This post is not so much about a family adventure, as an adventure in learning something new. A couple of years ago I took a quilting class and loved it! It is a great creative outlet for me and I have enjoyed developing a new hobby little by little. I use my sewing machine to piece the top of the quilt together and then I actually quilt the pieces together by hand. Hand quilting is a very slow and labor-intensive process, but I enjoy it so much and love the traditional element to it.
The first quilt I made was for my James, of course.
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| Not the best picture but you get the point. |
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| So happy he was sleeping under it, I snuck in and took a picture |
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| He still loves it and it always travels with us. |
The next quilt I made was for my cousin, Tracy, when I found out she was having a little girl. I designed the quilt myself and incorporated the little girl’s name, Lyla, into the quilt.
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| The adorable Lyla showing off her quilt. So cute! |
Babies, babies, everywhere! Next was my long-time friend, Ty, who had an adorable little munchkin named Ari. Once we knew it was a boy, I found a really cute fabric with whales on it and knew I had to use that for his quilt.
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| Ari’s whale quilt |
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| Holding Ari all wrapped up in his quilt. Love! |
I also decided to try my hand at quilting some smaller projects and put together a patriotic table runner for my lovely friend, Heather. It went pretty well so I made myself a holiday table runner.
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| Hello, Americana! |
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| Not sure if you can see them, but I quilted stars into this fabric. |
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| Hard to see, but they are cute holiday fabrics. |
In the midst of all of these other projects, I was working on a large throw quilt for my dear friend, Jen. Her favorite color is purple and butterflies hold a special meaning for her so I was attempting to tie those things together in a quilt that was just right for her. It took me a very long time but I finally finished it and gave it to her for her birthday this year. Every one of the flowers was hand appliquéd (look how many petals that is!!!) and the quilting is all hand-stitched. It was definitely a labor of love and as far as I know, she loves it. Even if she doesn’t, I have told her to lie to me and tell me she does.
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| Chris makes a great quilt holder for pictures. |
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There is a butterfly border around it and butterflies
stitched in the corners. |
Getting more comfortable with my sewing machine has also enabled me to tackle projects other than quilting.
Recently, an expectant friend of mine hired me to make the decorative elements of her nursery. It was such an honor to be asked and to know that she trusted me to do a good job with very little experience.
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These are the curtains I made. They are brown but
the color is all off in the picture. |
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Here you can see the crib skirt and the teething bumpers, just in case her little
one is part beaver, like James was. |
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The changing pad covers were the thing I was most nervous
about and they ended up being super easy! |
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This is my very first pillow cover and I actually machine quilted it.
Straight lines, for the win! |
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It has an envelope back so you can take the cover off and wash it.
Babies are messy. |
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| Here is the quilt for the nursery, tying all the fabrics together. |
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| Kelli and I in her finished nursery. Thanks again for thinking I could do it! |
