Thursday, December 29, 2016

Amelia's Christmas Quilt

Hi there!  I'm am SO excited to share this finish with you!  I have had this quilt planned since my youngest baby girl was born.  She's nearly 3.5 now, so it's been a while in the coming.

This is Amelia's quilt.  <3


I really think this one may be my *prettiest* quilt to date.  I used Mimi by Chez Moi.  I bought a stack of FQs when Amelia was brand new...I just love how feminine the fabric is.


I used the Katie's Quilt pattern by Missouri Star Quilt Co.  This is the 2nd Katie's quilt I've made...it's a fun pattern that's not difficult and totally worth the time.


To go along with the gorgeous florals and paisley designs in the fabric, I chose to free motion and all-over paisley.  This quilting was a lot of fun to do!


I'm enjoying branching out from my normal meandering or stippling.


I just love this quilt.  My baby girl is now enjoying it on her little bed and for snuggling...that is the BEST.  <3



Thanks so much for stopping by!  I have some more finishes and tutorials coming up very soon!  I can't wait to share everything I have in the works...it's all so exciting!

Have an awesome day.

~Summer

I've linked up today with


Needle and Thread Thursday



TGIFF and Finish it up Friday

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Gift Idea - Mini Christmas Quilts!

Hello and welcome!  Today I want to share a fun gift idea I have done this year.

Every year, a ladies ministry holds a women's Christmas dinner and gift exchange at the church.  It is SO much fun!  There's always good food and the local middle school's show choir performed for us.  It was delightful.

For the exchange, each woman brings 8 similar gifts, then you leave with 8 different gifts.  These are what I took for my gifts!


These mini-quilts were so fun to make!  Each measured approximately 8.5" - the perfect size to use as mug rugs, trivets, candle mat, etc.

 I used a leftover charm pack and made a stack of half-square triangles, then just made simple 4-patches by mixing up the colors and direction of the triangles...each one was unique!

Here's a close-up of each:









My favorite part was the quilting.  I usually do allover FMQ patterns when I quilt, so getting in there and trying some more detailed, design-specific stitching was soooo fun.

Since one of my favorite things is to look at the backs to the quilting...here are my favorite backs!






I used a single 10" square for the back of each.  Thankfully, I have this big stack of 10" "blenders" from Connecting Threads.  It's one of my favorite go-tos when I need just a few more squares to fill out a pattern.  These worked perfectly!

Do you have a quick "go-to" gift idea?  I'd love to hear about it!  Have an awesome day!

~Summer

I'm linking up today with Free Motion by the River!

Friday, December 9, 2016

Evie's Quilt - Finished for Christmas!

I'm so excited to have this quilt finished!  It's been a tricky one throughout.  I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, but matching that idea to the size of my daughter's bed and my budget (I know you hear me ;) )...well, it involved several sheets of graph paper, some groaning, stitch ripping when I completed a whole section in the wrong direction, and lots of love.  :)


My Evie is an amazing kid.  She's crazy smart and loves math, science, and art.  She's a builder, a creator...always making and drawing.  I wanted to make a quilt that was as special as she is.  I wanted something with lots of movement, lots of bright color, and something where order could be found in the chaos.  This is what I designed for her.

I used Acreage by Shannon Gillman Orr for Moda, then I added in some solid white and a few coordinating prints from my stash to make it big enough.


This fabric line is sooo sweet and reflects my girl's personality so well.  There's the sweet and dainty flowers, the abstract fans, the action of the bicycles...and those beautiful bright colors!


Usually quilting a quilt of this size is like wrestling an alligator, but this one really was lovely to quilt.  I focused on the diamonds, starting with hearts in the center, then alternating between feathers, flowers, and loops in the larger diamonds that grow from each center.


I love using white as backing because the quilting can be seen so well.  I put the bright pink strip down the center as a little special surprise.


By the way, I super appreciate my sweet husband's support in my quilting...this morning, he was literally supporting the quilt while standing on a 4-foot stump, in freezing temperatures, so the quilt wouldn't drag on the wet grass.  He's such a great guy.  <3


Well, one Christmas quilt down and one to go!  I'll start piecing the backing to Amelia's quilt this afternoon.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Are you doing any special quilting for Christmas?  I'd love hear about your projects!

~Summer

I'm linking up today with Finish It Up Friday, TGIFF, and


Monday, November 28, 2016

Cyber Monday at Summer Lee Quilts!

Hello!!  I'm excited to share some Cyber Monday savings with you!  Today only, you can get 10% off anything in my shop!


Just head over to Summer Lee Quilts and enter

CYBER10

as your coupon code during checkout!

Thank you so much for supporting me and letting me do what I love.  <3

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Amelia's Quilt - A Work in Progress

Hey!  Happy Wednesday!

Today, I'm sharing an update on my Katie's Quilt for Amelia.  I'm really pleased with how it's coming together, and my little Amelia has been working with me this morning, telling me how "pretty yous fabric quilt" is.  <3  She doesn't know it's for her yet.


Here's where I am so far.  I have the two halves completed...I'll sew that final seam today.  Then, I'll just piece the border and attach it.  The border will finish off the stars, so they all have all their points.  I'm hoping for a finished top by Friday!



Thank you so much for stopping by!  Have you made a Katie's Quilt before?

I'm linking up today with:


Sew Fresh Quilts


Monday, November 14, 2016

First Quilt for Christmas

Hello!  I'm so glad you're here!  Today, I want to show you the quilt I'm making for my youngest daughter for Christmas.  She's 3 years old <3 and hasn't had a "mommy quilt" yet.  I had grand plans when she was a tiny baby, and I picked up a fat quarter bundle of Mimi by Chez Moi.  I knew what I wanted to make for her, but sewing time quickly went out the window as soon as she became mobile.

I'm making a Katie's Quilt.  I had to fiddle with the layout and amounts, since I'm using FQ's.  I'm also not using a wide border.  I'm just going to piece a 2" border that will finish out the stars.

Here are my outlines.  The first is how I wanted to fit it all together, but it wasn't big enough, so I made up the smaller diagram for math. :)  






I've put in a lot of hours this last week, but I finally have the blocks finished!

I made up 150 4-patches, then converted 108 of them into 27 16-patch blocks.


I just love how pretty this fabric is and how well it fit into the blocks.


There were 3 large print fabrics that I couldn't bring myself to completely cut up, so I'm going to do have 3 blocks that aren't pieced.  I simply fussy cut these at 8.5" square.


My little helper is always nearby.  <3

Most of my time this week has gone into the sashing blocks.  So. many. corners.  I'm so glad they're done!  They were tedious, but they'll be so worth it.


I decided that I wanted a column of blue stars and the rest of them in this pretty dusty pink.

I'm going to start laying it all out this afternoon, so hopefully I'll have a decent update for you this week!

I'm also going to be trying my hand at a bargello-type quilt for my middle girl who has outgrown the rag quilt I made her for her 2nd birthday.  I can't wait to show you that one when it's time!

What are you working on this week?  I'd love to hear about it!

I'm linking up with Making Monday at Love Laugh Quilt!

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Busy Busy

Whew!  Last week was pretty crazy as I spent every day stitching like a mad woman to finish as much as I could before Friday's Craft Bazaar.




I think I got around 35 new baby items finished, though!



The bazaar was fun.  I love talking with people, and quite a few friends came through to say hello.  My husband and girls came with me and stayed all day.  My oldest even crocheted a bunch of wash cloths for the table.




I spent yesterday taking pictures and listing new items on Etsy.  I think I got to the halfway point.  It's raining this morning, but I'm hoping the sky will clear enough this afternoon that I can finish up.


Here are a few of my favorite new things in the shop:

 Baby Washcloths


 Baby Girl Bib

 Baby Boy Bib


You can check out the rest of the new stuff in my Summer Lee Quilts Etsy Shop!

It was a lot of work, and it was a long day, but I'm glad I went and met new people, including other crafters in my area.  I'm looking forward to the next time!

Friday, October 28, 2016

Four Patch Lattice - A Finished Quilt!

It's a beautiful Friday here in Southern Indiana.  It's chilly and our giant maple has covered the yard in leaves.  I just love it.  <3

I'm so excited to show you my finished 4-patch Lattice quilt today!


This was such a fun one to put together..so much scrappy goodness. <3



I straight line quilted parallel with the lattice, adding a second line on each side of every other black line.  I don't do straight lines often, so it was fun to do something a little different.


I used a natural Kona for the backing.  I considered putting a border on it, but I just really liked the idea of just framing it in the black binding.

Details

Size: 58" x 68"
Fabric: Handmade by Bonnie & Camille, Kona Black
Backing: Kona Natural

I'll be bringing this one with me to the Wesley Chapel UMC Craft Bazaar next week, along with several other quilts.


Thank you so much for stopping by!  I'd love to connect with you in the comments.  Have an awesome day!

~Summer

I've linked up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

I'd love to connect with you on Bloglovin'FacebookInstagram, and Pinterest!