Blogger's Quilt Festival

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Worst Fears Made Beautiful

This is my entry for the Bloggers Quilt Festival!

When I first started free motion quilting last December I knew that I wanted to design my own quilt.  This is the result of those thoughts. 

First step was drawing it out on a large scale.  I don't know why I was so drawn to the spiral look, it was so appealing to me at the time.

The second step I did was to design the background.  I wanted to incorporate some of my favorite free motion quilting designs that I had been practicing. These are pictured below. 

My idea of ocean currents.  Idea I got from Leah Day. 

Stippling in between the designs. 

Fun circles! These are one of my favorites to do!

My version of Mctavishing. 

Background of quilt complete.  These funky designs worked well together! 

    After the background of the quilt was complete the fun of working on each of the separate parts of the trapplique piece.  I did a different design for each of the sections.  This was a time consuming effort but it was well worth it!                                               

Satin stitching down the pieces. 

Pre-binding shot.  With all the quilting on this quilt I did have a difficult time with making it 100% square. 

Close up design. 

Overall this was a fun quilt to do.  I entered it into the state fair and won third place.  Even though it wasn't a first prize winner, I am very proud of it! Right now it is on our couch until I get a quilt hanger. 

Looking into the near future I am going to be making a quilt similar but perhaps a smaller size for my dear friend.

If you like my entry please go to Amy's Creative Side and vote for my quilt! 

Thanks in advance and please feel free to leave a comment! 

Until next time,

Holly

Completed costumes

Finally Finished!

Today is the day! Yay!! I finally finished my sister and her husbands turtle costumes.  This was quite the experience especially since I have never created any type of clothing.   Hopefully my measurements are correct and I won't have to alter the costume much.  Another obstacle that I found with this project was not having a pattern.  In my quilts I prefer to not use patterns but with this I had to get creative.  

Large pattern for turtle shell.

Quilted turtle shell tops. 

First turtle shell completed. 

Front of turtle shells.

Close up of front. 

Side views of costumes.

 On my fitness to do list this week: 

*Tomorrow I am going to be attending a Mommy and baby yoga class.  I am pretty nervous about this since I have never been to an actual class other than in my own house.  

*I am continuing to try and train for the 5k that I am running in the beginning of November.  Hopefully all this running will help the remaining baby weight melt off so I can hopefully start off the new year on the right track.  

Quilting to do list:

* Finish the baby quilt top so that I can work on the binding this weekend. 

*Finish at least 3 place mats.  

*Cut out material for the spooky wall hanging. 

Hope you all have a great Monday!

Holly

Fun times ahead

Fun times ahead

As we embark on the holidays I get so excited for the changes in our surroundings.  The crisp air, the changing of the leaves, and the excitement when my 22 month old experiences things for perhaps the first time.  I have been taking a lot of fall pictures in hope of getting inspired to create my "masterpiece" for next years state fair.  I would like to try my hand at a whole cloth painted piece with a fall theme.  I get so excited just telling you about it.

Any who back to reality and this week.  This week I have been working on my baby quilt panel and halloween accessories.  I had hoped to be further along in this quilt but sometimes I over extend myself and forget how much attention other things take over my quilting.  Hopefully this coming week I will have the rest of the quilt top quilted and ready for binding.  

I didn't have a chance to work on my placemats this week, but hopefully that project is next up after this baby quilt.  I did however get to finish my husbands Mickey feet.  I am definitely not experienced in costume making but wanted to take a stab at making these fun things.  I think they turned out great.  Especially since they are for only one night.  

I am onto work on my sister and brother-in-laws turtle costumes.  Hope these are pretty quick and painless.  Hopefully I'll get to post soon about the end product.  

Until next time.

Holly

Eye on the sky

Eye on the sky!

This week has been another one for the books.  I turned 32 today, YAY! I am excited about this can you tell! This is going to be my best year yet, I just know it.  We also had the opportunity to visit the International Balloon Fiesta yesterday.  So much fun! Living here all my life I never truly appreciated this yearly event until I had my daughter.  She brings so much more life to everything!

Shot of some of the inflated balloons.

Three bees! 

 Even though the balloons didn't go up due to wind, many of them inflated and gave quite a show.  As far as quilting this week I have had a very productive week.  I finished and delivered the baby quilt that I spoke of in my last post.

Finished quilt.

The back of the quilt. 

I also pieced, sandwiched and started quilting my next baby quilt.




This quilt will not have as much quilting since it is all flannel.  I thought I would outline everything to make the shapes pop and quilt the main areas and border.  Hopefully this quilt will only take a week or two.

I am also working on homemade place mats for Thanksgiving.  I need 20 and I have one ready to be quilted.  Oh dear!

Working on these projects, taking care of baby and training for 5K runs are keeping my evenings very busy! Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Until next time! 

 Holly

The never ending quilt

The never ending quilt

Have you ever had that project that just goes on and on? I currently have that such a project staring at me as I type away.  I have been working on this quilt for several weeks and it is still not finished.  I know that I could move on and work on another project but then in the back of my mind I would always worry about it.  I think it has been dragging on for such a long time since my life outside of quilting has been so busy! First the State Fair, pumpkin patches and now Balloon Fiesta.  Fall is flying by!  However, today is the day that this project will be done and I can move onto my next project!

Close up of quilting design.

Close up of quilting design.

Photos of remaining animals

With this quilt I left the animals puffy since everything else is quilted.  I am still trying to figure out binding measurements that I feel comfortable with since that is what was most critiqued on my fair quilts.

Next week hopefully I will have a new quilt to update you on and share! Until then have a great week!