I'm still alive

And in search of inspiration for a new baby quilt. I had in mind presenting one of my best and oldest friends with a quilt for her baby, but then her pregnancy took a turn and all plans had to be put on hold. Now the baby (born very prematurely) is finally at home, I have the fabrics - my friend asked for yellow, i know her favourite colour is purple, then i pink-fied it a little bit, so now that's the range I'm working with. Just need to choose a block and... find the time... (it's getting harder everyday and the lack of sewing, quilting and blogging can speak for myself).
It's safe to say I'm addicted to squares, but my last quilt (a picnic quilt for my daughter's kindergarden teacher as a tolken of this first amazing year) was a disappearing 9 block, so maybe no squares for now.
Any suggestions? I plan to take pictures of the fabrics and post them. But it's a plan, not a promise (stopped making those a long time ago...)

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!!!

Seal of approval

For all those cat owners out there... here goes to show that my lab also enjoys the batting stage :)



(Baby H. quilt is finally coming together!!! More pics coming soon!)

I wish I were...

Less head in the clouds.
If there is one thing I would like to change is to be a more attentive and thoughtful person. Of course that the kind of exhaustion I've been experiencing lately doesn't help, but my poor memory really is a trace of personality since the beginning of times...
I finally finished a quilt - a gift for my husband's goddaughter - and I forgot to take pictures of it before giving it away. Is this just plain dumbness or what???

Birthing a quilt

I had never heard of this technique until recently but it seems a great idea for people who see the binding stage as the scary monster (such as myself). It's really simple and I'm frustrated for not having thought about it on my own sooner... Check it out here.

I'm in love...

I saw at Cluck Cluck Sew a mini quilt inspired by this one. It's hard to say which is prettier! And because the original post includes a tutorial now I know that I will have no excuse not to make one too. Just when I decided Helena's crib quilt would be a disappearing nine patch design...

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!

Pick yourself up and try again

I have been reading some posts lately about quilting without obbligation and expressing ourselves instead of losing ourselves trying to meet other people's expectations and likes and dislikes.
I have always thought of myself as a very independent, confident and strong person, with enough self-knowledge and self-esteem to not cave under other people's points of view. I stand by me, even if noone else does (which is not the case because if there is someone who believes even more in myself that I do that person is my husband).
But everyone makes mistakes, everyone has regrets, everyone changes their minds. I'm not perfect, and I'm no exception.
Having said that, meet my "ugly quilt", the one quilt that has been unfinished for some time because from the begining I was not 100% sure of it. I chose colours outside my comfort zone and I didn't exactly plan a pattern, instead I just followed along someone else's instructions. (A quick note is due here: I was making this quilt in my quilting class with someone whose opinions and knowledge I deeply respect. I was not forced into anything, it was all my doing, and I didn't share with her my doubts about this project. I understand now that I was inexperienced and didn't know what I wanted or what I liked and I take full responsability for this project's unsuccess).


This was supposed to be a lap quilt for me and the colours are in harmony with my living room decoration. But the fabrics don't go well together, the pattern is too busy and I has this sort of "old lady" feel to it. I hate it! I don't like anything about it.
But I'm not giving up so easily. Thankfully, I hadn't pieced it yet and I still have some of the fabrics, so it's time to start over. I'm taking this with me on my summer holidays and the seam ripper will be my best friend. When I return from holidays I will think of another way to piece it, a way that I will love.

I have learned my lesson. Don't be too hard on yourselves, don't expect to love everything you make. If you are having second thoughts about something, if you are not enjoying the process of making it, take a break, think it through and if that's the case start over. It's good to take inspiration and learn from other people, but at the end of the day we have to be the ones who live with our decisions. So I choose to listen to my heart.
I'll keep you posted!

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.

Fazendo as contas / Doing the math

Estou muito orgulhosa: consegui avançar o suficiente na minha quilt para poder ir à aula esta semana com algo para mostrar. Tenho neste momento 176 triângulos cortados, cosidos e com as bainhas abertas. São 22 de 4 cores diferentes mais os respectivos 88 triângulos de cor base (alaranjado). E tal como a Luisa tinha dito bastou aplicar-lhe um bocadinho e fiz isto num instante (demorei aproximadamente 5 horas em todo o processo). O meu único problema de consciência é que me falta os quadrados da barra, já era suposto ter mais, só que esqueci-me de como fiz os que já tenho... A sério que gostava de não ser tão esquecida, mas tenho esperança que o patchwork me ajude nisso também, já que é tão terapêutico!



I'm really proud of myself: I manage to get a good advance on my quilt, enough so that I can go to my class this week with something to show. Right now I have 176 triangles, all cut, sewn and pressed. It's 22 from 4 different colours plus the corresponding 88 of the main colour (orangish). And just like Luisa had said it only took me a small effort and it didn't take that long (aproximately 5 hours for the whole process). The only thing that's weighing on my conscious is that I'm lacking the squares for the side bar, I was supposed to have more by now, it's just that I forgot how I made the ones I already have... I really wish I wasn't so forgetful and I'm hoping doing patchwork will help me with that too, since it's so terapeutical!

You heard me right!

Já tenho falado do quilt que estou a fazer para os meus serões no sofá. Comecei-a nas aulas na Dotquilts, com tecidos que comprei lá, de cores outonais (não por causa da estação mas porque são as cores da minha sala - bege, areia, laranja, chocolate).
Queria aprender a fazer triângulos, por isso o centro vai ser um pin-wheel, a barra que emoldura o centro será um nine-patch, e acho que já sei qual dos tecidos fará o debrum. Mas não posso pôr o carro à frente dos bois, pois a verdade é que estou realmente a procrastinar. Aliás, "procrastinar" talvez não seja a palavra certa, mas não me ocorre outra.
Estou cheia de medo de não gostar, porque acho que não tem muito a ver comigo. Não tenho um motivo lógico para este receio, porque gosto dos tecidos e fui eu quem quis fazer triângulos. Não sei, simplesmente sinto-me mais ligada a quadrados e a tecidos coloridos e alegres.
E também não estou assim tão atrasada. Já tenho tudo cortado e toda a gente sabe que isso é das coisas que leva mais tempo. Certo? hehehe
Eis o que tenho andado a fazer (e a não fazer tanto quanto queria...).




I've mentioned the quilt I'm making for my evenings spent in the couch. I started it in my classes at Dotquilts, using fabrics I bought there, in autumn colors (not because of the season we're in but because those are the colours of my living room - beige, sand, orange and chocolate).
I wanted to learn how to make triangles, so the center top is going to be a pin-wheel pattern, the framing will be a nine-patch, and I think I already know which of the fabrics I'll use for the biding. Oooh, but not so fast. The truth is I have been procrastinating. Well, maybe "procrastinating" isn't the right word, but I can't think of another.
I'm afraid I won't like the result, because I don't think it's "me". I don't have a logic reason to think this way, since I like the fabrics and I was the one who chose to do triangles. I don't know, I just so much more into squares and bright and happy colours.
And I'm not that far behing either. I have everything cut into pieces and everyone knows that is one of the most time consuming tasks. Right? hehehe
Here is what I have been making (and not making as much as I would like...).