Saturday, April 6, 2013

Baby Pinwheels Quilt

Hello again, about time I post a new quilt, right?! This quilt was commissioned by a lady that I know and she happens to be getting her first grandbaby, so congrats to the Erfert Family! So, it always nice when someone likes your work so much that they want it for such a special occasion as this and I was very happy to do it! Debra went and picked out the fabric, because the family had a specific color scheme in mind, and that was the best way for me to achieve the look they wanted. She brought me plenty of fabric to work with, and then some! I knew that she wanted pinwheels so I started cutting 5.5 inch squares because I wanted the pinwheels to end up that size. Wrong! I ended up cutting all the squares the wrong size! Not wrong to anyone but me, since Debra didn't specify what size she wanted them, just wrong according to my plans. So I had to subcut those squares and the pinwheels ended up being WAY smaller than I wanted (around 4 inches). There ended up being over 900 pieces in this little 30something by 50something inch quilt! Anyway, it wasn't a hard one and I think the pattern turned out nicely either way. When the quilt was finished, I got to watch Joann Lewis quilt it. I just love her and she is going to show me how to use my long arm quilter, I just wanted to see her at work to see how she loaded the quilt and measured and all of that stuff that would be not so interesting to you all maybe, but to me, the information she has is priceless! Getting to spend time with Joann and seeing the things that she is always working on is fun too. Many people in Yuma and from up North (I mean north like Canada and Washington) send her their things to be quilted because they hear about her through the "snowbird/winter visitor grapevine." There are always at least six quilts hanging and ready for her to work her magic on them :) One day I hope to be as good as Mrs. Lewis! SO, here are the pictures and a smallish rundown of the process.


Oh no! I messed up and have to  make the pinwheels small! (This was a painful realization.)

About half of the HST (half square triangle) units ready to become pinwheels!


Trying to figure out a layout. Do I even like it at this point? No, I hate my life. Usually I get to this point in every quilt I make.

Some strips sewn together, still making MORE HST units, and hoping it all works out.


The final layout for the whole top and it's all now sewn together, so there is no going back!


After a visit to the quilter, now just to be bound!


The total deal, all bound and ready to go. I make my own binding because I think it is more sturdy and pretty because you can make it to match the quilt perfectly. I really, really don't like to use store bought for binding quilts... I like it for making banners though!


My little Ellita tag I always put on my quilts.


And again. All ready to be washed and drooled on by a cute new baby whenever she arrives!

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