Frog and Toad Go Swimming - The Comeback Quilt

58 x 72

Some quilts begin with a pattern. Others begin with a color palette. And that's how this one started. I knew I wanted to work with shades of blue and green so I started by sewing each block from two alternating colors. Once all the blocks were finished, I arranged them on my design wall, separating each block in a row with five black and white pieces, shifting the next row over by a half block. But...oh, was it ugly.

The colors looked choppy, and instead of flowing across the quilt, they felt random and disconnected. I wish I had saved a picture of that so you could see just how far this quilt has come. Sometimes a quilt just doesn't come together the way you imagine it will.

So I did what every quilter dreads - I grabbed my seam ripper. I carefully took apart every single block so I could mix up the color combinations hoping that would work. Then it was back to the design wall where I cam up with this idea instead.

The colors began to flow naturally from one block to the next, creating the movement I had hoped for from the very beginning. The black and white columns, which had felt harsh before, now framed each section beautifully and gave the quilt a modern, graphic look.

That gave me the idea to quilt it with flowing waves horizontally across the quilt top. I searched for some ideas, but didn't really see anything I liked. So I just tried to quilt some wavy lines that didn't touch each other but came together in some places like ripples. 3 lines per row seemed right. After a few passes, I decided it was just the right fit for the quilt.

I was close to tossing this at the beginning, and I'm so glad I kept going. I think it turned out to be a nice looking quilt. I keep thinking it should be called  "Frog and Toad Go Swimming." So I think I will. 
 

Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt in Orange

32 X 40

I can't seem to get the colors right on my photos today. Does this ever happen to you? And somewhere along the way, I accidentally left out an entire column. The funny part? I didn't notice until the quilt was completely finished and off the longarm! By then, there wasn't much to do except laugh and remind myself that handmade doesn't always mean perfect.

For the backing, I chose a playful polka dot print that brings a little extra personality to the quilt. I always enjoy picking backing fabrics, and this one was too much fun to pass up.

Even one column smaller, I still love how this one turned out. The combination of cedar orange, gray, black, and white gives it a fun, modern feel. I quilted it with soft wavy lines to add movement without taking away from the design.

Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt in Blue

36 x 40

This baby boy quilt is made from half square triangles. I used the AccuQuilt 4" finished triangle die to make fast work of cutting all the fabrics.

One of my favorite parts of this quilt is actually the back. I used a gray print covered in little X's—one of my favorite backing fabrics. It's playful without being loud, and it was the perfect match for the modern feel of the front.

For the quilting, I chose soft, flowing curves. I liked the contrast of organic quilting against all of the sharp angles in the piecing. It adds texture and softness while letting the geometric design stay the star of the quilt. 

Lindsay's T-Shirt Quilt

There’s something special about turning a stack of well-loved T-shirts into a quilt full of memories. Every shirt tells part of a story of mission trips, camps, work places, and milestones that deserve to be remembered instead of sitting in a storage bin.

I’m excited to say I just finished another one of my kids' T-shirt quilts! That means I'm officially halfway through the project—4 quilts down and 4 to go!

While I genuinely enjoy the creative part of the process - planning the layout, balancing the colors, and sewing all the blocks together—the quilting stage is definitely the most challenging for me. These quilts all have cozy minky fleece backs, which make them wonderfully soft but also much more difficult to quilt than a traditional cotton backing.

This one decided to keep me on my toes because the minky backing was just a little too small. If you've ever quilted with minky, you know that "just a little too small" can feel like a lot! It took some extra patience, careful pinning, and more than a few adjustments along the way.

In the end, though, it was worth it.

There's nothing quite like pulling the finished quilt out of the machine, giving it one final inspection, and knowing those memories are now preserved in something that can be used and loved for years to come.

Now it's on to quilt number five!  Ha! Ha!  Just kidding. There's no way I'm making more than a couple a year!
 

Emma's Smiley Face Quilt

56" x 64"

This sweet quilt was a special project with Emma. She started by digging through my 2.5" strip bin and choosing all of her favorite colors. After I cut the pieces for her, she sewed a background piece to each of the colored rectangles. Then she carefully arranged the blocks on the design wall until it was just right.

For the backing, Emma picked a cheerful smiley-face fleece that perfectly matched the fun feel of the quilt and her personality. To complement it, I quilted the entire quilt with wavy yellow lines, adding texture and movement while tying the front and back together beautifully. 

Emma is becoming a great seamstress, and it has been so much fun watching her confidence and skills grow with each project.