I've finished my baby's quilt!

I am feeling quite relieved at having finished my baby's quilt. It's kind of like frantic home-made nesting - finishing projects.

It feels like it's ok if the baby comes early now. I am ready. 

 Here is the baby hospital bag packed and ready to go.

I think I'll shoot a better photo when Bub is lying on the quilt.

Getting ready

Hand quilting my baby's quilt in preparation for his/her arrival. It hasn't worked out perfectly, it's not exactly flat. But babies don't notice these things do they?

I quite like the vintage look of the crinkled effect.

 Here we are getting ready for the baby shower!!

 I've been blessed with a good many useful gifts: clothes, baby bouncer, creams, powders, nappies, breastfeeding cushion, electric breast pump, quilts (I must share photos), and hand made blankets. Everything in gender neutral colours - mostly lemon, mint and white. It's getting exciting. Baby will soon be here.

The Pointy End

Closer and closer our due date looms, and I am still working on the baby quilt. All hexagons are now pieced and joined. 

Then I "floated" the centre over one large piece of fabric and appliqued the already-turned-under edge onto the red check.

Then I flipped it to the back and cut away the checked fabric leaving a 1/4 inch between the applique edge and the raw edge underneath. Now, the checker is not showing through the vanilla hexies, and I have a beautiful big piece of Flower Milk Sugar fabric to go with the leftover jelly roll pieces. (What to make? Who knows?)

Okay. Now to spray baste, and hand quilt with DMC perle.

We are getting to the Pointy End of this pregnancy, and I want to make sure our Bub has a quilt ready to go (32 weeks now.... oh my!)...

Meanwhile

In the meantime, I am back to working on my own Baby quilt....

Still working out exactly how many flowers and half flowers to make. This should keep me busy at all those long hospital clinic appointments (last time I was there for 5 hours seeing 4 specialists).

It's been such a leisurely week working on the quilt for my baby. I haven't felt the need to rush. There have been no deadlines. Ahhh.

Then I came to the point where I wondered quite how to complete the corners. Will I do half flowers? Will there be half hexies? Will I applique the edge to strips of straight fabric?

And I kind of slowed down.... did some knitting on my baby's cardigan.

Then I thought to myself: "Hey, Lorraine. Your sister's baby shower is only a few weeks away, and you were going to finish the cross-stitch cushion for a gift in early July. And what about the cot bumpers you've started on the sewing machine? The sewing machine will go away for a few months in a short while." Then my Sweetheart started tripping on the handles of the quilt bag under our bed that contains the Colour Me Happy quilt for the new MIL. Hmm... I need to trim the quilt and add the binding.

And so I will need to shelf my baby quilt for a little while... *sigh*

Sew much to show and tell

What a fab weekend we had at Magnetic Island. How wonderful to have uninterrupted sewing time!

Two frames were added to "My Love Horsies". The yellow chain extends beyond the blocks now, and is much more effective.

The Nature side of "My Love Horsies" was pieced. The blue frames allow the panel pieces to float. I am very happy with the way the fabrics have combined, even though they could have been a jumbled mess. I think the large pieces were the key.

It's not really the Reverse side, or the Back, as the quilt is designed to be double sided. Shelley can choose whether she wants the whimsical side or the Nature side up on her bed. I think she may have to wait a year or so before the quilt goes on her bed, as she was colouring in her sheets with texta colours last week. I am not so sure I want her to be colouring in a specially made quilt!

The holiday house at Magnetic Island.

This was the $5 optional project - chicken in a tutu. I've fused it on to stitch later. I think I'll use it as a cover for a project folder. The suprise theme for the weekend was chickens!

And an update on my Baby Quilt. 8 blocks completed. Next I need to start joining them, as I might only need some half blocks to obtain the desired size. I hope to have my Baby Quilt finished in the next 2 weeks, then finish the Swedish Baby Quilt for my sister. Her shower is about a month away.

The Vanilla Pathway

Loving the hexagon progress. Currently packing projects to take away for the long weekend for a retreat on Maggie Island, and decided to take the vanilla as a pathway between the flowers.

I wonder how much I'll get finished! Quite exciting really, it's been years since I've been on a quilting retreat. I hope to have lots of Show and Tell.

It's so fabulous having the mini-stash that Mum brought interstate for me. A real source of inspiration, and I will be able to finish off some applique blocks that have needed tweaking for quite some time.

Fun with hexagons

Oh! I am LOVING hand piecing hexagons.....

 Four flowers have been stitched. I love the blend of soft and bold colours and prints.

So bright and fresh for a baby quilt.

Going on retreat this Long Weekend I am preparing more hexies to sew. I plan to take knitting too (baby cardigan), and a Civil War Bride applique block. We are getting there by ferry, and I don't fancy this pregnant woman will be easily able to lug along a big sewing machine. And so, handwork we have. I am quite tempted to take some superhero fat quarters along and make a fat quarter quilt... but really.. hmm... that will require more thinking....

Also thinking ahead, I am wondering about hand sewing after Baby is born. There will be no space to machine sew until our new home is finished (months later). I'd like to prepare lots of handwork for a time when I imagine I will enjoy quiet relaxing time just for Mummy. Applique and stitchery will be ideal. I am currently researching and found this smashing book Quilt A New Christmas.

 I particularly love the Christmas stockings.....

 And the bird table runner or wallhanging...

These projects would be wonderful from fat quarter packs or 5 inch squares.
Anyway, I think I'll have to get the book.... It's Love.

Two flowers

I don't mind a little bit of pink in our baby quilt, no matter which gender. I just wanted something soft and vintage looking. 

Watch out for the next block!

Starting my baby quilt

I am so excited! I have started my own baby's quilt! This is the Sugar, Flower, Milk fabric roll by Penny Rose Fabrics.

I am loving the 1930s reproduction. I am teeming them with mostly Shadowplay fabrics.