Christmas Coin Quilt

Finished ! Finally ! This quilt was a real pain in my ass from start to finish. It doesn't matter now, it's done and ready for Christmas. I can picture the boys snuggled underneath on the couch in front of the fireplace, in our new house !
Which means my budget for quilting has been drastically cut. I have three quilts out at the long arms quilters right now, and one top that I have been putting together for a give away on my blog. That's it ! Once those are done I imagine I will be taking a long break. Not so much because I want to, but I need to.
I have been tossing around the idea to make some custom quilts for friends and family. My biggest concern is the price, by the time I have purchased the fabric and paid the long arm quilter the cost is upwards of $100.00, not counting my time (which I would not charge for) or the size of the quilt. Bigger costs more. Maybe, I need to think about it some more.

Christmas in the middle of summer ?

Be still my heart ! Look what came back from the long arm quilter ! Better than I had even imagined possible.

My Christmas coin quilt.

I picked it up on Monday and the quilter gave me some VERY helpful hints on squaring up my quilt and staying within that 1/4 inch seam allowance. Little things that I thought made no real difference on the overall construction of the quilt, but it does. Does it ever.

I have had it home for a few days and haven't even done the binding yet. Strange for me. Feeling that end-of-summer slump. Hot weather, bored kids, long endless days.

I dare say that I am ready for fall.

*gasp*

[ sneak peek ]

That's all I am going to say. I am really, really excited though !

[ orange you glad I finished this ? ]

Bonus points if you remember this quilt. Anyone ? If you said last October, you would be right. I had intentions of making quilts for my twin niece and nephew on their 1st birthday's (which was last March) The top to Aria's got finished, but the one for Chase just sat and sat.

To say I struggled with this one would be an understatement. I would play with the arrangement, then move everything around again, then I would get mad and shove all the pieces into the closet for a few more weeks, months, what have you.

Well I have been slowly working through my to-do pile and this one was in it. So I sewed up the top, quilted it, and called it good.

The strange thing ? I love it, absolutely love it. Something about how it looks a hundred times better when it's all together. I could not see it in my mind, but I took a chance and forged ahead. It's a perfect square, 52" by 52". The orange looks really bright and annoying in the pictures, but trust me it works.

Now I just need to quilt and bind Aria's quilt.

My to-do list is getting smaller and smaller (but I have something wicked cool lined up when everything is done...)

[ grandma ]

This is Grandma's quilt. When she was here visiting she made a comment about my quilting, and right then and there I decided to make her one. I made it with a bundle of fat quarters, blues and greens and it's a small one, 51" x 51 ", perfect for her lap.
I am backing it with some coordinating paisley fabric, binding will be the same as well. I am hoping to have this one finished and in the mail before summer is over.

Slowly making my way through my "to-do" pile.

my fav !

This is one of my favorites. I picked it up from the quilt shop yesterday and scurried home to start the binding. Remember how I said I was always having problems with my binding coming out cruddy ? I did some things a little different this time, and the results were awesome !

While I was at the quilt shop I dropped off my Christmas quilt, another woman is taking in quilts and I decided to give her a try. I am hoping her turn around time is better than 5 months.

[ wheeze ]

The latest creation.

Took me an afternoon to put together. The longest part was just trying to decide what I wanted to do.

I love the colors. Dropping it off at the long arm quilters this Friday.

My sewing machine was making a horrible wheezing sound, just as I was finishing the top to this quilt. That's never a good sign.