Sunburst: A Baby Quilt for the Blogger's Quilt Festival

Okay friends. Let me just be real for a second, I waffled about what to enter in the festival. In the end, I chose my stars align, because I didn't read the rules thought that was my number one choice.

Turns out we can enter two!

This baby quilt it one of my hands down favorite things I have ever made. Honestly, if it had not been baby sized it would have never left my house. Also, it is for my bestest friend's older brother, who is practically my older brother. He just had a baby boy, who is hopefully enjoying this quilt (well, honestly the baby probably doesn't care).

It is inspired by Denyse Schmidt's, Crazy Star Quilt (in Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration). I am saying based, because I did not so much follow the pattern as look at the picture in my book. Then I decided to make a quilt that looks sort of like it.

I pulled all of the strings out of my scrap bin and the solids from my stash. They were curated to be gender neutral and cheerful. 

For the quilting, I fell in love with Denyse's quilting design and decided to fill up the negative space with a free motion, sort of organic (read: messy and unplanned), loops. I just made them on my home sewing machine while watching old episodes of TV on Netflix. I think it works.



The back is made up of some Kona strips I had left over from another quilt, some of the Kona Steel (I think?) from the front, and a single strip of Madrona Road (Haystack?) to mimic the bright star on the front. The binding is scrappy. 

I suppose my special technique was foundation paper piecing. I used paper foundations to make the star, nothing special, just scratch paper. 

Quilt Stats.

Category. Baby Quilt

Name. Sunburst Baby QuiltSize. 45"x43"
Fabrics. Kona Steel for the front background, scraps for the star, the back has some Madrona Road Haystack, and assorted Kona blues from my stash.
Pattern. Based on Crazy Star (from Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration)
Piecing. 50wt Aurifil thread
Quilting. Free motion loops (à la Denyse Schmidt) with 50wt Aurifil thread

Check out more pretty quilts at Amy's Creative Side

Hotel Room Sewing...

I have been in Atlanta for nearly a week now. This is a work trip and it is going pretty well, but I am really ready to come home. Eventually, eating out wears on you and you realize the hotel staff know you a little too well...

I am working in downtown Atlanta. Archaeology in downtown Atlanta.

I grew up in Portland, OR and I was super sheltered. I do not think I really knew what a bad part of town was until I started this project in Atlanta. I am working in a BAD part of town. I have witnessed homeless person fights, stumbled upon bodily fluids, found drug paraphernalia I did not even recognized (thank you boys for explaining that all to me), and worked in the parking lot of a strip club. Don't you worry, we are super safe. The police know we are there, we are never alone, and always work in broad daylight. It is just strange for me to think about people being so bad. I know people have problems not entirely within their control and different is not bad. It is hard to explain, and so outside of the scope of Stitching and Bacon... One of my friends told me I should start a blog detailing all of the crazy stories I have from my various stints in downtown Atlanta. There are so many.

Now, are you still with me? This is one of the areas we are working. Totally crazy right? This area is so desolate it is regularly used as a set for crazy little things like, The Walking Dead and some movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger that is not out yet. We actually had to wait to start our work because the film crews were out working. No biggie.

When we got there the parking lot was smeared with fake blood (I know it is fake). We found these blood packets. Gross right? I generally cannot watch these movies because, well, I get nightmares (I know I am a grown woman). If someone has seen Walking Dead, do you recognize this building?

I did not bring my sewing machine to Atlanta (this time...), but I did bring some embroidery and some EPP hand sewing. I made this little embroidered sign for a friend for Christmas while sitting on my hotel bed watching reality TV. It is kind of inappropriate, but she will love it. I am going to add some more little flowers and maybe a vine around it, then I will mount it.  Easy Christmas gift!

My paper piecing project was sort of thrown together while I was packing. This is my first English paper piecing project and I am loving it. It is so relaxing. I do not think I could do a whole quilt, maybe this will be a pillow? Any ideas?

 

 I went to a great fabric store here in Atlanta on my day off. Let me just say, Intown Quilters, is an amazing place. If you are in Atlanta, go! It is sunny and warm. The ladies there are happy and full of suggestions. The selection is spectacular. I managed to rein myself and only bought three fabrics.

This is a fabric by etsuko furuya for Kokka. I love how it looks like a classic wallpaper until you look closely, then you keep seeing little hidden surprises.

I also got some Washi and some chevrons. I am obsessed with the Washi. Look at how pretty it looks like the chevrons.

Happy Wednesday!

Sunny Patchwork Table Runner

Today was a day. I got up in North Carolina and now I am preparing to go to bed in Georgia. 

So much has happened, I will outline it in bullet points.

• I drove so much. 

• My cat attacked me (for no good reason... jerk). 

• I drank an energy drink.

• I worked at my job site for what seemed like 20 minutes and managed to get totally frustrated. 

• Went out to dinner with a dear friend. 

• Embroidery.

That makes me more tired just looking at it. I don't want to talk about this any more, I do want to talk about this sweet little table runner I made. 

Last weekend, I decided I just wanted to sew. I have been obsessed with my low value prints lately and decided to just cut some patchwork.  

A few hours later I had another little square, full of squares.

I added some more fabric, did some quilting, and then I had this sweet little table runner.

I did very little measuring, just cutting and sewing. At the end of the project, I had a big smile on my face. I was feeling relaxed. 

I don't need a table runner (it is a little large for my tiny little table). This is not exactly intended as gift for anyone. It just seemed like something I needed to make, even if it was something I did not need.

Therapeutic sewing. Sometimes a random project in the midst of Christmas gift sewing madness is medicine.

Happy Wednesday!

[No works in progress this week, I left for a work trip and actually did not leave any sorts of unfinished business in my sewing lair... well, not much and I don't have any pictures with me]

Sunburst Baby Quilt

Finished quilt!

This quilt is going to a special home. I grew up in close proximity to this baby's father. His little sister and I were born months apart, and we all spent a great deal of time together throughout childhood. I mean, how many people (other than your siblings) can you say you have run naked through the sprinkler with? Now my friend and his lovely wife are going to be parents themselves. They are the first of our tight group to join that exclusive club and I am so happy for them. We have sort of grown apart recently, but I still feel a little like my brother (or close cousin?) is having a baby! Yay!

I based this quilt design off of Denyse Schmidt's, Crazy Star Quilt (in Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration). I am saying based, because I did not so much follow the pattern as look at the picture in my book. Then I decided to make a quilt that looks sort of like it. 

 I ended up paper piecing my strips for the points (instead of using the cloth base that Denyse recommends). Obviously, I scaled it down a bit to be baby sized.

This baby is entering life during a cold, dark, Chicago winter, so I wanted this quilt to be bright and cheerful. I also intentionally did not make the quilt that baby-ish... It is just downsized adult quilt. We do not know the baby's gender yet (well, maybe someone knows, but they aren't telling me), so I wanted this to work for a boy or a girl. I also wanted the mom and dad to have something pretty, bright, and grown up to look at while they are facing the challenges and rewards of this little guy or gal.

I took an un-official survey at my office (sample size = 1 adult male with two daughters) and my respondent told me he enjoyed having things for his girls that were not 100% little kid looking. What do other parents out there think?

That is not to say that I do not want this quilt treated like an adult thing. I would be so happy if it got abused, played on, worn out, and washed a million times. I think I generally speak for all quilters who make baby quilts when I say, I want this sucker to get loved. It is washable. Memories made on handmade things are beautiful. 

I fell in love with Denyse's quilting design and decided to fill up the negative space with the most adorable free motion, sort of organic (read: messy and unplanned), loops. I just made them on my home sewing machine while watching old episodes of TV on Netflix. I think it works.

The back is made up of some Kona strips I had left over from another quilt, some of the Kona Steel (I think?) from the front, and a single strip of Madrona Road (Haystack?) to mimic the bright star on the front. The star is made entirely out of scraps, curated for their brightness and happiness, and sewn together at random. Goodness, I love improvising!

Quilt Stats:
Name: Sunburst Baby Quilt
Size: 45"x43"
Fabrics: Kona Steel (I think?) for the front background, assorted scraps for the star (comment if you are curious about a specific fabric and I will try to find out what it is), the back has some Madrona Road Haystack, and assorted Kona blues from my stash.
Binding: Scraps of binding from my leftover binding (I am the worst at remembering fabric names!)
Pattern: Based on Crazy Star (from Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration)
Quilting: Free motion loops (à la Denyse Schmidt)