Since I can’t enter this week’s quilts for little girls contest, I wanted to share with you some of the quilts I’ve made for my nieces.

I have two nieces, Lucy just turned 4 last Saturday, and Alice is 1.5, she’ll be two on Halloween. While I don’t live close to them, my sister does a fabulous job sharing their lives with me via pictures, videos, daily chatting, and her blog.

Lucy and Alice showing off their Olympic gear

For Lucy’s fourth birthday, I made her an art portfolio from Geta Grama’s fabulous tutorial.

I filled it with sketch pads, markers, construction paper and STICKERS!

Since I mailed the package to Lucy, my sister let her open it before her birthday. Here’s the video. “I think it’s made out of fabric!”

Lucy had a princess/fairy/barbie birthday party on the weekend. Here’s the fabulously creative cake my sister made … and more pictures of little girl cuteness.

For Lucy’s third birthday, I made her this doll quilt and used another of Geta’s tutorials for the fabric baskets.

For Christmas 2008, Alice received an Elmo quilt:

And for Lucy I made a Dora quilt:

As the girls get older, I’ll start to make them more complex keepsake quilts. For now, I want to make them things they can use, love and enjoy.

What about you? What have you made for the little ones in your life? Do they have favourite colours? Lucy is definitely a pink and purple girl. We’ll have to wait until Alice can communicate her colour choices. I do think she’ll follow in her sister’s footsteps, at least initially.

Join us at the new Quilter’s Daily Blog Along. The idea is that each day a new prompt will be posted, to give you inspiration for your next blog post. On your blog, write a post using the daily prompt as a guide. Then head over to the blog along site and add a link to your post in the comments for the specific day.

Today’s prompt is Quilting for Kids.

P.S. Today (Thursday) is the last day to enter this week’s themed quilt contest: Quilts for Little Girls.

By: Grace Thorne

I’m sure we’ve all seen photos of beautiful quilts and wallhangings that earn oft-coveted blue ribbons. I raise my needle to the innovative and industrious makers for their discipline, vision and expertise and for the serious eye candy and inspiration they provide for the “rest” of us, meaning the everyday, ordinary quilter.

Once while having a bit of a pity party trying to measure up, I thought about why I quilt. I quickly realized I quilt because I just plain enjoy doing so. When I quilt, I think not about recognition, rather about ordinary women who sat and sewed by lamplight to provide warmth for families out of necessity, or maybe those whose overburdened lives on dusty plains or in overcrowded tenements caused them to ache for something soothing, comforting and creative.

I like to think when they sat down for a brief moment to piece in silence free from daily drudgery, they felt the rhythm of the needle within the soul, as we all do, and it transported them to that place that nurtures all of us who find delight in this pastime. I hope they found sustenance for the will to continue day after day in spite of overwhelming responsibility.

I think about someone wrapping a crudely-constructed quilt around a sick child who could very well die, giving the only medicine available. I think about the shards of color it might provide in an otherwise drab and monochromatic existence. I think about how someone might have used quilts to say things that could not be verbally uttered, to record family history or calm nagging worries. I think about how one might have used a quilt as a shroud for a loved one, or perhaps about one whose life was mired in poverty and despair but guarded scraps like gold coins for the day when there were enough to construct a favorite pattern.

I think about how we all, their descendants, still use quilts and fabric and color as communication, icons of imperfect lives and the modern struggles we encounter and remarkably survive.

I’m not a purist; yes, if the Pilgrims had sewing machines I believe they would have used them. But whether quilts be used for utilitarian or artistic purposes, in the end I don’t think blue ribbons are the real measure of a quilter, even though I cheer for those who reach peaks of perfection. Plain or fancy, expert or beginner, I think quilts only count if they convey the soul of the quilter, speaking to those who might otherwise never hear, even if it’s only ourselves.

Isn’t this really why we all quilt?

About Me: I first began sewing at age 8 through the local 4-H program. Amish quilts drew me into quilting with their intricate quilted patterns on plain cloth. In 1979, I signed up for my first class to make a sampler. That quilt sustained me through many ups and downs and finally succumbed to constant use. Since then I’ve made countless quilts and smaller items, none of them blue-ribbon quality, but all of them lovingly made for countless occasions or for fun and every day use.

Through the years, my courage has been emboldened and my current projects are a double-wedding ring (my 2nd),

a full-size Amish quilt

and a full-size Hawaiian applique.

Please feel free to view my album on my personal blog, www.cityquilter.blogspot.com.

Want to be a guest blogger? Contact me. I’m booking for April and May now.

Bradie’s posted a really great beginner tutorial on Quarter Inch Accuracy.

See how the guide on the foot is off. For years I’ve struggled with this problem on my Janome Q6125 foot.

Last week, I decided to get rid of that silly guide once and for all. First I made sure I could buy a replacement foot, if I hated what I did. I just bent the metal entirely out of the way. The next time I see my dad, I’ll ask him to permanently cut it off for me.

Now I can see perfectly where the edge of my fabric is, and my 1/4″ seams are exact. Finally!

Last week, Bradie did a tutorial on nesting seams where she used fork pins. I love these pins! Now without that nuisance guide in the way, I can use them properly too.

Here’s a strip in progress for my postage stamp quilt.

Do you have a quilting tutorial on your blog? Add your link to the Quilter’s Daily Blog Along.

One of the challenges of learning how to embroider is knowing  where to find hand embroidery designs. If you are new to hand embroidery it is best to choose a design that is simple with only a few different stitches.

Sometimes hand embroidery designs can be discovered in the most unlikely places. The key is to be always on the look out. Most sewers tend to look in obvious places such as the local library. These can be wonderful places for finding books with hand embroidery designs in them. Most libraries offer magazines and these are also a good source.

Retail shops also offer some lovely embroidery books suited for beginners and the more advanced. They will be full of patterns and inspiration for you.

Local craft shops are another logical choice. However we shouldn’t limit ourselves to these places, inspiration for hand embroidery designs can be found all around us. We just need to look and keep our eyes open. I often find the inspiration for a new hand embroidery design in unusual places.

Kid’s coloring books are a good place to start. If you have children or grandchildren this won’t be too much of a problem, they always seem to have them strewn around their bedrooms. Alternatively you could buy some for your home reference library. They are also fabulous for finding applique patterns and the best news is that they are very inexpensive.

If you have a passion for vintage hand embroidery designs, you should keep a look out for garage sales or auctions. I have often come across the most incredible hand embroidery designs amongst boxes of old sewing supplies.

Community school and Church fairs can also be a good place to look, they often have trash and treasure stalls.

Modern technology has also brought us the internet which means we have literally hundreds of hand embroidery designs right at our fingertips. Some embroidery designs can be downloaded for free, while others can be purchased quickly and easily online in an epattern format.

Ebay has also brought buyers and sellers closer together. It’s great to think we can recycle our hand embroidery patterns so that others can use them time and time again. The lesson is to always be on the look out. Inspiring hand embroidery designs can be found everywhere, I know there is one right now waiting for you to find it!

Click here for a free hand embroidery design

Warmly,
Lenna
www.stitchingcow.com

The weekend voting was very close for the Little Boy quilts. Congratulations to Sara P. Busby of Kansas for winning with her very colourful Sew me a Rainbow quilt. Sara wins a $30 gift certificate donated by Jojo’s Quilt and Gift Shoppe. Thanks to everyone that entered, it was such fun to see all of your quilts.

This week’s theme is Little Girls. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of pinks and purples. I’m really looking forward to seeing the gorgeous quilts you’ve made for your daughters, grand-daughters, nieces and other special little girls in your life. To enter, read the rules and guidelines, then submit your quilt photo. Voting will start on Friday and last until Sunday night. (Next week’s theme is Quilts for Teens.)

This week’s contest is sponsored by Around the Block Quilters Shop, an online retailer and professional teacher from Illinois. You’ll be learning a lot from this shop as they’ve agreed to sponsor one contest each month for the rest of 2010… Thank You! They are donating a $30 gift certificate that the winner can use as they wish.

Little Girls! Special

From Christine:

If you love little girls like I love little girls (2 daughters and 4 grand-daughters), take a peek at these darling new quilted baby shoe patterns.

This week’s contest winner gets $30.00 to spend in our online store – WHOOHOO for the winner!

But I think site visitors and the voters should get something too. So, each of you get a $5.00 gift certificate when you spend $25.00 or more at atbquilts.com….DOUBLE WHOOHOO!

To get your $5.00 credit enter gallery8 in the coupon code box at the bottom of the checkout page. This offer is good Monday, March 1 – Sunday March 7, 2010 only. (Maybe you should do it right now – so you don’t forget. TeeHee)

As always at atbquilts.com you get a free Fat Quarter with every purchase of $25.00 or more. – Wow! That means that this week you can get a free Fat Quarter AND $5.00 off – That makes you a winner even if you’re not THE winner! Congratulations.

We also have a blog and you can join us on Facebook too.

Here are a few ideas the winner might choose to use the gift certificate towards.

I have the last two weekends in March and April still available for sponsorship, and then booked until July. If you want to be a sponsor, please contact me. It’s a fabulous opportunity to showcase new notions and fabrics directly to quilters.

Blog It

You may use the code below to add the logo to your own blog. Thanks for helping to spread the word. The more contestants, the more exciting the contests.