While it has certainly been a lot of work (the central portion is all hand-quilted), it's the most satisfying project I've ever worked on. The thread color isn't consistent, the applique is crooked, and I have a lot to learn about mitered corners, but I'm ready to start another, this time for my own baby. Hopefully it will be done by the time he goes to college.



Here's a closer look at the stitching on the back side.



And here it is in all its glory.



If you want to make your own (and I highly recommend it--quilting is very meditative and also a great way to pass the time when you're on the phone or chatting it up with someone), check out our Hawaiian Quilt Project from the pages of CRAFT, Volume 02.

My mother-in-law has a stunning antique Crazy Quilt that hangs on the wall in her home. I was visiting there today, and I caught my self inching closer and closer to the quilt, in an attempt to discover all of it's amazing details.

The tiny flower embroidery is so charming.

The discord is the one common thread. The shapes of each patch are just odd. And the colors, prints and textures match by not matching at all. When I look at these patches, I like to think about the special occasion dresses that gave up their velvets and taffetas, and all the well-loved items that went into this quilt.

The only identifying mark, and the only actual literally story reads: Fargo District Epworth League Convention- Ellendale June 30, July 1

This collection of solar system-inspired from artist Jimmy McBride have left me breathless. What really has me excited, though, is his post about his next project. I'll give you a hint: Pillars of Creation. Check out the diagram and fabric selection he's put together. Amazing. [via Apartment Therapy Boston]

Cathe at Just Something I Made has found a way to extend the life and use of a beloved vintage quilt by scanning it in to her computer and using it in several different craft projects. Above, she's printed the scanned quilt on ink-jet iron on paper and applied it to thrifted leather remnants. She then stitched along the quilt squares and sewed the whole thing in to a business card holder. She also shares how she decorated candles with the printed quilt and lists several other project ideas. Better yet, she's provided her own scanned quilt image so you can download it and use it in your own projects. Brilliant!

T-Shirt Quilt
by Michelle Kempner

I have always enjoyed cooking and baking with a recipe. I like to follow exact instructions and then, hopefully, there are no surprises. Other people like to make it up as they go along, adding dashes of different flavors until they arrive at a taste they like. However, I have made a few t-shirt quilts following specific directions and they never turn out the way I want. They always end up too square and blocky. Since I had a number of cute t-shirts that I didn't wear anymore (from the cluttered days of my Threadless addiction), I decided to experiment with making a freestyle, dash-of-this-pinch-of-that t-shirt quilt.

Kate of Two Little Banshees has a tutorial over on Living Creatively for putting together simple placemats using scraps of fabrics. I imagine this could be a lot of fun to do for your kids, and let them pick the scraps you use.

Oh Fransson! shares a clever way to achieve a random look in quilt blocks with some careful planning.

This process may be a bit fussy for some, but I think it's a great way to make a random looking block that is actually planned in a way that a) ensures that different fabrics/colors are distributed evenly throughout the block and b) allows for easy fussy cutting. It's also a great way to use scraps!

These rag quilt letters from Jessica of Happy Together aren't just cute, they're highly functional. As she points out, they are great learning toys for kids, look delightful strung together in alphabetical order, and can be used to create personalized banners for holiday seasons. See how she made the rag quilt alphabet over on her blog. And surely I'm not the only one thinking they would make a fun font, right?

Elizabeth from Oh, Fransson! has a new tutorial up on Sew, Mama, Sew! for making these cute quilted nesting boxes.

In order to make the blocks sturdy enough to hold their shape and be stacked, several types of interfacing are used. Don't let that scare you off though! The blocks are constructed in such a way that it isn't necessary to sew through any thick layers.

I added a five-petal Lazy Daisy flower on one block, and loved chatting with the ladies at the booth. I love the idea of a collaborative stitching project like this. The chapter will continue to take the blocks to various events throughout the year, and hope to have the completed quilt finished and on display at the 2010 Maker Faire Bay Area. I'm looking forward to seeing it then!

Some folks at Haptic Lab are making these luxuriously customized map quilts:

Soft-Maps are handmade quilted maps of Brooklyn neighborhoods and parks that represent your unique place in the city. These heirlooms are meant to be used: wrap your children in them, have a picnic, pull them close during the next Nor'easter. Not only beautiful, these blankets can be used as a mnemonic tool. As your child grows up with a Soft Map, they learn to read their neighborhood and its landmarks in a tactile, easily remembered way.

Each map is embellished with hand-embroidered street names, compass rose, and scale marker. Upon request, the Lab will detail the house or apartment you live in, your metro stops, your favorite coffee shop, the school your child goes to, or any other place in your neighborhood that has sentimental significance to you. It is important that each quilt be unique to its owner, just as a neighborhood is unique to each of its denizens.

While my pockets aren't nearly deep enough to purchase one of these creations, the project sparks dozens of creative ideas! (Thanks, Randy!)

Calamity Kim shares a beautiful quilt that she created on a base of painted fabric, a technique with which I wasn't familiar, but am very interested to explore now. She used acrylic paints on muslin to create the house painting above on the left, and then after some sanding and added batting, she combined fabrics and stitching to create the final quilt. The effect is fascinating!

If there's one thing a kitchen can never have enough of, it's potholders. How many times have you been standing in front of a scorching-hot pan, needing to pull it off the heat, with nary a potholder to be found? Maybe it's just me … but either way, these simple quilted potholders will protect your hands and are an ideal way to use up fabric scraps. Making them is also a chance to get started with patchwork and quilting without committing to making an entire quilt. Read on to find out how to make them!

I love the unique look of this new quilt pattern from fabric designer Anna Maria Horner. I haven't seen quilts using this kind of zig-zag pattern before, and I am mesmerized by these bright fabrics together like this. The pattern is available for download from her web site here.

I am in awe of the workmanship behind these amazing quilts from artist, Luke Haynes.

Luke Haynes reassembles everyday snapshots as refracted fabric visions. His museum quality quilts transcend the medium, offering warmth and comfort for our slumbering imagination.

[ via NOTCOT.org ]

Welcome to Mending Month on CRAFT! All month we'll be bringing you projects you can do to bring new life to things you already own. First up is a continual project I've been working on: mending one of my quilts. It's the first one my mom made for me, and it must have been ten years ago by now. The wear is all on the top, where the fabric just seems to be shattering at any point of bending (seams) or tension. I've been told it could be UV damage aggravated by sitting on the quilt all the time, but who really knows what caused damage like this! Here's what I did to try to bring it back to life. I made an Instructable about this a while back, too.

Find the right fabric

I asked my mother to look through and see if she had any of the fabric she used to make my quilt, and it turned out she did. Not all of them are exactly the same, and that's ok. As long as it fits the color scheme and roughly matches the print size, it'll look fine.

Make paper templates

If you don't have access to the pattern from which the quilt was made, use pieces of paper to make templates for each patch size you plan to make. Lay the actual size template on a new piece of paper and draw on whatever seam allowance makes you comfortable.

Cut the patches

Use a rotary cutter and plastic ruler (if you've got 'em) or scissors (if you don't) to cut out your patches. Iron the seam allowances to the wrong side of the fabric, using the paper template as a guide. If you use steam, the paper won't burn.

Affix the patches

There are many ways to attach the patch. Topstitch or zigzag on a sewing machine, or hand embroider/applique the patches to the quilt. Some methods make the patching more evident than others. Experiment. Let us know how it goes and leave suggestions in the comments!

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has a howto up on making a fishbowl quilt for your cat to sit on! In my house this would really free up the people-blanket space!

Yay! I just noticed that Moonstitches has posted up her stunning photos of this year's Tokyo International Quilt Show. I'm just a beginning quilter myself, but I never fail to be inspired, and I'm always so happy that Alexandra's our eyes over in Tokyo. (She knows what we want to see and has great detail shots, too!) Be sure to check out both her posts about it as she has links to other people's photos about it as well.