Isn't this tiny sweater adorable?
My friend Carol made it. She sent it home with me today - lucky me! - and I'm happy to say it fits my little bear perfectly. Thank you so much, Carol... I love it!
I'm sure my grandmother would have been horrified that her coat was chopped up and made into bears for our family (three subsequent generations), but...honestly....even if we'd wanted to wear her coat, it was far too narrow in the shoulders to fit any of us. It would have hung in a closet and collected dust.
This bear is a special reminder of my grandmother, and now of my friend as well.
My (magical) cupboard proffered a backing for the modern baby quilt, so I loaded up the frame:
It was imperative to load it square and true so the straight-line quilting would be parallel to the seams. I basted it down so it wouldn't move, and then stitched in the ditch to keep the piecing in place.
I deliberately varied the spacing between my quilting lines so they were not too regular. I think variations are more interesting than precisely spaced lines.
I hope this quilt will be washed a thousand times, so I secured the threads by back stitching...no tying off and burying threads today.
The binding is attached and all that's left is the final round of stitching. Tomorrow.
Oh, and I loaded the log cabin so there's no way I can quilt anything else until that project is done! (Did I mention that I'm easily distracted???)
Now I'm in the mood to make bears...good grief.
Try, Learn, Grow!
Carole
P.S. I just found a fun link up party for WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced, and since it's Wednesday, I'm in!
DOUBLE P.S.!!! Found a cool "I Quilt" link up with Pretty Bobbins, too.
I welcome your comments. Thanks for stopping by!
My friend Carol made it. She sent it home with me today - lucky me! - and I'm happy to say it fits my little bear perfectly. Thank you so much, Carol... I love it!
 | |
| This bear is the first one I'd ever made. The fur came from my grandmother's coat. I've made at least 60 bears since then, but this one is special. |
This bear is a special reminder of my grandmother, and now of my friend as well.
My (magical) cupboard proffered a backing for the modern baby quilt, so I loaded up the frame:
 |
| Modern baby, almost finished. |
 |
| Basting. |
 |
| "Ditching" to keep the piecing straight. |
 | |
| Skipped over an area I didn't wish to quilt...snipped the threads later. |
I hope this quilt will be washed a thousand times, so I secured the threads by back stitching...no tying off and burying threads today.
The binding is attached and all that's left is the final round of stitching. Tomorrow.
Oh, and I loaded the log cabin so there's no way I can quilt anything else until that project is done! (Did I mention that I'm easily distracted???)
Now I'm in the mood to make bears...good grief.
Try, Learn, Grow!
Carole
P.S. I just found a fun link up party for WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced, and since it's Wednesday, I'm in!
DOUBLE P.S.!!! Found a cool "I Quilt" link up with Pretty Bobbins, too.
I welcome your comments. Thanks for stopping by!
Your modern quilting looks fantastic in this modern baby quilt. Kudos Carole!
ReplyDeleteThanks! The straight-line quilting in the pattern photo seemed appropriate for the quilt, so I went with something similar. I'm pleased with it.
DeleteModern baby boy quilt for sure, love it! Visiting from Freshly pieced.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love it, too, and am pleased with how quickly it worked up. Thanks so much for dropping by!
DeleteThe quilting is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm so happy you dropped by!
DeleteThat bear is adorable, especially in that sweet pink sweater. What a lovely reminder of your Grandmother! Love that gorgeous modern baby quilt, too. Thanks for sharing all the in progress shots of the quilting!
ReplyDeleteIf I could knit as beautifully as my friend, everything in my house would be wearing sweaters. Hmm... it may be a blessing that I don't knit very well!
DeleteThanks for your kind words, Lorna, I'm glad you stopped in for a visit.
My goodness, your straightlinequilting quilting is awe inspiring! Do you have any tips? I've just started using a ruler on the longarm and I have a big learning curve ahead of me :) I love your bear and his new jumper too :) very cute! Thanks for linking up :) :)
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks Gemma! I used a ruler for the ditch work and within the patchwork blocks. The keys for me = slow down, keep an eye on ruler position, and keep my hand very close to the needle. I adjust my ruler position every couple of inches, sliding the ruler & positioning my hand in front of the needle every time. The further I stitch away from my hand along the ruler, the more likely the ruler will pivot & I'll go off course, or *gasp* hit the ruler with the hopping foot! My long arm has a horizontal channel lock that helped me keep straight lines straight on the rest of the quilt. It is a manual lock, so I "tighten" it just enough that my lines stay straight, but leave enough play in it so I can tug the machine to the next line without having to run around to the back of the machine and adjust (that would be a marathon!). Hope that helps! Thanks for popping by!
Delete