Wednesday, August 3, 2011

WIP Wednesday

Yay, it's my first!



Roger's Quilt:

  This quilt is a gift for my husband for our 6th anniversary, which is Sept. 3.  I started this quilt a couple weeks ago, thinking that it would take me a while to get it all together. I actually got it pieced much faster than I thought I would, mostly because there were a few evenings where Roger took the older boys out to work with him on equipment so I had far fewer interruptions. Funny how that works. 


My husband and I very rarely buy each other gifts for any holidays, birthdays, or our anniversary so I was going to try to make this a surprise for him. But, he kept coming into my sewing room one evening when I had it all spread out and started asking about it. I am a terrible liar, so I went ahead and told him it was his. For as long as we have been married he has been asking me to make him a John Deere blanket or pillow and this is as close as I was willing to go, much like our older boys' quilts. Needless to say, I am very ready to make a quilt that doesn't involve green and yellow!
Overall, I am very happy with this quilt so far. I have part of the back finished, but am waiting on more Kona coal to complete it.

**Embarrassing revelation...You know that movie, "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock? Where she is dancing around the bonfire with Betty White singing, "To the window, to the wall..." Well, as I was pressing the strips for this quilt, in order to remember which direction I needed to press each strip I found myself singing that song because that is how my ironing board is situated; I am either pressing toward the window or the wall. Every strip. To the window, to the wall... I may have even danced a little.

Strip Quilt:

  I started this project yesterday as a way to get more experience before I did the actual quilting on Roger's quilt. I thought this would be a quick project to put together, and it has been so far. I got the fabric cut and the top pieced during naptime yesterday. As the day went on I liked this less and less, but I'm not entirely sure why. Too many colors? Too bright? Uninspired? I think that is a YES to all, but since it is really just for practice and not for anyone specific I'm trying to be OK with it.
At least the scraps are pretty...
Hopefully once it gets quilted and bound it will get a bit more attractive.

And of course, I can't leave you with out a picture of my kids getting in the way of my picture taking:
Have a great day!

23 comments:

  1. Is the backing going to be John Deere fabric? ;). I love it, and I like your strip quilt, too. Good luck with the quilting!

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  2. I like the practice quilt--it's cheery. Of course, I'm the least crafty person in the universe, so ANY handmade quilt is a miracle to me.

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  3. Sweet story about your plus quilt - I love the second photo of your quilt. And I agree - your 'practice' quilt will be just fine when you are done!

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  4. Love those plus quilts! Your husband is lucky to get it :D

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  5. Lovely, lovely colors, as well on the plus quilt as on the strip pieced! Thanks for stopping by at my blog so I found yours!

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  6. Your plus quilt is gorgeous-- I think you have a good eye for fabric selection and color! I love how bright and fun the quilt is :)

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  7. Lucky Roger! That's an awesome quilt! And I love the colors in your practice quilt. It's going to be gorgeous.

    P.S. I LOVE that scene in the Proposal! Hilarious. When I'm pressing, I'm always singing that Beyonce song "To the left, to the left, everything you own in a box to the left." :)

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  8. I think the strip quilt is pretty! I love the colors (: And your plus quilt is awesome!

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  9. I just love the colors in your strip quilt! Beautiful...

    Mary
    http://www.quiltgenius.com

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  10. I like your strip quilt. I should copy you and do the same thing to practice my machine quilting. I also like your husbands quilt.

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  11. Your plus quilt is very pretty! Glad to hear that the pattern comes together quickly as I've been wanting to make one of those too.

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  12. I love the yellows and greens. It's a pretty and memorable quilt.

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  13. R O F L !!!! You made me laugh so hard my girls had to come see what was funny. (Now I've got the whole Sandra Bullock thing stuck in my head.) heee


    I love your practice quilt! So nice to see some colors that are a little different from everything else. And Roger's quilt is really neat.

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  14. i had to become a follower- with these quilts, i can't wait to see what you do next! i love the anniversary quilt, but the strip one i also think is very lovely- maybe it is throwing you off because the colors are so bright? i think anyone would be happy to have that practice quilt!

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  15. I love Roger's quilt, such a beautiful range of yellow and green fabrics, and I don't normally like yellow and green, the grey border sets it off beautifully.

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  16. I love the last one! The colors are beautiful. You could dress the Kona up with some matching perle cotton. I posted a strip quilt in february like this. Film in the Fridge strip machine quilted one like this in circles. Very nice effect!

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  17. I like the colors of the last quilt! And I love the idea of taking something they want (John Deere) and putting your own creative spin on it by just staying with those fabric colors.

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  18. Thanks for making me laugh out aloud....it has been a very long day.

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  19. Roger is a lucky man! It's a great looking quilt.

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  20. Your "to the window, to the wall" comment just cracked me up! Sounds like something I would do. Love the John Deere quilt, my husband would love one in the same colors for the same reason!

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  21. Was he pleased? Surprised?

    Nothing wrong with singing and dancing; it makes the most mundane of chores so much more fun and if it helped you remember, that's even better!

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  22. I was doing the same thing with a similar quilt. Though in my case it was to the iron, to the machine. Your quilt is wonderful, I love how you've framed it with the grey it really makes the fabrics pop.

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  23. Toni, Small blog hopping and found you a fellow Hoosier transplant. I live south of Fort Wayne, IN but from SW corner of MO and SE corner of KS. I love bright colors and really think hmm that stripe quilt isn't that bright. ok I must really like brights. Your hubbies quilt is wonderful, I have made two John Deere quilts, one for the FIL and the second to use up the scraps. I will never be able to press without thinking of that song or movie again.

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