Project: Baby Boy Quilt

A couple of you have seen my pinterest board and have asked what this baby quilt stuff is so here it goes: A near and dear friend of mine is expecting her second boy but there is a bit of an age difference and we've picked up where our friendship left off. Here's a couple pictures of the quilt I maked (boarder from one (with 3) and layout of the blocks from both):

 We love the idea of the bright, rich colors on this quilt along with it's boarders.

And this was a way for me to see what kind of layout I should do (along with quilting ideas).

We selected the colors (and thankfully, I had left over white from my last quilt top that I can use on this one). I had to make my own pattern on paper as well to figure out dimensions but I've also had the help of the internet to make it a little easier. I was able to google the dimensions of the final square (with the pinwheel) and it gave me some great links (written instructions and an AMAZING YouTube tutorial). This is such a fun, amazing project. I happened to get the fabric and batting and backing on sale (either they were on sale or I use 60% offs and 30% off and 20% off total purchase) so it's been a real blessing. My mom also suggested that I use some scrap fabric to try one pinwheel out (I want to measure 1,000,000 times before I cut this fabric) and I came up with a great baseline:

(Don't you LOVE that 60s/70s vibe sheet?) 

I was SO happy to get the pinwheel lined up in the middle! But let me show you what colors I'll be using for the pinwheels:

I LOVE the color choices we made together. This was FUN!

And this is the backing of the quilt. Both parents fell in love with this. My friend told me from the get go that she is not a pastel (never has been really) so we made sure to pick BOLD, rich, vibrant colors.

I did all the sewing the squares a quarter inch from the center line to make them half square triangles  like an assembly line (* I drew those lines with a regular pen because I just used a rotary cutter to make them into the correct block of two half triangle squares). It was so nice to have it all ready to go and to line them up.

 

I have to admit, I was getting REALLY ocd about lining up those pinwheels to be centered.

I found this AMAZING tutorial about how to avoid a big bump at the center of the pinwheel. Here's how it makes it look in the end on the back:

So, next, I laid them all out on the table to see how I wanted them to be.

And then pinned each of the two rows together. And then the two sets of two rows together.

Of course I ironed each row in between sewing them together. After I had the blocks all together, I decided that I wanted to make three borders on this quilt- two 1" borders and one 2.5" border (the outer one and innermost one being white). Here's how each looked as I added them:

First border.

Pinning on the second, more colorful border.

Second one done!

Pinning on the third, last border.

All three borders sewn together! The finished quilt top!

After I finished the quilt top, I went ahead and used my amazing basting spray to put the backing, batting, and quilt top all together in preparation of quilting.

I decided to do the quilting while visiting my mom and go how they showed on the more pastel-y quilt I showed earlier there there are two lines going in each direction. It was pretty easy to do (just following the lines of the pinwheels).

I trimmed off the extra batting and fabric and squared up the quilt top in preparation for the binding. I decided that the binding would be the same as the backing. Here's what I did to see how it would look (I just pulled the backing around to the front of the quilt top to get a visual):

I think it looks pretty amazing. Then I just added the binding and was SO happy with the results. (Also as a side note, I used white thread on the quilt top and black on the back of the quilt-I wish I had taken a picture of the back after it was quilted.)

Here it is all done and washed (with a color catcher) and dried 

(pinned up on my mom's quilting board).

I know the lighting isn't great but you can see her smile! I know she loved it and that her baby will enjoy it.

Project: Baby Girl Quilt

Haha- I tricked a friend! I made a quilt for her (withe the help and input of her husband without her knowing!). This one was MUCH easier than the pinwheel one I'm working on (my OCD only kicked in a little to get the squares to match up… but not like those pinwheels, man). I watched so many youtube tutorials, read blogposts, and made a million phone calls to my mom, sister, mother in-law, and a couple of good quilting friends. Boy, did I learn a lot though. It gave me SO much confidence in finishing all my quilts that are in progress (3 total- one down now). I was inspired by this quilt:

(You can check it out on my pinterest board now and see the tutorials that were given)

Looks easy enough, no? Just squares, a boarder, backing, and binding. Easy peasy. Well, I thought so when I looked at it. Then I was filled with intimidation. I was tricky in finding out what kind of colors this mom (who was going to be surprised) was thinking of for this new girl coming into her life. She did not want pink, pink, pink EVERYWHERE (like most grandparents would like to do) but I didn't want to cut pink out all together. So, here's the color pallet I landed on (She likes pastels):

Not too girly, I think. I did 6" (finished) squares with a 3" (finished) boarder. I used about 5 fat quarters (the precut ones) and then 1/4 yard of the others (with some leftover). I cut the squares in one night (after kids had gone to bed) so I could just lay everything out in the morning. Here's how the squares landed when I laid them out on the table:

Not too bad, I think. At this point, I hadn't decided on what color the boarder would be so I just worked with what I had and stacked the rows and started sewing each row together and then pressing the seams down. Here's what it looked like with the squares sewn together:

Pretty cool, if I don't say so myself. Thank you to my sweet husband for holding it up as I took the picture (Looking back, I should've had HIM take the picture… Oh well.) Then, finally, I decided (with much HELP) that I was going to do the sage green as the boarder.

It was coming together pretty nice. Then, the intimidating part came- the basting spray to add the backing, batting, and quilt top into one. Now, I have to tell you I did have some problems with this. I had to learn some lessons (like, for example, you want to baste the backing to the batting first and not the quilt to to the batting…). With the spray, as you smooth it out, you can lift it and move the pieces with ease and laying flat. I had to pull it up a couple times to get it to lay flat with no wrinkles or air bubbles.

(With just the batting; I didn't take any with the backing on before quilting. Sorry)

Next, it was on to the quilting. I think I was the most afraid of this because I didn't know what settings my machine should be on (hence, the million phone calls… well, most of them anyways). I was going to do straight lines, diagonally from both directions- corners to corners and only on the squares. I think trying to fit my quilt top with everything in that little space on my machine made me realize why people get these long arm and short arm quilting machines. It was not an easy feat to do (but I have to admit, I did enjoy it) but it got done! I pre-marked the fabric before quilting with a special marking marker. Pretty cool stuff, really.

I also decided to quilt 1/4" boarder on the inside of the green, closest to the squares. Then, I decided on the binding- I used the same color as the backing (with the excess from trimming up the quilt top). I actually ended up with 40" extra (not to shabby for a first timer). I read a blogpost about how to do the binding and also a couple tutorials on youtube (SO much out there when there's a 3 hour time difference between me and my mom- the quilt guru).

Here's what the binding would look like- I just folded it over from the excess to get an idea.

I trimmed up the edges.

And started on the trickiest thing I've EVER done 

(because I didn't have the experience under my belt yet).

I was SO glad that I had gone to JoAnn's Saturday with thread on sale because clearly I needed more :)

(plus I went through a WHOLE, preloaded bobbin too)

I did a zig-zag type stitch for fun.

And back to the drawing board.

And better lighting to see the fun stitching.

And the FINISHED product!!! 

My FIRST EVER, 100% done ALL by me quilt (minus the phone calls, emails, texts, and tutorials)!

I am so proud of it and am glad I didn't screw it up too much. I washed it (mostly to make sure the quilting wouldn't come undone) with a color catcher and dried it.

And all boxed up for the Mama-to-be! 

(I dropped it off tonight so that's why I can post pics and things now). In total, it took me about 4 days (which includes breaks where children needed to be consoled or fed *or I needed to be fed*… and where I could take time to sleep and working back and forth on the next baby quilt). 

I could've fit 2 of this quilt in this box (folded in quarters both ways).

I believe the finished size was 36" X 42" inches (approx.). 

I have now trained my kids to sleep through mommy sewing at night :)

I had TONS of fun doing this. On to the next one!

8 Years

Today has been a day of reflection. I remember where I was when I got the call. I'm grateful for my new friends who were right there beside me. I remember the tears streaming and falling as I talked with my mom. I remember asking if I should come home and the hard answer of "No"- I'm where I'm supposed to be and where the Lord needs me. I remember how heartbroken I was not to be able to go to the services.

So many things were different 8 years ago. I think of what things would've been different if I had gone home- the people I never would've met, the learning experiences I needed, how I almost wished this on myself. I remember a conversation I had with my mom before I left for my mission- We were talking about missions: mine, and my younger siblings who had hopes of going. We knew my grandma wasn't doing well. I remember crying a little then too- and saying how I hoped that if she passed that it would be while I was gone and not my siblings because I felt I could handle it. Hindsight is 20/20, right?

I remember our last conversation together. We were at the assisted living center. I was preparing to leave soon. Despite our past arguments in her confusion, we talked of writing each other while I was gone, like she did my brothers when they were on their missions. Growing up, that was always something I looked forward to- letters to grandma in a pen pal fashion: me talking of school, her talking of her students and life in Arizona. I would never get a letter back from her when I sent mine about how my first week was going in the MTC.

I remember the Lord's tender mercies. That week, we were studying the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, and the family being so central to His plan. He was preparing me, reminding me that I will see her again and feel her warm embrace in a hug once more.

I remember thinking how weird but not too odd that I hadn't heard from my family since I had arrived (but back then, it was only snail mail and Ohio to Utah is almost a full week to deliver). I remember hearing my name over the PA system to come to the front office (like in high school). I remember walking with my companions down there and knowing in my gut what was about to happen. I remember the Mission President of the MTC talking to me and telling me what had happened and that my mom was on the line and I could talk to her. I don't remember crying so much during a phone conversation as I had that day. I remember getting a priesthood blessing of comfort in the name of the Father a couple days later from the Branch President. I remember feeling a little numb for a couple moments over the course of a few days. Here are some thoughts from that blessing: "Be obedient, work hard. Bless you with peace, understanding, and strength- understand the gospel and your purpose. Appreciate your proud heritage. Thankful you had your grandmother live with you- learn from her and she you." I'm grateful for the Branch President's wife who was so kind to take notes while I was receiving that blessing and that I kept it in a safe place.

I look back and think, if I hadn't stayed all the people I met, taught, and befriended- I would've missed on some amazing friendships that have lasted almost 8 years. I don't know if I can ever go there in my mind- if I made the right decision- but I do know that some of these friendships are amazing and I learned so much from them.

I remember how frail she was when I left. I remember how much I love her. The best things outweigh the bad by far (as her Alzheimer's was getting worse). I remember getting home after 18 months. I remember all the temple work lined up so that I was able to go through part of the temple ceremony for her. I remember how happy we were to seal my grandpa to my grandma and my mom all together after all these years.

I think of the memories my children are making with their grandparents, as they have all 4. I think of how maybe my grandma met my children before they met me and it makes me smile a little. I think of how Penny is showing that German stubbornness already (not all the time, thankfully) and how I can tell her about that as she gets older.

I wish I could see her now, as we enjoy our little family and to see her interact with the kids. I wish she could've met Chris- he could see where I get some of my qualities from. I wish I could play her one more song. But I can remember. And that is enough. We will be together forever.

From left to right: Uncle Bill, (Grandpa) William Bartlett, (Grandma) Alice Bartlett

Grandma is smack dab in the middle. This was taken within a year of her passing.

"Even though I know that she's in a better place, it doesn't change the hole I feel in my heart. I will love her forever."

Quilt: Part 2

Wow. So much has happened between the last post (and trust me, to get to that point took almost a MONTH). I have finished the quilt top. I knew I loved the colors individually and collectively but when I was laying them out on the floor, I was really questioning my decision on color choices.

So the last photo in part one was the fabrics all lined up to be sewn together. Here's what the first blocks looked like:

Lovely, I know. I fell in love with this print so fast. But then I came across a fabric choice that I had to re-think.

I ended up using the second one so there would be more contrast against the white sashings.

Once I had all the blocks put together, I needed to lay them out on the floor (Thankfully, the "baby" was taking his nap and the toddler was interested to see what I was doing).

This is what I came up with (without all the sashings and boarders). It was REALLY hard for me to imagine how it would come together. I had a few people reassure me (when they saw it laid out) that it was going to look great. I doubted my quilt would look half as good as the one in the photo I was trying to replicate. Once I had them like this, I went ahead and grouped them into three blocks per row and sewed each "block" together. Then the fun started to build. I then added the sashings inbetween each "block" to connect the row together. It was starting to look better...

 See: it's looking better. I had to constantly look at my drawing and the photo I took of it on the floor to make sure I was lining it up the right way (ALL THE TIME).  Then, it came time to add the horizontal sashings. So, here's a true story: I thought I had measured that I would need 56" plus 1/2" for seam allowance. I then sewed all the 2.5" stripes together (as instructed) and then cut them to length. Then, as I was lining the first one up and pinning it to the row, I noticed that it was coming up short. I went back to my notes and added and re-added over and over again (about 3 times). I came to realize that I was off by 2"! I didn't have any extra fabric and it was after the store had closed so I had to just sleep, knowing that I made a BIG boo-boo. Lesson learned again: Measure 1,000,000 times and cut ONCE. I know that this may not be the only time I'll ever do that but first thing in the morning, I was back at the fabric store with a swatch of the original fabric. I bought enough to re-cut all the sashing strips across. After talking with my mom and a friend, I knew what to do- I re-sewed the strips together and added 2 more strips from the fabric I had just bought and re-cut (measuring at least 4 times before I ever cut). A couple of them turned out to be 1/2" too long (and I was able to trim the up after sewing them onto each row). I was able to get laundry going and dishes going that there was enough white noise when the kids went to bed that I could just sew my heart out.

I think the biggest complaint I have about this beautiful beginning of a quilt top was lining each row up to make sure the vertical rows were perfect and not off when pinning and sewing. I would pin and then hold it up to the light to see if they were lined up. Pinning the outside boarders was a perfect ending for me- not lining things up was AMAZING!

I am so happy with the way this quilt top turned out. My final steps are going to be adding the batting, backing, and binding. The quilting will happen but not for a month. I'll be using the help of my sweet mother and her long-arm quilting machine (although she has told me that I can use my own machine). I apologize for the lighting in the last few pictures.... It was a little late and this is all the light I could scrounge up in the living room. I'll do one more post of the quilt with pictures of the batting, backing, and binding on and pictures of the quilt quilted!  I'll be starting on my second quilt which I was inspired by with a friend's quilt of it and borrowed the pages to make. This one, I'm doing without an official pattern or book. It'll make the second quilt so much easier (as I do have the pattern and instructions). I hope you enjoy looking at this as much as I've had putting it together!