What Ana Does

I just love these little pirates on this fabric. And my Thanksgiving deadline is fast approaching. But it looks like I will make it. Pirate Quilt for Mike's Baby

I finished Leo's comic quilt in record time this week ... could it be because of my new sewing machine??? What I learned on this quilting project: - Cut straighter and sew a little further from the edge and you won't have to fix up any holes between squares later on. Duh, right? - I rocked the mitered corners ... well, all except one. - I machine-stitched in-the-ditch instead of hand-quilting. It felt like cheating but I really like the result.  So nice to feel I'm improving, even if just a little. Off to the next project ....  Related posts: Other quilting projects

Well, the two quilt projects I've been working on all month are done and ready to get to their respective baby boys. Though they are both far from perfect, they're as good as they're going to get. In this quilting thing, I like how the work is segmented: First, is the creative part where you organize and plan the quilt. I like putting the pieces together and attempt to make them "make sense." It's satisfying to pick a theme and see it go from yards of fabric to a cohesive (mostly) unit. This part taxes my brain a little, as there's no clue that I'm done, it's just when I feel satisfied with what I have laid out in front of me. The second part is construction; sewing those pieces together. Something always goes amiss at this step and I'm usually reworking some part of the quilt. For example, I don't sew the rows perfectly straight, or I've cut crooked or I'm not sewing tight enough and holes emerge between the squares. Sigh. ...

This weekend I was hard at work quilting a fox patchwork quilt and viking panel quilt.  Here's the layout for the fox quilt. The foxes with the navy blue background is the backing fabric. I consulted my Mom on these groupings and I think we came up with a good pattern -- though, do you think the yellow squares a little too BRIGHT! OVERPOWERING!? I'm going to really need to consider that in future projects.  The binding will come from the backing fabric, I think.  I fell in love with the fabric on the Viking Quilt -- so I didn't want to chop it up into small pieces. The dragons, especially, would be hard to see. So I crated three panels across, so you get the full view of the adorable Vikings and winged dragons. Pretty cool.  Vikings and Dragons Oh My!

With every new quilt I create, I focus on learning something new -- as well as continue working on all the other techniques that are hard and baffling. Quilting is hard, no doubt! Fish Quilt for Lon This week, I'm making a quilt for Dave's sweet cousin Sophie and her brand-new baby boy Lonnie. She said her nursery is under-the-sea themed, so I quickly found a fat quarter of fish and coordinating fabrics from my own collection -- and got down to work. I'm improving on the stitch-in-the-ditch quilting, a part I really enjoy the most. And the binding is getting better. But with this quilt I really tried to get the mitered corners correct. I ended up scoring 50% -- two corners came out perfectly. The other two I sewed to the blanket and had to redo. Seam-ripper to the rescue! I even had some leftover fabric to make a quick pennant to string over the crib. And I might get a little pillow out of it, too. Why not use up all that cute fishy fabric? The goal is to get th...

Got through my second quilt, trying some different patchwork patterns and edge strategy. So, yeah I learned a lot more but still not there yet. For me, this is the best way to learn. Just keep sewing and trying.  Apologies to the family member who ends up with this attempt. I'll improve. 

I've always wanted to make a simple patchwork quilt -- and maybe work up to "real" quilting someday. I put it on my New Year's Goals for 2014. So I bought a bunch books and magazines, consulted my professional quilter Grams, and visualized the step by step process of assembling and sewing the squares. All over the last six months, at least. I know, I'm a bit strange when it comes to these things. I've also been slowly collecting the various supplies. Tonight, I finally buckled down to create. My goal: a simple patchwork of squares, just to get the basic principals down. I tucked the girls in bed and got cutting. I thought I'd only get as far as the squares, but had time, so I sewed them together. I made a bunch of mistakes (that's what seam rippers are for) and figured a lot out. Before I knew it, I was sewing in the bunting and backing fabric.  Here she is!!! She's not the prettiest quilt on the block, and the fabrics don...

Slowly, over the course of several years, I've been collecting supplies and fabric to assemble my first quilt. It's a goal I've had for quite a while. And being the granddaughter of one of THE BEST quilters in the state of Florida, the skills are in my DNA! On my last trip to Jo-Ann's I found the last puzzle piece: quilt batting. Of course, it's the smallest size I could find ("crib size") and made from recycled fibers -- supper soft! So I've got my book and my fabric pieces and a plan. Now, I just need a free afternoon to tackle it. Quilt Supplies: Ready When I Am