Friday, April 8, 2011

dr. seuss quilt

Don't' you just love Dr. Seuss? I've always loved him, and passed that love along to my kids. When the Dr. Seuss fabric line came out, I had to make a quilt. This is the one I finished in February (but obviously forgot to post). Kind of (very) bright for my taste - but, can you imagine being a kid with all of your favorite characters on your blanket? I'd love it. I tried to temper the wild colors on the back a bit by using mostly black and white, then put big patches on to add a little burst of color and tie in the front. Basically what I'm saying is that I have a quilt back fetish and love to do something unexpected on the back of quilts. I'm a pattern follower for the front, but play around with the back. Someday I aspire to be a true modern quilter and have the confidence to play around on the front as well.
One more baby quilt for a little one that has too many quilts already. But then again - is there any such thing as too many quilts?

Sunday, April 3, 2011

dan stiles marine quilt

When I first saw the Dan Stiles Marine fabric line, I became a stalker. I watched any web site that said it was coming soon, and then watched it some more, waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting. This fabric line actually was slotted to come out in October or November of last year, and kept getting postponed. I think it was January or early February before I finally received my fabric purchase. I love the colors though - it was worth the wait. My biggest problem with this fabric line was that it was so cute, I just couldn't figure out a pattern to put it together in. I finally decided on this design, with the centers being the big designs, and the edges of the block just enhancing with color.I love the little guy in a boat that I saved for the back. (He's not from the Marine line - can't remember where I got him.) I just think he's adorable.
Quilting this time around wasn't my favorite. I like how it turned out in the end, but it took me quite a while to be motivated enough to actually complete the quilting portion because I quilted it with straight lines, rather that free motion. Not my favorite way to quilt, but I like the end result this time.
Just one more quilt that a little baby in the southwest really doesn't need, especially with summer coming up. It's just so fun to be creative with little boy fabrics though!