Flaunt Your Finish - Special Edition

Welcome to our most recent installment of Flaunt Your Finish.  The "Special Edition!"  Why is it special, because we are covering two months of lovely work instead of one.

And, as always, don't forget to link up your project at the end of this post!

First up we have Agnes who feels like the rest of us that this month has just flown by.  She didn't get around to her "a quilt a month" but did manage to complete some smallish projects, partially for the Budapest mug rug swap, and others as friends and family gifts.

 For the feather Agnes borrowed the x- stitch quilting idea from Angelina (who actually made the feather itself).

Cathy made her youngest grandson a baseball themed "tooth fairy" pillow for his birthday.  She says, "I was a little late since he'd already pulled his first tooth.  He loves his money so he may end up toothless!"

Vicky made this cheery quilt for a baby girl arriving at the end of July.

 Robin has been busy whipping up some cute dresses for her daughter before her son is born in July.  The octopus dress is a gift for a friend's one year old daughter, using a pattern by tie dye diva and a fun undersea panel from Northcott fabrics. The rainbow dress is an impulse gift for my daughter; I found some pre-shirred My Little Pony fabric at the big box fabric store, and couldn't resist making a quick sundress out of it. I know I should be working on stuff for the baby (I'm due in July), but it feels good to get these projects out of the way.

Chanda finished this double sided holiday wall hanging featuring Easter on one side and 4th of July on the other.  What a smart idea!

Becky just completed this sweet Elephant quilt for an upcoming baby shower for her grandson, due in August.  The first image really shows off the quilting, while the second shows the vibrancy of color.

Leslie busted out this Box Car Tote for her mom for Mother's Day.

I used extra stiff fusible interfacing so it would stand up on its own. It's the perfect size for my mom to fit her portable cutting mat in and take to quilt class.

Amanda completed teacher appreciation quilts for both of her children's teachers.  The first is the "Neighborhood" pattern from Elizabeth Hartman's book "Modern Patchwork."

I embroidered the student's names onto the quilt above the houses using their actual signatures as templates.  Their handwriting is so sweet at the age of 4/5 it helps make the quilt feel extra personal.

There you have it folks!  Please share what you're working on by linking up with us below.  We love to see your work.

Flaunt Your Finish - October Edition

Link up to Flaunt YOUR Finish at the bottom of this post.

Please grab a button from the side bar to share on your blog!

While it's already the second day of November, this Flaunt Your Finish if for October's completed projects. We have some BEAUTIFUL finishes, this month, and while I shouldn't say I'm saving the best for last...But seriously, I'm saving the best for last.

Here we go...

Agnes finally finished her monster of a quilt. It's somewhere around 90 by 100 inches - the biggest she's ever done to date! Agnes says she would have NEVER managed to quilt it, if it weren't for the 18 wheeler of a longarm machine at The Stitching Post. 

She also tried a new quilting pattern: "flat stippling" (she thinks that's what it is called), which, along with the "pebbles" around the band in the middle, is supposed to give the quilt a zen-like vibe. "Believe me", says Agnes, "It is not easy to come up with a pattern for THAT MUCH negative space!" The small toss pillow was a kind of afterthought, but I agree with Agnes in thinking it compliments the quilt nicely. 

This next adorable quilt is by Mandy and she's called it her Sugar Dish quilt. In our last Guild Meeting Wrap-Up we posted a photo of Mandy with this quilt's look-alike. Two Cute Quilts = Two Lucky Kids!

Amanda and her family went on a trip to Disney World, and she was the smart mommy to who made these two "I Spy" quilts.  She went for a fast and easy Ticker Tape method, and made each quilt in each child's favorite color.  In the end...Amanda says that no one played "I Spy" with their quilts at any point of the trip, but her son did sleep with his on the plane to and from (so like his Daddy) and at the hotel.  Her daughter...well, she still isn't convinced there is anything very fun about the quilt other than it's purple.  Oh two year olds!

In our last WIP Wednesday, Erin showed us this quilt in progress that she made with her class at school. Every child designed a "mini quilt" out of fabric to be featured on the front of the quilt, and they signed their name on their block. 

They did such a great job and as they gather around to look at the quilt,  you can just tell that they were excited to be a part of it!

Okay, here's the drum roll....

The best. For. Last.

Robin had a BIG Finish that none of us can compete with. Little Autumn O was born October 11, 2012.

After 9 months of gestation, Robin put the final binding stitches on her Pooh quilt when the contractions were *literally* 10 minutes apart. 

Oh my goodness...look at that hair! I can't take how cute she is!

Oh yeah, about the quilt...

As Robin was in a hurry....the pinwheels were done using this tutorial from Missouri Quilt Company and the stars in the corner are a scaled down version of the Evening Star from the Summer Sampler Series. All the fabrics were a mishmash of FQs from the local quilt shops and her stash. 

Stay tuned for projects like high chair covers and baby clothes in the future, but first she has to start sleeping again.

Now that you've seen our finishes, we'd love to see yours! 

The only rules are:

1)  Your quilt must be actually finished. 
2)  Your linked quilts need to have been completed in the month of October.
3)  This is not a requirement, but we would greatly appreciate it if you add our link back button to your blog as well.  (The code can be found on the sidebar.)

Flaunt Your Finish - September Edition

"If you've got it, flaunt it."

Mel Brooks is a smart man.  Everyone likes to show off a good finish, right?  Little feels better than putting that last stitch on your binding and then getting to show off that beauty to friends and family, and maybe some people in the blog world as well.

One of the things we've really enjoyed doing in the last few months is sharing our finishes with all of you in our "Finish Friday" segments.  However, we have discussed that as much as we enjoy sharing our pieces with you, we also enjoy being inspired.  So, for the first time we are inviting you to participate in newly named "Flaunt Your Finish.


This feature will continue to occur on the last Friday of the month, and we hope you'll link up your finishes with us below after you peruse a few of the finishes from our talented members.  :)

First up we have Robin with her "Trick or Treat" quilt.  This quilt is 9 months in the making.  She began it just prior to finding out she was pregnant.  :)  She's also sharing the baby's first Halloween outfit.  Go on...say it...Awwwwww!!!  She says she still has a lot of quilting to finish before the baby arrives (VERY SOON!!!).  I hate to break this to you, Robin, but work as fast as you can.  Because once that baby gets here you won't have any time at all!  You'll be too busy staring at your beautiful baby girl.  ;)

Next up we have Andrea with her stunning zig zag quilt.  She created this quilt as a wedding gift for her cousin using the backing pattern "Fire Rescue" by Elizabeth Hartman.  It was a well deserved hit with her cousin who declared it her favorite gift ever!!!  What a compliment.  To think...she was nervous that her cousin might not like it.  Psssh!  A variety of patterns and solids were used, and on the back is a Basic Grey Grunge.  She used a combination of straight line quilting in the negative space with an echo quilting on the zigzag using a subtle variegated thread.  I think this is Andrea's second quilt EVER!!!!!!  She's so stinkin' talented!

Thanks so much for taking a look out some of our finishes!  We would love to see some of yours.  The only rules are:

1)  Your quilt must be actually finished.
2)  Your linked quilts need to have been completed in the month of September.
3)  This is not a requirement, but we would greatly appreciate it if you add our link back button to your blog as well.  (The code can be found on the sidebar.)

Thanks again!
-Amanda-

Finish Up Friday: August Edition

If you're like many of our guild members, the kids are back in school and it's time to get back on a regular schedule. Ever since my son graduated high school a year ago, it perpetually feels like summer. But, there's something about back-to-school season that puts me in the mood to reorganize my time and ramp up my creativity. And this month, we have several members with some very inspiring projects!

A is for Adorable!
Amanda made these adorable "A is for Apple" mug rugs as end of summer gifts for her daughter's Children's Day Out teachers. Inspired by apple coasters in Kajsa Wikman's book, "Scandinavian Stitches", Amanda used scraps from a previous project, which when you think about it, makes this a freebie project! I love mug rugs and not only are they a great scrap project, I also think they make a great gift for those people you need to give "just a little something" to.

B is for Baby!

I love this baby quilt that Crys made. That solid aqua just makes everything pop! I'm seeing some Flea Market Fancy on the front and the back is Michael Miller's Backyard Baby. Crys used the curved lines in the fabric on the back as her guide for the quilting. Such smart thinking! I think her quilting adds so much to this quilt's modern flair.

C is for Color!
Robin says she had a lot of fun putting these color groupings together. The fabric is Alien Invasion by Amy Butler and the pattern was inspired by this turning corners table runner at Moda Bake Shop. This quilt was a gift for her first nephew, born August 14th of this year. Congratulations, Aunt Robin! And how fun, Robin is expecting her first baby and I'm betting these two little cousins will have a lot of fun together.

D is for Darn! I wish I thought of that!
In the guild, we often tease Agnes about being so awesome. But it's no joke, just check out these greeting cards she made with fabric! Wow, I love that vase in front of the window. And, this is another great idea for using up those tiny scraps.

E is for Egads!

Andrea is not only new to the guild, but she is also new to quilting. As in, THIS is her first quilt! Egads! If you're familiar with this Avalon pattern, you know it's not just a whip it together pattern. Andrea's done such an amazing job! The fabric is from Lotta Jansdotter's Echo line and I, for one,  can't wait to see what else Andrea creates.

F is for Fun!
We have a really fun group of women in our guild. Yesterday, while waiting for QuiltCon registration to begin, we were discussing our excitement and ideas for future projects on Facebook and just being ridiculous. If you're interested in quilting and want to be a part of this fun group think about joining our our guild. Check out the FAQ section on our main menu and feel free to email us with any additional questions you may have. We'll also be at the Oklahoma State Fair on September 23rd with quilts and guild information, so come on out and see us!

Finish Up Friday: July Edition

Finish Up Friday is a favorite feature. Say that three times fast...

As I write this, my own finished quilts are in the dryer. I love the moment I pull them out and they are warm and crinkly. I'm giving them to two girls who are getting ready to leave for college in a couple of weeks, but need to give them to them today in just under two hours. I may sneak my photos in later, so check back.

Okay, now on to those who were on the ball and got their projects completed AND photographed!

Hexagons! They are all over quilting blogs. Our Stephanie made this one, below. And if it's the same one she was working on at one of our previous sew days, I couldn't believe how quickly she put this one together. She just about had me convinced that I wanted to do one too! Almost.

Have you ever had a fabric that you loved so much that you were afraid to cut into it? Well, Robin says she's been hoarding (her words) this lovely floral, Eclectic Garden by Jason Yenter, for well over two years! She finally gathered up the courage to cut into and and I'm glad she did. It's beautiful! She pieced it last September, but shelved it for awhile to do a few baby quilts. And 100 degree Oklahoma heat or no, she's going to cuddle under it! That's why we all have air-conditioning, Robin, so we can use our quilts year-round.

Amanda, on her blog The Cozy Pumpkin, just finished a new quilter quilt-along. This is the finished quilt. Yes, you too can make a quilt for the first time like this! And don't let those tiny red squares scare you, there's a little magic that happens when making this quilt. I love the cheery colors and patterns of her fabrics.

Erin made a quilt that, well, I'm not afraid to admit I'm a little jealous of. This fabulous plaid quilt is what's known as a transparency quilt. It's pieced in a way that gives you the illusion that the fabrics are layered over one another, as if the blue is transparent when it overlaps the white. My first foray into transparency didn't work out as planned, but after seeing Erin's plaid, I'm going to have to give it another try.

I hope you've seen something here to inspire you today. I know I have. We have a guild meeting coming up on August 11th and that means...Show and Tell....(giddy clapping). Subscribe to this blog, if you haven't already, so you can continue to see what our members are creating. We have an interesting group project coming up that I can't wait to see!

Later that day...
Sneaking in one my finished quilts. She loved it!

Finish Up Friday

Finish Up Friday is here!

Our Habitat Quilt is FINISHED!  

Guest posting about this quilt is Erin Jeffries:

Habitat Quilt: I LOVE the eclectic charm of the quilt top and the strikingly beautiful and simple back.  

About: This is a Kona solid challenge quilt that the ladies and I from the OKC Modern Quilt Guild made.  Basically 13 ladies all made a few blocks for the front using only solid fabric with the “habitat” fabric from a new line my Jay McCarroll.  I suggested “X & +” blocks for the top.  We (Erin, Angela, Stephanie, and Kristine) then pieced the top together in one day at my house.  (Can you spot the blocks YOU made?) :)  Later that day we pinned the quilt together to get it sandwiched and ready to quilt.  

I love how each block is unique and the solids everyone chose to use were different too.  I then created the back for the quilt.  My inspiration for the back was a “filmstrip” design with the habitat fabric and a few of the solids.  So far so good.  I thought the background fabric should be a Kona gray.  But I noticed in my stash I didn't have enough of any of my kona grays.  So, Stephanie and I decided to use three!  We then needed to make the filmstrip wide enough to have the back be big enough for the quilt top due to my limited gray fabrics.  So, I had the idea of adding a coordinating solid to either side of our habitat fabrics.  The letters were appliqued from the 9 habitat fabrics onto the gray backing.  It reads “OKC SEW MOD” standing for OKC, so and SEW are play on words, and MOD stands for Modern.  The font we picked was the one everyone voted yes on.  For the binding I picked the "drop cloth" fabric along the right side of the quilt.  I looks really cool and different as it goes around the quilt edge.  I free motion quilted it using the blocks on the quilt front as a grid.  I quilted it in a “clementine” or “cathedral window” pattern with gray thread.  I added a “filmstrip” flare to the binding in pink and green if you can spot it!  

Thanks ladies for coming together on this group project and making this a beautiful quilt!