My Tree Quilt

I posted a quick picture of this quilt in July before I rushed it to the fair but it is past time that it got it's own official post.  I think I have a thing with improvisationally pieced tree quilts.  This is #4. 

Here are three others that I have made.  The one on the top left and the one with the green border were made from bee blocks that I received in 2011.  Looking at all the quilts all together makes me realize that I really like the thin brown border - I think I should have added one to this quilt too - oh, well...

It wasn't all same-o-same-o though.  There were a few new things that I tried with this quilt.  First, the blocks aren't arranged in a grid like in the other quilts.  It made it a bit more of a challenging to piece, but I think I like the look.

maple

leila

I also quilted it with the names of trees.  I marked horizontal lines three inches apart on the quilt and then just started "writing."  It takes a lot of tree names to fill up a quilt!  My husband came up with trees that I didn't even know existed.

By the end I totally ran out of tree names and wrote the names of my children on one line.

I also used quilting to label my quilt.  On the very bottom, I quilted "made by leila gardunia july 2013 h____ iowa."  I think I may label all of my quilts this way from now on.  It's not super easy to read, but a quilt historian would be able to figure it out.  Plus I wouldn't have to worry about making a label.  :)

Poplars

Pine

Some of my favorite blocks.  Although I am rather fond of the cut down tree too.  :)

On our walk back from the photo shoot we saw plenty of other pretty trees.  I love fall.

I am linking up with the Blogger's Quilt Festival and entering My Tree Quilt in the throw quilt category.  Head on over to see lots of cool quilts!

PS. My next post is my 250th and I have been blogging for 3 years this month!  You may want to check in later this week.  ;)

Skill Builder Sampler Quilt #2 - Colleen's Flower Quilt

The idea for this quilt started over two years ago.  There were a series of online conversations that made me wonder if I was doing all I could quilting wise.  There were so many things I wanted to make, but I was scared and intimidated to try them. Foundation paper piecing, applique, curves and working with templates scared me.  I figured I wasn't the only one out there with those feelings so I decided to start a quilt along where we would focus on one skill each month and make three blocks (easy, medium and challenging) with each skill.

I decided to call it the We Can Do It!  Skill Builder Sampler.  I love Rosie the Riveter and the feeling of "yeah, this is tough, but we can do it!"  And we did.  I learned that the hardest part of any block was overcoming the feelings of intimidation and being overwhelmed.  Not all of my blocks turned out perfect and I don't think I will ever like working with templates, but that is ok.  I tried it and in my book that is a success.

So for 12 months (with a two month break due to morning sickness!) we made 3 blocks a month.  You can take a look at all the great blocks and quilts the other women made in our flickr group.  I was originally going to put all 36 blocks into one queen sized quilt, but half way through I decided to make coordinating quilts for three of my girls.  Colleen loved all of the flower, rainbow and butterfly blocks so they all made it into her quilt.

This was such a learning experience!  I am entering this quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival in the Bed Quilt Category.  Head on over to nominate your favorite quilt!

Quilt Stats:

Size:  Approx. 64 x 92

Fabrics:  Kona White and mostly Holly Holderman

15 twelve inch blocks with 2 inch sashing

Custom quilted by me on a rented long arm machine

Skill Builder Sampler #1 - Baby Quilt

I am entering Kate's Skill Builder Sampler quilt in the ROYGBIV Category of the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I picked my favorite blocks out of the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler to make this baby sized quilt.  I was so proud of myself when I made the Circle of Geese Block!  I love the cheery rainbow colors.

Shouldn't every play area have a quilt on it?

Quilt Stats:

Size:  33 x 48 inches
6 twelve inch blocks with 3 inch sashing

Fabric:  Kona White and Mostly Holly Holderman

Finished Date:  February 2013

Head on over to the Blogger's Quilt Festival to see more wonderful quilts and don't forget to nominate your favorite!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - The Chicken Quilt

Blogger's Quilt Festival time has come around again and I wanted to show my Chicken Quilt.  I finished it in December but I am still as in love with it as ever!

I made this quilt for my friend Becca (ok, for her new baby, but really for her).  She loves all things vintage, is an avid reader and baker and keeps twenty plus chickens - it makes our flock of six look wimpy.  :)

I had been wanting to make a red and white quilt since I saw pictures of the the red and white quilt exhibit in NYC last year and the bow-tie block made for a clean classic vintage-y quilt.

I raw edge appliqued two chickens onto the front and another on the back.  It was my first time doing a lot of raw edge applique and I was surprised at how well it went.  This chicken is my favorite!

I machine quilted it with a basic meandering stitch.  It is the first quilt that I had a hard time giving away and I must admit that it lived in my living room for a few weeks before it finally got sent to her.  :)

To read more about Becca and her Chicken quilt check out my original post and be sure to stop in and see all of the other great quilts in the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Tree Quilt

 

I finished this quilt just in time for the BQF.  Yeah!  I got the idea for this quilt after seeing all of the quilts with little houses in the center of large white spaces like this one.  I thought, "Trees would be nice," and when I sent out fabric for my month in the online bee Bee Improvisational, I asked the other members to make me "tree blocks."  I used some of them in this baby quilt.  I made a few more and used the rest in this quilt.  So, more than a year after I got my blocks back, I completed the Tree Quilt.

I sashed out the odd sized blocks to twelve and a half inches.  I did the narrow flange border and binding in Kona Espresso and stipple quilted the whole thing.  I like how you can see the quilting in this picture.  Can you see those feet peeking out?  That is my neighbor.  He was a good sport and held up my quilt - they have better light in their yard.  :)  I thought I would hand sew the binding but ended up using my No Fail Machine Binding.  I love it.

Have you ever tried improvisational piecing?  It is really quite fun.  If you want to learn how or learn any other quilting skills check out the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler.  Each month we will focus on learning a different quilting skill.

Thanks for hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival again Amy.  It takes some of the sting out of not being in Salt Lake this week.   :)  Check out all of the other great quilts here.