Story of a Quilt

I found this really cute Jelly Roll at Joann's and had to get it.  I had my coupon which helped with the purchasing desicion.  Taking home my treasure I set it down trying to think what to do with it.  So I went where I always go to be inspired (or as you may say, find a pattern).  The internet.  I found this awesome site called the Jolly Gabber that sells some beautiful fabric as well as having some great tutorials.  Doesn't the name Jolly Gabber sound catchy?  I love it!   Here is the site if you would like to check it out.  One of those tutorials just happens to be the Jelly Roll Jam.  Are you getting hungry?  I know I was licking my lips.  Well I printed up the pattern and watched the instructional video.  I then commenced to my sewing room and put together my own.

After finishing the project I took a look at the result.  It's too small.  I want it to be twin size to go on my youngest daughters bed.  The size you are looking for in a twin is at least 72" x 108".  Even adding my boarders it wasn't going to reach anywhere near those dimensions.  So off I went and got another Jelly Roll.  Still too small.  I need 2 more squares.  So today I am off to buy me yet another Jelly Roll.  I printed off my coupon for 40% off and I'm prepared.  I bought some other fabric for the boarder and can't wait till it's time to add it.  Here is the quilt with just one Jelly Roll.  I'm hoping to have the top done this weekend.  Wish me luck.

Quilting Pleasures

Learning to quilt is a joyous adventure that I am currently on.   I still have a lot to learn.  My next goal is to learn to free motion quilt on my machine at home.  I have watched some tutorials and have tried it, but I definitely need a lot of practice. I have finished several that I am pretty proud of and wanted to share along with some great tutorials that have helped me on my way. 

Not too long ago my wonderful husband bought me a brand new Brother sewing machine and I have been going a little crazy since I opened that box of pure delight.  I absolutely love it.  It’s the Brother SE400 and not only has a whole bunch of cool stitches but does some great embroidery as well.  The only down side of it is that the embroidery size is limited to the 4” loop that it comes with.  Well needless to say I haven’t spent much time doing anything but sitting at this beautiful machine making all kinds of creations.  My poor kids can attest.  They have patiently suffered through many "fend for yourself" nights and "can you tuck yourself in" nights because sadly I get into my zone. 

My first quilt this year was a king size new album quilt.  I finished the top in March and it is now neatly folded with the backing in a bag ready to go to my friend Ginny for quilting on her long arm.

 

My second quilt this year was a quilt put together for the Young Women to tie and donate to who they felt it should go to.  It turned out really cute and I was able to get it put together in just 2 days.  It was a fun activity for the Young Women.  They were able to present it to a couple in our ward at a later activity.  The girls not only learned a skill but they were also doing a service for someone else.  

My third quilt was a baby quilt as a gift for a friend.  I had fun doing some monogramming in one of the squares with the embroidery part on my machine. 

Twin Quilt & Pillow Case

My last quilt of the year was a twin size quilt that I have been meaning to make since the beginning of the year for one of my girls.  My 9 year old daughter, Ally, has been asking me when I was going to make her a quilt and I kept telling her when I would get a chance.  Well I decided that I would make her quilt for Christmas.  This is what started me on my Homemade Christmas.  It was easy to piece the quilt together in secret without her knowing about it.  I could easily hide it when she was around so she wasn’t the wiser about it.  But when it was time to put it on the quilting frame it was another story.  I had the quilting frame in the living room for 3 days with a large sheet draped over it.  When the kids would ask me about it I would firmly tell them that it was too close to Christmas for them to be asking me questions.  Thankfully they didn’t press the matter.  I found a tutorial on how to tie my quilt with hidden ties that I really liked.  It was easy to do and I like how well it turned out.    

Here is the link if you would like to check it out.  

 http://www.creationsbykara.com/2010/09/knot-less-tied-quilt.html/ .  

Binding Tutorial

I also found a tutorial for binding that I like better than any other method I have used.  It is basically the same as most others except for the start and finish.  Here is the tutorial from Heirloom Creations for the binding.  ▶ How to Bind a Quilt - 6 Simple Steps - YouTube .    

Pillow Case Tutorial

I made a pillow case to go with the quilt.  I learned how to do this using the tutorial from The Crafty Gemini.  It was really simple to do and turned out perfect.
  ▶ How to make a Pillowcase- Burrito/Sausage/Roll Up method - YouTube . 
She has so many great tutorials and if you like to get crafty you definitely have to check her out.