Wedding Quilt #2: Finished & Delivered!

Bear Cave

Laura and Jeff finally got their wedding quilt on Christmas Day. My camera died as they opened it, so I don't have pictures of their surprised faces.

The all-over pattern is from an issue of Quilt Sampler, Bear Tracks. I modified the pattern by putting in the Bear Paw medallion. Because Laura and Jeff really live in bear country, this was the perfect quilt for them. I used a wool/silk/cotton batting. The all-over quilt design is a funky elongated star, looks sort of like fireworks to me. The border has a flag and heart pattern which does not show on the front, but looks really good on the back. This is a heavy quilt, about 103" square.

Dominick does a great job modeling it, don't you think?

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Because I forgot to take pictures of the back, the unquilted version of the back will have to do. I have to say that the back is quite impressive on it's own.

For now I am done with very big quilts! Until last unmarried child weds!!!

More info than I need!

Please tell me you have this problem...quilt magazine panic! I have every issue of American Patchwork & Quilting since it began publication more than 10 years ago. AND every issue of Quilt Sampler! God knows how many issues of several other very popular quilt magazines. So I started putting little flags on the patterns I thought were interesting and possible contenders for my quilt stash, and I put them in those upright magazine holders to help organize them, all with little red, orange and yellow post-it notes sticking out the tops. Well, I quickly ran out of the holders and began building piles, which today starting falling over when I just touched one magazine. All because I'm looking for one slim quilt book for my good friend. (You know how you think you know exactly where that one book is.. and it turns out not to be where it belongs? And then you go crazy trying to find the darn thing! Yeah, that's where I'm at right now.) Now I'm in the middle of re-organizing my precious quilt pattern mags, because I can. not. give. them. AWAY! AND I found a project that I had wanted to make-many years ago-so moved it to a different pile. And the Christmas issues - those go in another pile. Oh, and the slim pattern books, by single designers, another pile! And on and on and on...

So. In addition to fabric panic I now have magazine/book/pattern panic!!! I need to take some serious time off from work to, you know...sew!

The Baby Quilt Project

I confess I've been dragging my fingers, waiting for the time when I finally have photos of all the baby quilts I've made for family and various friends. Well, it's time to start the documentation project, because if I DO wait, I'll never get this done!

What better time to start than for the birth of a new baby in the family! Branden Stephen was born on his Nana's 60th birthday, so I wrote to the lucky nana that when she forgets how old she is, all she has to do is add 60 to Branden's age!

Although I would normally use flannel for a winter baby, I decided to use fabric I purchased in Myrtle Beach, soft sea greens and pale blues, an "oceany" feeling. I backed it with baby blue minky, which surprisingly, was pretty easy to work with given the horror stories I've heard. I did not use batting.

Of course, with a new baby in the house, big brother Chris gets a quilt too!

I thought dinosaurs would be a nice addition to his growing collection.

Trains

Cowboys

First quilt with Laura Birch animals.

Chris also got 2 pillow cases for Christmas, which he is wearing: