Big Brother Fireman

Hi all !!! I think this is one of my favorite quilts !!! I made this one all in one day on Mother's Day for Tina's grandson Connor, who is going to be a big brother in September. I think I mentioned that when talking about Arianna's quilt but I finally got a picture of it posted. When Tina told me that Connor loved fireman and his bed was even in the shape of a firetruck, that was all I needed to hear. Most of you remember that Matt loved firemen too, which is why I think I love this quilt so much. It reminds me of a simpler, easier time with him when he used to be so sweet and innocent.

Anyway, I saw this pattern called "Just Can't Cut It" and I liked the big 12-1/2" blocks of main fabric. This is really a good pattern for showing off large scale prints. I started with the main focal fabric and went from there to find the rest of the material.

I foundthe red material with the fireman badges next and I thought how great that would look in the quilt.....not realizing that it's a directional fabric and the pattern called for turning the 5-patch blocks all different ways!!! I then found the green and red materials. However, when I was looking for dog material for Arianna's quilt I found this great material that was black with white paw prints on it. I thought oh my goodness I could use this on Connor's quilt too because the fireman material has dalmations in it (which in my opinion worked really, really well). It looks fabulous in the quilt !!! The only color I totally did not like was that mustard yellow material. I originally picked a brown color out to pull in the brown from the boots, and the lady who was cutting the material for me said, you know a yellow would go better. She found this yellow material and I thought....YUK !!! But, you know, it really does make the yellow in the fireman material POP ! I just loved it once I got the quilt top put together !

I used the paw print material for the inner border as well as the backing and binding. Wow, did it turn out great ! So, here is the finished big brother quilt ! I wish Matt was still into fireman because I would love to have made him one just like it.

So now, on to the 4 baby quilts (one is almost done) that need to be finished by August and Amie's quilt (which is going to be absolutely beautiful). I am only working on in class with my teacher right there because it is very difficult. I do finally have the paper-piecing down and have finished all 31 so now I can cut out the hearts and start appliquing them onto the burgundy background (pictures to follow). And then, when Connor's little brother or sister arrives I get to make another baby quilt (Tina will let me know what colors when Tiffany decides on them).

Yeah, yeah, I know.......I'M OBSESSED !!! But, I so love this hobby!

Love to all !!!

Karene

Arianna's Quilt

Well, I'm able to post a picture of Arianna's quilt because unbeknownst to me it was her birthday today. I didn't even know when her birthday was and it just so happened that I had the quilt finished. So, Sharon and I decided to give it to her this morning. I ran over the Sharon's house and gave it to her. She got a big smile on her face when she saw the dogs, remember I said she loved does and the color green.

Well, I found this doggie material at Tall Mouse near my house as well as about 4 other surrounding stores !!! You'd be surprised that there is not really much dog fabric out there...but tons of cat material. Anyway, this is what I came up with and I think it turned out pretty cute. I was a bit worried though because I wasn't sure that Arianna would like the colors.....they aren't really girl colors, but it's really cute !

Of course, I wanted to get this done quickly so I had my quilt teacher, Ms Janet Salcido, do the honors. She does fantastic work and hopefully, I will learn to "stipple" the way she can. So, on to the next set of projects; finishing Amie's, Connor's quilt, and four baby quilts.

Love to all,

Karene

One More Down...100 More to Go

Hi Everyone,

Well, here I am again with another finished quilt. This one is for Matt's friend, Ryan. He loved Matt's quilt and just kept asking me..."will you make me one, will you make me one? I'll pay you for it" I said, Ryan, they are very expensive and the material alone can cost anywhere from $80 to $150 dollars just to make the top. Then, you have to buy the batting, the backing material, there are classes to pay for, etc. Anyway, Ryan is a big help to me driving Matt around all the time so I figured what he spends in gas money I'll make him a quilt. He loved the black paisley material that I made with Matt's quilt and I had some left over so I incorporated it into Ryan's quilt. Boys, you know....nothing even remotely flowery and very specific, just black, white, and gray...so I was able to come up with this.

It was a pretty easy pattern and went together really simply. I love the black and paisley borders, and I wish my camera took better pictures so you could really see the detail. I saw this quilt in watercolor colors and it really was beautiful. However, this serves the purpose for the boys.

Now that this one is done, I'm deep into making my niece's quilt (Amie). Her quilt will be the most beautiful one to date. It's all done with appliqued hearts of soft pinks and greens on a deep burgundy background. She loves hearts and this pattern has 31 of them !!!! The hearts are all "paper pieced" and then appliqued. Boy, what a challenge, but a great learning experience. I won't put pictures up until after I give it to her for her birthday because I don't want her to see it.

I have also finished the "big sister" quilt for my friend, Sharon's granddaughter, but again she looks at my blog and wants to be surprised, so I'll put up a picture after I give that one to her as well. I have also finished the quilt top for the "big brother quilt for Tina's grandson. It's being quilted as we speak and I hope to give it to Tina before school lets out. If that's not enough, I have four baby quilts in the process; three ready to be quilted and one that needs to be made. Ok, go ahead.......I OBSESSED !!!!! It's therapy and so much fun. Besides, I made the big brother and big sister quilts all in one "free sew" day at Leah's. If the room is not being used, students can sign up for it. Well, that's what I did. I made those two quilts, Sharon's on Mother's Day and the other one on Memorial Day. Guess what I'm doing for Father's Day ??? You guessed it !!! Junior and I went in together and got Craig three tickets to the Dodger game. Gee, Craig, Junior and Matt will leave me all alone on Father's Day, what a shame....NOT!!! I get to go sew and not feel guilty.

Anyway, I have to work...but I'd rather sew. Many more pictures to follow. Love to all of my wonderful family and friends !!! Life is too short, you have to grab the bull by the horns !!!

Love, Karene