Orange Zoo Quilt

I bought a big chunk of orange solid fabric at my LQS, an intended project for my three year old son, Owen.  This kid LOVES the color orange- it's seriously uncanny to see his love and devotion to the color- it's definitely not something I taught or encouraged in him.  In my search for a pattern to use with the orange fabric (and some FQ's from an older Cloud9 fabric line by Ed Emberley) I borrowed a friends book and I bought two patterns - but I still couldn't commit.  Finally, I came across the element of an easy block: the Greek Cross.  I figured out some quilt math to make the cross out of three pieces instead of five (minimizing the breaking up of the larger scaled animal fabrics seemed wise).  Here's the very bright result:

This quilt came together in less than 3 weeks- once I finally had the plan- cutting and sewing took very little time.  I love having my own longarm and the fact that I can just get something finished in my own home rather than seeking out the (less than stellar) options for renting a longarm in Colorado. 

I quilted an all over, boxy meander over the whole quilt with orange thread.

This quilt measures 84x96. 

I used some Rhoda Ruth wideback fabric for the backing and bound it in a blue stripe.  

I was hoping the completion of this quilt would help my son be ready to transition to the twin sized bottom bunk of our bunk bed set but he's still attached to his toddler bed.  Oh well!  It will happen eventually.

Thanks for reading.

A quilt for my newest nephew

I have a brand new nephew.  My brother Bruce and his wife Emily had a baby boy.  He was born on May 31 and didn't learn what the gender was ahead of time, so I started sewing as soon as I heard the news.  

I have a friend who often gives me quilting magazines that she's no longer interested in keeping.  A while ago, she gave me a copy of McCall's Quick Quilts (the June/July 2017 issue).  This "Rex and Roo" pattern stood out to me.  I copied the fabric colors from the pattern, using my fabric stash.  It came together really fast.  

I really liked being able to use a cute black fabric in a baby quilt- that's not something that's super easy to do.  But this bear print is so adorable- I am glad I still have a little leftover.  I also like that I was able to use a cute fox print and the Sarah Watts Sleep Tight print is to die for!!!!

I had a bit piece of grey binding leftover from this quilt (2013!) and I put it to good use here.  I quilted it with loops and stars and prewashed it before I packed it up with some other hand sewn goodies I didn't take the time for pictures - burp cloths, bibs, and a diaper holder/changing pad.  I packed everything up into a medium flat rate box and bought a shipping label online.  I didn't want to bring my kids to the post office, but the large box was too big for my mailbox.  Just after lunch, I heard the motor of the mail carrier truck and I ran down the street after it without even stopping to put on shoes!  It was a bit of a distance before I caught up to the mailman but it was so worth not dragging my kids to the post office and I was happy to send it off as soon as possible. 

I have another important quilt finish to share soon.  I just need to get a decent photo.