Baby Brit Quilt Along, week #9

Hi everyone!  I am finally home after helping my daughter in her home for a month.  Baby Benjamin is doing well and Maisie is adjusting to having a new baby brother :)

As promised, I added the sashing to my baby brit blocks.

Originally I purchased white fabric with red polka dots for the sashing, but I felt it was too busy. I decided to sash the quilt in white. 

 I also had a difficult time choosing the fabric for the posts that go in between the sashing. The pattern suggests using the fabric used in the blocks, but it seemed to be too loud and I didn't want the posts to show up more than the blocks.  I found some pale blue Kona that I think works really well.  It is a soft color and matches the light blue polka dot and flowered fabric in the blocks.

I like it!

Now for the border.....I was going to use white but now it seems  as though there is too much white. Here is the polka dot fabric that I was going to use for the sashing.  Which do you think looks better?

I decided to go with the polka dot fabric.

By the way, the pattern tells you to cut too much fabric for the border.  Only cut seven 5"XWOF strips for the border fabric.

I like the polka dot fabric, but there is something missing....

I don't redo my quilts very often, but I just had to this time!

I unpicked all of the polka dot borders that I sewed and added some red rick rack.

I think the red rick rack adds a lot of pizzazz!

What do you think?

Next week I hope to have the machine quilting done to show you :)

Paperdoll Block

LINDSAY and REBECCA

run through the

SPRINKLERS...

they ride bikes to the

5 and DIME

for penny candy!

I love the vintage bathing suit with the red embroidered trim and belt loops.

Don't you just love the scalloped, polka dot sunglasses?

I love the orange soda in the glass bottle with the green and white striped straw.  The candy was fun to embroider, especially the long piece of licorice!

That is exactly what I used to do as a child.....play in the sprinklers in the backyard and then walk or ride my bike for a few blocks to the corner candy store.  

I used to buy chocolate bars for ten and twenty five cents, and popsicles.  I especially liked string licorice.  I would buy three strings and braid them, and then eat the braid :)

Does this bring back memories for you?

Kennedy's Quilt

This is the first wall hanging quilt that I made.

I made it for my first grand daughter Kennedy, and she is now 

5 years old.

This quilt was a lot of fun putting together, deciding which fabric goes where.

I hand appliqued "Kennedy" with a blanket stitch.

There a lot of "peek a boo" embroidery on the quilt.

I also made Kennedy "Ellie" the elephant.

My daughter Lindsay, made the pillows and quilt on the back of the chair.

I cross stitched Rainbow Brite for Lindsay when she was three years old, about 27 years ago.

Lindsay modernized the cross stitch, but painting the frame aqua.

The colors in the room all match the quilt perfectly.

I love the little embroidered pieces that Lindsay made for her

 2 year old daughter, Charlotte.

I hope you've enjoyed the photos of Kennedy's quilt, and the mini tour of Kenned and Charlotte's bedroom decor.

I go back home today, after being away from home for a month.

I will miss all my children and grand children but will be happy to return home to my poor husband who has been alone all this time.

The "Baby Brit Quilt Along" will resume on Monday.

"Swooning" into Autumn

Hi everyone!  I am participating in the "Fall Leafs Me Happy" Blog Hop.  The button is located on the right of my blog.

This blog hop is being hosted by Cherry, and Madame Samm who is a cheerleader for blog hops.  Thanks Madame Samm and Cherry :)

The theme of the blog hop is to make a 12 l/2" block using fall colored fabrics.

I made the "Swoon" quilt and loved making those blocks.

They were huge, 24 l/2" each.

Here is the pattern, showing off the blocks I love so much.

I decided to make this block for the blog hop but I had to make it half the size, converting it to a 12 l/2" block.

I call this block "Swooning into Autumn".

I chose an orange fall leaf color for the star.

Unfortunately the background color in the block is not true to life, because it is actually a sage green. 

The outside points are black (in autumn we turn our clocks back and it gets black outside very early) with green and orange dots.

This block is a little more true to color.

I added the next row.

Now the miniature "Swoon" block is complete.

I sandwiched the batting between the front and the back and safety pinned it together, preparing it for machine quilting.

I shadow quilted the star, with a l/4" stitch, and stitched in the ditch on the rest of the block.  

I used an eggplant mini check for the binding.

I thought of black, but the eggplant colored binding made the colors in the block "pop".

Here is my finished block.

"Swooning into Autumn".

Here is the back of the quilt.

I love this fabric.  Hallowe'en always means "fall" to me :)

I had to be careful with the quilting so that it wouldn't take away from the print on the back.

Here is a list of the other blogs that are participating in the

 "Fall Leafs Me Happy Blog Hop" today.

Visit them and leave a comment!

The Fuzzy Hat Quilter

The Cuddle Quilter

Quilts My Way

Country Cabin Thoughts and Crafts

Why Knot Kwilt

Needled Mom

On the Go Quilting

Sunshine Girl

Pam 

Meadowbrook

I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial today.

I have really enjoyed making this block and being part of this blog hop.
For more information all the other blogs that are participating through October 10, click on the "Fall Leafs Me Happy" button to the right of my blog.

Paperdoll Block

LINDSAY

goes to her

tennis lesson

THWACK!

Afterwards, she

meets 

REBECCA

for a

picnic...

This was the second block I made, and it took forever!

I will point out all the details to you...

The red skirt has box pleats, they were all hand embroidered.

The tennis racket was pretty time intensive.  The webbing is all embroidered in white, as well as the little red and white accents around the racket.

The shoes have white laces all embroidered, and the white soles around the shoes are also embroidered.

The picnic basket....do you notice that the sandwiches are appliqued, with brown embroidery around them, and the ziplock bags are embroidered.

The chocolate chip cookies are appliqued, but the chocolate chips and the little baggie and twist tie are all embroidered.

I used to belong to a tennis club down the street from where I lived when I was growing up, so this block brings back memories for me:)

Maisie and Benjamin

I have been staying with my daughter Rebecca, and son in law Dave, since September 6.  They go to the hospital to be with and feed Benjamin, and I am looking after Maisie and keeping the house clean.  Benjamin weighed 4 lbs. 15 oz. at birth, and is still in the NICU.  He is healthy, he just needs to do a few things developmentally, like nursing enough to gain enough weight and go home  ♥

Maisie is 2, and Benjamin was born on September 5, 8 weeks early.

Two kids with lots of personality, who still need to meet each other.

I made Benjamin a quilt, the fabric is really cute.  I bought the kit about 4 years ago and have been waiting for a grandson to make it for, all this time :)  Benjamin is our seventh grandchild, our second grandson.  

I fussy cut the little baby heads and they are surrounded with scrappy yellow and blue prints.  The border is a soft, soft, minkie, and so is the back.  Isn't the quilting beautiful?  I didn't do it, my friend Cindy did with her long arm machine.

I made little burp pads for little Benjamin and added some ribbon loops for him to play with when he gets bigger.

On the back of the burp pads, I put some really soft minkie.  The burp pads are 9"X14" and sometimes Rebecca covers up Benjamin with the burp pad because they are so soft and the perfect size :)

This is Rebecca with Benjamin on Sept. 8, 3 days after giving birth.

I made this little pendant banner for Benjamin's crib, so that there could be something homey and colorful in the room.

The pendants are 4"X6", and I put heavy pellon in the middle so they would have some body.

It is difficult for Rebecca when Benjamin's oxygen gets low after he nurses, and the buzzer goes off and the red light blinks.  The nurse runs into the room and tells little Benjamin to breathe.....It is a little disconcerting.....

This is Dave, holding his precious little Benjamin.  

Hopefully Benjamin will come home soon and Maisie will be able to meet her baby brother :)