keri's quilt

my friend keri just turned 31 and so i decided to make her a birthday quilt. 

i love the look of the super quick + easy quilt in joelle hoverson's last minute patchwork and quilted gifts, so i decided to give it a try.  i made the dimensions a bit bigger -- more like 42" x 52"ish -- and used the "zigzag option" for the sewn ties since my machine is pretty basic and doesn't make those lovely satin-stitch ovals.

i was working with a few parameters, and overall i think i found a fun way to incorporate them. her apartment colors are sage, gold and some purple and since i was hoping this quilt throw would work well for her living room, i wanted to find a fun fabric that matched.  

i also wanted to find something that seemed to really capture a bit of who this fabulous keri is :)  she is one of my closest friends and a constant inspiration to me, so this was no small task. but i am really excited to give her the quilt and see what she thinks...  i went with an alexander henry aviary fabric in gold -- it is bright and cheery, pretty, and filled with a classic symbol of peace, the dove.  so, if you knew keri, you would agree that it captures her quite well :)

i was a little nervous that the reddish color outlining the doves might not be quite perfect for her place, but i loved the fabric and couldn't find anything else that matched her so well...  so i went with it. i hope she likes it! 

i'm excited about how it turned out -- very springy and refreshing.  i wonder if i should have used the washable wool batting for more loft, but thought the cotton would be better for spring/summer.  i'll definitely use this pattern again soon.

3 - 2 - 1 blast-off

here's a pic of a birthday t i'm in the process of making for lukie. love the boy-ness of it :) can't wait to see it on his little 1-year-old self!

ahh, completion.

she's complete. my quilt had been looking at me for two weeks asking me to just sew her together already. i'd been debating buying some narrower double fold bias tape for the binding but figured i'd never get it done if i waited to get to joann's. :) so, the last couple of days i have been putting the finishing touches on my quilt, and it turns out i really like it! the top started to appeal to much more after a good ironing and once i'd quilted and binded it.
and, can i confess that i have... fallen in love with... quilting? not just the whole process (which i also enjoy) but that actual part of machine quilting it all together. so weird and unexpected. i mean, i hear that a lot of people don't even bother -- just outsource it to have someone else quilt and bind. but as i was stitching this baby together on my husky, i was **loving** it. the piece finally became so substantial and seeing and feeling the soft cotton fabrics come together with batting, the whole thing started to remind me of the feel of a winter kimono. can't wait to snuggle up!

glad i pushed through with it despite the mid-project doldrums and am looking forward to putting together my next one for a friend's upcoming birthday...!

here goes...

I've been getting back into sewing lately, inspired by my son, Luke, and craving a fun, creative outlet. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a project and the challenge of getting one done. I'm a "lurker" on several mommy crafting blogs and love hearing what others are up to. I thought I'd join in and contribute a little, although I am very much a beginner! Here goes...