Baby Quilt Cuteness to Warm Your Heart ALYOF April

I missed the deadline in March for posting a goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes. And I almost missed it this month, too!  But, here I am, just in the nick of time.  This program is such a great motivation to get projects off the shelves and completed - thank you Shanna and Melissa!

So, for April I am going going to get this darling little baby quilt quilted up and bound, ready for a new home.

I had the center finished for awhile, but wanted something a little snazzy for the outer border. I found this great design from Cotton & Steel and I think it works well.

Today on the frame I have this very fun quilt that just puts a burst of spring into the room!  I love the star pattern on this one. The backing pieced with the same fabrics, and it will be an awesome quilt for my client.  I'm just quilting an edge-to-edge tight floral design. It should make it puffy and comfy cozy when washed.  And it makes me smile, so it's all good!

We're supposed to get a week of rain and snow, which we desperately need. So I plan on getting lots of quilting done.  What are you up to this month?

Quilting with a smile,
Barb

Linking up to ALYOF

When You Least Expect It

This little quilt turned out to be cute as a button!  Wow - where did that saying come from?  I guess it's been quietly waiting in the recesses of my mind all these years, waiting for just the right time to use it. The right time is now, because it was just adorable and really, as cute as a button.

  

There's no need for a tutorial on this quilt, it's awfully easy!  The point of my blog is all about for whom the quilt was made.

This little baby quilt was created from a printed panel. I simply added a brown sashing and then a border, so putting it together was a snap.  What took quite awhile, though, was machine stitching around every part of those cute little puppies, and all the patchwork blocks, and then stitching in the ditch.  This quilt is not going to fall apart, no matter how many times it will be washed!

 

The thing about this quilt that makes it special, though, is that it went to a young family who needed a lift.  She had a difficult pregnancy, and at one point they thought they might lose the baby. Needless to say, their medical bills were enormous after all the hospital stays.  Not a good way to start out with your first child.

When their son was born strong and healthy, it was cause for celebration!  The back of the quilt is brown Minky and the top is flannel, so it was soft and cuddly enough to treasure that precious baby boy.

This quilt is being entered in the 100 Quilts for Kids program that Katie over at Sew, Bike, Quilt! organized.  While it didn't go to an organized charity per se, it did go to a young family that needed a bit of help. They were struggling, and I hope that an anonymous gift brought a bit of unexpected joy for them!

 

Sew a little, quilt a little, sew a little, quilt a little, pick out a few stitches, quilt a little more

After a hectic week last week, and company through Tuesday, I was finally able to dig in and get some projects done. Such a great feeling! I decided to see how long it would take me, start to finish, to cut out, piece, and quilt a small quilt, about 50 x 50.  Result? With hand stitching the binding to the back, I'm right at 6 hours.

Am I slow? Doesn't seem like it should take that long. But I'm still very slow at loading my quilts on the long arm, so I could probably reduce that by 30 minutes if I felt confident in that regard.  But overall, it's a great way to spend a rainy day.

I had this little baby quilt already pieced and got it quilted. I love it! I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying to mix and match colors that I wouldn't normally combine.  Some little boy would love to tote this quilt around with him, I'm certain.

This is my start-to-finish quilt for a little girl.  I put the Minkee backing on it and it's so soft. Love this one, too.

 Oh, my. Can you tell I really need a grandchild in our family?

Barb

Be sure to Link Up your projects this week at Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting.