jenna's baby quilt

(Since my start and finish were so close together, this will be a bit of a repeat for regular readers, but since this will be linked in my finishes over there on the sidebar, I'm gonna tell the whole quilt story...)

My hubby has a big family.  Lots of cousins.  And most of them live fairly close together.  Not like same street, or even same town, close, but most within a fifty mile radius.  So that means we know a lot of them.  Some better than others.

His cousin Jessi (who got this quilt for her "27th" birthday, but apparently I never got a finished photo or blogged about it - when I went looking in my finished sidebar it was missing...ugh...) has three kids.  All three kids got quilts when they were born.  Middle child got this quilt for high school graduation, at her (Jessi's) request.  But it is the youngest kid who is pregnant, due June 5th.

I found out about the pregnancy a few months ago, but neglected to realize how soon this due date was coming.  And I kinda ignored it, too, for all the other projects I had going on.

Fast forward to Wednesday, April 26th.  I got a shower invitation.

I had 11 days to complete a quilt.

I had chosen a pattern.

I had decided on colors.

I had background fabric.

Thursday, April 27th, I got busy.

I pulled fabrics from the stash in the selected colorway.  I wanted it scrappy, so you see a fair amount of variety here.  (It got a little scrappier, as I used my stash of 2.5" squares to supplement.)

I employed my heat transfer marker to make quick(er) work of the many half square triangles (204) I would need.

And then I sewed like a maniac.

I mixed and matched parts for each of the 25 blocks, using my fancy paper plate method, and sewed like a maniac for a few more days.

Sunday afternoon I had all the blocks done and employed Gabby as layout inspector.

Monday and Tuesday were mostly non-sewing days, but I did manage to pick up fabric for the back of the quilt.  (You'll see that in a minute.)  I got it pieced and when I was finally able to get back to sewing stuff on Wednesday, this went on the longarm!

No photos of quilting, sorry.  I was focused, as my machine is still giving me some fits and I needed to buckle down and get this done.

After quilting, I went right up and sewed on the binding, knowing I was out of the danger zone and thankful.  I did a few shorter stints on Thursday and Friday afternoons to get the binding on and then, true to form, sewed the label on Sunday morning before heading to the shower.

The wind was whipping...

...but it allows you to see the sea turtles I chose for a quilt back without running upstairs to take another photo of the leftovers.  Even if the colors are a bit off here...I tried to edit it better, but it just got worse!  Oh well.

Ultimately, though, I had to employ the hubby as quilt holder.  He grumbled, but even my backup - the lattice fencing on the cat run - was soggy from overnight rain.

I went with overall swirls.  They're simple enough, even if they take up a fair amount of bobbin and time.

The machine behaved tolerably well, but the search for the ultimate trouble continues.

Quilt stats:

Pattern: Tidal Crossing by The Quilt Factory/Debra Grogan

Size: 50x50" (modified from original pattern)

Fabric: scraps

Pieced and quilted by me!

The shower was an interesting affair.  They also invited boys for a boy version, but we were all in the same room.  It made for a lot of noise and trouble hearing.  (And I struggle when there is background noise - always have.)  But she liked the quilt (and I'm guessing she expected it) and that is what matters.

On to other sewing.  There wasn't a lot, between this quilt and work, but I did get some chunks of the Woodland Wonderland quilt together.  But it continues to tease me with feeling like I've almost got a top and then I have to make a bunch of somethings.

This one wasn't too bad - I just had to make the flying geese.  The the pattern said to make them all red, but the photo has red and green.  I made the four-at-a-time method with six fabrics and set the remaining units aside, as I'll need them later.  And decided I'd be find with just red.  No one will know.

This section, however...  There are a lot of what the pattern calls "filler" strips, but I've been taught they're "coping" strips.  In addition to the pieced sections.

This one called for the many strips with squares (that one on the left is a little wavy, but what do you expect with that many seams - and it will be fine when I add the section on the other side, it just looks goofy now) and that was a lot of extra piecing.  I raided my stash of 1.5" squares (happy to use some up), so at least that was faster.

The next step is another set of small blocks, but I don't think I'll get there today.  Another deadline is looming.  The Pantone quilt challenge quilt - the birds - is ending and the linkup starts this week, I think.  There was some alluding to a blog post from one of the hosts, but I haven't seen that yet.  So guess what's next?

(I have been watching the quilts being made and know for sure that in no way is my rather traditional, not nearly as magenta, quilt is going to win unless it's a random draw.  But I can still enter.  And it is still motivation to get it quilted because otherwise it will just sit there.)

I purchased a back for that quilt as well when I was getting the baby quilt back.  It's been washed, but still needs to be pieced, so I'd better get going if I'm going to try to get this all done today!  (I did put a roast in the crock pot before I started blogging, though, so at least we'll have some meat for dinner...who knows what else?)

Also last Wednesday, midway through the longarming (I decided to just get started instead of waiting till after the appointment), Gabby went to the vet.

She does not usually look this angry.  But boy was she mad.  And we had to wait a while because she needed bloodwork done in advance of the dental cleaning she'll have next month.  We didn't KNOW she needed the dental work, but we've been told she has some teeth issues that will be lifelong and require extra care beyond the normal.  So until the vet pried open her mouth and confirmed it was needed, I was hopeful.  They carried her into the back on the scale and I'm amazed she didn't make a break for it.  Then the guy who brought her back was carrying her like she was a porcupine, which was also amazing she didn't rip his face off.  She is not a cat you can carry around, but I'd been working with her, trying to lessen the panic.  But I always hug her close, never out away from me and never on a plastic tray!  And the two techs who did this have been there a long time, so I can't chalk it up to newness or being dog people.

But she made it home and by bedtime, she had forgiven me.  Of course, many treats were dispensed (three kinds - the Churu had me climbing under the bed so she could lick it) and many apologies offered.

We'll see how she does in a month when she has to go back.

Off to do some quilty things!

Happy quilting!

Katie