Quilts!

I tried my hand at quilting! It's intimidating and at times frustrating. However, both quilts turned out beautiful! I used up a LOT of my stash of favorite fabrics. Lots of designer prints, a few vintage prints, and a few just random quilter's cottons.

On Wednesday I managed to cut out 300+ squares, using scissors NOT a rotary cutter. Proving I am insane. Took forever.

I was so hesitant to cut up all my favorite fabrics since I have a tendency to start projects that I never finish. I didn't want to waste them all! Luckily Quilt #2 is a gift to a very dear friend of mine, so I had no choice but to finish it. Quilt #1 is mine. There was no way I could make a quilt from all my faves and not keep one for myself. I'll attempt to keep #1 in pristine condition since #2 is going to spend the beginnings of its life being drooled and spit up on.

I made up the stitch pattern for the quilting. Just kinda haphazardly drew all over the back with dressmaker's chalk and started stitching with the longest straight stitch my machine would do. It took hours less than I assumed it would take! It's not as bunchy as this picture makes it look. I can't wait to wash and dry them and give them that crinkly cozy quilt feel. I may just have to make a queen size quilt after all. Of course, after all that work, there's no way I'd let anyone sleep with it.

I'm going to roll this beauty up and put it in the coordinating fabric basket I blogged about in my last post. I'm hoping to throw in a super soft and cute sock monkey from The Monkey Shop and a bib (at least) from MomNMiaQuilts as well. I'm sure I'll find plenty more goodies that need to go in there too! I ran out of binding, so I ordered some more. I hope it gets here very soon so I can give this to her when she comes to Michigan at the end of the month!

As you saw in my last post, I made 2 fabric baskets. One is for another dear friend of mine whose having baby #2 in November. Before her first was born, I made an itty bitty 'quilt' for him. It wasn't quilted really, more of a backed patchwork blanket that I did a horrific job of binding. I'm wayyy too harsh of a critic when it comes to my own work. "OMG a pucker! Why did I give this to her? I should've made it perfect!" I've known her so long, of course she deserves nothing but the best, right?

Anyway. Since I've been really busy I made it a point to ask her what she'd like me to make for this baby, in case she had something in mind. She wants another mini-blanket! Her first son loved his so much, she said she took it everywhere since it was perfect size to lay him down on anywhere. He sleeps with it every night even now that he's bigger, and it's perfect because he does NOT like anything on his feet or he wakes up instantly, and the mini is now too small to cover them. Feels so good to know she/they like it so much. Makes me feel like a dumbass for doubting it so much though. Lucky for her I've got a ton of pink fabric scraps for #2's mini blanket. To be started right now...