Walk in the Woods Quilt

I love when I am motivated to actually finish a project that's been in waiting far too long. I don't have too many of those, because I really like to finish quilts. (Let's all just forget about my 2 Swoon blocks languishing in purgatory.) Finishing is the best feeling, plus I am usually making some kind of gift with a deadline. 

But this was a quilt top I made back in November for no reason in particular. The patchwork in the middle is made from a small sample pack of Aneela Hoey's Walk in the Woods line that my boss brought me back from fall quilt market. After I sewed all the squares together, I thought maybe it could become a baby girl quilt pretty easily, so I used some things from my stash to improv some log cabin stuff around it. That pink and red wave is from Liesl Gibson's Modern Workshop line, and I love how well it works with Walk in the Woods. I also love how the large Ikea script print works in the quilt. 

I'm pretty excited about the free-motion quilting here. It's only my second or third attempt, and it came out just like I envisioned it. All the loopty loops just go in horizontal lines across the quilt with a couple inches between. I feel like at this point the only way that I can handle FMQ is to go generally in one direction. I'm not good at the all-over every direction stuff because I get too stressed out. Maybe I try to go to fast? Maybe I need to make a better plan of attack about where I will travel? I don't know, I'll work on it. 

The entire back is the same AMH Mixed Signals print in blue that I used some on the top. That particular print seems to be useful for many things, so I'm glad I still have a couple yards hanging around. The binding is from Bonnie and Camille's Ruby line, plus a little of the Modern Workshop waves again in the corner. 

Here is a section of the quilting you can see a bit better. I still prefer straight line quilting for lots of reasons, but I really think this design works with this quilt and fabric line well. Plus it was SO fast to do. Sometimes fast is necessary and ok, so maybe I should make better friends with free-motion quilting. (Lately I've seen and heard many great things about this FMQ book)



So I'm really glad the 100 Quilts for Kids charity drive gave me the push to finish this one up. More info on that right here.

AND since I just heard yesterday that the newest Craft Hope project is all about quilts for the wildfire victims out West, I've decided to ship this one to Pheonix Quilts in Utah. The project runs until September 15, but they are even accepting unfinished quilt tops and blocks. So maybe you have something waiting in quilt purgatory too that would rather be used in Utah? 

Walk In the Woods Quilt Top

So I started a baby girl quilt this weekend. You know what really sucks? Having two quilts basted and ready and then having to put your machine in the shop for a couple of weeks. I REALLY want them finished, but there is no way my old machine could handle quilting very gracefully. But I am thankful that it's there as a back up, and to soothe myself about those other unfinished quilts I just started another. 

I'm not supposed to have Aneela Hoey's new line because it's not due out until spring, but I do because my nice peeps at work brought back samples for me from Quilt Market. It was like a charm pack, except with 2.5" squares instead of 5." Is there a cute name for that precut or is it just sample size? I don't know. 

I didn't know it would turn into a quilt. I just started by sewing all of them together, and I thought I might make a couple more of those patchwork bibs for Elsie out of it. But then I realized it was much too light and cute to stain with baby food so I just found some other fabrics on my shelf and it magically became a quilt top. I didn't have to buy a single thing, but it's practically begging for red gingham binding, so I may have to buy a little of that. It's necessary.

And I'm running low on seed catalog. Must get MORE. Also, I need a friend to have a baby girl so I can give this to her. Anyone? Knocked up? Female persuasion? Anyone?...