One Monthly Goal :: April 2017 Update

Another month has flown by. I'm still dealing with health issues, and this month my son was sick and my hubby was out of town for a week. So, what did I get done? Let's see...

Quilting:

• Lainey's Ladybug: This is my OMG and while I did get the top finished, but not completed.

Not bad considering it started the month looking like this.

I cut out the pieces for the ladybugs on my Silhouette Cameo and appliqued them onto the blocks.

I love the minky I found for the backing!

This month, I found a section of a bowling alley lane on Craigslist. I needed just a little extra height on my craft table, but all the casters I found were too high. The lane is 2" thick, and perfect!. I put it on top of the unbored door that served as my table top before and it was done. It is super heavy so that baby's not going anywhere! I love how it looks!! Of course, now it's covered by my ironing pad and cutting board. The other reason I was looking for a second top is that I didn't have enough space between the door and the IKEA shelves for my clamps to attach. I've been having to go to the basement to use the table there for sandwiching. Now I'll be able to do everything in my craft room!

• Stella's quilt: maybe next month
• Charity quilt: Pixelated Brutus. I made great progress on this one while I was waiting for the minky to arrive.

• Charity quilt: campers. Haven't started.
• Wedding quilts: design quilts for J&T and E&J. Both designed. I made one block for J&T, who were married last night.

• quilt from Dare to Be Square--nope.
• Bee Hive 2017: complete March block--done!

• Milky Way Quilt along: complete March block--done!

• Hexies:--plugging away
• Start free motion practice blocks--nope

Sewing...I didn't do any of this!

• Weighted blanket for Niels
• Make second magnetic fidget 
• Sketch out rocket blanket
• car poncho
• make a sewing apron

I'm hoping that May brings me good health and productive sewing time!!

Linked to:

April OMG finish link up @ Elm Street Quilts

Quilt #59: Easter Cross

***NOTE from February 28, 2019***
I just realized I never shared this quilt from 2016! To see what I'm currently working on, please follow me on Instagram at deJongDreamHouse.

It's Easter weekend, which means it's a good time to share this quilt I finished last year during Holy Week. I made this quilt for my son's Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Adkins, who is exactly the kind of person you think of when you think of a sweet little old lady who teaches first grade Sunday School.

Last year, on Palm Sunday, I noticed that Mrs. Adkins was not at church. I was really surprised so I asked about her and found out that her husband of 50+ years passed away suddenly. My heart just broke for her.

As soon as we got home from church, I started looking for ideas. I was really inspired the Carpenter Star Cross by the talented Judit Hajdu of Quilt Fox.

Source

I also drew inspiration for the tulips from Apple Avenue Quilts  and A Bee in My Bonnet. I paper pieced the tulip blooms from Apple Avenue Quilts--my first time ever trying this method.

For the leaves, I used the tutorial from A Bee in My Bonnet. 

I started with the tulips, because I was most nervous about making them. I followed the awesome video tutorial from Jennifer of Ellison Lane, and she took all the fear out of paper piecing.

I was actually a little sad when I finished this part. (And I have done a lot more paper piecing in the last year).

The stems were traditionally pieced. The Joel Dewberry herringbone print was perfect for the leaves.

Next, I worked on the carpenter cross. I changed the size a bit so that design expanded beyond the cross. You can also see that I vastly underestimated the size of the tulips. If I were to make this quilt again, I would make them smaller for a better sense of scale with the cross.

Once those two parts were done, the rest went together easily.

I used straight line quilting to radiant out from the cross.

I was able to finish it in less than a week!

D showed me how big a hug he wanted to include with the quilt.

I always love to deliver quilts in person, but this one was extra special.

No better payment than a hug and a sincere thank you.

Reading the label.

A few days later, I received the most amazing thank you note. In trying to bless this sweet woman, I was blessed so much more in return.

Linked to:

Thursday

Needle & Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Throwback Thursday @ Mmm Quilts

Friday

A Pageant of Finishes @ From Bolt to Beauty

Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts

Off the Wall Friday @ Nina Marie

Whoop Whoop Friday @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Saturday

Show Off Saturday @ Sew Can She

UFO Busting @ The Madd Quilter

Sunday

BOMs Away @ What a Hoot

Oh Scrap! @ Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Monday

Design Wall Monday @ Small Quilts & Doll Quilts

Main Crush Monday @ Cooking Up Quilts

Modern Patch Monday @ Modern Cologne Quilters

Monday Making @ Love Laugh Quilt

Moving it Forward @ Em's Scrap Bag

What I Made Monday @ Pretty Piney

Tuesday

Colour & Inspiration Tuesday @ The Clever Chameleon

To Do Tuesday @ Stitch All the Things

Wednesday 

Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts

Midweek Makers @ Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss @ The Inquiring Quilter

WIP Linky Party @ Silly Mama Quilts

WIPs on Wednesday @ Esther's Blog

#80: Brooks' Auburn Herringbone

Some of my best friends live on the internet. My fellow December 08 mamas have become some of my closest friends over the last nine (!) years. I've mentioned them before as I shared quilts I made for Kim's babies, Piper and Branch, Erin, Davinder, and Angie.

This is a good reminder that I never shared Piper's quilt, which I made in 2014 as my 21st quilt. Piper's Mom is one of my favorite Canadian's so I made a feminine Maple Leaf quilt.

Back to my latest quilt. Erin, Davinder, and Beth all announced their pregnancies around the same time. Feeling optimistic, I started buying fabric for all three babies. Beth and her husband are die hard Auburn fans and alum. There was no question the baby boy's quilt theme would be Auburn.

Here in Ohio, the only Auburn prints I could find were online, so I ordered a few and started on the other quilts while I waited for them to arrive. And then I made some other quilts, too!

I ultimately decided to go with a herringbone pattern. I made one before, a Viking/Packer quilt for my brother and SIL.

For this quilt, I decided to make the navy blue the constant. I'm getting much more comfortable with Electronic Quilt 7 with each quilt I design.

I worked on these blocks in between working on other quilts.

Sewing half square triangles (HSTs) are great practice in lining up points.

My initial plan was to make a 40"x40" square quilt, just the right size for a baby.

But while I blinked, baby Brooks grew to 9 months old! So I decided to add a few more rows to make into a toddler quilt.

My original plan for the back was a simple orange minky. Unfortunately, the yardage was just a skootch too narrow for it to work. My second option was to use the blue, but Moda has discontinued that particular shade of the grunge line. I did have a good amount of the Auburn print. Not enough for the whole back, but enough for me to come up with plan C.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the letters for "War Eagle" and "Brooks," the baby's name.

I wasn't able to make the Auburn interlocking logo on my Silhouette, so I handcut two versions of it, one in white, and a slightly smaller one in navy.

I appliqued the letters and logo. Then sewed the orange strips to the Auburn print.

Ready to sandwich!

I don't often post photos of the sandwiching process anymore because it's not that exciting, but I do have people ask me how I sandwich my quilts so this time I happened to take a picture. I spent the week of my son's spring break playing nurse as he was sick the whole week with bronchitis. We watched lots of movies to keep him still (and quiet) once he started feeling better (and before I got sick!) Can anyone guess which 80s classic we introduced him to here?

I sandwich my quilt on a table in our basement using 2" clamps I bought at Home Depot.

I quilted by echoing chevrons.

I'm happy to report that after 80 quilts, my bindings are starting to look more consistent. This time, when I clipped the binding down, I used my seam guide to make sure the width was consistent. I'm not certain that 1/2" was exactly where it needed to be, but my binding was very even, which thrills me.

Once I get my machine binding mastered, I may attempt hand binding at some point...if I'm patient enough!

Since we don't have a lot of Auburn fans here in Ohio, I tried to use up the scraps a bit with some  extras.

To see more pictures of this quilt in progress, look for #AuburnHerringbone on Instagram.  If you'd like to see what I'm currently working on, follow me at de Jong Dream House.

Linked to:
Craftastic Monday @ Sew Can Do

One Monthly Goal : April 2017

This year is speeding by. I can't believe I'm already making summer plans and my baby is nearly finished with second grade! Since we will be spending a few weeks in the Netherlands visiting my in-laws, I'm feeling the pressure to get some quilts done before we go!

Quilting:

• Lainey's Ladybug: finish
• Stella's quilt: finalize design and start
• Charity quilt: Brutus
• Charity quilt: campers
• Wedding quilts: design quilts for J&T and E&J
• quilt from Dare to Be Square
• Bee Hive 2017: complete March block
• Milky Way Quilt along: complete March block
• Hexies: total of 100 
• Start free motion practice blocks

Sewing:

• Weighted blanket for Niels
• Make second magnetic fidget 
• Sketch out rocket blanket
• car poncho
• make a sewing apron

One Monthly Goal is...

Make a ladybug quilt. It will be an original design that at this moment is mostly only in my head, but I think it will go together quickly because it's inspired by the French Rose quilt I made last summer.

All I have for a preview picture is this image of the fabric I've pulled for it.

Linked to:

April OMG link up @ Elm Street Quilts