One year later...

Baby H. crib quilt is finished!!! And just in time for Blogger's Quilt Festival! (Don't forget to check out all the other amazing entries out there!)

I started thinking about this quilt and buying fabrics (online because I was in bed rest) in September of 2010 after discovering the sex of the baby I had on the way. During the months of October and November, exactly one year ago, whenever I could master some strenghts I would cut fabrics, but never got to piece them together. It was physically too much for me to sit in front of my sewing machine and however much I missed sewing I always thought to myself: "More important than sewing this baby quilt is keeping the baby it's meant for SAFE". Three days after my doctor finally said I could get out of bed... she was born!
As a first-time-around-recent-mommy, free time was little and mostly used to sleep. Then work got in the way. But every little chance I had I would make some progress on the quilt.
Yesterday I took a day off and finally cut the binding and decided to try to sew it on by machine, for the first time, because this is always the most time consuming part and I was already so "late" in finishing the quilt that I couldn't wait any longer to have it finally done. And in no time I finished it!!!
It turned out ok, not perfect, but the alternative was so... undesirable and unappealing that i don't mind at all living with my flaws. After all, one lesson i will someday teach my daughter is the capacity to live imperfect lives.

So, without further ado, here is my latest accomplishment (and probably my favourite quilt, second only to the "Good News Quilt", which is also hers): the "My Precious Butterfly Quilt"!

At first I had decided on a disappearing 9-patch top but wasn't totally sure, so I ended up changing to this pattern, which I don't know if it has a name or who has already done it (but someone I'm sure).
And I had though of a Dream Dot back but then had a change of heart and went with Flower Shower instead.
Also, the binding wasn't meant to be Kona Cotton Peony, but a yellow dot fabric whose name I can't recall and that it turned out I hadn't in as much quantity as I thought and needed.
Finally, I decided to quilt it 3/4 inch into all the white parts in a pink 100% cotton thread, but maybe because of being so sleep-deprived it turned out pretty wonky. I can always blame it on the baby ahahaha!
So all this goes to show that surprises and hick-ups and obstacles and changes can be a good thing. I actually love this quilt even more because of all its history.

I still have some more things I would like to make for her bedroom, but the main thing was the curtains (check) and this quilt (check). Yeiii me!!!

Progress on the baby front

My mother and I have been busy. I finished the bibs she started and knitted the yellow and the pink boots, she knitted the white and pink boots. The yellow boots will have matching scarf and hat. The cutest!!! But wait until you see the blanket she's knitting! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

A very special stroller quilt

(If you are here because of the Blogger's Quilt Festival, welcome! Please stop by more often and leave a comment. Here is my entry.)



Finally, I present you with the most special stroller quilt ever! My baby's obviously!!!



One thing you don't know about me is that I love naming everything, from dolls, to pets, to new recipes. I've decided to call this quilt "The Good News Quilt". I started it soon after knowing I was pregnant and because I didn't know if I was expecting a boy or a girl I wanted it to be colourful and gender-free. I meant to finish it before knowing the sex of the baby, so that then I would be free to start a crib quilt in blue or pink, depending. (That crib quilt is still just in my head, because I've unable to sit down at the sewing machine in these last weeks due to my pregancy complications.) Also, I wanted a bullet-proof quilt, that will be used outside, will get dirty, will be washed lots, and survives, hence the colours. And also, who can resist the simplicity of squares? No matter what i do, it's always my favourite design!



Cutting and piecing 300 squares of just 5 cm was quite time consuming but we have a portuguese saying that is: running because you like it doesn't make you tired. It's so true! I had lots of fun with this quilt.

I've talked about this quilt previously as a sort of the "making of" (at the time I didn't want to disclose who it was for), but here goes a detail of the flannel in the back and how I chose to quilt it, which was also opened for debate, but then I decided on straight lines every 3 squares, forming a 9 patch grid.
I know I said I wanted a quilt that could be either for boy or girl, but I used some squares in pink and actually the pale pink polka dot square you can see in this picture was what started the whole thing. I went through my scraps and this was one of the tiniest bits I found so I cut the rest of it in the same size. So I'm proud to say that this quilt is entirely made out of scraps I saved since I started quilting something like one year ago.



This was all done in a week I think, but then, as always, here came the binding... or the scary monster I should say. Well, this time around I knew I didn't need to hurry, so i really took my time and I've just finished this weekend, because this was something I could do from bed. I chose a solid yellow to match the quilting and because it popped out some of the quilt top colours.



As all pet owners already know, our dear furry friends always want to be in the picture so while taking these pictures my dog Sushi decided to appear (actually, it's my fault because that corner is his favourite place to be sunbathing and I was the one who went to take pictures there while he was gone, then he came back).
He is usually pretty shy but I have to show you these "backstage pictures" because it's just too cute to be true. Remember we are talking about a really small baby quilt, righ? And Sushi is quite big, he weighs 45 kg and measures 120 cm from head to butt (not counting the tail). But out of the blue he decided to lie down on the quilt. Yes, LIE DOWN really curled up like a ball. First he looked to both sides checking if anyone was watching and then slowly he did his thing. I was trying to guess what he would do, but he surprised even me! I laughed so much!!!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

It's that time of year again! Our dear Amy from Amy's Creative Side is hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Whether you came here just to see my entry or you are one of my usal readers, welcome! Leave a comment, come back again, you know the drill!!!


This is the second baby quilt I made. Like the first one, it was meant as a gift to my friend's baby (who then became my husband's godchild incidentally) and it was used on the day she came home from the hospital.


I was inexperienced and felt more comfortable with a simple design, so I chose a brick pattern. Also, the father of the baby is a civil engineer (hence the bricks) and the mother is a lawyer, so the idea of books also crossed my mind.

I took pictures of every step of the way, because when doing my first baby quilt I didn't take a single picture and I learned my lesson!








It's called the "Bubblegum quilt! because of the shades of pink. This quilt was very special to me for one simple reason: I had been trying to conceive a child since before knowing my friend was pregnant and time was passing by and still no baby. I was by my friend's side every step of the way through her pregnancy and by the time her baby was born I still hadn't gotten pregnant. While making this quilt I cried at times, not out of envy or anything like that, but because I loved her unborn child that in some ways replaced the one I wished to have. I made sure that every stitch was full of love and in the end it was almost like therapy. I must confess that I saved a piece of my favourite fabric (the one with birds and flowers by Robert Kaufman) hoping to use it one day in a baby quilt of my own... and guess what? Now I'm expecting a baby girl!

Finally!

I had to wait 6 months, but Ii finally have photos of my first baby quilt. This should teach me never to give away a quilt before taking a picture...

His and hers placemats II

A little ironing wouldn't have hurt but I figure why bother. They are stuck on a suitcase on their way to Brazil now!!!
And also a very small tolken for a special seamstress:

His and hers placemats I

The bubblegum quilt

Baptizei-a de "Bubblegum" só por causa dos tons, mas podia chamar-lhe apenas "a mantinha da Maria".
A Maria vai nascer daqui a alguns dias, o seu pai é um dos melhores amigos do meu marido e a mãe é uma das minhas melhoras amigas. Não resisti a preparar esta surpresa porque assim esta princesa sairá da maternidade e verá o mundo a cor de rosa :)
Esta brick quilt foi feita numa semana, mede 68x92 cm e por uma vez fiz o debrum sem nenhum problema! É uma das peças com mais significado que já fiz e gosto muito dela.

I call it the "Bubblegum quilt" because of its colour, but I could just call it "Maria's quilt".
Maria will be born in a few days, her father is one of my husband's best friends who happens to be married to one of my best friends. I couldn't help but make this little surprise so that when she comes home from the hospital she will see the world in pink :)
It took me one week to make this brick quilt which measures 68x92 cm and for once the binding was a no-brainer. It's one of my most meaningful pieces and I love it.

One down... err... how many more to go???

A única maneira que arranjei de fotografar minimamente em condições (ênfase no "minimamente") o primeiro dos vários aventais* que quero fazer para o Natal, desde que cada um demore menos tempo do que este, foi no chão, muito embora o tapete não esteja propriamente a ajudar. E nem sequer se vê bem os pormenores das plicas e dos bolsos forrados, snif snif!
Tenho de arranjar uma top model para estas ocasiões...





The only minimum decent way (emphasis on the "minimum") to photograph the first of several aprons* I plan to do for Christmas, as long as they don't take me as much time as this one, was on the floor, despite the rug not helping much. And you can't even see the details, snif snif!
Gotta get me some top model for this situations...



*Pleated Bodice Domestic Goddess Apron, by Amy Butler

The famous SIL project (I so hope she doesn't read this)

Aqui está ele!!! O meu mega-projecto, a minha obra-prima! Adoooooro este "quase-saco-cama" feito com muito carinho para a minha querida cunhadinha!!!
É suposto mantê-la quentinha quando ela está sentada ao computador (algo que, como qualquer adolescente, ela faz muito). Ela entra ali para dentro e voilá! fica com os pés e as pernas quentinhas.
Os dois lados são diferentes, o interior é em flanela do Robert Kaufman - que maravilhoso investimento, digo-vos - e gosto particularmente do tecido polka dot que escolhi para o binding. Desde o início que soube que este seria o eleito. Mas o meu tecido preferido é o da última foto, ainda vou ver de quem é porque quero comprar mais (desta vez para mim, para variar).


Here it is! My big project, my master piece! I just love this "almost-sleeping-bag" I made with lots of love for my dear little sister-in-law!!!
It's meant to keep her warm when she is sitting down by the computer (which like any other teenager she does a lot). She hops inside and voilá! her feet and legs are all warmed up.
The two sides are different, the inside is Robert Kaufman's flannel - what a great investment, I tell you - and I particularly like the fabric I chose for the biding. Since the beggining I knew this was it. But my favourite fabric is the one in the last photo, which I'm yet to confirm who's it by because I want to buy more (this time for me, for a change).