Quilting – Page 5 – Thimbleanna

The Grandma Quilt

28 Comments / June 5, 2016 June 5, 2016 / Quilting

I finally finished my Little Red Riding Hood quilt and managed to get some pictures taken. Did you notice in the post title that I don’t call this The Little Red Riding Hood Quilt? That’s because this little quilt is for me. The Grandma. ;-D

When the grandchildren of BigDaddy and MeMum were little, MeMum had two bedrooms where the children could stay when we came to visit — a boys’ room decorated for boys and a girls’ room decorated for girls. Now that I’m on the cusp of Grandmahood, I’ve been thinking about doing the same thing. Only, I didn’t want to give up two rooms — just one. I’ve been wondering how to decorate for both the girls and the boys. And then I saw her. Grandma.

Isn’t she just the cutest? And she looks just like ME!!! ;-D She’s part of the adorable Little Red Riding Hood fabric line created by Cori Dantini (long time readers know how much I LOVE Cori Dantini). Grandma is just perfect, so, I’ve decided I won’t have a boys room or a girls room. I’ll have a Grandma room! It will have Little Red Riding Hood quilts on the beds and Little Red Riding Hood pictures on the walls. I haven’t started to do all the furniture moving and re-painting that will be required, but I have the first quilt done — and that’s the most important part, right?

The other characters in the fabric are pretty cute too. There’s the woodcutter.

And the Wolf. He certainly doesn’t look like he’d eat a little girl.

Here he is dressed up like Grandma. I used pearl cotton and big stitches for the quilting stitches. I mostly did 1/4″ quilting around all the seams, except for those sweet little characters — I quilted around their shapes and through their middles.

I used the woodgrain print for the background. The other brown print looks like the rings of tree sections that have been cut and I chose pinwheels for the ax blades. Fun prints to represent the woods that Grandma and Sweet Wolfie live in! Oh, and there’s Little Red peeking out of the bottom of this picture.

I love the way this quilt quilted and washed up. So much krinkly goodness and she’s all cozy — I wish you could feel her. I’ll be making another one for a second twin bed, but it will have a green border, instead of a blue border. This was a super fun project and I can’t wait to make some accessories for the new room. I’m thinking there needs to be a little dress-up cape out of that red fabric! Anyway, I have a little fabric left over and I put some quilt kits (with the pattern) in my little etsy shop in case anyone needs a Little Red/Grandma quilt for themselves. ;-D

Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
XOXO,
Anna

Oh! P.S. See my quilt holder there? It’s at MeMum’s house and TheManoftheHouse thinks it needs to be taken down since no one needs the swings anymore. Hello??? What would I do for a quilt holder??? Hmmmm??? M.E.N. Sheesh!

Tied Baby Quilts

12 Comments / May 14, 2016 May 14, 2016 / Baby Oh Baby, Quilting

Thank you for all the sweet comments about the Baby Shower. As I mentioned, the other activity we had was to tie some baby quilts for SweetiePie. Long-time readers will remember that it’s our tradition to tie a quilt for the new couple at a bridal shower, but we’d never done one at a baby shower and it never really even occurred to me — probably because they’re so small and it’s hard to get a group around a little baby quilt.

To back up a bit, the babies in our family all had little tied quilts with prairie points on them. (I blogged about them years ago, here on my old blog.) I knew that SweetiePie doesn’t care for prairie points, so I didn’t plan on making any tied quilts for the baby until she’s a toddler. (Because ALL our toddlers MUST have a tied quilt! Out of the five babies between MyDadLovesMeBestSister and me, four of them dragged their tied quilts around until they were worn out.) But, a few weeks before the baby shower, SweetiePie asked if we could talk to MDLMBS about tying a baby quilt at the shower. I was surprised at her request, but she said she loves the quilt that we tied for her at the bridal shower — she loves the idea that the people she loves all had their hand in making a quilt for them.

So … how could we refuse? Especially, since I was thrilled LOL! Even though we were a small group, I realized that we were too many to squeeze around one quilt, so I decided on two. I raided my little etsy store for fabric and then, the next issue was those prairie points — I knew they would have to go. SweetiePie LOVES pom poms, so I decided to put them around one of the quilts and just do a regular binding around the other one. I took my trusty quilt frame over to MDLMBS’s house and set the quilts up — coincidentally, in the same room where we tied the bridal shower quilt.

Look at that teamwork! I was so proud of the ladies who don’t normally sew. One of the girls told me I needed to take her picture and send it to her mom, because her mom would never believe that she was sewing LOL!

The best part about these little quilts are the ties. They’re kid-tested and definitely kid-approved. My very favorite part about the baby shower was when CuteNiece1 arrived a little late (after driving in from Chicago) and walked into the room where we had just started tying the quilts. She yelled out, “NUBBIES!!!” That’s what our children all called the little ties. And she was so thrilled that the next generation will be brought up with nubbies too. She said she still keeps one of her little quilts with her but that, by now, all the nubbies are missing. (Of course, I told her to bring it back to me and I’ll fix that!) The children love to rub those little nubbies between their fingers when they’re falling asleep. One of the little rascals rubbed them so much that he would pull them out, so we gave him a little jar to save them in ;-D.

This little quilt is made with Art Gallery’s Floral Dums Punch on the front and Sarah Jane’s Wee Wander print on the back. We had so much fun tying this one. Instead of tying in our usual grid pattern, we decided to just randomly go with the print and put a tie on each of the big flowers. And, for the first time, we used more than one color for the yarn. It’s bound with the famous Timeless Treasures stripe fabric.

The other quilt is the pom pom quilt. I don’t really expect the pom poms to hold up to years of toddler abuse, but it will be really cute for wrapping up that little baby, and then, at some point, if it gets too raggedy, it can be replaced with a regular binding.

The front of this quilt is Blend Fabrics Born Wild Patchwork on the front and their Born Wild Woodland Creatures {Looove} on the back. The patchwork on the front provided the perfect grid to use for the quilting — it was nice not to have to mark out squares for the ties.

So, that was fun, and now, I want to make a cute, tied PINK quilt for ME! Baby girl is all set for quilts — in addition to a few other little blankets she has at home, SweetiePie and I worked on a big-stitch quilt the last time she was here. It’s finish was interrupted by the fact that Hester had to go in for repairs, but it will get finished in a few weeks. And, of course, Grandma will be making a little hand-quilted quilt for her. No rush on that one — it will be a longer term project because I’m a slow quilter!

Ok — must dash — I’m leaving this weekend for a family visit + quilt market and there are a million things left to do! Have a great weekend!
XOXO,
Anna

And … We’re Off!!!

21 Comments / August 8, 2015 August 8, 2015 / Quilting

Holy Cow — it’s been a wild week here this week. I’ve been running around with my head cut off to get everything done for our little break. The kids and I (poor little ManoftheHouse will be holding down the fort here with the KittyKats) are leaving in the morning and we’re going to Glacier National Park and Banff National Park for some hiking and fresh air. We were hoping to camp out a little — I dug the 30-year old tent out of the attic and set it up.

When I unpacked the tent, it was missing a tent pole — not sure where it is. Could be lost in the attic, or maybe someone forgot to pack it up with the tent. Weird. I ended up enlisting the aid of a nice man at Lowe’s and we made a new tent pole. Sadly, we won’t be using it though — no room in the car for a tent and a bunch of sleeping bags. Some of us are clothes horses LOL!

I also managed to get the little doll quilt done.

Every little doll needs a quilt!

Ok — Be Good while I’m gone. I hope you’ll all be doing something fun!

XOXO,
Anna

The Aunts’ Quilt and More

24 Comments / January 5, 2015 January 5, 2015 / Quilting

Hey Hey — Guess What??? I think the problem with my comments not being forwarded to my e-mail has been fixed {crosses fingers}! Now I can respond to your comments. Thank you so much to all of you who have been commenting and been so patient when not hearing from me. {Smooches!}

Don’t you love this time of year? I love reading everyone’s plans for the new year. Are you a person who chooses a word? I’m not — although, one year I chose “chocolate” for my word. How could a year with chocolate in it go wrong? Jodi has chosen a funny word this year. I admit, I wasn’t sure I understood when she posted it on instagram, but she’s provided more detail in her latest post. And did you read Suzanne’s phrase for the new year? I LOVE it. If I had a phrase, that’s what I’d want it to be!

So, it was back to work today {insert tantrum throwing, screaming child here}, but I did manage a little sewing before re-entry. I finished the Aunts’ Quilt blocks for month 2 — woohoo, I’m officially caught up! (And by the way — a standing ovation to Lina and Karen R for actually finishing their blocks on time this month — you ladies get big brownie points for keeping on schedule during the holidays! Check their blocks out — they’re all so pretty!)

Here are my two pieced blocks for the month:

And the applique block:

I LOVE doing these applique blocks. I’m having so much fun choosing the fabrics. Did you notice my favorite little part of this block?

He reminds me of Winston. I’m well on my way with the Month 3 blocks — only 10 more days to stay on schedule — how are the rest of you Auntlets doing? Hmmmm?

Before I go — Downton Abbey is back — WooHoo!!! Have you seen the fun Downton Abbey segments with George Clooney (the Marquess of Hollywood haha)? See Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE. If you’re a Downton fan, go check it out!

XOXO,
Anna

Australia – Fabric and Friends

26 Comments / October 25, 2014 April 18, 2015 / Quilting, Travel

Oops, I meant to post in the middle of the week, but it was kind of busy around here this week. I blame it on this little guy:

TheFirstChild and SweetiePie were gone for a week and we got to dogsit. Cute little Winston is still a high-energy puppy and he took up all of my extra time. We had lots of fun taking walks, playing with his cousin dogs, and taking a few pictures. He did NOT want to wear those goggles, poor little guy! (But, ever the gentleman, he’s always wearing his bow tie.)

Anyway, one last post from Australia. I saved the fun stuff for last. Kellie took me to some beautiful shops. First up was Sunspun — not a fabric shop, but since I love to knit, just as good!

What a fun little shop — packed FULL of pretty yarns and samples.

Yarn shops confuse me. I can’t buy yarn like I do fabric — maybe because I’m not a scrap knitter like I’m a scrap quilter. I have to have a specific project in mind when I buy yarn. So, in spite of all the beauty, I walked away with just a pattern book. I’d like to chalk it up to self control, but confusion is the true story! It was a wonderful stop though.

Then we were on to Amitie where we met up with Jan. And I met Louise — SO fun! Oh, and Judy Newman was there too, so it was really fun to meet her. I know I’m forgetting someone else — I was in a fabric stupor.

Look at all that gorgeous fabric — and all in Amitie style. Shelves of Liberty!

A pile of fabulous quilts, with our star, The Aunt’s Quilt on top of the pile. I don’t know what I was thinking — WHY didn’t I get a good picture of THE quilt??? Or any of them, for that matter!

Here’s a shot of the lucious quilts in the front window. I was so busy looking at everything and just enjoying it all and I’m sad that I didn’t get more pictures. ;-( It was SO amazingly inspirational though — I was overwhelmed. Amitie certainly lived up to her reputation!

After Amitie, Kellie, Jan and I had a fun lunch catching up and then Jan took me for the afternoon and evening. I have to stop here for a minute and rave about the food that Kellie and Jan made for me while I was in Australia. We don’t eat much lamb (well, any, really), but in Australia they have it quite a bit. The first night Kellie made delicious lamb chops (I bought some for TheManoftheHouse to try when I got back and they’re not called lamb chops but that’s what they look like — it’s more like a roast) and roasted potatoes. Later in the week, Kellie also made lamb strapback (I hope that’s what you call it) with the most delicious fruit salad I’ve ever had — she drizzled it with some sort of basalmic molasses (that I sadly can’t find here). Words just can’t describe those delicious meals!

Then, the night Jan took me to her house, she plopped this jumbo bowl of grilled pineapple and prawns in front of me. I thought it was our main meal, but it was the appetizer. And, being from the landlocked midwest, it was my first experience actually peeling the shrimp, which Jan’s girls thought was hysterical. They were probably wondering how I escaped from my corn field! Dinner was a delicious roasted lamb (which I thought was beef until the next day) with roasted pumpkin and vegetables. And THEN, Jan had invited Meredithe to dinner and it was so fun to meet her. We were so busy talking that I didn’t get any pictures of all of her beautiful quilts. (And trust me, that’s a tragedy. Because, you guys. These girls are all Australian quilters. By default, all their quilts are beautiful!) Since we were having an all Aussie dinner, Jan requested that Meredithe bring an Aussie dessert, and what’s more Aussie than Pavlova? It was amazing — I LOVE bananas and raspberries — maybe I was an Aussie in another life!

Such a fun night and I was sad to leave the girls, but time was short and there was much to do. The next day, Kellie took me out to the country. We had the best day and went to another beautiful little quilt shop.

Mill Rose is just full of fabric. Feast your eyes on all that Liberty! There was some serious drooling and fondling going on in this room.

Another big room of fabric — behind that brown row of fabric is another double-wide aisle of beautiful prints.

What a fun little quilt shop. After all that fondling and shopping, we were parched and hungry, so we went next door and had a delicious lunch in the Mill Cottage.

I didn’t buy much fabric. It’s easy to be restrained — not that I didn’t LOVE all the fabrics, but we’re so spoiled with prices here in the states — we pay less than half of what fabric costs in AU. I couldn’t resist buying just a little though, so, here’s a picture of my purchases.

From Mill Rose, the six prints on the left are Terra Australis by Emma Jansen. Can you see the boomerangs, kangaroos, and Australian continents? I had to have a little souvenir! And the prints on the right and across the bottom are from Amitie — just some low volume prints that I loved.

So, that’s it. Whew! What a fun trip, made all the better because I was able to see Australia with friends. Kellie is always so good to me, and I miss her and her cute little family.

Oh, one last picture. You can’t take all those road trips and fondle all that fabric without some sustenance. I now have two new candy favorites (which I can’t find here boohoo!) — The fantales are sort of like a big milk dud — caramel and chocolate, what’s not to love? And the Babies are like Gummi Bears — only WAY better. Way, way better. And, in case you didn’t know, they’re pronounced “Baaayyyyybies” — as in “The Dayngo ayte mah Baaayyyyyby!”

XOXO,
Anna