the tiny hummingbird: 2017

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Sometimes when I make a quilt I feel like an artist instead of "just" a quilter. Making this one was like that for me as I made design and color choices and took pieces apart to adjust placement and size and scale. So often I just plow through when I do things I don't love because I have so little time to sew that changing those kinds of elements feels like too much work, but I'm really glad I made this piece exactly the way I envisioned it. I wanted something classic but current and I think I achieved that with this solid color New York Beauty block. I made it for an old friend's first baby and I knew it was going to be a special one. I asked my friend Onastazia what colors or themes she had in mind for baby things and she said neutrals, pink, and florals so my first thought was the Rifle Paper Co. for Cotton + Steel fabric I had in my stash. I planned on using the Rosa in peach on the back and pulling the colors for the front from the print. I ended up using Kona pink, salmon, curry, melon, and gold. After hours of searching I found my favorite NYB block linked on Jeni Baker's blog. I always like paper pieceing because it feels like sewing magic and this time was no different. I was in awe of my perfect points. Once the center block was done I added the pink and then two other strips of color, I don't remember which ones now, but they looked wrong. I was bummed because I expected to love the effect, which would have been a cool colorblock, or at least that's how it looked in my mind. Instead it was choppy and disjointed, so I unpicked the long seams and added only more pink. I was much more satisfied with that result and quickly settled on a plan of spiral quilting as I basted. I bound the quilt in gold and washed and dried it to get the perfect crinkle. I was so happy to be able to give it to Onastazia at her baby shower in June, and I hope her daughter loves it!

Thursday, July 13, 2017

sixteen | a quilt for Hanah

Almost a year ago a friend from church, Kim, asked me if I would be willing to make a quilt for her daughter's sixteenth birthday. She had purchased an Amish quilt before her daughter was even born, but her daughter loved the quilt and it had grown worn and threadbare. Kim had the idea of giving Hanah a new quilt made with sixteen blocks to represent each of her sixteen years and also her sixteen closest family members. It would be queen size and completely custom so I was a little hesitant at first because of the size and scope of the project, but ultimately I decided I was up to the challenge. First I visited their home so I could see Hanah's original quilt, and I took photos as a reference for style and color because Kim wanted the feel of the new quilt to be similar to that of the old one. Then Kim provided me with ideas and inspiration for family member, leaving it to me to interpret them into quilt blocks. I began by choosing a rough color palette, leaning heavily on Carolyn Friedlander and Cotton + Steel (mostly basics and gingham) fabrics for their wide range of colors. Then I sketched the dimensions of the quilt, deciding on a traditional layout with sashing, cornerstones, and very wide borders, thus keeping the sixteen blocks on top of the bed so all would be visible rather than draped over the sides. Some blocks were easy to make - the inspiration was straightforward and I knew right away how I wanted to translate the concept into a quilt block. Others were more difficult and I struggled with the best way to convey the idea, but I spent lots of time thinking and eventually came up with blocks for everyone. I'm very happy with the quilt and I'm proud (and relieved!) to say that Kim, Hanah, and family are too.

[I've included a few links at the bottom to credit my sources for a few of the blocks.]

Navy Seal machine embroidery

funky candy fabric & treasure jars pattern (note: I enlarged the block size)

heart quilt block

Amelia block (the airplane) from the book Dear Quilty by Mary Fons & softball fabric

awesome banana fabric

police car block (pillow size) from Busy City by Shea Henderson

I can't forget the back! Kim requested that the back have a paw print to represent their dog Shaggy and I embroidered the reference for Hanah's life verse, Jeremiah 29:11.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

sister love | a quilt for Mykenzie

I've wanted to make this quilt for ages but didn't have the perfect recipient in mind... until my friend Jaclyn told me she was pregnant. Then I knew I had to make this for Big Sister. Mykenzie has been praying for a baby for a long time and I know she's going to love this baby with a big love. Her favorite color is fuschia and I knew Jaclyn loved the Rifle Paper Co. floral print so that with the Cotton + Steel fruit dots gold stripe made the perfect pair. The back is a fun Suzy Ultman print that I bought on #thegreatfabricdestash a while ago. I quilted simple straight lines, not too many because I wanted to keep it soft, and bound it in the fuschia. Finn volunteered to help me take pictures again, and he requested that his hand be in one of the close ups :D Also please excuse the laundry basket, Ninja Turtle puzzle pieces, and everything else in my living room!