Q is for Quilt

And F is for Finished!!!!!  Yay!  Finally a finish to share.  This is "AJ's Letters", a quilt for my great-nephew.

Now, I am far too young to be a Great -Aunt, but, my niece and her husband had a darling little baby boy four months ago.  His name is Alexander Jeffery, but his Mama and Daddy call him AJ.

I had started these Little Letters from Temecula Quilt Company during the summer of 2014, long before we knew there would be a sweet little boy who would need a quilt.  I just thought they looked like a fun challenge.  I pieced them, and a sister set, slowly and when I had time.  They got set aside frequently, but were a ton of fun to work on when I did find time.

When my niece told us she was expecting, I knew right away that one of the sets of letters would become a quilt for her new arrival.  She has always been an avid reader, she is a certified teacher,  and before becoming Mommy, she was managing a bookstore.  So, letters seemed appropriate!  She's also pretty special to me.  When my youngest daughter was born and diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Jen was a college student.  She went to school about half an hour from where we lived, but for an entire school year, she came to our house on days she didn't have class, and took care of my newborn when I had to go back to work.  She learned all about administering medicine and doing breathing treatments and chest physiotherapy.   She took notes and  was the BEST of the small army of caregivers we relied on.  And she was just 19 or 20!   I will forever be grateful for her.

So, a quilt for her first baby needed to be pretty special, and I think this fits the bill.

I was so excited to learn that they were going to call him AJ!  How perfect is a letter quilt for a little boy with two letters for his name?

I machine quilted in the ditch,  and then on the diagomals, but I also did just a bit of accent hand quilting around the A and the J.  Just enough to make them stand out a bit.

I am so happy to have this quilt finished.  Its been a long process.  I had really wanted to have it done before the little man was born, but he is already 4 months old.  I have a lot of other sewing projects going on right now, or needing to be started soon.  So, I've  put extra effort into just getting it done so I can move on.   I've taken this quilt to karate class, the orthodontist and 4-H meetings to get it done.  Which has led to some interesting conversations!

The back is pieced from two flannels, so it's going to be a very snuggly quilt for the little guy.  I went with a scrappy binding, which just makes me happy.  I love everything about this quilt.  Well, except for the fact that being called a "great aunt" makes me feel really old.  Hmmm.  Maybe I will be "awesome" instead.

Two Months...What???

I honestly don't know how two months have gone by since I posted.  I was in the swing of things, enjoying summer, sewing daily and getting the hang of blogging, when...WHAMMO.  The end of August hit.  A quick and fun trip to Dubuque, back to school preparation, sending my oldest off to middle school, returning to school myself, karate, dance, dealing with garden goodies...and well, here we are.

I HAVE been getting in some sewing time.  It's an effort to carve out some time each week.  There NEVER seems to be as much time as I think there will be.  I start out almost every day thinking about when I will sew.  I plan to put in an hour right after school, or I think I will be able to get in a bit of time after all the activities are done for the evening.  But time slips away, someone needs help studying or dinner takes longer than it's supposed to or my husband gets stuck at work so I end up transporting BOTH children to their activities.  It's always something.

But anyway, I HAVE been getting in little bits and pieces of time to sew.

I finished the pink and brown chevron quilt that I posted about, oh, way back in August.  I don't have a good picture, nor have I decided what will become of it.  Taking care of both those issues is on the agenda for this month, though.

I sewed up a few zipper pouches. They were quick and fun and I learned a few new things.  They have all been given away to their intended recipients, and it made me happy to give them away.   I *think* I have a picture somewhere, but that will have to wait for a different post.

And, now for the stuff I can actually show you!  I'm starting with the (most) fun stuff in this post, and will do my best to post again before two more months go by!

I'm a bit late to the party, but I've been working on the Little Letters from Temecula Quilt Company.  I had been seeing them around the blogosphere for a few weeks and loved them.  I bookmarked the site thinking I'd make them "someday."  But, then, while folding and re-folding my growing collection of polka dot prints, I had a vision.  A vision of those adorable Little Letters, all done up in dots.  It took a week or so longer before I was organized and ready to start, but I did it!
I have finished the first 5 letters!  Twice!  Like many others participating in the Little Letters QAL, I am making them in two colorways.

Here are my dots.  I have not squared up my blocks or clipped threads.  I sew  and toss on a pile.  Well, actually, I love them so much that I  just might lay them out in order every time I pass the sewing room...

And here is my second set.  Blues, greens and teals, with gray back ground.  How perfect is this going to be with that navy/teal chevron flannel that I found in a clearance bin months ago as the back?   It's 3 yards and I paid $4.99.  LOVE it!

I am loving sewing up these little cuties.  They are fun and quick and I am really enjoying choosing the color for the next letter.  It feels so good to be able to finish two of these in about 15 minutes.  I have been trying to make a habit of cutting my strips in the evening, then, when I get back to the sewing machine, I have them all ready to go.

My blocks are certainly not perfect.  Somehow, I have managed to come up 1/4 inch or so off in one part of every block.  I am not sure if it's my measuring, my cutting or maybe my seam allowance.  It's probably some of each.  But, they are turning out so cute.  I will square them up and add sashing in the background color, and I think they'll be just fine.

When finished one of these  will be an auction item for a fundraising event my friend is planning for the spring.  The other one...we'll see, no plans as of now.  Given how much I LOVE my dots collection, it's hard to believe, but I do think I like the second set better.  There is something about those blues against that gray.  I just can't wait to see it when it's finished!

But, then, there is also something irresistible about those dots.  Especially that red "E".

 Mmmmm-mmmmm.  I could eat it with a spoon!  Just looking at it makes me want to go and buy a few yards of that fabric and make something wonderful.  Isn't it cute?

The QAL is up to "L" already, so I have some catching up to do.  But, I'm not really in a hurry.  I'm just enjoying the process.

I have missed blogging these last two months.  I really do like writing a bit about what I do on my "me" time.  Here's hoping I can make ti a more regular activity!

I'm going to link up to Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation.  Hopefully next week, I'll have some finished chevron quilt pictures to share on Friday.

Happy Sewing!
Tami