Grandmother's Vintage Blocks

A friend of mine recently sent me these photos of a quilt I made for her way back in 2002.  She brought me some Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks her grandmother had made. I decided rather than trying to attach them and finish the quilt that way I would applique several on a muslin background.  Some repros fabric in the border, and a large stitch hand quilting finished this little memory quilt!

Amber Stars

This quilt changed a LOT from idea to final quilt.  It started as a black/grey zipper quilt made with a charm pack. But oh!  Too somber!  So into a cupboard it went awaiting further inspiration.

Then I decided to raw edge applique some circles on it in bright colors to wake it up.  Better....

Showed it to my son and asked if Amber might like it.  He said "Add some stars and it's perfect!" So I did!

About a month later they delighted me with the news that I would be a grandma!  So out it came to be finished and presented.  A celebration of the mother of my first grandbaby!

Scrap Plates

An early quilt, made from scraps of clothes, some going back to high school dresses!

Gifted to my Mother-In-Law.

Autumn Friendship Basket

A small wall quilt, just one basket with a great basket weave fabric, 3 green leaves appliques and a friendship symbol.  Made for my friend and neighbor, she hangs it on the wall over her fireplace every year in the fall. One of these days I want o make a whole quilt full of baskets.
This one is from 2008.

Jackie & Martin's Wedding Quilts

My very sweet young friend married her best friend.  I wanted to make a special set of quilts for her and her husband.  She had requested the batiks, rail fence, large enough to snuggle and a pair!  Actually pretty specific.  In any case, I had a lot of fun shopping for the colors, mixing them up, adding the applique to hers, and putting them together.  The little pillow is for the rings at the wedding, they were attached and passed around so all the guests could warm them and fill them with good wishes and blessings.

Grey Plates

This little quilt was an experiment in using a few, not-bright colors and crisp white.  Sort of hard for me, I tend to love LOTS and BRIGHTS!  So, some simple dresden plates needle-turn appliqued in circles, with the theme being "grey stripes."  Then quilted by machine in a meandering, fairly dense pattern. A tiny grey and pink paisley inner border and the same fabric for the binding.

Update: SOLD on etsy

Fruits, Veggies and a Cow!

Made for my niece Carrie when she graduated from college.  (2003?  2004?) What fun I had collecting the fabrics.  Each one a different fruit or veggie.  Some simple stars, a few hand appliques.  Carrie is a vegetarian for humane, non-violent reasons, living her beliefs by not consuming meat.  I put a cow on the quilt to tease her a bit, but it's a sweet, friendly cow, not a steak or burger! 

Strawberries for the Table

Reaching WAY back in the archives, to 2001.  My BFF Sprouty (did we even SAY BFF back then???) redecorated her kitchen with strawberries and asked me to make a table topper. 

Quick, simple, fun!  Mostly machine quilted and hand quilted in the border.  Button-hole stitch applique and good old white muslin. 

Angel Babies

This Baby Quilt was a joint effort between Sprout, Suzanne, Faye and myself for a co-worker's baby.  The angel skirts and wings is of course Dresden Fan blades.  We placed them on nite-nite fabric and surrounded them with pink clouds in the sashing and borders.  Each baby had a unique face from sleeping to crying and a few spots in-between!  We shopped for the fabrics together, and helped Faye (who had never sewed before!) to make her block. 

A wall quilt in black and solids

This wall quilt was inspired by my desire to design the border that twisted and crossed.  I made geese in solid colors and button hole appliqued teardrops.  It is hand quilted.

A Red Haired Mermaid

Made this one for the college graduation of a friend of my son's.  She... collected mermaids of course!  I freehand drew the mermaid on newspaper and used it as a pattern.  The applique was raw-edged button hole stitch.  The water is scrappy blocks arranged every which way.

Texas Hills

This was an early quilt I made for my mother.  I had a software program that printed templates for blocks.  I would print them, pin them to fabric and cut them out.  (Like sewing patterns) without ever seeing how blocks might look!

My parents had retired to the "Hill Country" of Texas, so that is what I was representing in this lap quilt.  Texas is appliqued, the texas flag and state flower (bluebonnets) are on there as well.  I placed dates important to our family on the ground blocks, weddings and births.

Next time I visit I will try and get a better picture.  This is was taken with a 2006 Cell Phone!

Wall Quilt For A Housewarming

This little quilt was made for a friend who purchased a new home.  The fabrics came from a reproduction sampler of fat quarters titled "The 1970's."  (Same era as my young friend!) Woah, boy, now the 70's are Vintage???  But, yes, don't you remember those browns?
I machine raw-edged appliqued the leaves for some excitement. 

Congratulations, Kimmy, on owning your own home in So. Cal!

A Beautiful Baby Girl

Congratulations Gabi, on your beautiful baby daughter.  This quilt was a closeout quilt kit purchased online from ConnectingThreads.com several years ago.  It was fun to put together.  I often decide on my design and colors as I go along, so making something following directions is a challenge to me!