Monday, September 27, 2010

the eleanor quilt


a friend of a friend just had a baby. the family has gone through quite a lot recently, including a miscarriage right before this pregnancy and their apartment burned down. they lost EVERYTHING. i can't imagine going through either one of those situations, not to mention both.

so i asked my friend if her friend would want/need a quilt. YES! was the answer. i asked about colors and style. these are the 3 words that i got for direction: orange, olive and earthy. also, i knew that the new baby would be sharing the room with her 9 year old brother, so it shouldn't be over the top girly.

now, i love a challenge, so i got to work. i used 11" blocks, so the quilt measures 33" x 44".

i used Kona cottons and a few dots and tone on tone fabrics. i took the liberty of adding in some lime solids as well. it was a fun quilt to put together, even though it is very much out of my color scheme comfort zone. that's good once in awhile!

after the top was done, i went to my LQS knowing that the back would need to be something special since the top is very simple. i wanted to have some sort of girly twist somewhere in the quilt.

i found this fabric that has a very organic feeling, but not over the top sweet. perfection!
i used simple concentric square quilting and michael miller dots for binding. love those dots.



this little quilt needs a trip through the washer and dryer, a label and then it will be packed up and shipped to little eleanor.

i'm down to 15 quilts in progress. woo-hoo! once i finish one more, i'm starting another!



and one aside i need to get of my chest:
 
when i first started blogging, i vowed that i wouldn't complain about blogger. after all, it's a free service and i appreciate what they do so much. what a great thing! well, whatever blogger did to change their formatting last week is testing my patience and almost making me go back on my vow. blogger, thanks for all you do, but you are making me want to pull out all my hair out at the moment. (that's technically complaining, is it???)

107 comments:

Mimi-n-Moe's Mom said...

That is lovely. It will be cherished!

Karen

~Laurie~ said...

PERFECT!! You have such a fantastic eye for color - you really do!! I love visiting your blog :)

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

1. The quilt is beautiful.
2. What is Blogger doing... not sure how I missed it since I rely on their affordable services too

V A N I A said...

the quilt is very lovely..and the colors too.
ciao vania

Annelies said...

How lovely...both the quilt and your heart for sharing such a lovely gift. XXX

Dree said...

That is absolutely gorgeous, and I am not a fan of orange. The backing is lovely--I am picky with florals, and that is a great one.

mjb said...

I have to laugh at the number of quilts you have in progress. I thought it was a problem that I had 7 in progress earlier this year, but of course as soon as I wrapped most of them up (a couple still need binding) I went to cut out fabric for not one but 3 quilts at one time. And each time I sit down to make progress on one I end up pulling out a fabric stack to start a different quilt. Oh well, I guess it's just the way I work.

Nancy said...

I love that quilt and the pattern. Is that one of your patterns?? I would like to make that one. I need another project to add to the 20 I have going now but hey, I love a challenge. Have a great week. :)
Nancy

Loris said...

What a wonderful, sweet quilt!
Blessings to the growing family and especially Eleanor :-)

Mary said...

I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN! The new Blogger changes are driving me nuts too. I feel your pain.

I'm loving this quilt - I'm sure the family will appreciate it so much!

Angie said...

Love this quilt!

leigh said...

Love the quilt! It's perfect!

Angela Nash said...

(right there with you about blogger - the new editor is NOT good)

Love the quilt - fantastic work out of your zone. And that back is perfect!!

Amanda Jean said...

nan,

i didn't use a pattern, i "free pieced" the blocks as i went. sorry i can't give you more to go on.

aj

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

It's beautiful, AmandaJean and I'm sure it will be well received and loved.

Suzanne said...

It's a perfect cheery quilt! The quilting definitely makes it.

JG said...

Such a beautiful quilt to use and to cherish!

Kristin said...

The quilt is gorgeous and I don't like the new formatting either.

Laurel H. said...

LOVE the quilt! And it is great for a girl, without being too girly to go into a Jack'n'Jill room!

So, um, what quilts are those that you have in progress? :)

Well, since I have unfortunately not blogged in over a week, I have yet to find out what Blogger has done to complicate things. Sigh.

Sarah said...

love the colors! and that backing is dreamy!

QuiltNut Creations said...

beautiful! love the colors.

I just blogged today and no Blogger changes for me. now I'm scared; not all change is good!

Quilt or Dye said...

Great choices on your quilt!

Katie @SwimBikeQuilt said...

beautiful quilt. I love making quilts for people in need... and I hear you about blogger. What's up?

Nichole said...

beautiful quilt! it's so thoughtful of you to make a truly personal contribution to a family in need. it sounds like they'll be very thankful.

Dresden Quilter said...

What a beautiful quilt and what a lucky baby!

Andrea said...

Beautiful Quilt! What a thoughtful gift!

I too was frustrated with Blogger before any changes were made so I found Windows Live Writer & actually compose my blogs there and then upload them to blogger. Have found it's much easier to use!!!

Terriaw said...

What a beautiful quilt! especially for a family in need. I would probably be a basket case after going through all that they have gone through. Love your choice of that backing fabric - yes, very organic and pretty but not too girly to be shared with a boy.

Live a Colorful Life said...

I love the quilt. Dots, colors, everything!

Re Blogger: Are you talking about the picture downloader/uploader (whatever...I can never remember) because I hate it. I haven't noticed other changes...yet but I have the picture thing.

Us Lochers said...

I was just going to tell you what Andrea just said... Windows Live Writer has made blogging SO much easier for me (not that I'm a pro). It is a free download! And when I need to make corrections I just pull up the post in livewriter and hit publish again and Voila! Easy peezy!

Jantine said...

Not sure about Blogger, haven't noticed anything yet... But I so love this quilt and the gesture you make with it! I am sure they will love it!

Brighton Breezy Sarah said...

Another fantastic quilt - love love love those colours ... I want to just swim in it! I love it when my Reader shows you've posted again :)

Completely agree about blogger bluggery ... grrrrr

I'm going to look at the Windows Live Writer thang - thank you Us Lochers :)

MichelleB said...

It's wonderful! I love the back with it. Perfection!

Andi said...

A very beautiful and thoughtful gift!!
You're a good one you are!!
Andi x

Unknown said...

LOVE this simple quilt...it's the quilting that makes it AJ.
Blogger, don't get me started...I had so much trouble in the spring that even now when I open it I'm not sure what to find. Haven't done much in the past week of trying to close cottage and avoid the raiding bear that I haven't blogged...oh boy!

Tiffany said...

why do you wash and dry your quilts before you gift them? wouldn't it be better to just give them the nice crisp new looking quilt without washing it? Im new to this fabulous world of quilting, just wondered your take on it.

Thimbleanna said...

Another great quilt CrazyMom -- you're amazing!

Really, you don't need to complain about blogger. Just post that you made a vow not to complain. We'll take that as a sign and then we'll do the complaining for you. It's been driving me CRAZY the last few months. Everyone has a different way to leave comments and sometimes they don't work. I have a bunch of blogs that I follow that I can't comment on from my main computer (thankfully, yours isn't one of them) so I only manage to visit them once every few days when I can get to an alternate computer. Plus, blogger eats my comments!!!

Rhonda said...

Nice quilt!

Clair said...

fantastic job.

azuree55 said...

Great job and it's so cute. As a former system admin, I understand your frustration on a software change. I also know there are bugs on any program because you can not think of everything. Make a trouble ticket on what your issues are to their customer service group and every day follow up with an email. Believe me...it will get fixed.

Nanette Merrill said...

At first I thought it would be good changes, but making blog posts took so long. Yikes. Love the quilt. It is fantastic.

Erika :: Ollie & Olina said...

How do you get the square quilt lines? Do you turn the quilt each time you turn a corner? That seems really hard under a little machine. Looking for advice on how you do it!

mandbrid said...

It's beautiful!!!

genie said...

How do you do it, girl? You are unbelievable. The colors and stitching pattern in this quilt are just perfect.

Hugs,
Genie

elsie123 said...

Very nice quilt, I really like the simplicity of it.

peaknits said...

I love this quilt - it has such a simple elegance - lucky itty bitty lady! 15 in progress, egads - I dream for such productivity!:)

Dandelion Quilts said...

This reminds me of summer...love it.

beth said...

Lovely quilt...as usual. ;)

Liz Jimenez said...

Love it! I love all the green and then that one big splash of orange off to the side. And the quilting is just right for the design, as always. Lovely!

Shawn said...

Love your quilt Amanda,so cheerful perfect for a little girl. Have you ever tried windows live writer for posting on your blog,it's so easy I love it..

Sarah Craig said...

Love your quilt - my hubby saw it and said, "Oooh, University of Miami!!' (Can you tell he's an alumnus?) And I'm not sure what Blogger is doing, but I was really annoyed today when I uploaded six photos, went to put one in the post and when I went back, the others were gone! Grrrr...... But it's all good - I sure don't want to learn another program now that I've got this one under my belt!

Leslie said...

this is gorgeous!!!!

Pat Sloan said...

no not complaining.... that was sharing.. sharing with the universe... sharing ..mmmm...errr... well let's stick with sharing!

sweet quilt too!

Asiyah said...

I've been in the unfortunate position where I lost all of my belongings in an apartment fire. It happened a decade ago but still makes me sad to think of it...and my two dogs who died that day.

I am sure they will cherish this quilt for years to come. Way to pay it forward.

Collette said...

It's just really gorgeous. And I love that you're helping to furnish their new place with love.

Shell said...

What a lovely thing you have done!! xx

Andrea, the little collector said...

Sassy fun quilt. I am sure it will be appreciated and snuggled and loved. Go Miss A-J!

Unknown said...

Such a fun quilt! I love the color combo :)
what changed in blogger? is it the picture uploading? I've moved, but was using draft beforehand...took a little getting use to but you can do it!!

Megan said...

Such a fresh, vibrant quilt! And your 15 WIPs are making me feel better about mt 10 - almost giving me license to start another!

Laurence said...

Very beautiful quilt ! I love fabrics' colors !

Danielle said...

I really really love the quilts you make!

Timi said...

This quilt is fabulous!!! Lovely colors!

Unknown said...

That's such a sad story! Your poor friends :(

That quilt is bound to bring some big smiles all round though - it's making me grin like a fool.

ps - yes, blogger. Grrr. I know.

Mary said...

that is a gorgeous happy quilt. I love te colors and the backing could not be more perfect.....

Maria Wallin said...

I have have to agree with Mary, it's a wonderful and very happy quilt and that seem to be exactly what the poor family needs after all they've been through. Beautiful!

Crystal said...

I love the quilt. The colors are very crisp and pretty. I am sure the family will cherish it forever.

Mama Pea said...

That's a pretty great quilt and shows a lot of thoughtfulness. Love it.

Shellie said...

Love the backing. The earth tones are great. All quilts are snuggled.
Nice work.

SueB said...

love the quilt.

Michele said...

Not the traditional baby quilt but quite wonderful and perfect for the recipient.

D Brown said...

wouldn't these be great! a set of new rulers and less blades - Yah!

Renae said...

Our family loves those colors--so does that mean we're a bit wild and crazy, or weird.

I think it is a fantastic quilt. I also like a non-traditional girly quilt.

Lauren said...

Love the quilt - especially the backing. It is perfect!

Anina said...

I love the colors. And the design. And the quilting.

Amanda Jean said...

mommy e,

yes, i turn the quilt for each time i turn a corner. it's tiresome, but so worth it! it's much easier on a small quilt like this. i did it on a king size once. yes, only once. :)

aj

Sooz said...

Oh, aj, now I am afeared to post a much overdue post, as I was having problems with Blogger before this week. arg. Tonight I will face the music, and tomorrow I look forward to seeing you on the blog hop!
Love the quilt. Perfect for a girl in a boy's room. Nice interpretation of those 3 words.

Lovie said...

Love the quilt, perfect for a little girl sharing a brothers room. Are you going to try and make her brother one also?

bargello said...

WOW you did it!
Love the bibs too,
K

Giddy for Paisley said...

Wow, love the quilt. The colors are so bright and cheerful.

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

The quilt is beautiful - perfect for a little girl without being cutesy pink and frilly, etc.

tarabu said...

I love the concentric square quilting!

Anita D. said...

Nice color combo. (Even though many of those colors look like they could have come from the cedar chest.)

Lilac Barries said...

love the quilt! Blogger has been hating me as well, I cant get the font color to change or the font itself for that matter

Varga Györgyi said...

Hi Amanda! I'm in Pat Sloane's blog hop. That was the way I find your wonderful blog. I'm a mother of five and love to quilt as you are. Your quilts are amazing, i love them all. Have a nice day! Györgyi

bargello said...

Hi Amanda,
I am also on the Shop Hop and thank Pat for introducing me to some great Blogs...just like yours!
Kathy

Patty C. said...

Your work is lovely :)

lovetostitch said...

Great quilt and looks fast! Thanks for the tutorial - I think it's wonderful for you to make a quilt for someone in need like that. Bless you!

Becky (My Fabric Obsession) said...

That is beautiful! All the best to the family. Hopefully they have happier times ahead.

Karen said...

Beautiful quilt!!

Miss Sherry said...

The quilt makes me want to grab it and wrap myself up in it and lay down in a bunch of leaves. Super delicious!

Shellie said...

Fall is wonderful.

Lynn Osborne said...

I love the colors in the quilt. So sweet!

SheilaS said...

Love it! Love it! Love it! That quilt is wonderful! And it is out of my comfort zone also-I mainly like primitives and Civil War. But I loved the simplicity of it and even your very bright (too me) colors. And yes-how did you get your quilting so sq? We need a lesson & also do you have a pattern? I'm on the ruler shop hop & what a great way to see other sites!

Pat said...

Very fun quilt.

Joan said...

That is a perfect quilt for the shared room. And nights that he is sleeping at a friend's house, she can use the "girly" side! Thanks for sharing!

rebecca said...

This is fun. Wonderful blog you have!!

Kathy H said...

I love the quilt. I have seen several variations on this type of quilt lately. I have also started to really love the polka dot prints. I want to make something with several different sizes.

Dolores Quilts said...

Love your bright colors! The pumpkin recipe sounds so delicious1 I will have to try this.

Rebekah said...

This is such an awesome quilt! I love the centers you added and the concentric square quilting looks amazing!

Kay said...

Amanda what a beautiful quilt. What a truly giving person you are. I love to read your blog everyday you are such an inspiration.
Kay

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Wonderful quilt!

Karen said...

You have such a knack of taking something so simple and making it look so spectacular. You always inspire me!

Someday said...

Gorgeous. You do well outside your comfort zone!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Beautiful baby quilt Amanda. And so sweet that it is for Eleanor - I had an Aunt Eleanor. It seems all the old names are coming around again.

peawink said...

It's adorable and so thoughtful of you to make a quilt for the new baby. The colors are fantastic and I immediately dashed of the link to your blog to a friend who told me last night her favorite combo was lemons and limes.

Cheryl Arkison said...

That looks incredible! Those were my parents wedding colours, so they always make me smile.

paisley and lace said...

Love the quilt. Love the leggins and gift box. Ha. I thought the blogger thing was just my being a computor-tard. Good to hear it's not just my lack of skills. Happy quilt-finishing!

Shev said...

This is OMG Gorgeous! WOW!
It is olive, orange, earthy AND cool.