Too Excited to Wait

I have 3 kaleidoscope quilts cut out and 2 partially pieced. I have a pineapple pattern Japanese geisha partially paper pieced. I have a fabric stash that is mildly embarrassing. The one quilt I'm closest to finishing: a jelly roll quilt I started in December. In fact, all the blocks are quilted. The only thing left to do is put the sashing and bindings on before sending it to my mother to quilt.

Have I mentioned my mom is a professional quilter? Well, she is, in addition to being a Doula. She has a giant sewing machine hooked up to a computer and it is so much fun to play with. If you don't believe me go to a quilt show where they have vendors and look for the Gammill Statler booth. You will be blown away.

Back to me now.

This is my jelly roll quilt almost finished. I was too excited to have actually finished the blocks to wait to until it was completely pieced to show it off.

There was one block I stitched together wrong but it's fixed now. The space around the panel will be a fabric that matches the aqua blue in the caterpillar, butterfly, and 8 of the blocks. I found the panel on Amazon and had to get it. I found some Dr Seuss charm packs as well and am now determined to make each of my nieces and nephews a quilt based on a children's book/author. This is Isabeau's quilt and Noah's will be the Dr Seuss. I haven't decided what to do for Maya or Everett yet but it will be great. Curtis will be getting "Five Little Monkeys" and bananas. He loves to jump on the bed and would eat bananas all day everyday if he was allowed.

This is what the quilt blocks look like individually.

When I first saw them on Pinterest I thought they were pretty but there was no way I was going to cut out all the pieces on the bias and then sew them back together. Then I happened upon this YouTube tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co. and was blown away by how simple it actually is. Have I mentioned I adore Jelly Rolls???

I used 5 strips instead of 4 but you get the idea. I love men who quilt, particularly engineers who re-imagine things to make life simpler and more efficient.

Hopefully this week I will get the quilt top finished and will show you a pre-quilted picture of my first finished quilt top. The other four mock me from a drawer.

Oh, and if you are interested in having someone machine quilt your quilts for you, my mom is great! She's won awards for the quilts she has made and for ones she has quilted for other people. The latest one she made for Isabeau/SIL A is pretty awesome.

Cathy Tree
Quilting at The Treehouse
treehouse201@gmail.com