It's a boy!

We are happy to announce - Henry Lee!  Born just two days ago, 15 days early, but 6 lbs., 5 oz., mom and baby are doing fine!

We think he's pretty cute!  Of course we haven't been able to meet him yet, due to social distancing.  This is our first grandson; we have two granddaughters, both age 2.  I think Henry will be the little prince, lol!

Little Henry and dear Hannah.  So proud of her, she did good!

New dad, Danny, and his new love.  He's over the moon!

Looks like a magazine, right? Hannah is very clever and artistic, and she created this adorable nursery. The wall treatment is something she found on pinterest, she free-handed it just using a simple cardboard template.  My quilt is hanging on the crib; more on that later.

They'll be rocking little Henry in that chair pretty soon!  Sweet dreams, sweet Henry!

Finish - Erica's baby girl surprise quilt!

Wow I was pretty quick on this finish! Bought the fabric on vacation in Winterset, Iowa early July, and had quilt finished for a baby shower mid-August. That’s warp speed for me!
Six simple stars, with fussy-cut sheep centers. The quilt coordinates nicely with the nursery, and the mom-to-be loved it!
Sorry these photos are out of order, I’m posting from my phone bc our laptop is in the shop.
Happy quilting!

Finished quilt top on the design wall, auditioning the binding fabric. Does anyone else do that?

This cute sheep fabric was in the bundle I bought in Winterset, Iowa.  Set the tone of the whole quilt, and also harmonized nicely with Erica's decorating theme.

Quilted it myself with a simple meander. I always wash quilts before presenting them.  It looked better in person, not the best photo.  I'll have Erica take a photo with the baby, after she arrives. :)

Close up of one of the star blocks.  

Love the bunnies on the selvedge!

Ready for gifting!

More catch-up - Emily and Matt's baby shower, Ella's Tulip Garden quilt

We hosted a baby shower for our daughter, Emily, and her husband, Matt back in January.  We had fun decorating the house with some special family mementos, and fun shower decorations like the flag bunting. 

The quilt on the wall was made by my grandmother for my parents' wedding in 1944.  I thought the colors suited the baby shower theme.  The high chair in the background was used by me, my mom, and my grandmother!

Cutest cake ever!  Not only cute, but delish! White cake with lemon filling, and buttercream icing. (from Kirsten's Danish Bakery)

These are antique baby clothes I have. The beige one in the center was my mom's, so that dress is 100 years old! The picture in the foreground shows my mom wearing the dress. 

My lovely daughters!  Emily, Hannah, and Genevieve.  My heart is so full!

Mom and daughter.

Ella's Tulips - I had lots of fun making this.  

It looks so cute in their nursery!

Beautifully machine quilted by Sue Pawlowski.  

Baby Ella!  Born February 12, 2018. 

Ella and granddad sharing stories.  I have a feeling they will be great friends. :)

Couple more finishes for 2017

"Oh My Stars" for a special baby-to-be! My daughter's sister-in-law, Erica, expecting their first, a little boy, has planned an adorable aviation themed nursery, with navy, gray, white, and gold scheme.  I had lots of fun with this!  Did NOT turn out as planned, but better!

After searching locally, I found this cute border fabric on etsy, and the quilt was planned around it.  Simple blue stars (mimicking propellers?), set off by smaller stars, centered with compass points. 

Love this little touch of yellow, and the two different gray/white prints in the background. Quilted flawlessly by Sue Pawlowski.

Soft and snuggly for the little boy! 

Fun at Erica's baby shower!  L-R, daughter Genevieve (due in December), daughter Emily (due in February), Erica, me, and daughter Hannah (getting married in May. Needless to say, I have lots of quilts to make!!!

"Eleanor's 4-Patch" for a dear friend of the family's second born, little Eleanor.  I was unsure of her color scheme, so I used some soft baby quilt fabrics from my stash, with splashes of lime green, my favorite, and a wide white border. Simple quilting finished this quilt in a hurry!

Gratuitous puppy shot! Our dog, Buddy, loves to pose. 

Quilt on my antique baby rocker, which held me, my mom, and my grandma!

Cute baby Eleanor, with her equally cute mom, Cara.  Irrestible!

Sweet Dreams Marylin!

Sweet baby Marylin! Daughter of our dear friends, Mark and Kristine, modeling on the quilt I made for her.  Hourglass quilt pattern by Sujata Shaw in her book, Cultural Fusion Quilts. 

Hand-dyed fabrics (received as a gift), quilted with a simple meander stitch.

Added a warm gold for the border, and a lime green for binding and backing.

Sweet Marylin!

She is even more darling in person! Such a charmer!

Happy Day! Baby Lena's Quilt, Unconventional Book, Jazz Concert

This picture makes me so happy!  Kristin, the baby's mother, sent me this photo, which was NOT staged!  This is why we make quilts, isn't it? Is there anything sweeter than this? Here is baby Lena, who pulled my quilt down from the edge of the crib, and cuddled with it, and fell asleep in its warm embrace.  I just want to kiss her sweet sweaty little head. 

I am totally in love with this book - I was so happy when I received it in the mail!  I had heard about it from friends - I knew I would like it, so I ordered it with a Christmas gift card (thank you, Austin!) - and it FAR EXCEEDED my expectations!  The author, Rod Kiracofe, presents these quilt selections with such artistic excellence, it is hard to describe.  He speaks with the voice of an expert curator, fully understanding and respecting the quilts and their makers.  But it is more than that.  He also obviously loves these quilts, and his kind heart comes through the prose of his book.  It is a treasure.

Doesn't this beauty look straight out of today's "fresh modern" movement? Love the purple and green combo, and those circles - how inspired!

And who doesn't love a spiderweb? Look at these two beauties!  The one on the right has hand-dyed green as the background - before hand-dyed was "cool".  I wonder what the back story is on that!

And how about these  pieced columns?

Another happy thing happened today! Scott and I attended a very special concert at Symphony Center in Chicago:  Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis!  They played a program of masterful compositions by:  Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, and John Coltrane.  Wow - what a night!  Wynton Marsalis gave a narration throughout the evening, telling the stories of how these masters influenced each other, and also shaped the history of jazz.  It was, in a word, thrilling!
Of course it was an excuse to get dressed up, and I got to sport my new sparkly bracelet - a Christmas gift from my daughter, Genevieve.  Lovely!

Tumbler quilt done, first finish of 2014

First finish of 2014! So much love and anticipation was sewed into this baby quilt (sorry picture is so dark, it was quite overcast).  My nephew, Nathan, and his wife, Miranda, are expecting their baby in mid-May, and the shower is this coming Saturday! I won't be able to attend, as they live in Virginia, so I wrapped it carefully and sent if off today via UPS.  Fingers crossed for a safe journey!
I had an idea of what type and color fabrics I wanted, but I had trouble finding them at my LQS.  Several that I bought turned up finding a home on my stash shelf, but not in the quilt, and others from my stash joined the new fabrics just purchased.  

Here you see my starting point - the new fabrics purchased, and my inspiration: two quilts made by a blogger friend in Sweden, Margreth! "It's a small world, indeed!"  Check out her lovely blog here.  

My original plan was to add a wide border of all white, but I ended up just using tumblers and sashing.  I found the free pattern, here. While the pattern calls for both horizontal and vertical sashing, I used vertical only, similar to Margreth's gorgeous pink quilt.  

One little tip - as you sew your tumblers to your sashing strips, make sure to alternate them - wide at the top, narrow at the top, and so on.  You need units of both shapes as you assemble the quilt.  You also need to leave at least one inch of white sashing between your blocks, so that when you press your seam to one side, and rotary cut your segments apart, you will be able to make your cuts accurately.  The directions in the link are very clear and detailed.

All pin basted, ready for my machine quilting.  I had a piece of Hobbs Heirloom Wool batting, and I must say, I loved it! It quilted easily, and has a lovely soft draft and nice loft, too.  Another thing I noticed, as I had it on my lap, hand sewing the binding...wool batting is toasty warm!  After it was all done, I machine washed, gentle cycle, and tumble dried on low just a bit, then air dried to finish.  

This high chair goes way back in my family - my children, me, my mom, and my grandma, too.  

This child's rocker just might be my most prized possession - golden oak, hand-caned seat, and it was my grandma Myrtle's when she was a little girl, around the turn of the century.