Category Archives: quilting

Year in Review (2011 Edition)

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I was going to make this a post about how I did or didn’t meet my goals for last year then realized I never made any. Sure, I wanted to graduate but, really, was that ever in doubt? (Oh, I hope not.) So, again this year, a year in review.

January: Attempted, yet again, to blog daily which became weekly which became only when I felt guilty that I hadn’t blogged in awhile. Visited the National Building Museum. Started working with the TJ FIRST team. Mostly focused on coding my senior design project. Started a new job.

February: FIRST season concluded and senior design continued. Tried skiing for the first time.

March: Attended the St. Patrick’s parade in Old Town. DC FIRST regional held. Midterms and a big senior design deadline consumed my life. Spring break was spent working and doing school work. Attended Steph’s baby shower.

April: Life consumed by school projects, tests. etc. Traveled to West Point to attend a design competition (and really wished they didn’t have a rule about no AC before 1 may).

May: Wrapped up my last undergraduate semester. Graduated Suma Cum Laude. Celebrated Matt’s grandmother’s 90th birthday. Went to a color theory workshop with Ms Babs.

June: Started first full-time job (and it’s not so fun commute). Started looking at houses. Got back into sewing by making a few handbags (and failed at making myself a skirt).

July: Brutally hot month. Went to more open houses and house tours. Attended the first annual Bontrager cousins reunion in DE. Started digital scrapbooking five years of marriage.

August: Put a bid on a house, counterbid accepted, home inspection, mortgage application, and everything else invovled with buying a house. Felt not nearly as poor as expected at the end of the process. Really started my new job (assignment received). Started a quilt for the first time in four years.

September: Moved into the new house. Held a housewarming party with friends, family, and neighbhors.

October: Spent two and a half week exploring Spain, France, and Italy. Spent the rest of the month starting a new project at work and recovering from being away for so long.

November: Had Thanksgiving at our place, this time with Matt’s parents, Jesse’s family, Alison, and Lucy. Attended the DE reception for Caleb and Karen. Finished making a sweater for myself that actually fit.

December: Enjoyed a realitively warm December. Parents and brother visit for Christmas. Had first year of decorating our own house for Christmas (but settled for just a tree and some lights on a front window).

Bit Obsessed

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So, I’ve become a bit obsessed. Ever since Saturday, all I can think about is this quilt. It’s for Ada, the daughter of two very good friends.

Fabrics for Ada's Quilt

On Saturday, I cut out the entire quilt top.

Top Cut (for Ada)

On Sunday, while a friend made Christmas cards, I sewed the coins (then just long strips of fabric).

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Yesterday, I cut the strips into coins and added most of the sashing. Right now, I’m trying to resist the temptation to desert Matt (he’s playing video games next to me on the couch) and sew on the last of the sashing. We’ll just ignore the fact I have no batting or binding and haven’t exactly figured out what I want to do for the back (though it’ll probably be pieced.


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After a bunch of sketching and trying to figure out the perfect pattern for these very bright fabrics I purchased in late October, I finally settled on a simple coin quilt.  At first, I was going to make the coins in three rows of equal thickness but decided, instead, to make them three slightly different thicknesses for interest (and, also, I cut the first one too small and had to figure out how to recover). Between the coins is thick, dark gray shashing that I’ll also be adding to the top and bottom, likely later this evening.

Sure, it’s very bright but, hey, she’s still very young and should be able to enjoy her toddler-sized quilt for at least a few more years. (And, yes, this is the same child I made a knitted blanket for before she was born. Apparently I’m paranoid that she’s going to freeze.)

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I’m thinking of piecing the back such that it’s the opposite of the front: sashing in coins of the bright fabrics then, where there are coins, strips of the dark gray. But that’ll be even brighter. Heh.

On Thursday Ada’s parents will see the (possibly finished) top in all of its glory. I just hope the colors won’t keep Ada up at night!

Complete!

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No, this isn’t the sweater FO post I promised but another completed project. I finally finished up the quilt top I started in early August. I work on it on and off before we moved then put it away for a solid month before bringing it out again for a few days before we went to Europe. Then, today, I cut out the last five blocks and finished sewing it all up. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the back but I’ve got 3/4 of a yard of each of the patterned fabrics and a 1/4 yard of the solid. Probably something simple. Here it is, in all of its slightly wonky glory (in a rather blurry photo, oops).

Finished Quilt Top!

Made using the tutorial from here.