L is for Lila

Hey there friend!

This post is brought to you by the letter - L

L is for Lila

This quilt was a work of love.

And lots and lots of hearts!

Here is the math:

220 rectangles + 220 squares + 440 smaller squares = 880 pieces 

And 880 pieces = 110 hearts

Whew!

I totally "heart" this quilt and tote set I made for sweet baby Lila. Well, I actually made it for my mom to give to Lila's mommy.  {Mom is still my best customer and I really "heart" her, too}

I don't know if I've ever had a quilt come out as close to the vision in my head as this one.

When I saw this quilt pattern I imagined hearts in pastel colors and delicate patterns. The white to set each one off was a must. Do you see how by sewing one row with the hearts facing up and the next with them facing down I got a chevron pattern in-between every other row? Pretty cool huh!?

I decided to carry over the chevron pattern with the fabric I chose for the backing. The binding, in a deeper purple with a little flower design, looks great on both the front and back of the quilt.

Adding a lining to the tote always makes it extra special and pretty.

I hope sweet Lila enjoys being snuggled in this quilt and feels the love coming out of all those hearts!

 Love ya,

A is for Annalisa

Hey there friend!

This post is brought to you by the letter - A

 

A is for Annalisa

 What a pretty name for a little girl!

 

 

 One day while browsing online for baby print fabrics,  

I found the cutest fabric panel with a butterfly & flowers in purple & green.

Love it!!

One day I would have to make a quilt from this.
It's absolutely perfect for a sweet baby girl's quilt.
And by using a panel of fabric it would be easy peasy. 


However, when I found it at the store I wasn't so in love with the way it was made.
Bummer.
I had my heart set on this ever since I first saw it.
And especially, after finding out that Annalisa's mommy was going to have a little girl.

Oh well, gotta keep looking.

Happily, I found fabric that would work just as nicely made from flannel and minky
 that coordinated with the fabric panel's design.
It has four inch squares already sewn together - time saver.
And there was even matching flannel yardage available for the backing.
Sweet!


 Oh my! Be still my quilt and fabric lovin' heart.  Isn't this adorable for a girl?!

 Quick and easy since it's "ready made" in a cute patchwork design.

 

 

 

 The only problem is that the blocks are not lined up as well as I'd like them to be.

When I sew my quilt blocks together, my rule is -

If it's more than 1/4" off  - let a bit of the seam out and try to adjust it.

And if that doesn't work - out comes the seam ripper and it's a "do over" 

 

 

Hopefully, the squiggly lines I sewed over each seam
 to quilt it all together somewhat hides and disguises the unevenness.

The back is soft flannel and the pattern matches one of the patterns on the front.

 

 

And of course a large canvas tote for sweet Miss Annalisa. 

I hand drew the flower myself

and used scraps from the quilt's front to piece it together.

{Who knew that drawing block letters and flowers on book covers

in high school sure comes in handy later in life?}

 And added a bit of girly flair by sewing a scrolling leaf pattern

 along the tote's top and each handle in a variegated green thread.

 

 

Always line the totes is another of "my rules".

It finishes them off nicely and hides the stitching

from the front's applique stitches.

This one I lined in cotton fabric in white with little purple dots.

Oh so girly!

 

 

 

When I purchased the fabric the lady at the cutting table asked what I was going to make. When I told her a baby quilt, she asked if this was the mom's color theme for the baby's room.

 

My reply - "Ummm..... I don't know. *nervous giggle* I sure hope so

because I really like it and think it's perfect for a baby girl."

 

I'm happy to report that these actually are the color's for Annalisa. Whew!

 

Praying blessings for Annalisa and her sweet mommy. Can't wait to meet her!

 



 Love ya,

H is for Harrison

Hey there friend!


My last post was brought to you by the letter C -  for baby Caiden. 
I sure don't want baby Harrison to feel left out. Especially with the two of them being cousins and all. 

Sooooo ........

This post is brought to you by the letter - H

H is for Harrison.
~ Harrison Scott Larson ~

I've known his daddy, Seth, since he was a toddler.
And just like the whole Larson family,
Seth has a special place in my heart.

A few months ago, while I was at Hobby Lobby some pretty adorable fabric spoke to me. Actually, since this was my first ever time at Hobby Lobby nearly everything was speaking to me. Love that place!

That day in June it happened like this -
I was minding my own business and looking for fabrics for a pillow and maybe to cover the chairs on the back porch.  As I came around a corner, all of a sudden, I looked down and there were Jungle Babies peeking at me! It was love at first sight! Baby monkeys {he's my favorite}, baby lions, baby giraffes and friends. 

I had a feeling that this was it. This was the fabric meant for Harrison's quilt.

The coordinating striped fabric was a no brainer. I had to get some of that, too. But, I wasn't too sure about which fabric for the backing. {more on that later}

I knew I already had some solid greens, in various shades, left over from other projects to add to the quilt.

For the binding I would use the same blueish/greenish fabric I had used for the binding on Caiden's quilt.

Funny thing about some fabrics is that even though C's quilt and H's quilt are such different patterns and color schemes it looks great on both. Yay!

 Here is Harrison's quilt! Cute and so boyish. 

Hopefully, he'll snuggle with it and use it for lots of nap times and many years to come. 

 Top.... bottom.... left.... right.....

....which ever way Harrison looks there are some cute faces smiling at him. 

For the actual quilting, I used a wavy stitch (instead of a straight stitch). It added a nice touch.
 

Peek-a-boo!   

I admit that I'm usually not too keen on animal prints. 

Not for my clothing or in my quilting. 

Thanks to my cuz who was with me that day -
she wanted to know, "Why not get the giraffe print, too?"
I decided to give it a try.

So glad I did. It's prefect for the quilt's back!

And of course I had to make a tote bag to match.

Those jungle babies are just too cute!

The inside is lined ...

... there they are peeking out at you!

So friend there you have it. The letter H with the cutest jungle babies ever. 

Do you know of any baby quilts and totes that need to be made? 

I still have 24 more letters to use. *wink*

Lots of love, thoughts and planning are put into the designing and making of each baby quilt. During the whole process I always pray for the baby and his/her mommy and daddy.

Best wishes to Seth and Monica! 

Praying for God's blessings on you and your sweet baby boy as you now are a family of three!

Love ya, 

C is for Caiden

Hello there friend!

I've been dying to share with you two of my favorite things to create -
a quilted baby blanket with a coordinated and monogrammed tote.

{creating and designing decorative pillows come in a close third}

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

This post is brought to you by the letter - C

 C  is for Caiden.

Caiden Jack Clark to be exact.
He is a precious newborn babe.
{I wish I had a picture of him to share with you}

The baby shower for his sweet mommy was two weeks ago.
Three days later Caiden made his appearance. Yay!
Mommy and baby (and daddy) are all doing fine.
I've know Summer Lynn (aka Caiden's Mommy) since she was in Kindergarten.

Months ago, when I heard the news from her over-the-moon thrilled mom that she was expecting, I knew I wanted to make a quilt.
Summer and her whole family are very special to us.

In fact, I knew exactly which fabric panel I wanted to use. I'd seen it a few months prior and well.... I sure was glad when I heard she was having a boy. 

Too cute! Perfect for a baby boy! But, not too babyish so that he can use it as a toddler, too.

 Vroom!!!

The quilt's back with happy polka dots.
{I always think of  polka dots as being happy}

The canvas tote (bought at Joann's) which I decorated.......

 ........ and added a lining in pretty cotton fabric.



All set for the baby shower....

.... with some tissue paper and curly ribbon it's a gift bag with the coordinating quilt inside.
Pretty clever, not to mention cute, don't ya think?

So friend, what do you think?

I love these quilt and tote combos so much that I think if I ever did find the time for my etsy shop these would be "my thing".   Sigh.... maybe some day that dream will come true.

For now I'll enjoy making them and give them as gifts. In fact, I have another quilt/tote set in the making for another sweet baby that's due to make his appearance early this fall. *wink* 

Love ya!

Bathroom Decorating on a Dime

Hi friend!

I recently took some time off from quilting. Sometimes I need to take a little break. But, I can't seem to go very long without giving in to the creative side of me. So, while I didn't make any quilts, I did sew and create a few things for our master bath.

A mini makeover in that room was really over due.

We've had the same bathroom decor for over 20 years, which we've used in two different homes. I really regret not having taken any "before" pictures. By the time I thought of it, there was no way I was gonna put everything back the way it was. Sorry, but you'll just need to use your imagination. 

Just picture this -

A dark green and white vertical striped shower curtain with a scalloped valance trimmed with pink and cranberry flowers. On the back of the toilet there was a crocheted doilie and a dark green plastic tissue box cover. A round ceramic bowl with cranberry and pink flowers painted on the side held fake plastic ivy plants and sat on the window sill.

OK? So do ya have that all kinda pictured in your mind? If no, than just think typical country bath circa 1980 - 1990. Yikes!

It was a bit of a chore trying to figure out what colors, patterns and style we wanted. Our taste in decor has changed a little over the years.

We needed whatever we chose to fit in with what can't be changed - the shower tiles, vanity and sink, toilet and floor tiles.

Plus there's the budget. Nothing too big or fancy and definitely nothing too pricey could be done.

Oh and not everything matches the same now like when we had the house built. Our toilet and sink/counter top are newer and white instead of gray. The shower tiles and tub are original and gray. A few tiles have a flower design in cranberry and white. Must say I loved that cranberry color back in the day, didn't I?

First, to go was the white window curtain with a crocheted lace trim that I actually still love. I just went ahead and hung it in the hall bath. The mini valance I had sewn a few years back for that bath was faded. So that was a win-win for both baths.

Next, step was figuring what if anything was going to look nice on the window sill.

Since I had a few dollars left over from Christmas I went on a hunt for the perfect thing.

And I think I found it -

It's metal with wooden handles and holds three little glass bottles. I got it and the flowers on sale for 40% off. I think it's oh so cute. OK - so maybe I still love a touch of a berry color.  

I even had a few dollars left to put towards a wooden tissue box cover. It wasn't on sale, but I still saved 40% by using a coupon.

I had looked online and most decorated tissue box covers were $25.00 and up. Plus the S&H fees. Nope not gonna pay that much to store snot rags.

So, I dressed up that little wooden box by using some fabric and stain that I already had. And that cute wooden star? It was maybe $.25. Total for this project was under $5.00. Yes! And score!

To save money, and because I love to sew, I made the little quilted mat that's under the tissue box cover. The surface on the back of this toilet is not flat. I wanted something to help keep the tissue box from slipping and falling into the toilet when I grabbed for a tissue. The mat seems to do the trick.

Another good deal was the gray fabric. By using coupons I only paid $6.50. It has kind of a basket weave pattern to it. I already had the navy blue fabric that has tiny white stars speckled all over it.

I used those same two fabrics to make a new window curtain and lined it in white. I just kinda figured the design as I went along. I'm pretty darn pleased with how it turned out. I may have even done a little happy dance after I hung it up.

Not sure why the wall color looks dark.... it's really "steam white". Oh well.


My favorite new thing is a wall plaque that I made.

It cost about a dollar for the fabric. That's it. I already had the frame.

I love this fabric!  It's real easy to write and stencil on. I had used it at Christmas to make a couple of pillows and loved how easy it was to work with.

If you look really close you can see the white thread I used to "hang" the stars from the g and the two y's. Kinda clever don't you think? 

We ended up buying a new shower curtain. I had thought of making one. However, the cost of a quality fabric didn't seem to give us much, if any, in way of savings. Plus, when I figured in the time it would take to make, it simply made more sense to buy one.

We went with a gray and white checked design that goes well with all the other gray and white in the room, but really gives an updated vibe. I'm sure I'll have this one for about another 20+ years. By that time I'll be in my mid to late seventies and probably won't care. Ha!

Oh yea! Looking at this picture I just remembered that I did purchase the metal hooks with white knobs. Again I used a coupon that gave me 20% off. The set came to only a little over $11.00. I felt it was a bit of a splurge, but the old $.99 white plastic rings were not gonna cut it. No way! And for under a dollar a piece? Good enough for me and I'm happy with the purchase. We did decide to stay with the white curtain rod. Silver would look nice, but isn't necessary when you're on a budget.

I still have towels (navy and gray) and a toilet seat cover (navy) to get. Maybe a rug in blues and grays for an added touch of color for under the sink area. As well as, a new toothbrush holder and soap dispenser. The old dark green ceramic ones will have to work for now. I'll get these last few items when I can find a sale and/or coupons.

It was fun coming up with a new design and seeing how much we could save by being creative, reusing things we already have and using coupons. 

And it's amazing what a few new touches can do to bring our out-of-the-eighties bathroom into 2014.

Show & Tell ~ Lisa's Large Quilt

Hi friend!
So glad you stopped by. 

Today it's Show & Tell here at Miss Maribel's Place. Yay!

The large quilt I've been working on is finally done!

To read about the Show & Tell post for the small quilt I made click HERE. And click HERE to read the post about the extra little surprise I made.

Anyways, this large quilt ended up measuring 74" x 63". That's pretty big for my Singer sewing machine. I think it's about as big as my $99.00 machine from WalMart can handle. Yay for Singer machines!

So are you ready for the big reveal??

OK

And here

it

is.......


Taaa Daaaaa!

I wanted to somehow keep the individuality of each of the six baby blankets, so each block consists of two front and two back squares from the same baby blanket. I used dark and light denim to frame each block. The small squares match the back and binding.

And then.....


When I realized there was going to be a lot of squares and scraps leftover, I decided to incorporate a few quilt blocks onto the back. Another little surprise for my cuz Lisa.


Who says only the front of the quilt should be pretty?!

For the center design, I made six large blocks. For each block I  used a strip of the front and the back from each baby blanket. Framed them in the dark denim. Added a row of light denim rectangles and one square from each of the blankies. Then finished it all with one more row of dark denim to frame it all in.

Being that there's a pretty pattern on each side, the quilt is now reversible. Kinda like two quilts for the price of one.  

Lovin' it!

Thankfully, Lisa wasn't too concerned about a time frame for completing the quilts. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. I admit that I did do a few other sewing and quilting projects in between working on her two quilts and the pillow.

I've found if it's a really work intensive project I need to take a break or I get burnt out. Gotta keep the creative juices fresh and flowing. 

There were a lot of hours put into making these things for Lisa, but I put a lot of love in each one, too.

And that's the important thing - the love.

I'm not talking about just from me creating these quilts. But, also the love Lisa has for her sweet daughter to have kept her blankies for all these years and then have such a neat way to renew and reuse them. I'm thinking one day Kennedy will use the small blanket for her own babies. Wrap them in some love that's been passed down from her momma.

I truly hope my wonderful cousin and her sweet daughter enjoy what I've made and that these will be quilts that are passed down in their family for years to come.

How many years does it take before it's considered an heirloom I wonder?

Now, to get it all packed and shipped out to my cuz.

Quilting Scraps That Never End

Hi friend!

Ever sing - The song that never ends? 
You know the one - it goes on and on my friends.
And it's all because - someone started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because it's .........

Fun song until it sticks in your head for the next two days.
Oh sorry! Are you singing it now? Oops!

Well, I'm afraid I may just start singing my own version of that song.

It all started 
with a box full 
of baby blankets. 











We're talking just seven small receiving blankets - like 36" x 32".
The plan was to cut them up and make them into two quilts for my cousin Lisa.

As of now, I've completed one small quilt that is 36" x 35". I shared about it in my Whaa laaa! It's Magic! post.

Plus, I'm in the process of completing the second, larger quilt that should be about 70" x 80" when it's finished.

I'll do a Show & Tell post about that when it's finally done.

It seems that the box of leftover quilt squares and scrap pieces will never be empty. Who knew you could get so much fabric from just seven little blankies?!

Here's what I have left to play with - 
about half a box of scraps.
I swear they're multiplying! 








Sing with me -
The scraps that never end,
they go on and on my friends.
Someone started sewing them not knowing what it was,
and they'll continue quilting them forever just because it's .......

Sooooo...
I've made a little extra something to coordinate with the two quilts.

Sure hope my cousin and her daughter like it.

Thought I'd reveal it to them right here and now.
And of course that means I'm sharing it with you, too.

So cuz Lisa and sweet Kennedy......

*

*

*


SURPRISE!!

*

*

*

and Whaa laaa!

                                                                 

I hope you guys like it!  

It has one square of each front & back from all six blankets.
The corners and middle are from the solid yellow.
The flowered edging matches the backing on the small quilt I made.
The back is solid denim. 

I was just gonna have a "W" embroidered, but than decided to have Kennedy's initials put on it.

So, a few final thoughts here.....
 ~ if you'd like, I can make another pillow with just the "W"
 ~ Kennedy will now need to marry someone with his name starting with a "W"  {just kidding}
 ~ being that I still have some scraps left  - how about a Christmas tree skirt? table runner? teddy bear? ........ I guess the ideas are endless, too.

My Sweet Puppy vs My Pretty Quilt

Hey there friend!

Are you a dog or cat person?
We've had both. I think I'm a bit more of a cat person.

However, we do have a sweet dog that we "inherited" when our son died. 
Her name is Lacey. {aka. Puppy Head, Lacey Lou, Rump Roast, Baby Girl, Beast}

I truly love my sweet Lacey Lou. And she truly loves me and hubby.

Another thing she truly loves is to roll around on the bed in our guest room.

Oh such a cute puppy. Ahhh such a comfy bed.

However, I don't always love the results of such cuteness.

Yep! That would be: puppy-1, quilt-0

Oh well. At least it's not a quilt I spent hours making.

I bought a bed-in-a-bag set a number of years ago before I started quilting.

The set came with two pillow shams. I use one on the bed. The second one I cut up to make tiebacks for the curtains. I'm so glad I saved the scraps that were left over from that second sham.

Just a little cutting and deconstruction with my scissors, an iron and some stuff called "Heat-n-Bond" and I was able to patch up my poor puppy-love abused quilt.

Since it's a patchwork design to begin with, I think the added patches look absolutely fine. A little newer looking perhaps, but I'm sure they'll look battle worn in no time.

Ah- hem! Don't even think about it my sweet Miss Lacey!

Stay! Good girl!

Now I'm off to the quilted comforter on my bed. No extra scraps to work with, but I have a couple of ideas that may work.

I guess if I also count that one the score is: puppy-2, quilts-0

Oh my Lacey Lou. You're so lucky you give me such good kisses when I get home from work.

Whaa laaa! It's Magic!

Hey there friend!

For a while now I've been having a ton of  fun quilting. I've made rag quilts, baby quilts, big quilts, and lap quilts in all kinds of colors and designs. Some were for family, a few I made and donated to adoption fundraisers and once or twice now I've sold them for a small profit.

Today, I'd like to share with you about two special quilts I'm making for my cousin. Thought I'd share a couple of pictures I've taken of the process as well.

Anyways, quite a while ago I got a Facebook message asking me if I could make a quilt for her. She had a wonderful idea of having a quilt made from her daughter's baby blankets. Of course I said, "Yes!".

Once she found where she had stored the baby blankets (her daughter is now a beautiful and sweet teenager), she packed them up and mailed them to me to {in her words} "do my magic".

Whoa! The pressure is on.

No pressure from her. She is very laid back about the whole thing. Says she wouldn't know where to start to figure out a pattern and design. That's ok since I love that part as much as the quilting. And as far as a time frame - she says, "no worries".

But for me? Well, yea, there's a bit of pressure. I mean the first step is to cut these blankets into pieces. Chop up the very blankets that kept her baby girl, her first born, all snugly warm and comfy.

Plus, she would like to see if there would be enough fabric from the blankets to make not one quilt, but two. One "as large as I can make" and one "baby" size.

I think that's a great idea! I truly do. However, there's not much room for error when I measure out and begin cutting for the first one or there won't be enough left for the other. It's not like I can go to a fabric store to get more of the fabric if I happen to measure incorrectly. Yikes!


When I received the box and peeked inside I saw seven receiving blankets.

One blanket was pale yellow with an applique of a bird and bird house in one corner. The other six colorful blankets had a different pattern on each side. Each side's color scheme coordinated perfectly with the other side.

After a little testing I found that the two sides would come apart nicely once I removed the binding along the edges. It would be easy to turn six blankets into twelve pieces of fabric to work with. Whaa laaa!

However, now I had to figure out a way to coordinate all the different colors and patterns together into the new quilts. There were blues, pinks, purple, peach, red and yellow.

There was also at least one or two (ok maybe three) nervous messages back and forth on Facebook with my cuz.

Was she sure?

Can I add other fabrics?
What kind of fabric?
Solid or patterned?

What about the back of the quilt?
Solid or patterned?
What color?

She sweetly told me again to just do my magic. She's a southern gal and was probably really thinking, "Well, just bless her heart."

Once I got all that nonsense out of the way and after a deep breath, it was time to start trimming off the bindings and separating fronts from backs.


And now there are 14 rectangles of fabric and all those loose cut off bindings.

Whew! There's no turning back now.

A bit more measuring and then ironing on some stabilizer stuff to the back of each piece. Don't want the squares to be all wonky and uneven.

And let the cutting of squares begin!


Squares, rectangles and more squares.

Now time to actually start piecing and sewing and quilting.  Oh my!


For the baby blanket size -

I used one each of the twelve different patterns for the center making four blocks. I then framed that with some dark blue denim. Added  a border of the pale yellow around that. Next, I added another frame of small squares of each pattern with light blue denim in the corners.

I appliqued the birdie to one corner. And finished the whole thing off with a wide strip of dark blue denim.

For the backing I used a soft cotton in (what I'd call) a very light tea stained color. It has a light and airy design of tiny flowers and vines.

I turned over the denim from the front to make a border on the back.

And that's it!  Whaa laaa!!!

I did it! And I had a blast. It was a joy to make this for my cousin.

From the planning and measuring - to the trimming and cutting - to the sewing together the blocks and rows. Then finally quilting it all together. It's creatively fun stuff.

I love when I finish a quilt and see how pretty it is. Yet I usually feel kinda sorry it's done. Like finishing a really good book and not wanting the story to end.

But, it's ok because I still have lots of work to do on the big quilt. I already have everything planned, measured and cut. Even have a few rows pieced and sewn together. Yay!

All I'm gonna share for now is that it's gonna be similar, but different from the baby quilt. Ha!

That tells you a lot, doesn't it?

OK, so it'll have a different design using the same twelve patterns from the six quilts. The backing will be different, but similar.

Will there be denim? Well, ....... ummm ...... maybe. *wink*

Guess you'll have to wait for the pictures when it's all done and I've worked my magic once again.