Baby Quilt

So this post has been months in waiting...Tyler's brother Preston and his wife Lisa are expecting a little baby girl (due date around July 4th I think...correct me if I'm wrong Lisa). I decided way back when we first found out they were pregnant that I was going to make them a baby quilt. So I raided my mom's supply of quilting magazines looking for the cutest baby quilts. I picked one out for if they had a boy and than found this super adorable one for a girl. So I started hoping that they were going to have a girl!

And turns out...they were going to have a girl. Just to preface the quilt, when it comes to making quilts, I have only once made a quilt with the color suggestions from the pattern...only once. The thing, for me, that takes the longest is figuring out the color scheme on the quilt that I'm making and once I've figured that out, the actual arrangement of the colors is even worse!!! But when I saw this quilt pattern, I knew it was perfect and so the search began: I had to find the exact same fabrics that the designer used in the magazine...internet searches and phone calls later, I found what I needed and once the fabric came, the sewing began.

The quilt was a simple little 9 block, 1 border piece with applique. That first picture is of Lowe helping me arrange the pieces on the floor. Everything was going really smooth until I realized that I didn't have the stich required for securing the applique on my little sewing machine. So I borrowed my mom's second fancy machine (she's got three...the original yellow Singer (I believe) that made tons of things for me and my brothers growing up, the second fancy one I borrowed and than this uber awesome one that sits in her sewing room now on it's own little sewing table throne...not that I'm jealous or anything!!!).

Each of the nine blocks got an adorable little sun dress on it. Here's a close up of my favorite one! I used the floor in our office to place out the quilt as I got it closer and closer to being done.

I machine quilted this quilt...which I normally don't do but it seemed like it would be quicker, easier and prettier in the long run which it was.

Unfortunately, I realized while I was picking pictures for this post that I failed to actually get a picture of the completed quilt!!! That last picture doesn't have the binding on!!! Oh well, I guess Lisa will have to post a picture or send me one so I can post it...but this was the first quilt I did real binding on in the 6 years I've been quilting. I was always scared of it because binding never made sense to me but once my mom explained it for the billionth time and I read and re-read instructions in the quilting magazines, I got over my irrational fear and just did it and the results were impressively amazing!!!

So at last I got to post about one of the secret projects I've been working on so far this year. Yeah to babies!!! Congrats again Preston and Lisa!!! Can't wait to meet her when she comes!!!

PS: this is my 100th post!!! Woo hoo!!!