Bloggers Quilt Festival - Spring, 2011

It's time for the Bloggers Quilt Festival over on Amy's Creative Side!  I absolutely love this idea, and give myself breaks during the day when I sit down with a giant glass of water and allow myself 5 or 10 links before getting back to work.  It's inspiring, motivational, and very relaxing.

For this festival, I chose my recently completed See Greer Grow quilt.  This is a very simple quilt that shows off a focus fabric and is a great example of how an uncomplicated design can make for a beautiful quilt. 

I chose a baby quilt for my festival project because that's how I got started in quilting.  I made a quilt for my best friend's son when we were both pregnant at the same time.  My mom made a similar quilt for my baby.

Baby quilts are, by far, the most common type of quilt I've made.  For some reason, I almost always finish them by the baby's due date or arrival.  I wish I had that same kind of follow through with other projects but, sadly, my list of UFO's tells another story!

Baby quilts are immensely satisfying for me to make. They are small enough to be quick projects; you can use those adorable novelty prints, bright solids, or exquisite reproductions and still get a satisfying result.  They are also a perfect size for practicing your free motion quilting on a domestic machine without feeling like you're wrestling an alligator.

I had a great time free motion quilting on this project.  I used swirls and hearts and leaves and vines and flowers to create a soft, feminine flow to offset the boxy piecing.

Almost everyone appreciates the beauty of a baby quilt and the heirloom it may become.  At the same time, I find they are the most used quilted gifts, which gives me no end of pleasure.  The greatest compliment someone can give me is to ask me to replace the binding on a five or six year old baby quilt because it has been loved and worn and washed.

Plus, is there anything more blissfully sweet than this face?  Who wouldn't want to make that angel a quilt?

I hope you enjoy the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Thanks, Amy, for this awesome idea and for hosting us each market season!



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