Quilts for Christmas

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This year, I started planning what I was going to do for the kids for Christmas early – like at least July early.  I had a couple Layer Cakes that I wanted to use for quilts, and I had a pattern I wanted to use for another quilt – I just had to pick out the fabric for it.  So each of the three kids that still live in the house with us each got a quilt for Christmas (Sorry, Emma, doesn’t growing up suck?).

I made Harley’s quilt top first because I already had the pattern, and then I fell in love with the backing fabric I found at JoAnn’s when I was in Boise over the summer.

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Harley is very down-to-earth, happy, and laid back, so I wanted to make her quilt fit her personality.  She is very black and white without a lot of gray area, so I really liked the sharp contrasts of the color-blocking and sashing in this quilt.  I had to add the butterfly blocks for a little bit of whimsy, though.

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This polk-a-dot backing is the fabric I found first, and then I found the other fabrics to coordinate with it.  I just love the little offset circles on white and gray.

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I did my own quilting (probably will never do it again), and I don’t hate it, but my machine just doesn’t have a big-enough arm hole for all the bulky rolled-up fabric to fit through.  Any quilts I make in the future will have longarm quilting  budgeted into their expense.

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If you live in Oregon, Idaho, or Washington, it is unlikely you haven’t heard of Dutch Brothers Coffee.  All the kids love their drinks, so I included a gift card with their quilts.

Terrance’s quilt was made with Nocturne by Moda Fabrics, and I had one Layer Cake to use to make it, which was perfect.

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This quilt is the first time I used the quick sew method for making Half Square Triangles, and it is AMAZING!  I worked really hard to make sure all my blocks remained square and that the points matched up.

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I used a solid navy colored sheet to back Terrance’s quilt, and I also quilted this one myself.  This time, I followed the diagonal lines (NEVER AGAIN) one direction.  I just don’t have the patience to bundle all the excess fabric up to quilt efficiently.

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As with Harley’s quilt, though, I am really happy with the way it turned out, and Terrance liking it is just the cherry on top!

I used the Brickyard Pattern by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter to make Reagan’s quilt, and I used the Pie Making Day Patty Cake collection for the fabric.   I love the organized, random offset pattern of this quilt, and the colors of the fabric totally fit Miss Reagan’s personality!  She is bright, cheerful, impish, energetic, and bubbly!

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I didn’t want to overwhelm the colors and patterns of the main fabrics, so I used solid white for the sashing and a solid turquoise for the backing.  I used strips of the same backing material to bind it with, as well.

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Reagan’s quilt has the simplest quilting pattern.  I simply sewed right down the center of each of the vertical sashing pieces.

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One thing I did learn (other than I don’t want to use my machine for quilting anymore) is how to make perfect mitred corners when attaching the binding, and they were amazingly easy!

I used my machine to bind the quilts because even though I started in the summer, I was running up against a time crunch, and if I’m being completely honest, I HATE HATE HATE hand sewing.  If hand-sewing binding was a requirement, either the quilts would not get made, or I would work the price of paying someone else to do it into the cost of the quilt, as well.

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In the rush to get it all done, I even remembered to attach my labels to the quilts, though I messed up on Terrance’s and put it on the front instead of the back.  I was going to fix it for him, but he said he didn’t mind it.

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I wish I would have taken more pictures  of the processes of making Harley’s and Terrance’s quilts, but I didn’t think to, dang it.  They have all slept with snuggled under, and hung out with their quilts since Christmas, so I the gifts were definitely a success.  Terrance hasn’t held still long enough since Christmas for me to get a picture of him with his quilt yet.

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I am beyond thrilled that the kids love their quilts.  I may have to make one for myself now!

I will be linking up at Crazy Mom Quilts and Kathe With an E.

3 thoughts on “Quilts for Christmas

    1. Thank you, Debbie! Amazingly enough, the colors really reflect the personalities of our kids.

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