Almost instant gratification

One of the things I love about baby or kids quilts is the almost instant gratificaiton.  I started this baby quilt yesterday and finished it today.  Also love the bright colors!  This pattern is called Cheaper by the Half Dozen.  It takes just 6 fat quarters and some yardage for the inner and outer borders.  Pieced it all yesterday.  This mornng I threw it on the Gammill and just did a free hand loop-de-loop pattern.  I don't think it took more than an hour start to finish on the quilting. The top thread is King Tut.  It's a varigated that goes from blue to yellow.  Seemed perfect for this quilt.  I machine sewed down the binding.  This baby isn't due until early September but life is going to get crazy for me (new job) so I wanted to get it done.

Busy quilting

Warning - picture heavy...

I've finally gotten around to taking pictures of all of the quilts that I have finished this year. Here they are, in no particular order.

This is my version of Bonnie Hunter's Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll mystery quilt that she published last fall.  A bazillon pieces!  Love her scrappy quilts and  she makes it all seem so easy.  This is also the front of the quilt that my "quilt inspectors" were guarding back in April.

Also begun last fall, the Hoopsisters block of the month club offered at my sewing machine dealer, Middlebury Sew N Vac  Finished this spring.  Each block is made entirely in the embroidery hoop.  A quilt as you go type.  Then the blocks are stitched together.  That was the worst part of making the whole quilt!

Seems like I started a lot of projects last fall!  Here's one that was a mystery quilt class done over a weekend at Middlebury Sew N Vac again.  I chose colors that were for a guy and then used the red inner border and binding to spice it up a little.

This one was done this spring.  Middlebury Sew N Vac has a monthly embroidery club.  This was one month's project.  Embroidered quilting designs  and an embroidered border.  I could have planned the border better but it's done!

 This pattern is Follow the Leader from the PinCushion Boutique.  I bought the fabric and pattern at last year's Vermont Quilt Festival and really wanted to get it made up before this year's took place.  I made it.

I made this up earlier this summer from a free pattern I found on the internet.  The pattern called for 2 charm packs and a yard of coordinating fabric.  I wanted mine a little bigger so I used 3 charm packs and 1 1/2 yards of fabric.  Fast & easy.

Another project that had been languishing in my closet. I bought this kit about 5 years ago. It's called Brickworks. It used fat quarters and then some yardage for the inner/outer borders. I think it would look great done in a scrappy fashion also.

There! That's everything I've been doing lately, with the exception of a baby quilt that I'll post separately.

June is flying by

Not sure where this month has gone by.  Only another week left of this month.  I've been busy finishing up "stuff" in my projects drawer.  I wanted to make room for new "stuff".  The Vermont Quilt Festival (the largest in New England!) starts today.  I'm volunteering today and then taking classes Friday & Saturday.  That still leaves me plenty of time to hit the vendor hall though.  5 of my best friends are coming in from around the area and we'll be staying at a local hotel for the duration.  I'm normally too close to the VQF to stay at a hotel but it's a great opportunity to spend time with friends.

Pictures of completed projects to come after the weekend....

May accomplishments

I'm happy to say that I finally finished the oldest UFO in my closet.  This quilt top has been pieced for at least 10 years and I finally got it quilted and bound.

Funny how this looks as big as the queen size quilt above...  It's really only about 16 X 20 inches.  Cute, fast little project.  All the blocks were done with the embroidery function of my sewing machine.  Even the paper pieced blocks.  Lots of fun.  This was an embroidery design set that I bought at http://www.secretsof.com/content/3994

Quilt Inspectors

The quilt inspectors hard at work....

So I can't resist showing off some pictures of a little get together last February where we all got a little silly.  (A good time was had by all!)  Top to bottom:  Marcia, Patty, Sue and Sherry.