Friday, February 24, 2012

sew & tell v3.20: the beginnings of a quilt


So I was feeling the itch to work on brotherlouwho's quilt recently. I feel like there's always sewing to do for my family and then other stuff gets in the way.  So when I asked him if he wanted to help me, he was all sorts of enthusiastic!

I was gifted these lovely Heather Ross fabrics and some Katie Jump Rope by sweet Kim from My Go-Go Life over a year ago, and they've been begging me to play with them.  So during babylouwho's nap the other day I had him help me fussy cut some more 5.5 inch squares for the blocks.
 
I let him sit on my lap and help me sew the blocks together.  My seams may or may not be that straight.  But it's okay, he was having a ball!
When he saw the first block completed he said, "Mom! It looks like a picture frame around the fishies!"  Loved it! He's caught the vision.

And now I've found a cure for my procrastination, just ask for his help with my projects.  He asks everyday now if we can work some more on his quilt.  And we've gotten several more blocks finished!
 
Yesterday when we were sitting at the machine together he said to me, "Mom you're a good artist at sewing."  Are you kidding me?  I'll keep him, tantrums and all. 

I'm working on this quilt in an improv sort of way.  I have a lot of the middle squares cut and I'm cutting the sashing strips as we go.  I have no idea how big this quilt will end up being or how many squares I need.  It's fun to let him help me pick everything out as we go. It's also nice to not spend hours cutting a bunch of fabric out.

These blocks start with a 5.5" square and 2.5" strips (2 strips at 5.5" sewn to the top and bottom.  2 strips at 9.5" sewn on each side).  A classic square in square design.  My plan is to sort of alternate orange and blue the whole way through.  I like the direction we're going so far.  And when he just saw these pictures up here, he said, "Hey mom, can we work on this some more today?"

Your turn to share ~ Show us what you've got finished!
Linky Rules.  Please follow along for a fun party!

1. Please write the post for sew & tell - or add a blurb mentioning sew & tell to a post written since the last sew & tell.  If you are linking to a post with your own tutorial, please make sure it was a finish from this week and that the completed project is shown first.
2. One linky per person. (please put multiple projects in one post.)
3. Link to your specific post.  (See here for permalink instructions - or email me.)
4. Link back here with a link or a button (HTML on my sidebar).
5. Be sure to visit and leave comments on other's posts!

Please put your (blog)name instead of your project name, it helps us get to know each other better!


19 crafty mcCrafters commented:

Carla said...

Oh how sweet! Very special moments to remember. Great work on the blocks!

Nicole said...

How great to have a sewing buddy!

Kim said...

Me *arms wide open* I LOVE it THIS much!!!!!! That is just the cutest :o)

CityHouseStudio said...

What a sweet story!

randi--i have to say said...

this is very sweet! treasured memories are in the making!

Grandma G said...

That's just precious! Yay for you, Mom, and your loving patience! No doubt that quilt will be a treasure!

Cathy said...

Awwwww, that is so sweet. WHat a great way to spend time with him, and do something you love, all at the same time.

p.s.phyllis sews said...

How fun to have a sewing buddy! I found that my best sewing is when my daughter makes the recommendations of what she wants me to make or ideas about my work!! Thanks for sharing a great post!

Belinda said...

My favorite memory happened when I was helping my 25 yr old son make an apron for his girl friend. In the middle of it, he looked up from the sewing machine & said "Mom, I love doing projects with you!" Melted my heart! :)

PS - sorry for linking up two projects this week realize - didn't realize that one of them was linked up last week also - mea culpa!

Kristen said...

Yay! So cute! These blocks are looking great! I love sewing with kids too. Mine are picking fabrics for my granny squares!

bethanndodd said...

That is just the cutest little story...love his enthusiasm and also his choice in fabrics. Hope you both continue to have fun with it. Thanks for hosting! Smiles~beth

Candied Fabrics said...

Awww, how awesome! My boys need new quilts, perhaps I'll get them involved in the process!

Katy Cameron said...

Oh yes, definitely a keeper! And good at choosing fabrics too :o)

Heather said...

That is awesome! And his comment to you brought tears to MY eyes. LoL What a sweetie. That's going to be one quilt full of memories...

Rene' said...

So sweet! Cute blocks too.

Seth, Cassie, Ruby & Lucy said...

SOOOOOO Cute! Your kids are growing.

Jessica said...

What sweet momma and son time! The blocks look great. What a special project to be treasured for years to come.

Claire Jain said...

Ahh! That's so sweet. I just love those fussy cut goldfish bags, too :-)

JanetK said...

I love your little blocks and your son's supportive coments! I have some Heather Ross fussy cut blocks in progress somewhere in my crafty boxes. Your post makes me want to go dig them out and work on them again!