Gina's Surprise ~~ finished

Maybe I should name this quilt Mary and Gina's Surprise. I finished the entire quilt in only a few days, so I am surprised.

Gina, however, is the one with the really big surprise. She is expecting a boy mid-January. Gina is my niece and is about 32 years old. She has always said no children, ever. Plus, she has two nephews of her own that she's especially close to. I suppose you could say she helps in raising them and that was enough for her.

But, you know, things can change. A girl in her thirties can find the love of her life. They can find themselves enjoying a "no children, ever" surprise with a side of crow and a nice glass of blush. Still, Gina is having a grand time being "preggy," I think the word is now. 

Some of the quilting--I just switched
from one motif to another as I pleased.

Aother surprise is that some of the fabrics in this quilt are from my late mom's stash. Gina was really close to mom and often mentions how much she misses her. So when I decided to make a quilt for Gina, I thought it would be really special to include at least a few of mom's fabrics, even if they are really, really old. So I got busy looking. 

Several boxes later (I used the opportunity to  clean up and get more fabric put away) I discovered the one box that I knew had to be around somewhere. In it were three dusty but usable blue fabrics. She'd better have a boy! One is this pretty blue flannel. It reminds me of daddy since he always wore flannel shirts in the winter, which only adds to the sentimental value. 

Since there was only a little over a yard, I think mom bought lots and used up the amount necessary to make him a shirt. This is just what happens to be left over. And it just happens to be the right amount. The stars do align when grandparents in heaven are giving an assist.

Six and a half inch blocks, a Trip Around the World pattern and progressive free-motion quilting all made for a two-day quilt that is 44" square and very boyish. Since there was enough of the flannel, I decided to cut it on the diagonal and use it for binding. And for the label I stitched on small pieces of the two fabrics on the front so she could easily remember which ones were Grandma's. I think Gina will enjoy it.

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		Quilt Stats
	Name:	Gina's Surprise
	Size:	44 x 44
	Fabrics:	fabrics from mom's stash (and mine)
	Backing:	blue plaid flannel from mom's stash
	Binding:	same blue flannel
	Pattern:	Trip Around the World design
	Quilting:	Progressive FMQ
	Completed:	November 2, 2018

Link Ups

Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or Not Friday)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)
Busy Mom Quilts (Finish It up Friday)

Alan's Crown Royal Quilt -- finished

I've been working on this quilt, made of the flannel bags that Crown Royal brandy comes in. I didn't know (or ever really thought about) that people can buy different size bottles of the stuff and that the bags come in different colors. I still don't know why the different the colors, but that doesn't matter in quilt making.

The flannel increases the warmth and weight ante. Even though I used a thin cotton batting, the quilt is pretty heavy.  Last month when I wrote about Alan's quilt, I had finished the top. Since then I went to Paducah, babysat several days, and helped care for Richard's parents, both of whom are elderly and quite sick. 

Getting to the quilting was a challenge in finding time but I was determined to finish it before the next guild meeting, which is Monday. I met my goal! But that's all I've managed in the studio.

Milly and I stole out for a few minutes to take pictures of the quilt. The light was probably perfect since it was dusk, but that was a stroke of luck. I decided to throw it on Will's boat for a few shots thinking that it would make a masculine prop. It's definitely a guy quilt, even though it's mostly purple. 

I pieced a backing from some of the fabrics in my stash and thought that plaids would give it a more masculine touch. Of course, I didn't have enough plaids, so I just found some yardage that didn't have flowers on it. Really, that was my standard for choosing fabrics. I haven't shown the quilt to Alan (Dusti's boyfriend), but it's for Alan's dad , whom I've never met  so I couldn't choose fabrics specifically for him. In the end this just seemed one way to go. 

Since there were a few small bags in green and purple, I put those on the back and added darker green to make it even more masculine. I'm not sure I hit the target, but I tried. What do you think? Do the colors and plaids help?

Try to ignore the grass. I forgot that the flannel
picks up everything!

For the quilting, I chose a large stipple because it's fast and easy. I took time to make sure that the seams on the outside of each bag would be caught in the stitching so that they flipped from one side to the other. This gives lots of texture and a ripple look that I like. I've done this with other quilts but those needed more work. The seams on this quilt were built in, so I had to take advantage of that. 

		Quilt Stats
	Name:	Alan's Crown Royal quilt
	Size:	67 x 82
	Fabrics:	flannel Crown Royal bags from client
	Backing:	yardage from stash
	Binding:	Kona gold
	Quilting:	large stippling
	Completed:	2018 May

Link Ups!

My Quilt Infatuation (NTT) 

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish It Up Friday)

Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or Not Friday)
Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)