February Finished...under the wire!

Once again, loving the whole Lovely Year of Finishes challenge. And possibly cursing the fact that February only has 28 days. But it's still February as I write this, and my snowman quilt is D.O.N.E.!

And the only part I had to do today was hand stitch the binding to the back side. The pattern is called "Jingles" from The Cotton Shop. I bought it at least five years ago, and then purchased fabric four years ago while pregnant with my oldest son. Finally started sewing it this year!

It's been a while since I've made a flannel quilt. It's a glorious thing to have in winter; I'm currently snuggled up under it while I type. Oh, and one of my kids already spilled milk on it, so it's feeling quite loved at the moment.

Here's a close-up of the center panel. I created the faces using varying widths of zigzag stitches. The center panel is quilted in a wavy, meandering all-over type of pattern, around the snowmen and trees. The rest is straight line quilted. I can't wait to wash it to help hide my imperfect quilting stitches get that wonderful crinkled look.

Second only to the outer border fabric (a Woolies flannel from Maywood that looks like a blue tweed sweater), I love this backing stripe! It reminds me of a pair of pajamas my dad had when I was a kid.

 If it looks like there's not much quilting on the back, there isn't. I used a quilt-as-you-go method just through the batting. Then I layered the quilt top/batting with the backing and did minimal stitching.

I think this little bird is so cute too!

I've got my March project in mind--a wedding gift 6 months overdue! Watch for a post on it (and hopefully progress as well) shortly, because I recently found out that they'll be needing a baby quilt at the end of summer. I'd better get the wedding gift done before then! What's the latest you've ever given a handmade quilt?

Winner and Catching Up

First, let's start with a winner from my Kiss, Kiss Love post! (Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left a comment!) Random number generator chose:

 which is MoeWest, who said:

My sewing focus has been a bit all over the place since I finished the triple zip pouch over the weekend! 

Here's what I've been working on: 

1. Working on the straight line quilting and adding the borders on my snowman quilt (before the 28th...this is my February Lovely Year of Finishes project!) And yes, there's still snow on the ground here (or instead of "still," I should say "again," so the quilt continues to be relevant this year).

 (evening picture taking = dark pic! but I do love how the snowman scarves all look like they're flying away in this photo)

2. I finished the 15 blocks for my guild's Home of the Brave project, and handed them in. Done. The actual quilt will have the blocks set on point with sashing.

3. My almost 4-year-old son asked if we could make another quilt. (see the first here) Can't say no to that! He lifts and lowers the presser foot, presses the needle up/down button, and chooses the fabric. I chose the wonky log cabin--no measuring, no perfect piecing needed. He also currently has a whole list of people he wants to make quilts for. 

4. I'd mentioned a while back that I was going to be helping a friend make quilts for her two young children. The situation has changed a bit, and my mom and I are making the quilts, and making them quickly. Here are 12 blocks I finished today for the boy's quilt; 18 more to go! They do sew up quickly, and I love the fabrics.

5. Victoria over at 15 Minutes Play is hosting a tea towel challenge. She first mentioned it about a month ago, and I dragged my feet on it. The first two tea towels I'd admired on Etsy disappeared, but then I found this one. My husband has some Irish blood, so it seemed like a perfect choice. After I finish #1 and #4 on this list, I'm planning to play a little with my tea towel and some made fabric. 

p.s. It was a great mail week--I received the Irish Blessing tea towel that I'd ordered, and I also received my selection from the gift certificate I won to the Quilting Lodge (through Lovely Year of Finishes). It's a jelly roll of Cuzco! Two things I think are especially neat about this: 1) I've actually been to Cuzco. 2) Before this arrived, I was a jelly roll virgin. I'd never used one. I can't wait to decide what to do with this! Pre-cut strips...heaven! Thanks, Quilting Lodge!

February Goal + Looking for recommendations

With success at reaching my January goal in the Lovely Year of Finishes, I'm excited about February!
I had trouble picking a goal, because a) it's a busy month for me (speaking at my guild...yikes!, planning a 4-year-old birthday party, finishing a few tutorials I've promised people, on top of all the usual day-to day fun of work and home life) and b) because I was torn between what I want to do vs. what I should do. So ultimately I'm going with another seasonal choice, because after February I am not going to care about a snowman quilt.

February's goal: Finish quilting and then bind my snowman quilt.

And now I'm looking for recommendations. I am helping a mom friend of mine who is not a quilter make quilts for her two children, a 4-year-old boy and a 9-month old girl. I'm looking for suggestions of  easy quilt patterns (either tutorials or patterns from magazines, books, single pattern purchases, etc.) you really like that would be great for kids' quilts.

 I'd also love to hear about any fabric collections you particularly love with the kids' ages and genders in mind. My friend would like these quilts to last (I don't mean durability, but more that she wants them still to appeal to the children as they age.).

Please share your recommendations in the comments section!

Thanks so much!

Hello, Snow!

This is what I woke up to this morning. 

Glorious, isn't it?!?!

And so appropriate, because this is what I've been working on:

It's an appliqued center panel to a plaid flannel lap quilt that I will get done this year. 

Another piece of perfect timing is that my parents visited this weekend. My home office/sewing studio is the bonus room over the garage of our house. Ideal, because it's large. Less ideal because heat doesn't reach it very well, so I usually layer up to go in there. Until now. 

My dad, along with an almost 4-year-old self-appointed "little fixer" helped me and my husband to install a baseboard heater. Now I can sew (and work) in toasty warmth! Thanks Dad! 

One other project from the weekend: my mom is getting ready to straight line machine quilt her first quilt. We got it basted Saturday night. Here it is!

Such a soft, pretty palette of scraps! 

I'm off to take two little boys sledding...then back to my snowman quilt later.