Quinnie Done, Jack to Go!

This afternoon I finished up Quinnie Boo's quilt. I ever hand embroidered a little label to go on the back (this is the first quilt I've ever labeled, that's horrible, I know!). Sadly, if I had known how terribly simple it is to whip up one of this little labels I would have done it long ago. I just used a scrap of off white cotton and some red embroidery floss. I wrote the words on with a crayola washable marker and followed the lines.

The solid colored cottons are mostly Quilter's only cotton from Joanns and were scraps from previous projects. Some of the prints I used (in various colorways) include: Henry Glass Gardenia by Linda Lum Debono, Dots by Cranston Village, Maywood Studio Bee's Knees by Glenna Hailey, Peas and Carrots American Jane patterns by Sandy Klop and a few other 100% cotton polka dots and prints of unknown origins.
The batting is 80% cotton 20% poly. I typically use 100% cotton by warm and natural, but wanted to try something different to experiment with shrinkage. I love that wrinkly look on most of my quilts but would also like to find something that doesn't shrink for some of my bigger bed quilts. Wool perhaps?

Backing is a precut 100% cotton Ikea print with various zoo animals that I've had in my stash for a while. The one large piece was big enough to be the backing for both baby quilts and If I remember correctly I bought it for under 10 bucks, what a steal!

Quilting was done in straight lines with my walking food. This is the first quilt I've quilted with my new Juki and I am thrilled with the quality of the stitching. Now I just have to quilt and bind Jack's quilt and I can cross two Christmas gifts off my list (and it's only Mid-September). Maybe this terrible economy and lack of jobs does have some perks afterall :)

K-

9-12-09

8 years and 1 day after a tragedy our country will never forget. Feels like just yesterday I was walking home to my dorm after an uneventful and rather boring 8am math class. It was my first year of college and I had only been away from home for a few weeks.

Still a little in shock about being alone and 6+ hours away from my family, September 11th felt like it was going to be a good day. The crisp fall air had warmed nicely by the time my class was over and the ocean's rhythmic pulse was soothing and reminiscent of home.

I was in my own world, contemplating stopping for a bowl of cereal before the tiny dining hall overcrowded, when another student came running towards me. "Odd", I thought to myself... college student are not up at 8am, unless they have to be, and they certainly aren't running in their street clothes. "A plane hit the world trade center, go turn on your tv", she gasped as she ran by. So I walked faster until I reached my dorm.

By the time I made it there everyone was awake and fixated on their TVs and computers as the mayhem unfolded. People were crying, cellphones wouldn't work, my roommate's dad was on a plane somewhere and we couldn't find out which flights crashed. It was a day, a week, a year I'll never forget. I'm thankful that President Obama has called for a day of service and hope that the compassion and love that people shared after 9/11/01 will be rekindled and remembered each 9/11 and throughout the year.

On a more upbeat note, I present two very bright baby quilt tops that I made for my Nephews for Christmas. Funky and happy polka dots, bright primary solids, and a mishmosh of blocks and patterns. They are exactly the brightness I needed on this dreary day. Please excuse the blurry photography, I still can't manage to find a time of day when the lighting is right to take photos inside the apartment.

Oh and the Ikea zoo fabric that the tops are lying on I plan to use as the backing. I wanted to make sure that the tops and backs were approximately the same size so I don't have to trim down the tops to fit on the back.
Little Gray dog loves to help his mummy organize her quilt blocks. Thankfully he has a good eye for color.

K-