Sunday, May 23, 2010

California Dreamin' ~ BQF

Since I finished my California Dreamin' quilt
right smack dab in the middle of Amy's Quilt Festival
I figured I'd go ahead and enter it.



I made my first quilt in December of 2008
when I was 8 months pregnant with our 8th child


It was quickly followed by another quilt
that I finished just 2 days before my sweet Lexi was born;
I had most definitely caught
the quilting bug!


After drooling over the fabric for almost 6 months
I finally decided to order it.
I'd only purchased designer fabric one other time
so this was a really big deal for me!
I thought I knew just how I was going to sew it up,
but then I started second-guessing myself.
After all, it was only my 7th quilt
what did I know??
So I just let my lovely fabric sit for awhile.

I finally decided to go with
but I changed up the dimensions a bit.
So I wouldn't waste a drop of fabric,
I cut a 5 inch strip
cut 2 squares out of it
then cut the remainder of the strip in half
and cut those 2 1/2" strips into 5" and 9" pieces.


Except for the two times I sewed merrily along
only to find I'd been using an empty bobbin
and the last 1/2 hour or so I spent with my seam ripper
I can say in all honesty
that I loved every minute of the 962 I spent making this quilt;
this fabric just makes me happy.
And it feels sooo nice.


Actually
that's not entirely true;
I didn't exactly love arranging the blocks.
In fact, it was stressing me out a bit
so I just stepped back and let Tony & Tyler
do it for me.
Of course
I stepped back in to help a little....

This was my first time to use white in a quilt.
I love it
but I did worry about the darn thing getting all dirty
before I'd even finished it.

Silly me
I forgot the final step to making a quilt is
- hello -
washing it!


After crinkling,
the quilt is a perfect throw size at 56 x 74.
I briefly considered wrapping it up
and sending it to Jenean as a thank-you
for designing such beautiful fabric
but I quickly decided she couldn't possibly love it
as much as I do.



when you've got a bit of time
fix a big glass of iced tea
Grab a napkin first, though
so you can wipe the drool off yer chin
and
if you're just dying to see more ;-)

25 comments:

  1. I love ths quilt and the story behind it. I missed doing the festival this year....

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  2. Lovely. Cute story too. Thanks for sharing it in such an entertaining way. I'm sure you will love your next quilt too. You've caught the bug!

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  3. I absolutely love this quilt! Beautifully done!

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  4. Aww, there's nothing better than a little one enjoying the work of your hands:)

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  5. beautiful quilt, and a beautiful kid too :-)

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  6. Very cute quilt congratulations

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  7. I love block-in-a-box style quilts, and this one is lovely! So is the baby!

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  8. What an utterly lovely quilt (and the little one is simply too cute for words!).

    Best wishes from Germany,
    Sandy

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  9. I love white in a quilt. It really makes those bright colours pop! I can see that this quilt is well loved.

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  10. So, so pretty! Perfect fabrics to use on white! Love it!

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  11. Such a good post !
    The quilt is beautiful, the story of it well written, and the baby is adorable !

    You are truly blessed !

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  12. Great story! I love this quilt great pattern and colors. I love cheery quilts!

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  13. This is a gorgeous quilt! I love the fabric and all of the white.

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  14. Beautiful quilt. Great pops of color!

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  15. letting my daughter arrange the quilts is the best way for me to do that...i get analysis paralysis really fast so when she does it i can just let go and enjoy watching her go through the process. this looks amazing. i love the colors and the blocks are so fun

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  16. Those fabrics are awesome! What a wonderful job!

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  17. What a cute post. Lovely quilt. You did a great job.

    SewCalGal
    www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

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  18. marvelous quilt and story. wonderful you can find time to do this with eight children. lucky they to have a momma who sews though--that picture of your little girl hugging the quilt is priceless!!

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  19. love your quilt. bright cheery and full of white! perfect.

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  20. Gorgeous! You chose some really beautiful fabrics and the white really makes them pop.

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  21. Love the quilt; and I LOVE that last photo with the little one lying on it!

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  22. I absolutely love it... thanks for showing off that fabric so well (I want some for myself now)!

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  23. Still making my way through the festival, and loving your quilt! Thanks for sharing.

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