Pom pom blanket tutorial

I created a pom pom blanket tutorial and I think it turned out really cute!  I actually posted as a guest blogger on the Lollipops and Notions blog, www.lollipopsandnotions.com.  Check it out!

Babies!

A lot of people I know are either pregnant or have had a baby recently...so, I have been working on a lot of different baby quilts.  Last post, I showed this quilt that I designed on my own. 

It was pretty easy and I used a different precut that I don't use very often. 

Moda scrap bags are a great way to get a variety of different fabrics at a great price.  The scrap bag that I got had mostly scraps from Bonnie and Camille's line, Vintage Modern.  I cut the strips down to 1 1/2" each.  I left them as long as possible and trimmed them all to the same size after they were the same width.  After that, I started sewing the strips together, sewing each one in the opposite direction as the strip before.  This helps make the finished product more even. 



After sewing all the strips together, I had to trim again, because I had a couple strips that ended up being shorter than the rest.  After I had squared up this section, I put the borders on the quilt.  Now it's time to applique!

I used this amazing method of applique, http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2012/07/v-and-co-how-to-applique-christmas.html, for the red circles and pink circles to make the flowers.  Vanessa Christensen is a genius!  Before I ironed the red circles down, I placed the green ribbons under the red circle.  After I appliqued the red circles down with matching red thread, I sewed the green ribbon down with matching thread.  Lastly, I appliqued the pink circles down with matching thread.  And ended up with this quilt top!



I am currently in the process of quilting this baby quilt, so I will update with pictures when it's completely finished.  E-mail me at birdiestitches.blogspot.com if you have any questions...it's my first pattern I designed, so leave me comments if any of the instructions don't make sense!

Look for several other baby quilt tutorials in the next few weeks!



New pattern!

It has been way too long since my last blog post, but there has been so much going on!  First, I have a new niece; Vivienne Murielle was born on 6/11/12.  It was so fun to spend time with my family and meet my new niece.

I have also been working on a couple patterns.  A free tutorial will be up soon on the blog, but in the meantime, here is a little idea of what it looks like...

 

Just in case that wasn't enough, we also received 4 bolts of Riley Blake chevron fabric in our etsy shop, at www.lollipopsandnotions.com.  We have already sold out of every last bit of it!  But don't worry, we have 12 more bolts on the way!!!

Hope everyone is having a great summer...I am hoping there will be a lot more sewing in the next few days!

Flowers and cookies

I haven't had nearly as much time as I would like to sew this week, but it was a good week.  Today I helped out at a blood drive at my church.  It was my friend's Eagle Scout project and I made treats for all that donated.  I also helped out at the sign in table.  It was really fun and a good reminder to serve the community, even in small ways.  The treats I made were a new recipe, inspired by a small cookie shop in Utah.  I made chocolate chip cookie bars and put chopped up candy bars on top. 

They were really delicious and this is definitely a recipe that I will make again!

I was also really excited this week because I found peonies at the grocery store!  I had several peony bushes in my yard growing up and loved to see them bloom.  It was such a fun reminder of Iowa!

Well, I am hoping to sew in the next few days.  I have several baby quilts that are about finished.  I am also working on a couple original patterns that will be available soon at www.lollipopsandnotions.com! 



Progress

One of my favorite parts of quilting is the progress that is made in each quilt.  Quilting is truly therapy for me.  Work has been pretty stressful lately, therefore...lots of quilting progress has been made.  The first quilt I posted in the last post, but I have several more blocks done. 

The gray and red one is my favorite so far.  I really love this quilt and can't wait to see it all finished!

The next quilt I have been working on is a pattern by Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures.  I can't remember which book the pattern is in, but I will post all the info with the finished quilt.  The fabric line is Hometown by Sweetwater.  When I saw the stack of finished blocks, I couldn't help but lay them out, even though I still need to finish a few. 

Hopefully, I will get some quilting time in this weekend and will be able to finish up both projects.  There are several new fabric lines that I have been eyeing, so it might be time for something new!

What projects are you working on?

love love love

I really love this fabric line and this pattern. I am almost done with the flying geese to finish the star blocks and then I can put it all together! There are a couple other quilts I'm working on in the background...pictures for those coming soon. P.S. The fabric line is Ruby by Bonnie and Camille and the pattern is Thimble Blossoms A La Mode. I love Camille's patterns! You can see more or order her patterns at www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com. Thanks for doing such amazing work Camille!

Quilt Stories

So I have decided that I want to have a record of all the quilts that I have made and all the quilts that I make going forward. So I am going to start by telling the story of each quilt and asking for pictures of the quilt with it's new owner...It will be interesting to see how many pictures I actually get. The first quilt is a quilt that I just finished for my mom for Mother's Day. It is actually still at the long arm quilter, so I don't have pictures of the finished quilt yet. This quilt was one of the most difficult quilts I have ever made and it took me several years to finish. I love the colors and details of each block. I hope that my mom finds a spot in her new house to put her new quilt!