Quilt #85: Lindsey's Gymnast

I made three quilts to deliver during our recent trip to the Netherlands. I already shared Celtic Midnight and Fireworks for Ingrid. Today I'm sharing about the last, very-last minute quilt, which I'm calling Lindsey's Gymnast.

The very first quilt I made with a real binding--not a rag quilt or my own clumsy attempt at folding over the edge to make a binding--was a quilt along quilt I gifted for my then 3-year-old niece, Lindsey. It was my 5th ever quilt. 

When I first started planning for our trip, I wanted to make a quilt for my sister-in-law. While she wanted a quilt, she really wanted me to make a quilt she could give to a friend who has been a huge help in the last few years.  I made that quilt (Celtic Midnight) and had a little extra time, so I also finished her quilt (Fireworks for Ingrid). 

Because I can't sleep before a big trip with my mind racing, and I finished Ingrid's quilt with two days to spare, I decided to whip up a new quilt for Lindsey. Her favorite colors are pink and purple, so I went through my stash and started cutting. 

And then I put it up on the wall and realized I didn't like it, so I put it in my Oops box to mess with later. 

Since time was of the essence, I knew I needed a quilt with big blocks. I remembered a baby quilt I made a while back and knew it could easily be expanded into a nice lap size. 

So I started cutting again.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the letters of Lindsey's name and the gymnast.

I used a teeny tiny satin stitch for the applique rather than the blanket stitch I've always used before. I like the look better thought it was a challenge on such small curves. The hardest part was figuring out the best setting.

I was proud of myself for remembering to applique before piecing the whole quilt. So much easier to maneuver!

I didn't take a lot of pictures as I finished it because, time crunch! But you can see that I used simple straight line quilting. For the back, I used a soft chevron minky. 

We weren't at Oma and Opa's house 10 minutes before my son brought our suitcase of goodies. 

I love this picture of her as she takes it in. 

It was a big hit!

What a difference four years makes--for little girls growing up and quilters improving their craft.

As much as loved seeing Lindsey love her new quilt, the best part came the next day when she asked if she could pass her first quilt on to her second cousin. How sweet is that?!

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

Linked to:
Oh Scrap! @ Quilting is More Fun than Housework
Let's Bee Social 191 @ Sew Fresh Quilts
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
MCM #85 @ Cooking Up Quilts
Midweek Makers #86 @ Quilt Fabrication
Monday Making @ Love Laugh Quilt
Needle & Thread Thursday
Wednesday Wait Loss #29 @ The Inquiring Quilter
WIPS on Wednesday @ Esther's Blog