The 4 I chose to use are Baseball, Basketball, Football and Soccer. The other 2 that I have are Bowling and Golf.

And it goes without saying that since I did a basic 9 patch with Sue that this would not do for Sam, so I decided to place Sam’s blocks on point. I placed the pictures of Sam over a light source and simply traced around the outside of the photo’s and decided what I did and did not want to embroider. Of course I did stick somewhat to Sam’s traditional look which includes his hat and of course his suspenders. ( Wanted to make sure he still kept his traditional look even with my unconventional ways) While I was doing the embroidery though I did take some liberties with the colors. For instant, my roots are deep in Wisconsin so I had the football Sam wear the good old green and gold colors to represent the Packers. Since I veered off color with the football Sam I went ahead and chose different colors for the others as well.

For the fabric I chose a sports print and a colorful coordinating fabric for the back also.

I used a white background fabric to trace Sam onto and since I am placing Sam on point with only 4 embroidered squares I need a 5th square for the center and of course setting triangles and corners. I plan on using the white fabric combined with the sports fabric to make the 5th square for in the center and then using the sports fabric for the setting triangles and the corners. All in all this quilt is going to be both traditional and unconventional.

I also plan on finishing Sam the same way I did for Sue. With Sunbonnet Sue I used a high loft batting and made a quilt sandwich, batting down,backing next (right side up) then the top (right side down) and stitched all the way around leaving an opening on the bottom to turn the quilt inside out. Next I just sewed up the bottom and hand tied bows to the top. With Sunbonnet Sam I will be using some sports buttons I found and sew them on by hand to finish the quilting.

Doing both Sunbonnet Sue and Sam has been a great pleasure to me and doing both of them in ways that I have not seen done before has been very fulfilling to me. I like to think of myself as unique and I like to see my quilting the same way. I spend alot of time thinking outside the box when I see a quilt pattern and as I have said before I think everyone should.

Starting at the beginning and in order are:

1. The Nursery Rhyme Quilt – This was such a fun quilt to embroider and to put together. It is a very sweet soft and cuddly quilt and little girl would love to have.
2. Tumbling Blocks – This was a paper piecing project that was so fun to do and turned out beautifully. I did a traditional all over stippling on this quilt that makes it wonderful and durable for any little boy,
3. Rail Fence – This is going to be a quilt for a precious little girl once it is done. This quilt will be coming soon I just haven’t decided how to do the quilting on it yet. (If you read To Quilt or Not To Quilt you will understand)
4. Hearts and Balloon’s – This is a quilt I featured under Making Multiple Blocks. The quilting on this is finished as it was easy to figure out the quilting on this one, so all that is left is the binding and it will be for purchase.
5. Fish Bowl – This quilt was featured under What is Quilting?, – This is really a wonderful quilt with a 3D star motif in the center and Spongebob on the back. I used a higher loft batting and quilted it by sewing fish buttons on it and I am finishing the binding now. You will really want to see this one.
6. Sunbonnet Sue – After finishing the binding on Fish Bowl I will be finishing Sue also. I know this quilt will go fast as it is truly a one of a kind quilt and is so wonderful it will be sad for me to see it go. Check for it to purchase next week.
7. Scrappy Quilt – You can read about this one under Call the Quilt Police, is already on my website. This is a hard quilt to sum up in a few words, it is very special and the pictures don’t do it justice. Once you purchase this quilt you will understand how wonderful it is.

As you can see not all quilt’s get done in the order I blog about them, so I do ask that you check my website www.bedtimebabyquilts.com often so you don’t miss out on a quilt you may have read about here on my blog.

And now a Sneak Peak at what will be coming next month.

I am going to be starting a new series, along with my regular quilting, called Quilting & Cooking. I am going to be making Table Runner’s with a special theme and a recipe to go along with that theme.  Each month a new table runner and recipe will be introduced so please check back at the beginning of each month to get your free recipe and purchase the table runner that accompanies it. This is going to be a really fun project for me and I hope you enjoy it also. I am planning on 12 in the series right now and more if it goes well.

So how exactly do you let a quilt tell you how it wants to be quilted? Well for me I hang the quilt on my wall and look at it. Sometimes the pattern just emerges and it is so obvious how it wants to be quilted. Other times I hang it on the wall for days and get nothing so I take it down and put it away until the quilt tells me how it wants to be quilted.

I have a few examples I want to go over to give you an idea of what I am talking about. This first one is the Tumbling Blocks quilt I did. (You can find my blog post on that quilt if you want to read more about it) I knew from the beginning that with this pattern and the fabrics I had chosen that the quilt would want an all over stippling design and of course the quilt was right. The stippling on this quilt is beautiful and just what it needed to make it perfect.

Not all quilts want an all over stippling design. Some quilts like my Dino Quilt with the card trick design in the middle just want some straight line quilting. And in the case of this quilt straight line stitching was done on the diagonal to accent the the diagonals in the card trick design.

Some quilts don’t want to be quilted at all, scared of the needle or something…lol. In the case of the Stained Glass Window Quilt with the prairie points around the outside this quilt just screamed for being tied.

Another example would be the Christmas Table Runner I just finished. Since all of the sewing for the top was done on the diagonal then it only seemed right to do a stitch in the ditch on those same diagonals. This produced a chevron effect on the back of the runner that is picture perfect.

The last example I have is the quilt I am working on right now, sorry don’t have a current picture of this one. The quilt top I made is actually made up of rectangles and when all sewn together produced small squares in the middle of the rows. When I did hang this quilt on my wall and saw those small squares emerge I knew that that would be where I would do my quilting. So i am doing a stippling effect in the small squares in rows which is giving me a very nice triangle effect on the back of the quilt.

So when I ask the question to quilt or not to quilt it is really up to you and your quilt. You can look in as many books as you like and they can teach you all the different quilting techniques but what it really comes down to is what do you and your quilt want. Don’t do an all over quilting if the design call for the quilt to be tied and don’t do straight stitch in the ditch if your quilt wants to have stippling. Just relax and do what comes natural for you and your quilt because at the end of the day that is what it really is all about.

It started out simple enough I wanted to take all the scraps I had and make a quilt. Easy enough, I have done it before, or so I thought. So to begin I started cutting 5 1/2″ squares out of all my scraps and started pairing them up. My idea was to draw a line on the diagonal and sew on each side, cut down the middle and make sets.

With that done I ended up with all of these small squares that unfortunately were to small to make a quilt top out of, so it was back to the drawing board, so to speak to come up with a solution.

After putting the squares away for a few nights and giving it some thought I came up with what I thought was the perfect solution. Sew 4 of the squares together to make larger squares. So I layed out all the squares in different combinations. At first I was going to put all the matching solid colors in the middle of the squares but that left all the pattern squares to busy for my taste so I turned them around and put the pattern fabric in the middle and the solids to the outside.

Now once this was done I was very happy with the squares I had made. They were the right size and the colors looked good together only problem was I had made 18 squares. Any quilter will tell you that 18 is an odd number of squares to work with. A 4×4 would require 16 squares but in this case was too small in size. A 5×5 requires 25 squares and I did not have enough. So it was time again to but the squares away until I could come up with another solution.

After a few more days of thinking I finally came upon the solution, but the squares on point. This gave me the size I wanted and would use all 18 squares. My next decision was to make this a raggedy quilt, or some call it a quilt as you go quilt.

I have done many quilt as you go quilts but I never did one on point before. I was now going to need setting triangles for the sides and corners to make this quilt work. Since I did not have any more scraps large enough for this I pick a white with a small pattern in it to complement what I was trying to do with the squares. The backing fabrics an adorable cats playing in a band and the white of course for the edges. So I cut backing and batting squares the right size and proceeded to quilt them.

I proceeded to put the quilt together making sure all the backing squares were lined up according to the patter as the front squares didn’t really matter which direction they went in. Once the quilt was all done and put together and I hung it up to take a look at it, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Not by the quilt or design or craftsmanship but by how busy the quilt was. Saying the quilt was a little loud is an understatement. So of course back to the drawing board again to come up with an idea on how to calm this quilt down. The answer actually came to me while I was making binding for a table runner I had just finished. I thought why not take the binding and put it over where the raggedy part would normally be. Basically adding more white to the quilt and adding another layer of quilting to it. So I proceeded to make binding strips but not in the usual way. I took 2″ strips and folded then in half and then opened them up and folded in the 2 sides and ironed it and made a 1″ binding strip to go over all my stitching.

I didnt know if this was even going to work but I pinned one on the quilt to see what it would look like and this is the result.

I really like the result and the look it gave me and do beleive that when it is done it will be great, and I must say durable, considering all the quilting I have put into this one. I decided to do a zig zag stitch down each side of the binding to hold in place so it would be washable and the effect of the zig zag stitch is beautiful.

So why in the beginning did I say call the quilt police? Well I just felt with this quilt and the process I went through with it broke a few of the quilting rules. I did a quilt as you go but set the squares on point and instead of making the quilt raggedy I decided to cover up the stitches with my home made binding. Did I really break any rules, No. Quilting is really about the artist and the art they create so no I dint break any rules cause in the end there are no rules when it comes to creativity.

Fabric Choice: I find this an easy one as I think most quilters do, 100% cotton is all I use for my quilts. Of course I make baby quilts so I want them to be durable and lasting so cotton is all I use. If your doing an artistic quilt, wall hanging or something else then the fabric choices are endless. I have seen many beautiful wall hangings that have a variety of fabrics for both look and texture.

Color: Picking colors for your quilt can be a taunting task if you let it. In books, on TV shows, and even on the Internet everyone talks about colors. Large, medium, and small prints. Dark, medium, and light colors. Patterns and the way the fabric colors coordinate. It is an endless subject which I am not going to address here except to say that if you look at fabric laying next to each other and you smile it is probably a good choice and if you don’t smile keep rearranging it until you do. Believe it or not YOU already know what looks good!

Below now is a list of things I have in my sewing room for tools which I do not think I could live without. (Your list will most likely be different)

• 3 sewing machines
• 1 quilting machine
• cutting mat
• 2 rotary cutters
• tape measure
• straight pins and quilting pins
• magnetic pin holder (sorry no pin cushions for me)
• flannel board
• ironing board and 2 irons
• hanging light over my sewing machine
• fabric marking pens
• 2 seam rippers
• multiple scissors (each with a different use)
• multiple rotary rulers
• radio (cant quilt without it)

Lets not forget all the fabric and thread of course!

Of course I also have all of my books and I am not just talking quilting books here either. I am not just a quilter. I do embroidery, crochet, hook rugs, make dolls, cross stitch and a multitude of other crafts to many to mention, so the one thing I have in my sewing room that is most essential to me is organization. I have lots of shelves and storage bins and drawers. Its actually hard to sit here and try to think of all the things I have in my sewing room but what it comes down to is that my sewing room is always growing and expanding according to what I need so I will never be done making a list of things I have.

The one thing though that I find most essential in any sewing room is imagination! Never be afraid to experiment, never be afraid of what someone else thinks of your work. I see my quilts or projects in my head before I even start and sometimes it comes out exactly the way I imagined and sometimes it don’t and it needs some adjustments to make it better. But in all of this I don’t worry about what anyone else is going to think about my art, cause that is what it is, My Art. In my sewing room the world drifts away and its just me and my imagination, and that’s the way it should be, so don’t worry about having the right stuff or tools or what your project is going to look like to others just do it for your self, put yourself in the project and it will be perfect every time.

 Also, I have a new Facebook Fan Page.
To celebrate all of this I am having a Tooth Fairy Pillow Free Give Away Contest!

 To see which Tooth Fairy Pillow I am giving away please visit my web page: Bedtime Baby Quilts

The contest is easy all you have to do is visit my New Facebook Fan Page,
click on the Promotions Star in the left column which will take you to the contest page.
Click on the “Like” button at the top of that page
and you have taken the first step in entering the contest.

Step Two is to send me an email ( anna@bedtimebabyquilts.com ) saying that you have “Liked” my Fan Page.

Step Three is to get your Facebook friends to also come and “Like” my page
and send me an email ( anna@bedtimebabyquilts.com ) saying that you referred them to my site.

Its that easy. The person who has referred the most people to my Fan Page Wins the Tooth Fairy Pillow!

This contest will run till the end of August and the winner will be posted right on the Facebook Fan Page.

As a little girl I watched my grandmother doing candlewicking on pillows she was doing and was lucky enough that she taught me how and what better way to take a traditional quilt square and make it something new, so I decided to turn Sue into a candlewicking project.

First thing I had to do what was go through my Sunbonnet Sue book and pick out 5 patterns I could use for candlewicking. Once I had the 5 I wanted I used a simple children’s compass to mark dots around the Sue pattern onto tracing paper.

 Once I had them all marked I just needed to transfer those dots to my fabric, this is where it got a little tricky. The fabric I choose was a little darker then I thought it would be so I could not see the dots through the fabric so a light box was needed to transfer the dots to the fabric. Since I do not have a light box I had to make one up by placing a picture frame piece of glass over the top of a lamp and presto my own light box.

I have all 5 transferred and have been doing the candlewicking on them at night while watching a movie. (I can never just sit I have to be sewing something all the time…lol) Below is one I have finished. I actually have 3 finished but thought I would show you just the one for now.

As far as what I will be putting with my 5 Sunbonnet Sue squares I will also give you a preview of that. I made the squares for her 10″ so I needed a coordinating square that would be of the same size and went to my handy 1000 quilt squares book and found one that I think will complement her greatly. Below is the square I chose. I am doing 5 Sunbonnet Sue squares so of course a 5 patch square is perfect. Plus it is so easy to make a 10″ square out of a 5 patch pattern with each smaller square being 2 1/2″.

Below is the fabric I chose to complete this quilt all laid out in the pattern.

Of course this is another one of those quilts I am already in love with since it is coming together so beautifully. I hope you will check back when it is done to see the finished quilt, (you can watch my facebook page to see when it is done) and check my website www.bedtimebabyquilts.com for when it goes on sale.

The first one is: “The “patchwork” of the top is typically made of a series of blocks (all identical, or of diverse design), which are made sequentially and then assembled. The blocks may be separated by plain fabric strips, called “sashing”. The central design space may be small (a “medallion”) or dominate the top of the quilt.

The reason this one interested me is because the quilt top I just finished falls into this category. I took a 12″ block and made it the center of my quilt. This center block will also have a medallion, it is a 3D star that I am going to put on after the quilting is done so I am not showing it here.

After completing the 12″ block it was a matter of adding borders around it to build it up and make the size quilt I wanted. This second picture of course shows the first border added.

The first border is made out of the same fabric as the small triangles in the original block. Now most quilters would not think of using such a large fabric pattern in this way but I found that this was perfect for this fabric. In the 12″ center block you only get a hint of the fabric pattern and in the the first border you get a little better look at it. Now you can see that the main fabric has some kind of fish on it. This next picture is of the second border and is completely different.

On this border I did a half squares around the sides and full squares in the corners. You cant really see from the picture but one of the fabrics is a wonderful green solid and the other fabric is a blue and green mix that matches the rest of the quilt beautifully. The blue and green mix fabric is what makes up the medallion in the middle so once the quilt is completely assembled it will all come together perfectly. This last picture and last border is made up of the large fish fabric.

Actually in this last picture you can see the last 2 borders I added, the large fish fabric and then a smaller blue fabric which started with the quilt block in the middle of it all.

I know in the beginning I made mention of 2 things that stuck out to me in the Wikipedia definition and the other one is this: “There are many traditions regarding the design and characteristics of quilts, and they may be made or given to mark important life events such as marriage, the birth of a child, a family member leaving home, or graduations.”

These 2 definitions define what I am trying to do with my website. I am making baby quilts in a traditional manner so that when purchased from me you are assured of having a one of a kind quilt for your special occasion. The quilt I used above to showcase how a quilt is put together I am going to call Fish Bowl, and you will not find another one like it. I do not believe, as some other websites do, that if you put two pieces of material together that that is a quilt, I believe that a quilt is the traditional method that I am using. Alot of inspiration and love goes into every quilt I make.

Please feel free to check out all the quilts on my website www.bedtimebabyquilts.com and make sure to check back often because even though it may take me longer to make the quilts I am always adding new ones. Also check back here on my blog as you will be able to see quilts I am currently working on.

This site has lots of baby nursery ideas by moms who will amaze you with cute and colorful rooms that were decorated on a limited budget. It is so nice for me, who makes unique quilts, to find a website by moms for moms who can share their ideas for new ways to decorate a baby nursery.

I am always looking for inexpensive ways to decorate whether it be for a nursery or other rooms in my house and this website is full of great ideas I am going to try for myself. I am not a new mom by any means, but someday, sooner then I would hope, grandma status is heading my way and I plan on using this websites ideas to prepare for a grandchild. They have included step by step instructions for free which is a rare find these days. Other then my quilting I have to admit I am not artistic in anyway so to have complete instructions are a must for any projects like this for me.  Once you have gotten your ideas, you just stop back and share them with the website or if you have a unique way you decorated your baby nursery just post a picture and some how to ideas.

This is such a great way for new moms to connect with other moms and share ideas or information. When I had my babies there was nothing like this out there, you just figured out things on your own. There is so much to look at and see when you visit the website so dont forget to look about half way down the first page and you will see a link where you can get free baby stuff, so make sure you check that out while you are looking at the bountiful array this website has to offer.

http://www.adamkutnerrecipes.com/