Building Bib Inventory

Wa-hoo, these bibs are fun to make!

I start by picking out an old traditional block pattern and make it in a 6" size. Then I add a bottom, two sides and top to form the basic bib shape. Making them gives me the chance, if I wish, to experiment with blocks I've never pieced before. Sometimes, I find a particular block doesn't go together easily and I make a note that this wouldn't be one I'd want to repeat forty or fifty times for a full sized quilt.

Of course, the reverse is true, too. I'm finding blocks that I like piecing and that appeal to me visually. They give me all kinds of ideas for new quilt patterns and lay outs.

I get to play with a variety of fun fabrics and can finish a whole project (one bib) in a short time. Not quite instant, but still gratification!

After the front of the bib is constructed, I pick out a coordinating fabric for the back. It gets sandwiched with batting and the front, and then the quilting can begin.

Lastly, I attach a snap fastener at the top and . . . one more bib to add to the collection that will eventually be listed on my website. These really are fun to make.

Featured Quilt of the Week

"Mama's Dresses" is the first baby quilt I made using fabrics that weren't either 30s reproductions, a kiddie print, or pastel colors. And it just might be my favorite one so far.


I tend to like straight, crisp lines and bold, rich colors. For this quilt I used fabrics that were Civil War reproduction prints. As I was piecing the quilt, the thought crossed my mind that a young, expectant mother in the last part of the 1800s could having been making it from the cast-off dresses and shirts of family members.

At the time I was making this quilt, I had just finished re-reading "Gone With the Wind", and during the hours of cutting and piecing, my thoughts grew fanciful speculating about the life of my imaginary mother-to-be and wondering what her days might have been like as she lovingly constructed a quilt much like this one for her baby.


The pattern is a basic 9-Patch. (Can you see the 9-Patches?)


I quilted it heavily with cross-hatching which makes the back (although plain and simple) very attractive.

I don't think it's strange that I wove such a story in my mind during the happy hours making this baby quilt. As quilters we are bound to women who have long used their talents to provide warmth and nurturing for their families through the creation of quilts. Often quilting was the sole artistic outlet and social diversion for the strong, hard-working women who came before us. These women did all the work with their hands, using a scissors, needle and thread. We may have the advantage of a rotary cutter and sewing machine, but the art of quilting is the common thread that binds us.

Finished!

This is the quilt for my daughter to have at her house for visiting little ones to use. A simple 9-Patch that went together quickly and was fun to do. I had enough different fabrics that it was easy to build the 9-patches without feeling I was repeating combinations too frequently. The backing is a sweet blue flower . . . same as one of the fabrics on the front.

I took this angled shot hoping the quilting would show up a bit. If you wish, click to enlarge it and you may be able to see it more.

I had a little trouble deciding on what to use for the binding. I liked how the blue flower I used for the backing looked on the front, but then the back of the quilt was kinda plain. (Or you could say, really plain!) The yellow fabric with the blue flower used on the front looked really good with the blue backing but didn't do much for the front. (Oh, the trials and tribulations!) I finally settled on the orange stripe and am truly-duly happy with it. Stripes or polka dots are almost always a winner for bindings. At least in my book.

Can't beat the good, ol' 9-Patch block, can you? I sure do love those old traditional block patterns.

On My Design Wall

Don'tcha just love starting new projects? Woke up early this morning and squeaked in a couple hours on this.

Nine-patches on point which will have a solid white/off-white block in between. (Haven't cut those yet.)

My daughter recently purchased a Pack 'N Play to keep at her house for little visitors who need a comfy, safe place to take a snooze, and she asked if I would make a baby quilt for her to have in readiness for nap time. She picked out some 30s fabrics from my stash and I added a few more.

Seems as though it will go together fast, and I'm pleased with the way it looks so far. I even have the quilting motif in mind for it already . . . which is very unusual for me.

Now let's see . . . do you think my husband would believe me if I say I accidentally locked myself in my quilt studio and can't get out to make dinner tonight? Hey, it's worth a try.