Four quilts in four weeks

Each of these quilts is a derivation from my typical choices and style, as they were all gifts...
Because gifts are about the recipient, and not the giver, I hope they are all loved.

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The first was finished the weekend after Thanksgiving, so I could give it to my mother-in-law early... so she could enjoy it throughout the Holiday season. :)  Her favorite Christmas decoration motif is the snowman... so snowmen it was for her. :)



Looked pretty cute as the tablecloth methinks.

For the design, I chopped up a panel (kind of hard to see in this picture), and interspersed it with a nine-patch/daisy chain... kind of like with this quilt.

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The second quilt I finished was for my nephew.



Poor kid -- he's 2 1/2 years old, and has yet to get his own quilt from Aunt Tracey (In my defense, I started quilting when he was already a little over a year old).

I actually had deliberated, and deliberated over his quilt design for months... hoping to have it finished by his second birthday.  And even though there were designs I "could" have done, none seemed right.

I remembered my sister-in-law mentioning though that they wanted minky... and my brother really likes camo... so when I found the camo minky (by Robert Kaufman... I found mine here), my design dilemma was solved.  Some Kona and Moda Grunge solids, the Fat Quarterly quilt along pattern, and voila.



I did "cheat," and didn't do a regular binding (was trying to save time), and just turned the thing inside out -- it worked well everywhere except where I left the top open for turning.  But I don't think I'll do it again -- because even though I was trying to save time, I don't think I really did.

The minky was fine to work with (though I was a bit chicken to free-motion with it)... and it is so soft and nappable.



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Quilt number three is the most challenging quilt I've ever made.

Sometime last year, my mom saw a wool rag quilt for sale, and told me she loved it.  Having never made a rag quilt, and having never seen it myself, I wasn't exactly sure how to translate what she loved in to a surprise quilt for her, so I did my best guessing.

And it is a good thing I didn't know how much trouble this was going to give me, or else I don't know if I would have started (or I at least would have done things differently).

But here is my mom's really heavy wool rag quilt.

Since I like the back better than the front... I'll show it to you first...



And the front.



There is a lot I would have changed for this if I did it again (definitely a learning experience)...
- used either no flannel for the "batting," or one that didn't contrast
- Used a smaller seam allowance (I was using the Go! cutter rag quilt die)
- Undecided if I would have ragged the edges first with the die, or done it after???
- Got the strongest needle I could find BEFORE attempting to sew those rows together (I broke 3 needles while making this quilt)

But my mom likes it... so that makes me happy. (Rag quilts are so not my thing).

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The last quilt I finished was for my father-in-law.

Last year, I had bought one of Holly Taylor's flannel jelly rolls on sale, because he's a fisherman, and I thought the woodsy flannels would suit him.



This one almost didn't get done in time, because my backing fabric was late in the mail!  But thanks to my husband watching Steiger, it was done on the 22nd (then I wrapped on the 23rd, and we were traveling the 24th).

I followed a free pattern from Lauren and Jessi Jung (they designed Botany), and even though all those blocks have set-in seams... they were fun to construct.



The back was more flannel (can I say that Moda's flannel is incredibly soft), and it was quilted with simple diagonal lines.



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 Now for the disclaimer:
If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you realize that none of these quilts are done in colors I would choose myself... so can I say I am very much looking forward to sewing whatever I want for a while! But I'm glad those are done, and I hope their recipient's love them. :)