Emily's Owl Quilt

My grandkids are growing up so fast! It's hard to believe that just a short 11 years ago I had one grandbaby and that she was only 6 months old. Now I have eight grandchildren and the oldest is in middle school! Where does the time go?

When my oldest granddaughter, Katelyn, turned 10 we decided it was time for her to have a "big girl" quilt and so I made her this one. 

Now my #2 grand, Emily, has turned 10. It seems like just yesterday since she was a baby...

But the years fly by and before you know it she walking and talking and then is a preschooler.

Whenever I think of Emily, it is her blonde hair, great big blue eyes and her sweet smile that spring to mind. You can see her spirit shining thru.

Then you turn around again and she's in school. Emily has such a zest for life! Always ready to join in any activity.

This has been Emily's year at school! She was selected for the accelerated program, the Odyssey of the Mind team, state honor choir and got the lead in the school play! What more could a girl ask for? 

 Alice in Wonderland

Emily has been eagerly awaiting her grown up quilt. She talked about it for months before her birthday. She even had a special quilt request. She wanted an owl quilt. We discussed whether it was to be a scrappy quilt made with owl fabrics or a quilt with an owl on it. She picked the latter. 

I found some really cute fabric on Etsy that had owls on it and I couldn't resist it for the backing. It became the inspiration for the whole quilt. I loved the colors, too. It was perfect!!

I wanted this owl as my applique on the front of the quilt....

I had my husband draw it really big for me. This little guy is now 20" tall.

My idea was to have him sitting on the branch of a tree....

so I stuck my owl drawing on my background fabric and put my tree fabric up to see if it was going to work. I think it just might. :)

I took my tree fabric to my cutting table, turned it over and started drawing a tree trunk and two limbs. This was very gutsy of me because I am not an artsy person and I don't do anything without a pattern!! I took the scissors to it and cut it out-there was no turning back now! I glued the tree to the background fabric using little tiny drops of Roxanne's glue. 

I had picked out fabrics for the owl at the quilt shop, so I knew what I was going to use. I was getting excited about this quilt!!

Next came leaves. I free form cut those too.  Where was this inner artist coming from???

All of the applique has been done and the borders added. Next was quilting.

The background was a simple stipple with a few stars and a moon quilted into it. 

The tree trunk intimidated me until my friend Judy told me how to do it. I was really pleased with how it turned out!

Here is detail of the quilting on the owl. I quilted "feathers" on his wings, crosshatched his belly and quilted circles in the whites of his eyes.

Emily did not want a label. She wanted me to write on the back of her quilt. So I did just what she wanted.

The quilt is finished!! I am so happy with the results and Emily was absolutely ecstatic! I have 15 months until Madison turns 10. I better start thinking about her quilt now. In the meantime-I still have Gabby's baby quilt on my design wall!!

Happy quilting, 

Grammy

A Sew Day with Little Girls

This weekend two of my granddaughters, Emily (7 1/2 years old) and Madison (6) are staying with us. Their older sister, Katelyn (almost 9) is with their aunt for a few days. I decided it was a good time to get out the Hello Kitty sewing machine and get some sew time in with the girls. 

I had purchased fabric to make pillowcases for the girls and decided that was an easy project for them to sew and something they would really enjoy having. They have pillowcases for birthdays and holidays-but one that they made for themselves to use any time would be really special for them. 

Here I blogged about sewing with two of my other granddaughters. And since I am an "equal opportunity Grammy" I had to give space to Emily and Madison and brag about their pillowcases. This was the first time either of them has ever sewn, but after a very quick lesson about how to use the sewing machine and a little practice on scrap fabric pieces, they were ready to sew. Both of them did an excellent job!

Emily is a "girly-girl", so her fabric has 

purses all over it in bright colors.

Madison is a dog lover, extraordinaire!

Her fabric has wiener dogs all over it. 

A Grammy's Gotta Brag

I love my granddaughters. Each one of them is so special to me and each one owns a little piece of my heart. I love that their personalities and interests are all their own. So, now and then, like all grandmothers, I have to brag about my little girls.

Katelyn, my oldest, is 8 and so energetic and enthusiastic about everything in life. Last Spring she played soccer for the first time ever. She was a little hesitant at first, maybe even a little afraid that she might get kicked or take a ball to the face. But, as the season progressed, so did her confidence and her skills. She played again in the Fall and was an awesome scorer for her team-many times scoring the only goals and bringing her team to a victory. 

It is Spring again and once more it is soccer time. This season Katie is being joined on the team by her sister, Emily, age 6. This is Emily's first time to play and she has brought her excitement with her. Yesterday was their first game. Katelyn scored the first goal and Emily the second one! The tradition continues! Next Saturday we will all be there to watch as our girls take the field. 

I love being Grammy!

Emily, Katelyn and their sister, Madison

ready for their first game of the season