Another Bizzy Kid Quilt

The last time my son was at Children's hospital, one of the physicians asked if I would ever be interested in making a quilt for the Childrens' gala.  I couldn't believe she thought my sewing ability was good enough to make a quilt that would be auctioned off.  I was amazed; but said YES!!  Here is the quilt.  I made another bizzy kid quilt from my Cluck, Cluck, Sew Pattern and I love the colors as well as my first.  I can't wait to here what it brought at the auction.  Children's hospital has been so good to us and taken sure good care of my son, that this was the least I could do.  This quilt was finished October '11

I have a few more quilts and projects I've finished, and I'm working like a busy little bee on several projects; but I can't show them right now; because they are upcoming gifts.  I don't think anyone but myself reads this blog; but just in case, I don't want to ruin the surprise :)

Bizzy kid Quilt

I absolutely love reading the quilting blog "Cluck, Cluck, Sew" and have bought a few of her patterns.  This quilt is a "kid-size" quilt that I made while my youngest son spent 4 weeks in the hospital.  I brought all my cutting and sewing supplies up to the hospital, and from start to finish, I made this quilt (I basted it on the wall of the bathroom in his room, hanging on the wall with medical tape!)  The fabric is from Riley Blake, and it's called "Alphabet Soup".  This was a super fun quilt, and I am very happy with how it turned out!  I finished this quilt in August 2011

Hexagon quilt

 This quilt I made using a hexagon template and 3 charm packs from Moda's Strawberry Fields line.  It is the perfect size for a cute baby quilt.  I decided to make the quilting a portable project, and tried (for the first time) hand-quilting.  Wow, it wasn't easy, and my lines definitely aren't straight; but I love the vintage look it adds.  I finished this quilt in 7/2011

"Make Life" quilt

I made this quilt for a friend of mine who turned 50 this year.  The fabric is from Moda's "Make Life" line, and some of the fabric is "text fabric" with wording that says, "make life sweet", "make life simple", and so on.  This quilt was perfect for this friend, because she has helped me navigate a journey I started over 3 1/2 years ago with my special needs son.  The pattern is called "Cabin in the hills".  The quilt consists of Log cabin blocks, with the set triangles along the sides representing the hills.  I finished this in April of '11

Baby quilt

With the fabric remains of fabric from Mason's quilt, plus a couple new colors, I made this quilt for a friend of mine at work who had a baby boy.  LOVE this quilt!  I finished this in May of '11.

Mason's quilt

Mason wanted bright colors for his quilt.  He picked out the fabric himself!  Now we just need some paint on the walls!  This was finished in April of '11

Megan's quilt

This twin size quilt now resides on Megan's bed in her room.  I love this fabric!! It is called "Bliss" from Moda.  I am making some curtains from this fabric also!  Perfect for the princess in my life!  This quilt was finished in February of '11.

Cute tumbler quilt

I finished this quilt in January of '11.  It is made with fabric from the "Lollipop" line of fabric by Sandy Gervais.  I LOVE it!!  I think it is a boy quilt, but could go either way!

More quilts

I made this quilt for a fundraiser for a friend at work. I didn't get a good picture of it however, because I forgot to take one until we were actually AT the fundraiser.  It was a really pretty mix of pinks and browns.  The pattern was called a disappearing 9 patch.  Finished in February of 2011

This next quilt is a cute quilt I made from pink's, greens, blues, and some super cute owl fabric.  It is still waiting for a permanent owner.

This quilt was finished in April 2011

Pillowcase dress

Made this little lovely dress for my cousin's baby girl that was born last summer. Bad picture and bad lighting. {Note to self-get better at taking pictures}

Car seat cover

My cousin had a baby girl last April. After having two boys, she wanted to dress up her car seat a little and add some pink flair. I told her if we could find a pattern, I would make her a new cover for her car seat for her baby gift. We found a great pattern, she bought the material, and I was off. It turned out pretty cute and she got lots of compliments on it.

Christmas stockings

Spending 6 weeks with Matthew in the hospital last fall, I was able to complete 4 Christmas stockings for our fireplace.  Hopefully this year I can make 2 more; one each for Steve and I.  I completed these in December of 2010.

Ohio State Quilt

My really good friend Kristen was due to have a baby in February (although he was born in January) and I told her I wanted to make her a quilt for her new little bundle.  They are HUGE Ohio State fans; so when I asked them what kind of quilt they would like, they sent me a picture of a couple quilts that they liked and the different things they liked about each quilt.  I designed a quilt based on what they wanted, and got to work.  I ended up binding it in the hospital when Matthew was there for surgery, and getting it in the mail just in time for the new little bundle to arrive home.  Kristen kindly took some pictures for me (LOVE her photography skills) and emailed them to me.  This quilt was the hardest thing I'd made, up to this point.  I would love to make this again, as after I made it, I figured out different easier ways to make this quilt so that the squares would line up better, and the applique would look more professional. My 1/4" seam has also gotten more accurate since then.  But, it was a labor of love, and by golly, I hope it holds up :)

My first quilt

This is not the most clear picture; but this is where my quilting love started. I made this for a friend of mine's baby.  It was so fun and so soft! I loved the fun little farm animals and the black and white binding.  I finished this project in October of 2010. 

What started it all

I have been crafting and sewing for as long as I can remember.  As a little girl, I was in 4-H and sewed and made things each year for the fair.  Back then, it was more of a love/hate relationship.  Oh, how I hated being patient and waiting to see the finished product, and I HATED the seam ripper even more.  I still cringe when I see that thing.  My teen years I taught myself to crochet with the help of my grandma and a nice elderly lady at the nursing home I worked in.  I made several things crocheting through my highschool and college years, but desperately wanted to learn to knit. After high school, I was also without a sewing machine since I no longer lived at home, so my sewing days had gone by the wayside.  Somewhere between 2000-2003, i taught myself to knit.  I know it was somewhere between those years, because my daughter's (who was born in 2000) baby blanket was crocheted and my son's (who was born in 2003) baby blanket is knitted.  I love to knit and still do quite a bit of knitting; but save it mainly for when I cannot be at home in front of my sewing machine.

At some point, I acquired my mom's old sewing machine, and would sporadically sew.  The machine was old and I could NEVER get it to work.  It made sewing so frustrating, but I knew if i could get a new machine, I may be able to sew more.  In 2007 (I think) I talked my husband into letting me buy a new sewing machine for my birthday.  I loved it and sewed and sewed and sewed.  I made cloth diapers for my son, and other random small projects.  My sewing ability grew as did my love for it. Although I'd made several blankets and "rag quilts", in September of 2010 I made my first "real quilt". I "blog-taught" myself to free motion quilt, and how to bind and finish my quilt. I was hooked.  I shortly after made a quilt for a very dear friend of mine for her baby. It was the hardest thing I had ever made, but I was up for the challenge. I am now using every free second I have to sew.  I plan on using this blog as a way to record my craftings, and maybe even progress pictures.  While I am guessing it will mainly be sewing, you may see an occasional knitting or other crafting project.
And the  first several posts will be projects that are already done, and the pictures of them need to come off my camera.  I will slowly but surely catch up to what I am doing present time

Oh, and as for the name of my blog; I made a few cloth diapers for a friend of mine, and every time her little boy would wear them, he would say "this one was made by Miss Jill".  So even though I'm happily married, the name stuck and if I ever open my own business from home, this will be it's name.