Kids Quilts

A few months ago my husband got a job transfer back to our hometown. All of our family and many of our friends still live there so we were pretty excited when we found out we would be going home. My husband has been living with his parents for the last couple of months and it has been hard to be apart. Originally my plan was to let the kids finish out the school year and we would join him there in June. I promised the kids that I would make quilts for them before the move to help spruce up their new bedrooms. Well, things have not gone according to my plan, and we are also anxious to get settled there and begin our new life. Instead of the 6 months I planned to have, it could be as little as 1 or 2.

I didn't want to go back on my word though. Just because I don't have as much time as I thought I would, doesn't mean I had to give up having new quilts for them. So I decided to go with something extremely simple.

I chose a layer cake (a stack of 42 - 10 inch squares) for each child. I tried to choose ones that matched their style and personality. No cutting was involved in the making of these quilts! So super easy! I simply sewed the 10 inch squares together into rows. I still plan to add borders to make them a bit bigger.

This first one is for my son, Ben. It may look familiar since I just made a jelly roll quilt from the same fabrics for my husband. I thought it would be cute for the two men of the house to have matching quilts. The fabric I used is Reunion by Sweetwater.

This one is for Irene. She is at that age where she loves all things girly and cute. The prints in this line (Farm Fresh) are girly and cute, but not too girly that she won't still love it in a few years.

Alice is a very feminine young lady. I chose Ruby for her quilt. These are all her favorite colors and the prints are perfectly suited to her taste.

Then we a quilt for my oldest daughter, Sara. She loves bright, fun colors and modern design. As soon as I saw Half Moon Modern, I knew it was right for her.

I still have a lot to do to get these finished, but the quilting will be very simple as well so I am confident that that they will be done with plenty of time to spare! These have been so fun to make and I am feeling quite a sense of accomplishment at finishing these tops in just a few days time. Quilts don't have to be fancy to be loved. I know my kids will cherish these always no matter how simple they are.

A Christmas Quilt

That's right, a Christmas quilt. I know Christmas has passed but I'm still working on this one. I wasn't completely slacking or being lazy about finishing on time (as is usually the case). There's a story behind it!

My kids love handmade things and they love giving gifts. My oldest daughter came up with the idea that we - myself, my husband, and all 4 kids - draw names and have a handmade secret Santa exchange. Now my husband is one of those very picky types. I never give him anything because the response is always "That's great, dear. Thanks." (please note the lack of exclamation points!) If one of the kids got his name though, they could draw him a picture and he'd be completely happy with it. So guess who ends up drawing old grumpy pants name? Yep. Me. So then I'm stressing over what the heck to make him. He isn't really the kind of person who appreciates handmade stuff. Or if he is, he's not good at showing it (this is a hint to him in case he's reading).

I was making a lot of other gifts this year so I didn't think too much about his gift until, BAM! 2 days before Christmas I had a panic attack because I hadn't made a thing! I loaded up the kids and we rushed to the fabric store. I was in that store poring over little fat quarter bundles and charm packs, trying to think of something quick and easy. I literally wanted to cry right there in the middle of the store. And then I saw a few jelly rolls tucked away in a corner. They had one of the new Reunion fabric by Sweetwater. As soon as I saw it I knew I needed to make him a jelly roll race quilt. I recently made one for my grandma and it came together really quickly. Two days before Christmas? I could do it!

Turns out I couldn't. I got the top done (minus the borders) in time so he could have something to unwrap. He wasn't really impressed with it. BUT!!! It is now completely quilted and I think he will love it *fingers crossed*. I think it was just hard for him to picture it finished.

I used a grey Kona solid for the borders, and the backing and binding are from the Hometown fabric line, also by Sweetwater. The two lines go together pretty well, I think. I haven't stitched the binding to the back completely yet, but I'm working on that now.

He'd better love it. I want to see him jump up and down and do a happy dance. Hey, a girl can dream!