Floating Pyramid Quilt Finish

It isn't often anymore that I have a reason to make a baby quilt, unless it's for charity, like Children's Home Society of Florida. So when my good friend in Central Florida MQG, Courtney (I rode home from QuiltCon with her in 2023 and 2024) told me last fall that she was expecting their first baby in May, I knew I'd be making a a quilt. 

In March I made Floating Pyramid, a pattern in the book "Modern Baby." 

It was the perfect design to use solids scarps scraps, and my neutral print stash. 

Each triangle shape in the pyramid is cut from made fabric - scraps sewn together and then cut into a triangle shape. While the book provides a triangle template, my Hex 'n more Ruler work well with a strip of blue tape to mark one triangle side. 

Also, the pattern called for specific yardage of four prints for background triangles. But it worked much better for me to cut a wide variety of low volume prints - including a baby print, and floral designs.

My limited stash forced me to come up with a creatively-pieced backing.

From a koala print, purchased in Australia when my grandsons were toddlers, I cut a single triangle, slightly smaller than the one on the quilt front. Then I pieced other prints around it. Across the top is a piece of Project Linus fabric that says "Security is a thumb and a blanket." 

Batting is Quilter's Dream 100% cotton, Select loft. 

From the start, I had a simple quilting plan: spiral quilting starting in the center of the pyramid to fill the pyramid. 

Then, around the pyramid I quilted an old, familiar, unbroken quilting design: a snail trail. 

I bound the quilt with scraps of low volume prints.

I have quilted this snail trail design on dozens of baby quilts. This is the quilting viewed from the back. 

I created a label using MacBook Pages, and printed it on EQ Printables. The graphic I'm sharing here has been edited to remove personal information. 

Anne, a Central Florida MQG member, was my quilt-holder for these pictures which were taken in Oxford near where our chapter meets for workshops and sew-ins. 

Floating Pyramid finished at 48½" X 54½". 

I wrapped the quilt and gifted it to Courtney at the conclusion of Saturday's Central Florida MQG meeting. Courtney and her husband are expecting their baby girl's arrival in May. I hope they get lots of use from this quilt. Linda

Elephant Family Quilt

I've neglected blogging about a baby quilt I completed at the 5GalsQuilt week-long retreat in October. But since Miss Madelyn didn't arrive until November 19, I had to save pictures until the quilt was sent to her. And I waited so I could post these pictures of her with her quilt.

Maddy's mother is my nephew's wife (I made this quilt - Love Links - for their wedding) and she requested a quilt with pink, gray, and elephants. I was happy to oblige, especially when she gave me free reign to make it as I wished.

Using the elephant shape on the invitation I received to the baby shower (which I wasn't able to attend), I enlarged it to different sizes. At first I made only a mama and baby elephant, but when Dan saw them on the design wall, he suggested that they needed a "daddy" - a perfect idea. Each elephant is machine-appliquéd to the background fabric which is Kona Silver.

You'll probably notice that I prefer a quilt to not have an "up" or a "down." So the elephants are parading along the top and bottom of the quilt which should look good draped across a crib rail. Or whichever way Maddy sees it from her stroller seat.

Scrappy pink Three Rail Fence blocks frame the elephants.

Quilting is mostly cross-hatch, though there are a couple rows of quilted letters: "M." Yes, we knew ahead of time that her name would be Madelyn.

The 38" x 48" quilt is backed with an elephant print in flannel.

Babies are very precious, and this little one is exceptionally so. I can't wait to meet her in person next spring.

Linda

Coral Sea Hexagons

Another great-niece was born this past week, our second girl this year. I'm grateful for every opportunity to make a girl quilt because, in case you didn't know, we're expecting our fourth grandson this coming January! I'm plenty practiced at making boy quilts.

Knowing our great niece's room would be done in an ocean theme, in coral and aqua, I bought a few pieces of Michael Miller's By the Sea with the rest from my stash cupboard. A flamingo print keeps showing up in a bunch of my quilty projects! 

Baby Reese's quilt has been finished for several weeks, just waiting for a label. Until then, it was the quilt I used for several demonstrations: how to sew binding to a quilt, for a First Time Quiltmaking class; suggested free motion quilting designs, for a Free Motion Quilting workshop; and how to sew hexagons, a program for members of our Central Florida MQG. Now it's a gift! I guess I got a lot of mileage from it.

If you find yourself wanting to make an all-hexagons quilt, be sure to look up Kati's great "How to Piece Hexagons tutorials" (parts 1 and 2) on her blog: FromtheBlueChair. It's the method I used, and it saved me lots of time that I would have spent marking each piece with quarter-inch-from-the-edge dots.

The quilt back is a pretty piece of ombre. I split the piece down the middle and added a coral-colored print.

Instead of quilting with an all over design, I divided the quilt into tri-sections and quilted something a little different in each. Since I couldn't bear to quilt over the flamingos, I quilted around them.

Linda

For a Boy, and a 3Q Finish for a Girl

Lately I've been sewing for little people in my life.

Most boys are fascinated by trains, so I thought it would be fun to sew an engineer's cap for a grandson. Doing what we all do when we're looking for something in particular, I Google-searched online and found this tutorial for making one. It's suitable for a girl too.

I already had the fusible interfacing, brim stiffener, lining, and 3/4-inch elastic, so my only purchase was ticking fabric.

It was surprisingly easily to put together. It looks nice here, but the proof will be when a cute little boy I know is around, to try it on. 

My second (of four) 3Q finish in Leanne's Finish Along is this hexagon quilt - Happy Hexagons. All pieces were cut from my stash using a Hex 'n More ruler, the "more" being triangles. 

Backing fabric is Simply Color by V&Co.

Quilting is an all over hooked spiral design.

Striped binding was cut on the bias so as to create a spiral... a barber pole effect. Gosh that dates me! When was the last time you saw a barber pole?! 

Happy Hexagons, 46" X 53"

Happy Hexagons has already arrived at the home of our new grand-niece, Jovie. Hoping it will be put to good use. 

Linda

Hexies

Last week I continued to quilt "Bloom," and managed some cutting and piecing, in spite of being under the weather.

A visit to the doctor last Friday confirmed that I was feeling punk due to a sinus infection and an ear infection. Antibiotics are making me better, but have the side effect of sleepiness. Still, I'm forging on. I have things to do and quilts to make!

Since purchasing a Hex 'n More ruler in May, I've wanted to use it, knowing I'm giving a November program on hexagons at our Central Florida MQG meeting! I also need a baby quilt to gift in August, and a quilt on which to demonstrate how to sew binding, so this project fulfills all my needs.

From my favorite modern prints, including numerous pieces of Technicolor by Emily Herrick, I cut 4-1/2" hexagons.

I also cut 222 - 2-1/2" triangles (no picture) from a pink Kona solid, but later scrapped those to cut white Kona triangles. After sewing triangles to the top and bottom of each hexagon, I joined units, and sewed columns together on the diagonal.

I pinned at every intersection to ensure that those challenging diagonal points met, but I still didn't achieve 100 percent perfection.

I'm happy with the bright cheeriness of this quilt. This photo was taken before I trimmed the right and left sides to make them straight. The quilt top is 36" X 52", a nice baby size for a new grand-niece. 

36" X 52"

It's now layered - the backing is V&Co. Simply Color (far left) - pin-basted, with binding at the ready, and awaiting quilting. If all goes as planned, free motion quilting will happen over the next three days and the quilt will be ready for Thursday morning's First Time Quiltmaking binding class. 

This week marks lesson four (of five), and thus far there's been perfect attendance! That's never happened before. I was surprised to learn last week that of 18 students, only four of them are tying their quilts. The rest are giving free motion quilting a try! Everyone seems enthused about learning to make a quilt, and that just makes it even more fun to share my love of it with them. Linda

Esme and Her Quilt

A family member kindly shared this photo of Esme with the quilt I made her: "Esme's Flying Kites."

Precious.

The quilt label.