Quilt Festival

First off - let me just share that my sewing machine broke.... it was an old sewing machine my mom bought ~15 years ago to hem pants and sew girl scout patches and other simple things like that ... in other words, it was not a quilty friendly machine.

Fast forward 15 years, I announce my grand plans to take sewing lessons and my mom graciously donates her machine to the cause.  I think she was excited to see her machine get more than 5 uses in 15 years.

I have now been sewing 6 months on this machine in which time she has been nothing but cooperative and trustworthy ... but this past weekend that all changed.  The needle still moves up and down, but at a snails pace - - it just became too painful to watch ....  So I was left no choice but to call it - "time of death - 7:05PM Sunday 5/15/11"  

I was assuming this would really make it difficult to post to my blog if I have no projects to show you!   BUT - enter Quilt Festival!!!

There are several sponsors of this event and it is being hosted and organized by Amy @ Amy's Creative Side.  She has asked that bloggers post pictures of their favorite quilt and tell the story behind it ... so without further ado, I bring you my Central Park quilt.

(**I know I recently blogged about this quilt here and here - but I'm not sure that this quilt got its full 15 minutes of fame that it deserves!  I mean, it had to share a post w/another quilt!!!  Thanks to Quilt Festival, though, I have an excuse to show you lots of pictures of my favorite completed project.)

I just LOVE this quilt!!!  

arranging blocks ... 

all pieced & waiting to be basted and quilted!

it's done!! photo shoot up on the roof deck 

look @ the bottom - you can get a peak at the backing fabric, you can also see the scrappy binding

Officially puppy approved

... eventually puppy got bored w/the photo shoot - even when he's bored he's cute, ha.

 

This quilt reminds me of summer!  It is so bright and beautiful!  This is my second completed quilt and the first time I used designer fabric.  Can I just say, "What a difference!?".  Let's just say that when the fabric arrived in the mail I will not confirm or deny having put the fabric on my coffee table for me to admire and pet ...

I love that I experimented with a scrappy binding with this quilt - and I think that it was just what this quilt needed.  I machine quilted this on a diagonal - so it was also my first time quilting outside of the ditch.  It felt very risky, but well worth it.  I love how the quilting turned out.

As I revealed in my "CONFESSION" post - this quilt was originally made for a friend ... but I learned a major lesson with this quilt.  I will fall in love with my quilts - and then I will not be able to part with the beautiful project if I think it may end up in a closet never to be used - and then I may decide I need to keep it even if I don't have a place for it in my house, either.  So my lesson: only make quilts for those that I know will truly appreciate their beauty.

Thanks for reading yet another post on my favorite completed project! Check out some of the other quilts over @ the Quilt Festival - there are some really talented people out there.  Hopefully my next post can be about a new project - if I can get my hands on a new sewing machine! ;-)

So pretty!!

So I decided to join a gym.  To justify the extraordinary price tag that comes w/a gym membership in downtown Baltimore city {you'd probably die if I told you how much}.... I promised the hubby I'd cut back on my fabric budget ...    

But ... before the fabric budget slash - I ordered all of these fabrics!!  

Impressions, Ty Pennington 50% off!  Couldn't resist - now what to make w/it??

Sunset fat quarter bundle from Sew Fresh Fabrics

Some stash building dots - by Alexander Henry

Thought this would be perfect for one of the many baby quilts/projects I have coming up

 I'm obsessed w/these Paperweight fabrics!  I see these turning into a bag!

 Check out this stack of "Happier" layer cake!  so bright and cheery

 Some more "Happier" yardage w/coordinating solids

May Fabric for my 12 Month Quilting Bee 

*this one I didn't pay for

Keep checking back for updates on sewing projects w/these new beautiful fabrics!

Kona color card!!

From the Blue Chair is hosting a giveaway for a Kona color card!!!  If you don't have one - head on over to enter to win.  the winner is being picked on Monday 5/23!

CONFESSION!!

Remember this quilt??  I just posted about it a few days ago ...

well it's time for a confession ... I made this quilt as a gift for a friend .... but .... after it was finished, I couldn't imagine parting with it!  Well, that's not entirely true, I think if I knew I would visit it often and/or if I knew the person who was going to receive it was going to fully appreciate it the way I do ... I could probably of parted with it!

I just wasn't sure what the intended recipient would do w/this quilt - I couldn't bear to have this beautiful fabric locked away in someone's closet only to be looked at once in awhile!  So .... I have decided to adopt this quilt for myself ...

but now - what to do w/this quilt??  It doesn't match my home decore - but as I said earlier, I can't stand to have these beautiful vibrant colors locked away in a closet.

For now it is sitting in my room, at the end of my bed.  But I must find a better home for it because, well, it just doesn't match my room!  This temporary home is not doing any good for the room design or for the quilt!  

I must find answers for this problem though - what to do w/all the quilts you make!  Because - - I LOVE the process of quilting, so I can't imagine not making them.  But then, what to do w/them when they are done if you can't give them up?!

Has anyone else had a hard time parting with quilts??   Where do you put all your quilts when you're finished with them?

What? I never posted these??

Ok - so it turns out that I never posted pictures of my first 2 completed quilts!!!  Can you believe it??


In my defense - they are posted somewhere {facebook & flickr} ... but they never made it into blogland.  The poor quilts - they must be feeling left out w/o their v. own blog post! ;-)  So here they are for you all to see!


Quilt #1: {enter creative name here}

Stats: 
Fabric: Made from 2 jelly rolls plus sashing fabric from Joann's.
Pattern: scrappy "rail fence" pattern w/added borders
Back: simple - 1 fabric pieced to size of quilt
Binding: brown flowered fabric from this fabric collection
Size:  lap size


I made this over about 2 weeks that included a self created sew-a-thon weekend and 3 snow days in a row! 
** have I mentioned I {heart} working in a school! **


Quilt #2: Central Park Quilt 

puppy approved

Stats: 
Fabric: Central Park by Kate Spain (1 jelly roll and 2 charm packs)
Pattern: Paige w/an extra purple border
Back: simple - cut from 1 fabric
Binding: scrappy - all different purples from the fabric line
Size: lap sized


This quilt came together over the month of March.  
March = lots of bitter cold weather + some snow = lots of time for sewing!


That's it for my first 2 completed quilts!  Can't wait to show you some progress w/my newest quilty-WIPs!