Blogger's Quilt Festival: Sea Glass

It was all a part of being trustworthy—of being a piece of sea glass. High tides, low tides, storms, sand and mistakes all contributed to the polishing process. Though difficult to endure at the time, the demanding elements helped smooth the surface, transforming one into a better person, not worse. A person who learned from the harsh environment, who knew the storm would end, and who felt confident she would still be in one piece.
–Maria V. Snyder, Sea Glass

I'm really excited to participate in Blogger's Quilt Festival again! I hope you're enjoying the show. Thanks to Amy for hosting and welcome to visitors! {For those of you who've been here recently, I hope you won't mind if I show off this quilt one more time.}

Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats
Quilt Name: Sea Glass
Finished quilt measures: 65” x 71”
Quilted by: Melissa Kelley at Sew Shabby Quilting
Blogger's Quilt Festival Category: Quilt Photographer

I made this quilt for a dear friend for her birthday recently. She was going through a difficult time with some health issues and I wanted to do something special for her. As I worked on choosing fabrics, colors and a pattern for this quilt, it was with a prayer in my heart that I would make something that would be special to her and let her know how much I respect, admire and care for her and her family. Step by step, the quilt came together. The colors reminded me of the sea. The batiks framed in dark brown reminded me of stained glass. I did a little research and decided to call the quilt Sea Glass. The name seemed to fit.

When I took the quilt to my friend on her birthday, I told her why I decided to call the quilt Sea Glass and what I know of it. She told me that she and her family loved to vacation at the beach and that the quilt reminded her of a trip to Catalina Island when she and her family had taken a tour in a glass-bottomed boat and the sun had illuminated the water and sea-life below. At that point, I knew I'd been guided in the making of this quilt. But when I was looking for a quote to go with this post it just underlined how much everything about this quilt was the right for my friend. Even though she's been through a really difficult time, I see her with a smile on her face quietly and faithfully going about her duties.

The photo above is my official entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival, but I wanted to share a couple more pictures. The top left photo was taken when I took the quilt to my friend on her birthday. She's on the right.

And this is the back. I like to include an embroidered label with the name of the quilt and details about it. I'd originally planned on quilting this myself, but ran out of time. My first label is in the bottom left corner. When I asked Melissa to do the quilting {she was so great to work with and squeezed in a rush order for me}, I made a new label, the one you see in the quilt back. Unfortunately, her last name will forever be spelled wrong on this quilt. {I'm sorry!}.

Read more about this quilt:
Fabric selection & partial assembly
Finished quilt top {and why this quilt is a Palindrome}
Almost finished
Finished and delivered

Today's post brought to you by:

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Pinkalicious

Pink isn't just a color, it's an attitude! –Miley Cyrus

Welcome Blogger's Quilt Festival visitors! I'm really excited that Amy is allowing two entries this time, in separate categories. You can see my first post here. And I'm really excited to share this second quilt with you {or, again for those of you who've been reading for a while}. It was such fun quilt to put together.

Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats
Quilt Name: Pinkalicious
Finished quilt measures: 48” x 48”
Special techniques used: non-traditional backing {Ultra Cuddle} and binding {Satin Blanket Binding}
Quilted by: Me
Blogger's Quilt Festival Category: Baby Quilt

I made this quilt as a gift for my sister's new baby girl last fall.

I enjoyed rummaging through my stash and pulling out the prettiest pink fabrics, in every shade imaginable, for this quilt. In addition, I included nine chocolate brown squares, all the same fabric, with pretty pink tulips on them. Those blocks I gathered on two edges, giving them a little bit of a ruffled 3-dimensional aspect. The blocks are 4” and the sashing and corner stones are 1”.

I used Ultra Cuddle for the back, which is soft like Minky, but fuzzy on both sides. Rather than putting batting in the middle of the quilt sandwich, because the Ultra Cuddle has quite a bit of loft on its own, I used a layer of white flannel. As I worked with the quilt, and had some issues with puckers on the back {which required unpicking}, I decided that if I ever used Ultra-Cuddle or Minky on the back of a quilt again, I would fuse my layer of flannel to the Ultra-Cuddle or Minky to give it a little bit more stability. I actually did make this same quilt again, only in blues, for a friend a few months later and used Mistyfuse between the flannel and Ultra Cuddle that time. I noticed a big improvement and will definitely do it that way in the future. I absolutely love the texture of the Ultra Cuddle on the back of the quilt, and baby blankets pretty much require Satin Blanket Binding. It is slippery and that in combination with the nap on the Ultra Cuddle require lots of pinning, but I think the results are worth it.

I quilted “cat's eyes” {I call it that because it reminds me of a cat's eye marble} and “roses” in each block. I embroidered a label with the baby's name {redacted for security purposes}, birth day, weight, length and time on it.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a look. You can read my original post on this quilt here.

Today's post brought to you by:

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Echoes of Eternity

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. –Henry Van Dyke

Welcome to those stopping by for the Blogger's Quilt Festival {and thanks to those of you who've been hanging around for a while}! The Blogger's Quilt Festival is always so much fun. I mean, how could it not be? It's got “festival” right in the name. Thank you to Amy for hosting and to her sponsors for the fun prizes! I'm really excited to share this quilt with you. I love that two entries are allowed this time, in two separate categories. You can see my second entry here.

I made this quilt as a wedding gift for the daughter of a very special friend. This young woman often babysat my children and it was a blessing to be able to get to know her. She is a wonderful example of love, service and kindness and so I wanted to do something special for her when she was married earlier this year. I used her wedding colors and made this double wedding ring for her to hang on her wall.

Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats
Quilt Name: Echoes of Eternity
Finished quilt measures: 19½” x 19½”
Special techniques used: Curved Piecing, Templates
Quilted by: Me
Blogger's Quilt Festival Category: Art Quilt

I included this note with the gift: The wedding ring pattern, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes eternity. The purple center circle represents the responsibility a husband and wife have to strengthen and protect each other and their family. The green circles, of which you can only see part, represent the ways a family can branch out from the home by showing love and service to others. The flower represents the constant care and nourishment a marriage needs and the beautiful thing it can be when each partner gives 100% to their spouse and the marriage. The interlocking circle pattern symbolizes that each marriage partner and their choices are individual and unique but are intertwined in the lives of those around them. The square frame that cuts off the pattern, which is shabby and worn but still beautiful, alludes to the fact that life, though sometimes difficult, is only a small portion in our eternal existence. The pattern of the quilt continues well beyond the boundaries of the frame and it could possibly go on forever much in the same way that our lives on earth are only a small part of our existence.

I gave myself only three weeks, from start to finish, to have this project ready in time for the wedding. I planned to have it custom framed in a shadow box, every framer I talked to said it would take two weeks. I barely finished the piecing and quilting in those three weeks and wasn't sure what I was going to do about a frame. Discouraged, I almost gave up, but I found a frame that was the right size, removed the artwork that was already in it, painted and distressed it and pulled it all off just in time.

I knew the frame needed something. I mulled over paint options for several days before I finally settled on one. I was worried that a true white would be too much white but felt the dark frame, as it was, would overpower the quilt. I considered metallic and crackle paints, but in the end, I went with a slightly-off-white paint and I'm glad I did. I think it is the perfect color. I really love how the distressing highlights the pretty pattern in the frame and lets a little bit of the dark paint show through.

To mark my quilting design, I used blue painter's tape. I made a paper template for the pattern in the center, cut it out, traced it onto the tape and then cut it out with an Xact-O knife. I used a walking foot for most of the quilting because I knew it would give me the best chance for even stitches and straight lines. I only used a free-motion foot for the feathers in the purple blocks where the arcs intersect and for line of circles in the arcs. I also used the painter's tape and a couple of circle punches to mark those for quilting. And I used Stampin' Up!^®'s Crystal Effects {works better than E6000} and a lot of patience to attach the cyrstals. It is mounted on foam core board and the quilt itself, which is just the pieced top and a layer of batting, wraps around to the back of the foam core board and is pinned in place with tiny sequin pins. The inner dimension of the frame is 19½” square.

This was a fun project. You can read more about it here:
Fabric selection and project deadline
Quilting in progress
The finished product

Today's post brought to you by:

Favourite Things Friday: Blogger's Quilt Festival Favorites

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
–Jack London

Sew and Tell is one of my Favourite things. I love to do it and I love to see what others sew and tell about. Amy has figured out a way to bring Sew and Tell to a whole new level. Twice a year she hosts the Blogger's Quilt Festival, a virtual feast of inspiration and a celebration of the common thread that binds all of us as quilters. You may have noticed my fall entry {or the one I did last spring; yes I know, blatant self-promotion }. As I browsed through the quilts last spring, I started making a collection of links to quilts that stood out to me with the intention of sharing my favorites after I finished visiting {and commenting on} all 579 quilts . I only made it through about a hundred quilts in that Festival and never got back to it. Now a new Quilt Festival is here {ending today}. I didn't want to waste my effort {this is the original post made-over; I've saved it as a draft for the last six months }, because these are still really beautiful quilts. Here are the quilts I wanted to highlight from the Spring Festival {highlight and not recreate the festival because you can go there and browse for yourself }.

• Y2K10 Watercolor Quilt by Sew Inspired. After she put her quilt in the Quilt Festival, she took it on tour, bringing it here for the Springville Art Museum Quilt Show this summer. I got to see it in person and snapped a picture for evidence. It was even better in person.

• Sudoku Quilt by So Happy
• Pinwheel Sampler in Blush by Dolls from the Loft {Sigh. Someday I'll finish mine.}

My approach to the Festival this time around is a little different as the festival is a little different. Unless I want my house to fall down around me, I won't be able to see all the quilts. So, every day I've browsed {and commented — if I visited your quilt you know I was there. And if I didn't visit you, I'm sorry!} a little bit, clicking on the thumbnail links that stand out to me with the time I have available. And again, I wanted to share a few favorites {still trying not to recreate the festival here but finding it difficult with all the amazing eye candy}. I hope you'll click on one or two links and see these amazing quilts.

• Mosaic Circles by Kameleon
• Sheer Whim by Original Art Quilts by Maria Elkins {I linked to all posts tagged under that quilt because her BQF post isn't very detail specific. The process was fascinating, so if you have the time, click through her posts as she worked on it. Or for the Cliff's Notes version, you can check out her Gallery Post}
• Pink Lemonade by Ypsilanti Dilettante
• WallFlowers: #5 by D.E.signed

Today's post brought to you by:

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Rainbow Sherbet Snowball Quilt

In the crazy quilt of life, I'm glad you're in my block of friends.
–Unknown

Now, on to the really important stuff. I chose my Rainbow Sherbet Snowball Quilt to share for the Blogger's Quilt Festival. This quilt was a journey for me; it was the first quilt I did from start to finish — the first quilt I machine quilted. Well, not counting the table runner. Or the Wedding Ring Wall Hanging. Or the scripture covers . Those were all small projects with the walking foot, though. Practice. Warming up. This was the first actual quilt-size project with real free-motion quilting that I did {instead of taking it to professional}.

I started out loving this quilt. I pulled the fabrics for the snowballs from my stash {which was a revelation because I consider my stash to be pretty small and certainly not developed or diversified enough to make a whole quilt}. And I bought the white-on-ivory background fabric at 50% off {getting a good deal is one of my absolute most favorite things; the out-of-pocket cost for the background, backing, binding and batting was $16.30. It doesn't get better than that!}. The colors were so bright and cheerful that I decided to make two quilts; one for me and one to give to my youngest sister as a wedding gift. But after I got the top together I didn't like it as much. Thanks to some kind encouragement from the blogishpere, I pushed ahead hoping that I'd love the quilt again when it was finished.

But then came the scary part — the free-motion quilting. By me. A complete novice. My intention when I started this quilt was to do it myself. All along I planned to do a stipple {or meander} but my practice attempts were pretty craptastic and when it came time to actually commit needle and thread to fabric I was, to say the least, a little intimidated and found myself wishing to take it to a machine quilter. Again with the encouragement of some excellent bloggersI dove in. It didn't take too long for me to get into a groove and some of the quilting actually came out pretty nicely. This is a section that I am particularly fond of {if you click on the picture you can see the quilting better}. And once the quilt was quilted and washed and bumpy and wrinkly and soft, I did love it again.

One of my favorite parts was the baby snowballs on the back. I saved the corners I cut away from the snowball blocks and made them into half-square triangles. Then I sewed them all together to make baby snowballs. While I was working on it, I wondered if it was really worth my time, but as it turned out, they were completely adorable and perfect.

The artsy pictures are fun and interesting to look at, but I always find myself wanting to see the whole thing, so for those of you who are like me, I've got your back. Thanks for stopping by.

Blogger's Quilt Festival: High School Musical Quilt

I'm so excited to be participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival, hosted by Amy's Creative Side. The Blogger's Quilt Festival is an on-line tour of quilters in action. It is open to everyone with a blog and a love of quilting. If you'd like to participate, you can find more information here.

And now, without further ado, my Festival Quilt. Click on the image for a closer look.

Last summer my daughter, who was seven at the time, asked me to make a High School Musical quilt for her. I had her draw up a design of the quilt she wanted and we worked together to pick fabrics and put the quilt together. This is my first time participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival so I wasn't sure how much to include in my post. I'm going for less is more so I've included links to all of the pictures at the bottom of this post and you can also check out my original post. I'll leave you with my LadyBug and her finished quilt. She picked the checkered fabric for the pillowcase because she said that it would 'coordinate' with the checkerboard in the quilt. Quilter in training? Judge for yourself. She's already picking up the lingo.

We're All in This Together
-High School Musical

We're all in this together / Once we know / That we are / We're all stars / And we see that / We're all in this together / And it shows / When we stand / Hand in hand / Make our dreams come true

We're all in this together / When we reach / We can fly / Know inside / We can make it / We're all in this together / Once we see / There's a chance / That we have / And we take it

LadyBug's Design
Sashing & Border Fabrics
Checkerboard Fabrics
East High School applique letters
Finished Quilt Top
Quilting Details:
Wildcat
Getcha' head in the game
We're all in this together
Troy
Gabriella
Ryan
Sharpay
Chad
Taylor
Basketball
Musical Score
Music notes quilting detail
Basketballs, hoops and loops quilting detail

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side is hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival beginning May 21st and running through May 28th. What is the Blogger's Quilt Festival, you ask? Well, during the week of the Festival, you post about a quilt you've made and then you link your post to the Quilt Festival post and people can come and visit your quilt and you can go and visit other quilts in the festival. This is a really neat way to show off your work and collect ideas and inspiration for upcoming projects. And I really love the word Festival. It is just sounds like so much fun.

I've already picked out which quilt I'm going to show and I can't wait to see what neat quilts other bloggers will feature. So, friends, put your thinking caps on and choose a quilt you're really proud of and get ready to participate in the Festival. You'll find links to past Quilt Festivals and all the details for this Festival here. And if you're into buttons to decorate your blog, you can get Amy's cool Bloggers Quilt Festival button there as well. Get ready for a really fun celebration of quilting!