Standing in front of the mirror in the morning preparing for my classes at school was the inspiration for this baby quilt, “Pretty in Pink.” I pick up one outfit after another and trying to decide the perfect color combination that is just right for the school day.
To be honest, pink is just not my color. But to a new little lady in your life, she will be SEW “Pretty in Pink.” There were some brilliant shades of pinks in my stash, just waiting for the right baby quilt. Here right in front of my mirror, they were discovered, like a new star on the stage.
The pattern was an easy choice, as well, since I thought of a young star wrapped in pink, slowly crawling her pathway into your heart.
WOW! All of this was decided in front of my mirror, as I was trying to pick an outfit to wear to my morning classes at school. I chose a blue outfit that day! But once school was over, a pretty pink baby quilt was in the making on my sewing machine.
Take time to quilt.
Sharon
"Teddy Bear March" Baby Quilt
Here in South Florida we have been pounded with our summer thunderstorms. These are so strong, that they can make you jump with the loud and sudden cracks and streaks of lightning that seems to come too close for comfort.
It was a storm that gave me the inspiration for my “Teddy Bear March” baby quilt, since I remembered my own little girl in such a dangerous storm running to her bedroom for her favorite stuffed bear to hug and make sure that “Teddy” was safe and dry.
This baby quilt was designed to wrap a little one and keep them protected from the storm. Your little one will be surrounded by the cuddly soft bears in these shades of blue with a hint of white on this handquilted, 100% baby flannel comfort quilt. Soft light blue squares of minx are added softness and texture.
All of my handmade baby quilts are hand quilted for durability and are completely machine washable. This baby quilt’s binding is blue with white striped and hand stitched.
“I cannot count my day complete ’til needle, thread and fabric meet.”
Mental health in one stitch, or two or more is what this quote is telling me. Since most of my day was spent on the doing what I have enjoyed for 38 years. The one that pays the bills, that is teaching of our young men and women in 5th grade.
Yet by the end of my first day of school yesterday, I knew for sure two very important lessons that this teacher had forgotten. One, I had worn the wrong shoes. The other, I needed to go to bed earlier. Since 5th graders tend to have a lot of energy and to be effective in the classroom as a teacher, you need to be able to be ahead of them, not merely keeping up with your students. Therefore, my hand quilting, when I sat down at the end of the day was a great consolation and relaxation. My day was complete.
Take time to quilt.
Student Experiment
As a new school year is about to begin, I am preparing my classroom for my 38th year as a classroom teacher. Teaching our young men and women has been, next to raising my own family, the most rewarding experience of my life.
Many of our students come into the classroom today speaking languages that are not only different than English, but though beautiful to hear cause the child great hardships in classroom. Each needs to learn the basics of the language before the content can be mastered.
The same would be reflected in the quilter’s world. If you come to the world of quilting as a sewer, many of the following terms will sounds familiar. Sewing is not the basic class for quilting, so the following definitions will make it easier to understand the world of the quilter and the language that they speak.
I have started the beginning of the ABCs. Here are some of most important vocabulary terms listed in alphabetical order and their definitions.
Continue reading →
“From my hands — to your heart!”
How perfect when designing quilts for babies. When I found this quote, I thought of all the little ones that would snuggle in my handmade quilts on those cold winter nights or could play on the homemade quilt instead of the bare floor.
I set to work making each of my baby quilt unique and different. Each pattern and color will grow and develop from my design board to the sewing machine. The pieces are cut from carefully chosen fabrics, and sewn in a special handmade baby quilt. Each baby quilt tells its own story, illustrated through color, design, and texture. Whether the quilter has a special baby in mind, as she sews and quilts, or if the quilter is designing and quilting for the love of her art, either way, the baby quilts come to life step by step. For example, the soft baby flannel that may be used in the piecing of a teddy bear’s hat may evoke memories of a toy that the quilter’s son once played with in the nursery. The soft pink cotton that once was the out grown pajamas is now the ballerina’s skirt in a baby’s quilt of a graceful little girl, who grew up and now loves to show her Mommy how much she loves to dance, instead of crawling around the house. Or the blue jean train on the newly finished baby’s quilt which was once a little boy’s first pair of dungarees. Tonight, when he goes to bed, and hugs his handmade baby’s quilt, the story can be told again about the little train on that special baby’s quilt, a keepsake for years to come, with a story to tell.
How wonderful to be able to create a gift that will last a lifetime.
Time to quilt.
Sharon
One of my newest quilts - "Lavendar Green and Hue"
Posted in Baby Quilts, Handmade Baby Quilts
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Tagged baby crib quilt, baby quilt, baby quilts, baby's quilt, crib quilts, Handmade, handmade baby quilt, handmade baby quilts, quilt, unique handmade quilt
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Around the World in Pink
“The best things in life are quilted.”
Over the weekend I spent countless hours quilting, my passion, or blogging on many of the wonderful quilting sites on the Internet. Since quilting is a pastime that is done in solitude most of the time, taking time to observe the wonderful and beautiful artistic and colorful designs of those who have placed their work on the Internet for the world to see has been a marvelous outgoing experience.
My observations were not limited to quilts of all sizes and hues, but pictures, purses, children’s toys, etc. The list was as numerous as the sites I visited. Quilters are open to not only share their handmade quilts and others products but are generous with the written directions and videos offering the general directions and specific do and don’t for others to follow.
My conclusion, the best things in life are quilted and you the quilters of our world make that possible. Thanks for sharing your time and talents.
Time to quilt.
Sharon
Stitched to Perfection
“Itching to be stitching.”
It is that time of the year again, the end of summer. For some people that might mean Fall is coming, and it is time to bring in the summer furniture and pack away the grill. Others might start to think about bringing out the sweaters and sweatshirts for those cool evenings when the sun goes down. Either way, time for those extra chores means less time with the needle and thread.
But for this quilter, who is also a teacher, school is beginning and time management is all important.
Quilting becomes my mental health. After a day at work, picking up my handquilting in the solitude of my sewing room, is the perfect way to reduce the stress of the day. The more the stitches are placed into my handmade baby quilts; the more I can feel my body relax. By the time the clock tells me that you best head to bed, I am relaxed enough to sleep. Progress is made on my handmade baby quilt in the process. Continue reading →
Posted in Baby Quilts, Children's Quilts, Handmade Baby Quilts
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Tagged baby, baby quilt, baby quilts, bed, handmade baby quilt, handmade baby quilts, handmade quilt, handmadee, quilt, stitching
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Pieces of Fabric
“Blessed are the Quilters for they are the piecemakers.”
Quilters sure can make a lot of small pieces very quickly. It seems like we enjoy going to our favorite quilt shops, buying the most gorgeous yards of fabrics, and then take such delight in cutting it up into such small squares and triangles etc.
Not to mention all of the little parts that we don’t use in our handmade and homemade baby quilts. Now those are the little cuts that are at the end of the 2” x 42” slice and it just doesn’t make that block. You can only have so many bridges to help you when daisy chain sewing or holding that extra needle so you can locate it among the straight pins. A creative use might be to hold the coffee cup when the coaster decides to hide under a pile of fabric. Even a long thin colorful piece of fabric can double as a book mark in a pinch, if and when you find the time to read after the quilts are finished.
Throwing those little pieces away is just not an option. Anyone have any other great ideas?
Sharon
Material for Handmade Baby Quilts
“She who dies with the most fabric… wins!”
To be a quilter you have to be in love with fabric. You drive down the road and your car just knows that there is a fabric store in the area.
Recently, a fellow quilter and I took a 3,600 road trip. While passing along I 75 in Florida, there it was, a huge billboard advertising a quilt shop. Turn right and look for the purple building was all the sign said. My car just happened to need car at that very exist and off we went. Once we filled up on the gas, the car found that purple building. “Fabric Art Shop” off of Exit 427. http://fabricartshop.com
Since making handmade baby quilts my passion, this shop had just about everything from specialty threads, quilting supplies, books, notions and fabrics of every hue. What caught my eye was she had almost as many bolts of fabrics (3700) as the number of miles we drove on our trip!!
After leaving with some fat quarters in shades of pink, we headed north bound for yet another quilt shop adventure. A quilter can never have too much fabric!
Time to quilt.
Sharon
Posted in Baby Quilts, Handmade Baby Quilts, Quilt Shops
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Tagged baby crib quilt, baby quilt, baby quilt fabric, baby quilts, fabric, fabric shop, handmade baby quilt, handmade baby quilts, quilt, quilt shop, quilter, quilts
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Grandma’s handmade quilts have love in every stitch. Those days with Grandma are long gone but not her love, her patience, and her commitment to hard work. Those parts of my Grandmother will be with me each day in her quilts.
As a young girl, I sat with her hour by hour, watching and learning to see her move the treadle machine rhythmically back and forth as the patches flew in the steady stream connecting one to another. I learned this great method of chaining, as I cut them apart and stacked them for the next round of stitching. In those handmade quilts patches, I could see my old blouse or my sister’s worn dress now cut up and colorfully placed into the next quilt block. Those hours flew by as the quilt went from single squares and triangles to a completed handmade quilt. Continue reading →
Posted in Children's Quilts, Handmade Baby Quilts, Learning How to Quilt
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Tagged baby quilt, crib quilts, Handmade, handmade baby quilts, handmade quilt, handmade quilts, quilt, quilter today, quilting frame, quilts, unique children’s quilts
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