Baby Girl Bridesmaid Dress Quilt

baby girl bridesmaids dress quilt (5)

Care to play 27 Dresses?  How many bridesmaid dresses do you have in your closet?  I have really enjoyed taking a dress from a wedding a creating something for the family on their next steps.  Plus it’s a great personalized baby shower gift.

For this quilt I got clearance to go girly.  I got a glimpse of the nursery and the overall aesthetic.  LOVED it.  Plus I had some fabric in my stash that was a great starting point.

By the way…if you adore metallic colors in your fabric, now is a great time to stock up.  I knew I wanted gold metallic in this quilt and there were so many options.  The collection I curated was a great from StitchStashDiva.  Their service was perfect and their selection is comprehensive.

fabrics from stitchstashdiva

Grabbed some scraps and other fabrics from my stash to help round out this collection.  Can you guess what size I cut my blocks?

If you guessed 2.5″ you are correct.  From there I started strips of 18 blocks.  12 strips of 18 blocks gives a good size once you add borders.  I foresee a few quilts in my future without the borders though.

baby girl bridesmaids dress quilt (2)

It makes me so happy when I start seeing the quilt come together.  That vision is becoming a reality.

baby girl bridesmaids dress quilt (3)

Tip for patchwork quilts like this one:  IRON with steam.  It’s your friend, use it.  Starch could be helpful too.

baby girl bridesmaids dress quilt (4)

The name of the baby starts with a K, using some of the dress, I cut out the letter K.  Then went zig zag crazy.

I adore the look for the finished quilt.

baby girl bridesmaids dress quilt (6)

Backing and binding were mostly dress.  Do you see the seafoam green and gold arrows on the back?  I was swooning.

baby girl bridesmaids dress quilt (1)

Quilt was baby shower approved and now awaits a little girl to snuggle on.  Have you re-purposed a bridesmaid dress for a quilt?  Considering one as a gift, but don’t want to do the work?  Email me quiltytherapy @ gmail .com.

 

Christmas Fabric Wreath Tutorial – Scrappy or Coordinating Fabrics

Christmas Fabric Wreath Tutorial

12DAYSOFCIJ2015 banner

Ready for a scrap project to use up your leftover Christmas fabrics that you can adore all season long?  Great, grab your pinking shears, a wire wreath and scraps to get started.  This is an easy project to work on while you watch TV or are stuck on a long car ride.  Join me for the Christmas Fabric Wreath Tutorial.  

Tip:  I have found the cheapest wire wreaths at a Dollar Tree.  JoAnn’s has them too, but now I’ve let my secret out.

For fabric you are going to need 50-60 5″ charms to cut.  If you are using scraps, they should be 5″ in length and the width doesn’t matter.  Also, you could add silver or gold ribbon as an accent.

I may have a charm pack problem.
I may have a charm pack problem.

Most wire wreaths are 12″ in diameter.  If you have less fabric, you can choose a smaller size to make it look fuller.  Plus, it will take less time.  The 12″ diameter wreath will take 5-6 hours to complete.
wire wreath and fabric scraps

Start with 5-10 charms and cut into varying widths.  Usually enough for 4-6 strips per charm.  I like having a number of strips at a time to work with.

cutting strips from charms

To tie the scraps, lay the wrong side of the fabric under the wire and tie a knot around the wire.  Pull the right sides of the fabric to the top and keep pulling until the knot is tight.

For a random look add strips in each section of the same fabric.  Vary which rung you put the fabric on in each section.

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Continue to go around the wreath adding in strips of the pre-cut scraps.  Adjust the fabrics so the ties are facing up.

filling in wreath
Keep filling in around the wreath.  As you get closer to the end, you want to work in each section to make sure it’s full enough.  To determine fullness, prop the wreath up on something and take a step back.  Can you see the wires between the fabrics?

Yes, continue to add more.

No, I would add a few more and be done.

The finished product may look like this.  A better picture is coming.  This was taken as we were at a dead stop on the interstate on our way to vacation.  I had finished the wreath during the drive.

fabric christmas wreath

Updated:  Much better picture taken at vacation destination.  Perfect for Christmas in July.

 

christmas fabric wreath tutorial

Visit everyone on the blog hop to get ready for your holiday project ideas.

July 14th:     Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts
                    Carole Carter @ From My Caroline Home
 
July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist
                   Chris Dodsley @ made by ChrissieD
 
July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion
                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter
 
July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn
                    Selina @ Selina Quilts
 
July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ Buzzin Bumble
                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies
 
July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne
                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting
 
July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter
 
July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio
                    Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic
 
July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.
                     Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion
 
July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt
                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms
 
July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ
                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy
 
July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication
                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts
 
                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle

It’s Raining Men

**Warning, not explicit content.  However, if you don’t accept gay marriage you should probably stop reading here.**




Now on to the good stuff.

Sexy lumberjacks and flannel.  Who wouldn’t swoon over that?  Maybe lumberjacks aren’t your thing, but it’s more the visual.  Do I have your attention?  Wonderful.  This flannel explosion was made for two very special men in my life.  Kevin & Drew, my wonderful brother-in-laws.

flannel explosion quilt

 

They were married in 2014 in Upstate NY.  The idea for this quilt has been floating around in my head for a while.  It’s nothing lavish or hard to piece.  It’s simple, just like them.  Well and their love of flannel.  Only thing better would be including some sort of khaki shorts on the quilt.

kevin & drew

No clue where all the flannel came from in my stash, but I’ve been storing it in a Charles Shaw wine box from their nuptials for the last couple of years.  Nagels know how to drink some cheap wine.  I found the box as I was digging around for something in my sewing room.  Probably a monster truck that P left in there.  Maybe I should actually make them their quilt.

Prior to an Indy Modern Quilt Guild meeting this month I walked into Crimson Tate to just look for some scrap packs.  It was the day after the Pride parade here in Indy and the morning we were all learning about the tragedy in Orlando.  Looking through the bolts I found a few of this Alexander Henry line and burst out laughing.  The fabric is perfect for my brother in laws.  Seriously, this is the perfect fabric for the backing of their quilt.  They love outdoors, camp in Yosemite, own an obscene amount of flannel, and generally lack these awesome bods.  I bought four yards and came home to immediately start on this quilt.

via ahfabrics.com
via ahfabrics.com

On the way home from our meeting I listened to a press conference as the details of the early morning tragedy started to be pieced together.  It’s very unlikely my brother-in-laws would be at a club like Pulse.  They are more the chill at home and stream TV type of couple.  However, you never know, they could be out on a random occasion.  I held back the tears as I thought about the families waiting to hear any updates and learn about their loved ones.  Horrific, tragic and just awful.

flannel explosion quilt

I want to wrap my brother-in-laws in love and support.  The motivation to start and finish their quilt was even stronger given this event.  It shouldn’t matter what someone’s sexual orientation is honestly.  Would you care that your vet is gay when your dog has swallowed something and in grave condition?  Or your cat needs to be neutered?  How does that impact the performance of the job?  It does not.

LOVE THE BACK!!!
LOVE THE BACK!!!

This is something I refuse to debate.  I’m open to listening to your thoughts if you feel the need, but I’m not going to debate gay marriage with anyone.  I fully support it and laws against it directly affect my family.

The quilt now lives near San Francisco, better get used, and go on many adventures.  Kevin & Drew, I want documentation that this quilt went on adventures.  They didn’t know this was coming and LOVE it!  Hell, take it to concerts, maybe The Decemberists.

Bright birch quilt at the Decemberists @ Ommegang Brewery July 2015
Bright birch quilt at the Decemberists @ Ommegang Brewery July 2015

 

To help spread the love, I will be making blocks for #quiltsforpulse.  Blocks to spread love and comfort.  More on that later.

Gender Neutral Scrappy Bridesmaid Dress Quilt

Remember the Gender Neutral Triangles quilt?

gender neutral triangle quilt

Well that project got completely scrapped.  Something about the colors wasn’t right for me.  Maybe it’s that coral pink.  Too soft for me?  Not sure, but my gut instinct wasn’t liking this quilt.  I’m not going to put something out there that I wouldn’t be proud of or want to rip to shreds everytime I see it.

In a late night frenzy I started over again.  Digging through scraps and stash I found a darker pink and a better yellow.  Less mustard, more orange.  The colors worked better together.

bridesmaid dress baby quilt (2)

This is much better.  Once all of the strips were pieced the quilt top wasn’t quite big enough.  So I added a gray border.  Perfect spot to incorporate the first part of the bridesmaid dress.  A little “G”.

bridesmaid dress baby quilt (4)

The darker pink is a nice contrast to the softer pink from the dress.  For quilting I went with straight lines, not sure how the dress on the back would hold up to FMQ.

bridesmaid dress baby quilt (1)

It’s backed in a big portion of the dress and the lovely jade solid.  The binding is a double binding with the liner of the dress and the overlay.  It was challenging to pull off, but I adore the finished result.

bridesmaid dress baby quilt (5)

This finished quilt is more my style and I was happy to pass along for the baby shower.  Apparently, it was a huge hit.  It’s all in the details.  Taking bits and pieces from someone’s wedding and then transforming it into something for their baby.

bridesmaid dress baby quilt (6)

It pays off to go with your gut as an artist.  While the triangle quilt would have been okay, this is perfection and more reflective as me as an artist.  It feels weird and it’s hard to say you really don’t like something.  Great concept but not the right project.

Now I have some fabrics added to the stash that I’m not sure what to do with.

Scrappy Charm Boy’s Quilt

Making a quilt can be simple and still create a lovely end product, it doesn’t always have to be complicated.  As a seasoned quilter, sometimes I just want something that I can create over a weekend.  Mostly it’s to get the creative juices flowing for big projects that I may have on the horizon.

Not all quilts have to be difficult folks.  There, I said it.

scrappy charm boy's quilt (3)

One of my friends is expecting a boy this August and I wanted to make something cheery for her new bundle.  She was sticking to roughly the same color scheme from her daughter’s nursery:  brown and green.  If you remember I cut most my scraps into sizes I know I can quickly use.  I raided my 5″ charm sizes and started pulling.  Most of the blues were from the Mosaic Tile Quilt for awhile back.

mosaic tiles baby quilt

Digging deeper I started pulling oranges, mossy green, and yellow to coordinate with the blues, grays and browns already pulled.  The colors came together nicely and she is thrilled with the quilt.

scrappy charm boy's quilt (4)

Baby quilts are meant to be used, at least the ones I make.  If it’s too intricate the family may thing they shouldn’t ever use it.  Isn’t part of the purpose of modern quilting to be more useful?  Could I have done more on this quilt, sure.  That’s not what I envisioned.  I wanted something that allowed the colors to blend, be simple, and practical.  Success.  Plus I wanted to finish it in a couple of days.  It felt good to finish a project that I like so quickly.

scrappy charm boy's quilt (1)

The entire quilt is scraps and stash.  Feels great to use what I had and make a gift for a friend.  Hope she enjoys some snuggles under the quilt with her new baby boy.


Linking up with Finish It Up Fridays & Oh Scrap 

Quilting is more fun than Housework

Cordelia’s Garden Quilt Finished

cordelia's garden quilt

I love when your vision for a quilt finally comes together.  When you are cutting you get an idea, but until you start piecing you can’t always be sure.  The anticipation is fun.

late night sewing

This is how I spent my Friday night.  Pressing, pinning and piecing the rows together to form all 12 blocks needed for the quilt.  It was a pretty perfect evening at home.  Getting a row together was very satisfying.  One row became two, then three, and finally row four.  Whoa!  This quilt is bigger than the normal baby size I do.  Room to grow for the kid?  Sure.

corderlia's garden quilt top

This pale gray with white circles may be my new favorite background fabric.  I want to order a bolt to have on hand.

For quilting I wanted something different so I opted to try some free motion quilting.  The effort and motivation was there.  My practice and technique, not as much.  The back was terrible and I wasn’t happy.  I ripped out the quilting and went with a more square and rectangle free motion quilting.  The back isn’t as perfect as I would prefer, but it’s much better than circular free motion results.

cordelia's garden quilt

I’m enjoying the purple binding.  The mint may have been too much.  Looks good on the back though.

back of cordelia's garden quilt

Now to add the finishing touches and send off to the new arrival.

Notes:  This was my first time working with American Made Brand solids.  Some people are not big fans of the solids.  I had some reservations


Cordelia’s Garden Quilt