How to Make a Quilt Without Actually Quilting

or how to use a long arm quilter to do the work for you.

For my first quilt, and I'm sure for my next, I had a long arm quilter finish my quilt.  It was very simple and affordable and I'm so pleased to have a finished quilt.

Find your local quilter's guild for long arm quilters who take in business.   Call for rates and compare.  The first person I called lived in my neighborhood, charged $0.03/ sq in but had a 3 month turnaround time.  The second quilter lived about 5 miles away, charged $0.02 sq in and finished it in 3 weeks.

Prepare top and back.  Finish your top, making sure seams are pressed and loose threads are clipped.  For the back, find out how much larger they want your backing to be.  My quilter asked that the back be 4 inches larger than the top in each direction.

Choose your pattern.  My quilter had a notebook of patterns, or pantographs.  I chose a meandering one and really love how simple it is.

Wait.  The hard part.

Trim and bind.  This is how it looked when I picked it up.

Enjoy.  

For those wondering about how affordable it is-here's the breakdown on my quilt:

Quilting was $.02/sq inch.  It came to $81. The batting was $16, and provided by the quilter.  And there was a $3 thread fee.  So worth it.

Have you used a quilting service before?

London Stamp Set

Just got this cute stamp set from Yellow Owl Workshop for a project I'm finishing up...

So I put the stamps to use for an anniversary card for my parents-who will someday soon get back to the beautiful city.

Happy Anniversary, Mom + Dad!

My Valentine Quilt

It's done!  My New Years Resolution can officially be checked off.  It is official when you've blogged about it, right?

Or I could change my goal, and quilt a few quilts this year...yes, that is my new goal.

I love it-and the feeling of having made it yourself...with some help. 

I'll post about the help soon. 

Any other quilters out there? 

July 2011

Hello August!

While I was away from my blog, I was with my family-on possibly our first family vacation.  It was a near perfect getaway for us-out of the Texas heat and up into the Adirondacks.   

  

I'll be back soon with some other projects I worked on this summer.   

It's good to be back.  

How was your summer?

Summer Break

We just started our summer to-do list, and checked one off today by stopping for some shaved ice. While we're out getting these things done, I'll be taking a little break from blogging for the month of July. Then  I'll be back with a few projects I hope to work on.     

Do you have a summer list?  What's on yours?   Enjoy your summer!

Father's Day photos of the kids in the woods

I am not a photographer and I don't know what I'm doing.  I wish I was and did.  

But I am really thankful for a smart camera and cute kids.

  

I have a few kids, so this post is picture heavy.  

But it's really for the Dad's in our lives, anyway.  

Hope everyone else has a wonderful day celebrating the men in their lives this weekend.

Happy Father's Day, Opa, Giddo, and Daddy!

Happy Monday + 2 Links

Happy Monday.  I hope it is a great new week for you and that you are staying cool.  We are inside, doing a little painting.  and a little pop-corn eating.  

Some friends and I are going through the Warrior Prayers ebook for the 21 Days of Prayers for Our Sons.  If you have boys, I recommend praying through it!

In my last mailing from Compassion, I noticed that they are publishing a free magazine for kids.  

If you already sponsor a Compassion child it is free, 

and will come as an insert in the regular Compassion magazine, just call (800) 336-7676 to add it.  

If you don't already sponsor a Compassion child, would you consider it?  

You will not regret it.

I'm really hoping for a cool morning this week to take the kids into the woods for a Father's Day photo-shoot...  

What are you up to this week?

Our Custom Father's Day Card Idea + How we celebrate Mother's/Father's Day

 above: as a frame-able print

below: as a greeting card

I don't think either one of us have actually said, "well, you're not my _______(father, mother)."  

But the first few years, it really seemed like we were owed the world 

for the sleepless nights and thankless days.  

Our expectations were high and disappointments were inevitable. 

I'm not sure when we let it go, but I'm so glad we did.  It's not that we don't do anything for each other, but the Days are much more about encouraging the kids to honor us.

This year, Father's Day is most likely going to look like a special breakfast, and lots of hugs and kisses and Happy Father's Day wishes from the kids.  We'll also give him these cards -one from each of the kids, with three things they love about their Dad.   And hopefully a good photo of all four kids for his desk at work.  Something like this one...minus the letters.  

If you'd like to use ours as a template to print card or print your own, I'd be happy to email it to you!

How do you celebrate the Days?

I'm linking this up to Today's Creative Blog.