Five Shadows

I pieced this baby quilt a while ago. I only had a small amount of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric left from a previous gift, and wanted to figure out a way to make good use of it for another baby quilt. So I pulled out my brights and cut 6.5″ strips and sewed them together with a narrow band of a white print in between.

Next up, I wanted to add the baby’s name, but had not decided on just how to do that. What I ended up doing was printing the name out in a large font, cutting the letters out, and tracing around them. Then I stitched around each letter.  I didn’t think of taking a picture of the first couple of steps, oops!

Next, I used the walking foot and added straight lines for the over all quilting.

When my straight line quilting approached the appliquéd butterfly, I stitched around it until reaching the spot on the opposite side of the butterfly to continue the straight line quilting.

After stitching straight lines in four quadrants, I went back and did a FMQ ribbon in-between some of the straight lines. The straight lines are stitched  1.5″ apart.

I wish I had taken a picture of the name before deciding to fill it in. When filling in each letter, I tried to keep the FMQ lines perpendicular to the over all straight stitched lines.

Below is a close up of the three types of quilting used in the quilt.

1. Back ground straight line quilting set at a diagonal, and off set, so they are not meeting in the center of the quilt.
2. FMQ ribbon quilting
3. Filling in letters with (somewhat) perpendicular lines to background quilting

The back of the quilt is The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric that I found at a LQS. I was so happy to find yardage to coordinate with the little bit I had on the front! But it took running to 2 stores before I found it!

I plan to bind with the above green Moda Grunge.

This was a fun creative project. Starting with a scrap of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric, and then playing with ideas for the quilting. I have The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book to also give with this quilt, and my daughter has ordered TVHC stuffed caterpillar to add to the gift. The stuffed caterpillar should arrive this week, with that and the binding complete we will be ready to visit and gift the new mother and baby Olivia!

How has your creative process been this week? I’m happy with how this quilt is turning out!

How did I do on last week’s To-Do List?

1. Bargello quilt – finish borders & start appliqué  ✔︎ Borders on, and getting appliqué in order
2. quilt baby quilt ✔︎ quilted!

To-Do List for this week:

1. Bind baby quilt
2. Enlarge and cut out appliqué pieces for Bargello quilt

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

I am participating in Judy Laquidara’s 2012 UFO Challenge. I’m happy to report that I completed my Garden Lattice quilt. One down, 11 to go! Why do we quilters start so many projects but move on to another with out finishing the first!?  This ‘finish’ is actually just the quilt top, as I am also participating in a Free Motion Quilting Challenge. I hope to have improved enough with my FMQ skills to quilt some of my tops by the end of the year.

February’s UFO is a Christmas table runner that I’m no longer excited about. Maybe I’ll have to think of it as a head start on gifts for December.

2012 finds me joining Judy Laquidara of Patchwork Times and Vicki Welsh of Field Trips in Fiber for their Color Palette Challenge and also Judy’s  UFO Challenge. I hate to say it, but while cleaning my sewing room, I’ve come across more purchased and unmade projects than I’d like to admit! I also unearthed several works in progress. I have found more than 12, but put the ones I’d really like to get to this year on the UFO Challenge list.

1. Christmas Table Runner – applique on words, quilt

2. Argyle Quilt Top – blocks made, piece together

3. Pie Safe Quilt – finish applique and piecing top

4. 3 Creative Studios BOM – blocks made, piece together top

5. Garden Lattice Quilt – fabric bought, need to cut and piece top

6. Journal Covers – fabric bought, need to make covers

7. Chinese Coins Quilt- finish hand applique vines, piece constructed strips together

8. Modern Chinese Coins with applique – fabric bought, start top

9. Fire Escape Quilt – fabric bought, cut and start piecing

10. Fairy Quilt Top – fabric bought, cut and start piecing

11. Wallet Pattern – pick fabric and make!

12. Purse Pattern – fabric bought, make!

I’m also participating in SewCalGal’s Free Motion Quilting Challenge. I’m very excited about learning to FMQ this year.  Maybe by the end of the year I’ll be using my new skills on the quilt tops finished in the UFO Challenge!

For the Color Palette Challenge I’m using  a Joined at the Hip  BOM I bought in 2000 but never made. And I also signed up for Craftsy’s BOM. I’ll use the color palette for that as well, and then use those blocks to practice the FMQ.

I’m feeling all set for sewing and quilting in 2012!

I’ve signed up for the challenge for several reasons. I’ve played at FMQ for a long time. Sometimes being successful and sometimes not. I have been following Leah Day’s blog all year, but have not taken the time to play and practice to improve. Leah is one of the 12 teachers listed who will be teaching us how to FMQ in this challenge. I even took a class from a local quit shop – bought stuff, but haven’t used it. This challenge sounds doable! So I’ve signed up! Sign up here if you are interested. (Thanks to I’m Doing Stuff for posting about this challenge on her blog.)