Dress and Surgeon’s Caps

This child’s dress made using patriotic fabric given to me by a friend was made for a niece who recently turned 3 yrs old. See photo here on instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Zy0bduOlpl/?taken-by=rlbates

These surgeon’s caps were recently made on a very rainy Saturday.  Not sure who will receive them. See photo here on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/aB9CcWOlk6/?taken-by=rlbates

Baby Crazy Quilt--WIP

My blogging/twitter friend @purplesque is pregnant with her first child.  I have had a lot of fun piecing this crazy quilt top for her baby.  It is machine pieced.  Now to mark it and do the machine quilting.

As our mutual friend @scanman suggested, a chocolate frog (well, a batik fabric with chocolate background and tan frog) was included.  Also, note the owls, the moon, a giraffe, Tigger & Piglet, cats, and dogs.

Butterfly Quilt Finished

I finished and have shipped the quilt (see earlier post for back story) to someone I know will cherish it.  The finished quilt measures 56 in X 74 in.  A nice size to curl up under on the sofa and read books/blogs or watch movies.

Here is a photo showing the originally planned background fabric and the substitution used for two blocks.

I'm not sure which butterfly I like the best, but I love the fabrics in this one.

Checkerboard Quilt

The checkerboard center of this quilt was pieced several years ago.  I ran out of the red fabric which was originally a summer garment.  I recently laid it against several blue fabrics in my stash and though this stripped one worked as a border with more white as a second border.  The quilt is machine pieced and quilted.  It measures 35 in square.

Here is a close up to show the fabrics better.

The back is white.  The quilting is difficult to see, but the center is a simple cross-hatch.  The blue strip has simple rope.  The outer white area has leaves, tulips, and lilies.

Butterfly Quilt--WIP

This quilt has been a WIP off and on for years.  I purchased the butterfly blocks more than 15 yrs ago as a quilt top.  I wish I have taken a photo of the quilt top for documentation purposes, but alas I did not.   The blocks were set together with blocks of yellow fabric like this photo shows which I did not find flattering.  I undid the quilt and set the blocks aside -- 16 of them, though I have only used 12 in this quilt.  I like these fabrics, just not with the butterflies.

Soon after I sketched out a new setting which is close to what I have actually used.  I found the fabrics I wanted to use -- a dark blue with red roses for the sashing which I have since used in other projects and a beige floral with red, blue, and green which I used for other projects saving some for this one.  Unfortunately, I did not save enough and had to "make do" with another fabric for two of the blocks.  I have finished piecing the quilt top, made the quilt sandwich of top/batting/backing, and have begun the marking and quilting.   

I will mark more area than I can quilt with one bobbin of thread, do that quilting, then mark more.  I do this when I have to use chalk marking (for the dark areas) as I find it fades too much if I mark too far ahead.

Kite Tails Quilt

This small quilt was made using 2.5 in squares (including seam allowance) of fabric left-over from other projects.  The pattern is kite tails.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  The back is the same white fabric as the front.

The quilt has three shades of blue (a medium, a dark, and a light), three shades of pink/mauves (a medium, a dark, and a light), and two shades of purple (a medium and a dark).

I haven't decided what I'll do with this quilt yet.  I may put it back as a reserve baby quilt.

iPad Cover

A month or two ago I happened to see  Clover’s Trace ‘n Create templates for E-tablet Keepers and the companion Keeper Shapers on one of my trips to Hobby Lobby to buy thread or batting or whatever else I might have needed.  I don't own an iPad myself, but one of my sisters does.  It was an impulse buy.  

Here’s my result

Here’s the inside (sans iPad)

Update 3/2017 -- photos no longer available.

Sunshine and Shadow Medallion Quilt

I mentioned this as a WIP (work in progress) a few weeks ago.  It is simply a pillow print used as a medallion in the center of a sunshine and shadows layout.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  It measures 42 in square.  I donated the finished quilt to the Alzheimer's Quilt Study Group.

Here is a closer view of the center piece

And here you can see the fabrics used in the sunshine and shadows area better

Here is the fabric used for the back

Charity Dog Bed

This dog bed is made using an old towel, an old pillow, and some canvas fabric.  I'll be giving it to the local humane society where they can use it for either a dog or a cat.  I measured the pillow (20 in X 24 in), added a seam allowance and an extra quarter inch on each side so I could top-stitch from the each edge to help strengthen the seams.  Here is the towel side.

And here is the back

Small Whole Cloth Quilt

I bought this pre-printed Batik whole cloth quilt top a few years ago (I think 2007 Nashville quilt show) from The Stencil Company.  I finally got around to hand quilting it.  The quilt pattern is Queen’s crown.  Finished, it measures 16 in square.  The quilting is difficult to see in my photos of the front.  Here is the full quilt.

Here is a photo of one corner which shows the quilting just a bit better.

The quilting is much easier to see from the back

I now need to add a sleeve for hanging and a label.

C's Baby Jacket

Christine is a work colleague.  She is having her first baby.  I some how missed that she was pregnant until the baby shower was announced (well, in fairness to me, we work in different parts of the building and rarely see each other), so I didn't have time to make a baby quilt for the shower which was earlier this week.  I decided to knit this cute jacket in brick red (or Razorback red).

The jacket was knitted using Laura Edwards’ Lillie Baby Cardigan pattern and Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted Tweed.  I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

Baby Steps Finished

The baby steps quilt is now finished.  I love the way it turned out.  As mentioned previously, I used the step pattern from block lotto blog.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  It measures 42 in square. 

Here are a few shots to show the fun details.  Holly Lobby checking her mail old style (which I still love to do). 

And here are two friends sharing secrets and a robot (trying to listen in).

And here is another robot, a dog, a parrot, and Winnie the Pooh.

And here is a view of the back fabric (from the stash my Boston friend sent to me).