled that part of the order and, fortunately, was able to find what I needed locally.  Here's a pic of the pattern I'm using alongside the fabric samples.

Actually I'm kind of relieved to have more time so I can enjoy the process and probably do a better job in the long run.

As for tonight, I'm off with a friend to a movie we've been looking forward to.  We've both read the book (well I'm ALMOST finished) and hoping the movie version won't disappoint. 

Dots and more Dots

I added this blue dot flower to my garden quilt this week

to share for One Flower Wednesday. 

Slow but sure, just two more flowers to complete the second row!

Also in the works this week is the baby quilt for my neice

and guess what....more dots...cut and ready to sew.

Here's a close up of the background fabric,

a floral cream on cream.

And here's the first 3 flying geese blocks.

I "only" need 15 more of each color

and they'll alternate in rows like this.

My deadline of saturday is not looking too reasonable

at this point but we'll see.  I'm loving this fabric and so

glad I found a project for it!

P.S.  I'm still testing thimbles and will have final results of the Great Thimble Debate next wednesday.  Hope to see you then.

May Day

April just sped by and  May is here.  Last week, my son and I were playing a trivia game and one of the questions involved a May Pole.  I got it right but he'd never heard of a May Pole.  I'm not familiar with all the traditions and I'm sure you can find historical references online but I just told him I remember one year in elementary school our teacher created a maypole and we got to dance around it to commemorate spring.  What I really liked was the colorful streamers and the design created by weaving the streamers around the pole.

Not surprising the connection between what fascinated me back then with what motivates me to quilt now.

Anyway, I'm glad May is finally here.  Today (saturday) we said goodbye to April with a bright sunny afternoon. And although it was tempting to be outside, I spent most of my day at my cutting table and sewing machine. 

I've been busy planning my May swap blocks, working a bit on my Butterfly quilt and just started cutting for a baby quilt I need to finish by...what? next weekend?  I thought I had more time. 

See, in June, my neice (pretty sure she doesn't read my blog) is expecting her first baby. But the shower is next weekend. So I have some sewing to do! Anyway, she chose the name SOPHIE. Isn't that a beautiful name!  Unique...almost vintage.  So instead of traditional pastels I decided to go a bit vintage with this moda Fig Tree line of Fresh Cottons.  I'll be adding to these 1/2 yards I already purchased and will update as I go. The pattern I'm using features rows of flying geese blocks and a prairie point border.  Can't wait to start putting it all together.

In addition to the swaps I'm already a part of, I decided to add yet one more.  It's a Mug Rug Swap sponsored by Leona's Quilting Adventure and sign ups start today (Sunday, May 1st). So if you're interested, head over and check it out.

Oh, and one more thing...I received this little thank you card and a tiny charm pack (2 1/2 in. squares) for contributing to Just One Star.  What a nice gesture to receive something because I gave!  Anyway, I know the quilts are going to turn out fantastic and I believe  they will mean a lot to those who receive them.  I am just proud to have helped!

(I'm thinking these would be great for a holiday Mug Rug.  Maybe I'll finish it by Christmas!)

May is also the last month of school so we are on the downhill stretch...yippee!  Always a tough month as the year comes to a close but might be easier since the kids just had a week off for Spring Break!



Predicted temps here in California for May 1st,

a warm, slightly breezy 80 degrees!

Hope your May Day is sunny!

A Streak of Sunshine

What a drippy wet morning it was.  

Woke up to NO coffee in the house.

(ugh...knew I shoulda stopped on the way home last night) 

So i HAD to make a McDonald's run.

Mmmm...coffee...sausage...hot cakes...

Then, what do you know, streaming through the window.

A STREAK OF SUNSHINE!

Like Magic.

Ahhh....just what I needed and it reminded me of a quilt pattern I used for some really cute little energetic boys, who no doubt bring A Streak of Sunshine into my neice's worlds.

Below is a preview of those two quilts. (Click the picture to see more.)

Jungle O' Fun

SO, I was  inspired to update my Quiltfolio.  Go ahead...take a peek!

Keep Quilting,