Neutral Territory

Three Baby Quilts

in neutrals from stash

are all now finished and are 42 inches square. 

All three backs came from stash too. 

When my sister requested a neutral baby quilt for my niece I wasn't sure what I could make from stash that would be cute for a baby.  I really am trying to make quilts from stash and not buy any fabric unless it is for backgrounds or backings.  

Quilt number one consists of six inch Sawtooth Stars

I quilted it on my DSM with vertical lines.

The backing is pieced and the binding is a gingham printed on the bias. 

I've been going through my fabric and pulling out big prints so I can find a use for them. I thought this was kind of cute for a baby quilt...the good old days...

...and the good old toys and the good old words of wisdom. 

Six Inch Broken Dishes

That's what quilt number 2 is made of. 

I quilted it with spirals on my DSM. The binding is dark gray with white triangles. 

The backing features little owls on a tan background. 

Quilt number 3 is Four Patch Pooches. 

I quilted it on the diagonals on my DSM. 

And I had just enough of this crowd of pooches for the back. 

Lately most of my days have been spent outside in the gardens but in between rains I have managed to get a little sewing done. I figured I should first work on finishing up these little quilts since finishing them was my May OMG (One Monthly Goal). 

OMG at Elm Street Quilts

 

How Am I Supposed To Make A Cute Baby Quilt With Neutrals?

My youngest sister who lives in a land far far away (California) called me at the end of March,

"Katrina is expecting a baby boy in July. They are going to call him Ryder. When she goes back to work I'm going to watch him 3 days a week. Oh, and the nursery is done in neutrals." 

I'm not on Facebook so I usually get news of a new family addition after the baby's arrival from siblings or in-laws - the proud grandparents.  I don't think I have ever known the colors or theme of a new baby's nursery so when I gift a baby quilt it is a Cathy's Choice quilt. And most of the time I send a quilt to the proud grandparents to pass on to baby's parents or to keep for when baby visits.  

I'm sure my sister gabbed on about more things on that phone call because she is a gabber and sometimes a repeater. Usually I am a listener but after she told me the new baby news all I could think of was --how the heck am I supposed to make a cute baby quilt with neutrals?

In those days after the phone call I issued myself a challenge - try to make a cute baby quilt with neutrals. I like to challenge myself because it helps me to get things done and sometimes I even get to experience the feeling- of -accomplishment high.

 I pulled all the neutrals in my stash that seemed like they might be okay in a quilt for a baby. I piled them all at the end of the ironing board and looked at them for days. The pile was not really a pile but more like a mole hill. When I used to buy fabric I usually bought a half yard at the most so I could have a lot of variety. Most of the neutral pieces in my mole hill were less than half yards and they kind of said "blah" to me. Blah, blah, blah. 

I like Sawtooth Stars so I decided I'd make a few with my neutrals -- 3.5 inch and 2 inch width pieces were cut. Then I cut my Flying Geese parts with the Easy Angle and Easy Angle Companion rulers from the 2 inch width fabrics. 

Ok. So I thought the little six inch (finished) Sawtooth Stars were kind of cute and before I knew it there were 49 of them and then a quilt top 42 inches square. 

Well then I had a bunch of 3.5 inch width scraps left over. This year when that happens I usually make Four Patches. But there were a lot of leftovers and so I first decided to make HSTs and then Pinwheels but then changed my mind and made Broken Dishes which are really more like broken Pinwheels to me because if you put the bottom two HSTs of a Broken Dishes block on top of the top two HSTs of a Broken Dishes block you actually have a Pinwheel. (And that is why you can see Pinwheels in a Broken Dishes quilt. Well, at least I can.)

After I made 49 Broken Dishes I had used most of the leftover 3.5 inch scraps and then some and I had another little quilt top that is also 42 inches square. 

So maybe baby Ryder gets two quilts - one for his house and one for Grandma's house since in the future he will be there three days a week. 

But did I meet the challenge? Are those cute baby quilts?? Well, kind of but there is not a novelty fabric in sight. How can a kid love a quilt with no bright colors or novelties? 

Then I remembered a baggie of four inch dog themed squares a friend sent me. And I pulled out the neutral dogs counting to see if I had enough for 36 Four Patches. I was shy squares for about four blocks but I had some dog fabrics to supplement. 

And since my neutral mole hill was still at the end of my ironing board I cut some 4 inch squares and made some Four Patches. 

 And then a third quilt 42 inches square was made. It has some novelties so it has to be cute. Right?

Maybe cute is in the eye of the beholder. 

Now to get these finished and mailed off for some California dreaming with Ryder. But first I need to find some cute backings. 

My OMG (One Monthly Goal) for May is to finish all 3 of these quilts. 

OMG at Elm Street Quilts

Two Finishes

Two little finishes. 

#1 

The top was finished February 2020. It is made of 30s reproduction scraps I won that were left over from making a kaleidoscope quilt. I also added in some scraps of my own. 

The quilt measures 48 x 56. 

I pieced the batting and I quilted it with spirals in yellow thread. 

I had a sweet pea fabric left over from some pillowcases I made the grandkids when they were younger that I used for the backing. 

#2 

is a 36 inch square quilt. 

This has been a top since December 2019. 

I received orphan blocks from a friend. The upper right and lower left blocks were already sashed in orange. (Yes, one block is set the wrong way but so be it. I didn't want to take it apart and put it back together again).  I sashed the other eight blocks in upper left and lower right with yellow. Then I sashed all four of those blocks with some of my scraps and then added a border. 

This quilt also has pieced batting and was also quilted with spirals. 

I had a one yard piece of colorful elephants that made a nice backing. And when I was looking around for something to use for binding I came across a splotchy polka dot fabric that matched some of the elephant ears. How about that!

A little birdie (well, actually I guess storks are not that little) told me that my nephew and his wife gave birth to Eva on January 1 so these will probably be heading Eva's way some time soon if little birdie sends me an address. 

And on to the next!

 

I Spy a Finish

I Spy

40 x 48

For baby Marshall, my grandnephew, who entered the world a few days ago and a few days before grandnephew, Tyberius, who already has his quilt.  (Only 3 more quilts to go for this year - oh, the joys of a very large extended family!!!)

Baby and parents can play I Spy and spy colors, numbers, letters, pictures, things that start with a letter...and so on.  I suppose you could even spy some shapes and when they get older find something that rhymes with ?

I like to use these velvety iron on letters. I iron them on next to the pic that starts with the letter but don't put them all in the same spots next to each pic so kids have to hunt around.  The velvety feel gives an  extra tactile sensation when kids trace the letters.   Now...I'm not sure Marshall will be able to identify T for Telephones that look like that or even S for Stamp so he will get a history lesson with his quilt too. 

In order to get 30 blocks for a 5 x 6 layout I add fabrics with numbers and letters at the beginning and end. 

I backed it with some flannel with monkeys on it. 

This was my goal #10 

for Q2 Finish-A-Long

It was also my OMG (One Monthly Goal) for June

In the Hoop: The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit baby quilt is in the hoop. 

(FYI - There really is one Velveteen Rabbit in the quilt). 

Sally, of The Objects of Design, calls these Standing Bunnies and has a tutorial for them if you are interested. 

I've already used the Standing Bunny tutorial and now I just want to get this hand quilted and in the hope chest and crossed off the UFO list. (You know how rabbits multiply and I don't need any more UFOs at the moment). 

 My OMG (One Monthly Goal) for May is to completely finish The Velveteen Rabbit.

OMG at Elm Street Quilts

ABC, 123, Rainbow I Spy #1 of 5

I Spy #1 of 5

40 x 60

Ready to give as a shower gift next Saturday

(I just need to go buy a couple of books to include with the quilt. Books and a quilt...sometimes a stuffed animal or rattle are my usual baby gifts. )

I spy the color green, I spy something you can eat, I spy a bird, I spy the letter P...

I usually also include a couple of blocks with numbers at the beginning and end so you can find numbers.   The letters of the alphabet are iron on.  I iron them on after the quilting is done.  

I quilted it with spirals on my old plain Jane Janome since Brother Bob is not working very well these days.  I pieced together some batting and used some flannel monkeys on the back. I pre-washed the flannel since I knew it would shrink and darn it if it didn't shrink enough so that I was about one inch short in width so had to piece the backing.   Luckily I bought enough for several quilts.  

I had just enough of an  orange solid that matched the orange monkeys on the back so used it for the binding. 

This was my goal #18 

for 

2017 Q1 Finish-A-Long

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

ABC I Spy

40 x 48

I didn't expect to receive an invitation to a baby shower yet for a baby due on Halloween but I did and with only a 10 day advance notice.  Yikes! I had to finish up this shower gift quickly.  The shower for my nephew's wife is Saturday. 

I quilted it with spirals on my DSM in a light green thread. 

I have several sets of ABCs from swaps just waiting for an announcement of a new baby. I try to mix and match and include things with meaning to the family.  Grandma (my sister) LOVES flamingos and grandpa LOVES to play golf.  My nephew proposed on Halloween dressed as a banana and his soon-to-be wife was dressed as a monkey... 

...and mom LOVES owls.   I've made several of these ABC quilts and after all is quilted I iron on the letters of the alphabet from a purchased set of letters that are kind of velvety to the touch. 

Like I said...I thought I had more time to finish up this quilt.  I was going to order some ABC fabric I found on line for the backing but instead used some polka dot fabric from stash for the backing and binding. 

With a little book on ABCs my gift is complete.  I may add a rattle or two if I get a chance to get to the store. I was going to make a little stuffed rabbit and give a copy of the Velveteen Rabbit too but like I said...time was limited!

This was my goal #6     for    the Q3 Finish-A-Long

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

ABC - It's a Flimsy

ABC

Happy Blocks for a Baby Quilt

40 x 48

My nephew and wife are having a boy in October.  I guess his name is Zimmer. 

I have a lot of 6.5 inch ABC sets of fabrics from past swaps. Each set is different and it's fun to see what fabric represents each letter when the swaps come back.  

I bordered each square alternating polka dots and stripes (except for one mishap where I used polka dots instead of stripes but I'm sure the baby won't notice). 

I'll have to piece together some batting and then look around to see if I have something appropriate for the backing.   After I get it quilted I will iron on the appropriate letter to each block...hopefully without mishaps. 

Hopefully I'll get it quilted by October.  

Linking up to:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Bunny Breeding 101

 

And now there are 27.

It's easy to breed rabbits if you follow Sally's tutorials at her blog The Objects of Design. 

Still no Velveteen Rabbit in the mix. Maybe there will be an appearance soon.

 I took off work the next few days to help husband with some outside chores (cutting down some dead trees for firewood, cleaning up gardens, taking down snow fences, clearing area for new chicken coops, etc [oh, my aching back, I'm getting too old for this]) but hope to sneak in a little sewing too.  So, there may be a Velveteen Rabbit before Easter.  Still haven't found the darned book, though. I'm thinking I gave it to my daughter (or she gave it to herself).