Quilt U Be Mine--I'm in LOVE!

... with mystery round robins, that is.

Welcome to everyone who is stopping by to see today's mystery round robin reveal!  So nice to visit with you.  For those of you who don't know me yet, I'm a mom of 3 wonderful kiddos, a wife, a volunteer, a crafter and much, much more.  I started my blog just over a year ago as a way to explore my creativity and expand my horizons.  I didn't find my love of quilting until several months later, and lately, that is my main focus.  I also post about other things from time to time, but that time is less often than I wish it were.

Yay, I finally get to show everyone my awesome round robin quilt.  It was with some trepidation that I set out on my first round robin experience back in October.  I remember wondering to myself why I was worrying about Valentine's Day before even Halloween--yikes!  I decided to start with this heart block.  I love the scrappy look and I hadn't attempted anything like that yet.  I was so pleased with how it turned out!

So, off it went into the mail and now my butterflies really began ... not just because I was sending off my project, but now I was being entrusted with someone else's ideas and hopes.  I was worried I wouldn't know what to do or know how to put my ideas into reality.  The first block I received was from Pippa in France.  I love her center block!  It was embroidered as a remembrance of her two kids.  I added the XOXO borders to share the love, then the ribbon border to tie it all together.

Next I got to work on Rachelle's block.  Her LOVE was so darling, but it already felt a little busy to me, so for my first border, I kept it simple.  The second one I added was a scrappy braid.  I like the symbolism of families and friends knit together in love and the braid seemed the perfect way to say that for this project.

Lastly, I worked on Sami's quilt.  Since mine were the last two borders, I knew I wanted a spectacular finish for her.  I really liked the tumbling hearts of the center block and tried to pull them out with the first border.  I made all those  hearts with 1" squares.  For her second border I used a scrappy rectangles to offset the first border that was added.  I think it turned out super cute!

**UPDATE**  I originally included only portions of my borders for Sam's quilt because I didn't want to trump her reveal on her blog.  I was reminded, however, that she intends to add to hers to make it full-sized and quilt it for her reveal.  Sorry, Sami!

Finally, I got my own back home--you can see all the fun that my group had with mine.  Didn't it turn out *AMAZING*?!  I love how the center block is not-so-centered and it reads all red-and white.  There are only small touches of pink here and there, but they are subtle.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the wonderful ladies of Group 2 and especially thank you to Michelle for co-ordinating this fun project.  I'm already on my second round robin (Thanks to Michelle's gentle nudge :) and I'll be posting the first sneak peak for that here in a couple of days.  I haven't quilted (or named) my topper yet, but I will ...  Thanks for stopping by--and Happy Valentine's Day!

My Ruffle Quilt Finish

I have been trying to get this posted in earnest for a week now ... yes, its been that kind of a week :)

I started this quilt last summer with a quilt along that kind of fizzled out.  But that's OK, because I knew who I was making this for; I just didn't have a deadline for it.  Until Letters to Santa.  Sarah decided she wanted a quilt of her very own.  She was tired of using everyone else's leftovers from the extra blanket fund to keep herself warm.  Now, she does not just have one or two of these on her bed--she has a pile.  I see this as an opportunity to pare down and reduce a little.  That has yet to actually happen, but I have hopes :)

Sarah is a bit of a tomboy, so I didn't want to make it too girly, but a little girly (the ruffles) is OK.  She just turned 10, so I wanted it to be able to grow with her for a while.  Samantha picked out the fabrics--a Malka Dubrawski line.  I wasn't that thrilled with it, but the more I used it, the more I liked it--and now I REALLY like it!  Notice the orange/lime backing.  Yes, that's a stretch for me, too.

I used a batting that I wouldn't have to quilt too closely--the instruction page said I could quilt up to 10 inches apart.  The squares are about 8-1/2 inches, so that worked out fine.  Because of the ruffling, there really wasn't any quilting per se.  I just stitched in the ditch between each block.  I was worried about catching the ruffles, but it really wasn't bad.  It did take a bit of muscle.  It's the largest quilt to date that I've put together and I was surprised at how tired my arms, got, but it was worth it!

Wake up Sunshine! {winner-s}

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my last post!  I had 131 comments.  I'm still working my way through responding to all of them, but they are so positive and uplifting!

This has been a busy week--I have my second quilty finish for the year (I'll post pics another time ...), I had an extra shift at work and the kids were off school for two days.  This AM Nicholas is going on a campout--in the SNOW.  I've had to beg, borrow, steal and, yes, buy quite a bit of gear for that.

I made a handful of wristlets, since I was reminded how easy it is to do combine steps and make several.  Other than a little bit of time, you might as make more than one :)  Plus, this way I get an extra one and I get to spread the sunshine a little more.  I do like that!

This morning, I got up and copied and pasted all your beautiful comments into my word processor.  This numbered and consolidated them for me.  I printed them all out and cut them apart.  Folded each strip and put it into a basket ... and my kids had some fun ...

Congratulations to #66 , #68 & #126:

the girlfriend gapJanuary 28, 2013 at 10:03 AM

Love the sunshine!
And so many cute little purselets in the sewing world these days. Just saw one again today at sew can she. Thanks for the chance at a giveaway! Janita

Shannon MeyerJanuary 28, 2013 at 10:22 AM

Your projects are beautiful!! I'm only a beginner quilter, but you have inspired me to work harder at it!!

Charlotte ThompsonJanuary 30, 2013 at 11:34 AM

Love your dresdens. I'm a follower and thanks for following me also.
Charlotte

Just a quick reminder ... if you want to make one of these awesome little wristlets for yourself, just go here.