Thursday, December 3, 2015

Pink-a-licous

How about that?!  I've actually been ahead of the game and have a post and quilt ready for Throwback Thursday!  Thanks Jenn for the gentle reminder!  Maybe not by much, a half a day, but that counts and it seems to be the way I operate.

Pink.  Yes it is!  It doesn't happen often, but I've been known to make a quilt with prints occasionally!

This one was made for my Great-Niece Kailee.  Way back in 2009 when I just wanted to make, make, make...it was suggested I make a quilt for Kailee.  She loved pink then, now I'm not sure, but I knew I couldn't go wrong back then.
   

If I recall, as it's been a few years, this pattern was in an issue of American Patchwork & Quilting.  The circles are applique using the freezer paper method. 


This was my first attempt at applique.  My first run in with freezer paper.  My first shot at blanket stitching.  And my very first time at quilting anything other than straight lines!  

The fabric is by Kumiko Sudo - Haru Kaze (Spring Breeze).  This fabric reminds me of a water color painting.  Soft and delicate, a touch of Asian and not to little girl pink!



How about this for a first time 'design'?!  I knew the big circles needed something other than the usual, and if I was oh so careful...I knew I could do it.  Slowly, slowly, very slowly I went.



The back in this picture is rather dull.  In real life it wasn't...bad camera and inexperience played a big part in this!  It's hard to believe that I use to quilt the bare minimum back then! Now it's quilt until it's dead!



I would embroider my name, city, state and date on a triangle for each quilt I made.  My family was not going to forget who made this quilt for them!



A matching pillow case was needed for a little girls first quilt.  I don't remember how I made this pillow case.  I wonder if I winged it or found a pattern somewhere.  It doesn't look like it, but just under the circles I machine embroidered Kailee's name across the pillow case.  

I often wonder if she still uses her little quilt.  Has she out grown it?  Did she snuggle in it when she was sick or cold or watching T/V?  Kailee lives back in Portland Oregon, where I lived before Tennessee.  We rarely get back to visit, but it doesn't mean I don't think about all my family back there often. Especially this time of the year.

Really the only Holiday themed quilting I have done were these Christmas stockings.  I hunted for the picture in the deep, dark depths of the horrible photo archives!


One was for my daughter, one for her then boyfriend and one was for a friend of my son. I don't often sew anything other than quilts, especially in the early days!  These looked like fun and I could get crazy with the fabric!

LINKING:

16 comments :

  1. Very cute - you did a good job on that appliqué - I find it very difficult. I love the stockings you made, too. Adorable. I love Throwback Thursday - it's fun to explore how I used to be. Unfortunately I don't have too many of my older ones - gave a lot of them away and didn't take pictures.

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    1. I'm not a big appliqué person either. When I first got the quilt bug I wanted to do everything….everything! It was fun, pretty easy and mostly I learned from it. My pictures from early quilts are awful! I also gave away many of them, but its fun to search the archives…we've come a long way baby!!

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  2. I know what you mean about quilting the bare minimum back when I first got started. Actually, until fairly recently if I am honest about it. I like how you used a solid for the backing of the quilt, and even though there isn't a lot of quilting it does show how meticulously you did the work! I was also on an embroidery tagging kick for a while. Now I just don't tag at all (bad, I know). I have a couple of stockings hidden away, too... for good reason! Yours look so much nicer than mine. :)

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    1. I think that with every year that goes by, I delve into the 'quilting' world more and more. Where a grid use to be fine and about all I could thing of, now I take the time to think it out so much more! Yes, it is bad you don't tag your quilts Yvonne!!! You need to toot your own horn and get some labels!

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  3. A pink beauty, I am sure Kailee has fond memories cuddling with it:) I am using a freezer paper method for my daily dots sewalong quilt (Quilty 365) and like it a lot!

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    1. I'm sure she has some memories from it as well! I sometimes worry that the quilt will get wadded up and thrown in the corner…from those who haven't a clue what quilting is! I learned a lot with this quilt, it reinforced how much I love quilting!

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  4. There were a lot of firsts in this quilt for you. Kudos for giving it a try. I, too, only quilting a little - basically stitch in the ditch.

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    1. When I started quilting and fell in love with it, I wanted to do everything…everything! I learned a lot from this one. And one day I may appliqué again!

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  5. That pink quilt is sweet... and you know how I feel about pink! Isn't it fun to look at how much our style and ways of work have changed since we started? Those stockings are too fun. Mine are very traditional. Oh well. Perhaps when DT gets bigger, I'll do a new round of stockings for the family! Thanks for linking up with Throwback Thursday @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge!

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    1. I know how you and pink mix…water and oil! For a pink quilt, it isn't too bad! Styles and taste levels have been raised a lot since we started our quilting journeys! Thank goodness! The stockings are so different from the ones for the four of us. I should post a picture of the two I made for me and my husband before children! They are something and nearly 34 years old!

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  6. Love the mix of all the pinks in her quilt. I have never thought of embroidering along the pillowcase like that, great idea.

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    1. Thank you Paige! It was a first on many levels for me. Just starting out my quilting obsession back then and I had to try everything!

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  7. What a sweet gift for you niece. I'm sure she has enjoyed it over the years. I absolutely love those stockings! Especially the one in the middle that looks like an elf stocking.

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    1. I know when she received it, she loved it! Not sure what the status of it is now, but it sure was fun! The stockings were a lot of fun to make, I know the elf one was the hardest!

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  8. Wow, I find it amazing that you tried so many new-to-you techniques--and it all worked! No matter how she feels about pink now, I bet your niece was over the moon about this quilt. If you were doing the Quilty 365 circles, you'd be way ahead of the game.

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  9. Good work and Nice stockings!

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