A Year-at-a-Glance in a Year and a Half

 

It’s time for a celebration!  I finally finished my Year-at-a-Glance quilt tonight!  That’s right, finished!

 

The fabric and pattern were a gift for my birthday back in the summer of 2009.  (Remember this post?  or this post?)  Tonight, I finally tacked down the last two feet of binding. I rarely ever finish anything this big, and  I had to pinch myself to relinquish my disbelief.  Now, I just wish I had somewhere better than the bedroom curtains to prominently display it.

 

With every beautiful quilt, there’s a beast.  Not to be nit picky, but the appliqué patterns were all backwards.  And as adorable as this quilt is, this takes the cake and makes this pattern a solid D.  The sashing measurements were all off!  I had to calculate them and re-cut all the pieces.  That includes the outer square border, folks.  Pain in the …

I was forced to conquer a new technique on this quilt: hand embroidery.  I treated myself to a crash course in embroidering techniques via the internet, and with great success, I do think my lazy daises turned out perfectly.  That’s why the May block is my favorite!

Three Down, Ten to Go!

Quilt+Pillow=Quillow

 "Marley was dead, to begin with."

Grab your quillow and snuggle up; it's story time!  Well, in blog world, that means it's a short story, so don't worry about having to read all of Dickens's The Christmas Carol in this blog post.  (FYI, Every year I never fail to watch my favorite version of the story as reenacted by the Muppets!  The Great Gonzo portrays Mr. Dickens telling the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, while Rizzo the Rat,  playing his humorous self with a bag a jelly beans, journeys through the story with him.)  This quintessential example of Christmas spirit introduces us to the three spirits of Christmas: the ghost of Christmas Past, the ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future.  Or is it the ghost of Christmas presents?

What if they were the ghosts of Christmas presents?  Well, since I don't have a crystal ball, I have no clue about Christmas future presents...it's hard enough getting them together for this year, forget about next! And if I say anything about Christmas present presents, then that wouldn't that just ruin some of the fun of Christmas Day?  But, Christmas presents past, now that's something I can share.

Last year I was almost as busy as this year, devoting most of my pre-Christmas time to making a quillow.  I'd always wanted to make a quillow!  You know, a cute little quilt that folds up into a pillow.  I made this adorable one sporting colorful puppies as a Christmas gift for my one-year-old nephew.  (I'll update with the pattern name and creator.)  He adored it Christmas morning and snuggled right into it the moment he got it!

Now that he's gotten a little sibling on the way, he's excited about decorating his "big boy" to match.  How sweet!  Way to go Aunt Jill!

This year I've been really busy, but I haven't been making any quillows.  I'll have to share Christmas present presents when they're Christmas past's presents!

The Hippo Quilt

Yay! I just finished this quilt I designed for a fall challenge at a local quilt shop! It's now on display for the month of October at Country Quiltworks in Montgomeryville, PA.


As usual, it's a little bumpy, and the binding is a little wonky...but that's alright. I thought my piecing was stellar! (Goes to show how much piecing I do and little quilting and binding, aka finishing.)
I bought these hippos online because I thought they were too cute. So maybe the don't quite go, but I love them. They're hiding on the back, and that's why this one's called "the Hippo Quilt."

Here's the gist of the rules:

1. Choose a Fall Challenge theme. I decided on Black and White.

2. Take a packet of (25) 2 1/2"x10" fabric strips. Use a significant amount of each print from one packet. We were allowed a second packet, but there weren't any when I needed one!

3. For the top and binding, you can use up to four more fabrics of your own. I chose those four blue/aqua prints.

4. The sum of the sides of the project should be no more than 140". Mine's right on target!

5. Pieced, appliqued, embellished as you wish. Must be quilted.

It will be up soon in the shop, so I can't wait to check it out!