Hearts Full

My heart is definitely full! I have just completed my two-year term as PTA president at my boys' elementary school and I am finally finding myself with the energy and wherewithal to craft again! Huzzah! I mean, I've done stuff here and there-- very occasionally-- and I've kept track of those on Instagram (my account name is furicious). Blogging however has just not been a thing. But, now that I'm finding myself in my craft room a bit more regularly, I'm feeling the urge to journal again. So here I am!

First up: a quilt! I started this quilt in the summer of 2016, when I learned that one of my friends was pregnant. The design is from a Moda Bake Shop tutorial, "Layers of Love," by Sterling LaBosky. I used a Kate Spain "Aria" layer cake and a couple of Kona solids.

By January 2017, I was quilting it. But then life got in the way and it sat unfinished until last month when I finally picked it up again and finished it off. Baby is nearly two. Doh!

Fortunately, mama was very understanding and graciously accepted my belated baby gift. As it turns out, baby toddler girl is a big fan of snuggling under blankets. So, yay!

I quilted it with Aurifil Mako 50/2 thread in 2710 (Light Robin's Egg blue) using an all-over design.

Hearts seemed appropriate. Since it is hard to see, I've highlighted the design I used in the photo below.

I was worried, especially since it was already half-quilted, that I would struggle to get going again. Thankfully, I quickly found my rhythm quickly and all went well. Phew!

I finished the quilt with a machine stitched binding, a personalized label, and a trip through the washer to get it all crinkled and snuggleable.

Hopefully, Lady M will enjoy her new quilt!

Eden Baby Quilt

This little quilt has been in the works since the end of last year. I had intended it as a shower gift, but once I learned about the nursery colors, I changed my plan. As a result, this one got shoved to the side for quite awhile.

It is a Moda Bakeshop offering called "Line Dance Baby Quilt" by Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Studio. The pattern is straightforward everything goes together very quickly (truly, a perfect last minute baby gift!). I used a charm pack of "Eden" by Lila Tueller and some happy Kona Maize for the background. The backing is also from the "Eden" collection. The binding is Kona Crocus. (I love the bit of purple around the edge!)

The quilting motif over all of the yellow is from the book Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters; it is called "Concentric Circles." I can't recommend this book highly enough. I'm telling you, Angela Walters is totally awesome!!! Truly, her book is getting me to try new things, and has made me all excited about improving my quilting! I'm also learning that quilting over solid fabrics is a lot of fun because the quilting really (really!) stands out. I LOVE how it turned out on this quilt. Anyway, I quilted it back in April, and for the life of me, I cannot remember what kind of threads I used. That's what I get for waiting 3 months to stitch the binding down and blog about it. Ha!

As I don't have a plan for this one, there isn't a label. I'm torn between keeping it to give as a baby gift at some point in the future (should the need arise), or donating it. Decisions, decisions.

A happy finish!