Three in One (and on a sunday too)

I've been hinting and not showing these for months, but they are now in the recipients hands so I can brag share them with you now...  introducing the quilts for bestie, baby and hubby too.  Just a shame that the sun never made an appearance whilst I actually had access to a garden and washing line to hang them on....

The baby's Polaroid Quilt

Measures 52" x 58"
Japanese charm squares as polaroids, shot cotton background.
Back, more polaroids on Alexander Henry Rolling Hills.
Fabrics 100% cotton (and some 50% cotton/50% linen blend) and batting 100% cotton.
Based on this beautiful block by Little Miss Shabby.
Quilting free-motion stars on the shot cotton, and hand stitching in white perle cotton on the white, including baby's name and other doodles on the bottom strip.
I've wanted to use my Japanese charms since I got them but no project was special enough til my best friend had a wee girl.  And they were doubly perfect as the new mum in question spent a few years in Japan so I knew the fabrics would appeal to her. I used the shot cotton as background for its warmth and I thought it was nicer than just having a flat colour.  When I saw how square the top was,  I decided to put a border on it and use that border to make the whole quilt one big polaroid.  

The hubby's City Quilt.  

Based on the amazing Cherie House Quilts City Lots.
Measures  51" x 66"
Solids only quilt, 100% cotton fabrics and batting.
Quilting is straight line grid 1/4" inside seams with variegated thread.
In doing a quilt for best friends new baby, then finding myself making one for her too, I couldn't very well leave her husband out now could I.  I've wanted to make a City Quilt for ages now, and this seemed the right time to give it a go!
I had to do a border on hubby and besties quilts as I found I'd gotten carried away on babies quilt and it had ended up bigger than the two for the grown ups... couldn't have new dad sitting with cold feet...I went with the same plan as babies, to use the border to make the whole quilt like a large block.

The bestie's Circa City Quilt

To keep a family theme I decided to stick with the design layout of the City Lots, but this time on a larger scale to show off the prints of the Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket.  Also includes patches from the panel and border print.  The first time I saw this line it just made me think of my bestie.  Its maybe the typewriter keys, she is a brilliant writer and storyteller.  Or maybe its the retro 30's look or the print names, Garbo, Astaire, Hayworth...  Or maybe its just that I really love it and I thought she might too.  Or maybe I'm just getting far too soft in my old age...
Measures 53" x 67"  
100% cotton fabrics and batting. 
Back 100% cotton flannel, supersoft and cosy.  
Quilting is horizontal straight lines spaced 1.5" apart.


The two tops for Bestie and her hubby were made aeons ago when mum was visiting.  Once I  had the plan, the sizes and the fabrics mum helped out loads with the cutting and pressing as I did the stitching.  I'm glad I was able to bring the finished quilts to mum to see before they went on to their new home.   When I say finished, I need to point out that Hubbys City Quilt still needed the binding done, and as I became a little under the weather mum was able to step in again and do the hand stitching of the binding for me.  Isnt she a star?  Even bestie herself had to get stuck in and assist in the photoshoot - the quilts needed gripped tightly as the rotton wind was was determined to ruin play and I would have but someone had to play with hold on to the baby...


Best news of all, for me anyway I dunno about proper quilters, is that they are being used and abused already!  I swear I'm not being sarcastic, I honestly was thrilled to see them on the floor being rolled up in, hidden in, played with and crawled over, and when babys Polaroid Quilt got spewed on, well, that's just the perfect christening!  But the less said about spew the better right now.....  Suffice to say, I couldn't be happier they're being used and loved right away.  As I told bestie, they're only going to get softer and cosier and comfier the more they're washed.