Four Seasons Mosaic Quilt - A Second Anniversary Gift for Ken from Angela

"Four Seasons Mosaic" Lap quilt

The colors of the seasons pop against the charcoal grey background

 Angela is an acquaintance that I met through my good friend Meredith (Addi's quilt) during Meredith's wedding festivities a few years ago. We've been Facebook friends since and she's followed my quilting work through FB and my blog. 

I was excited to hear from her in late March as she was looking to give a unique gift to her husband Ken for their Second Wedding Anniversary. Little did I know that in the Traditional Anniversary Gifts by year, the second anniversary is COTTON! And what's a more perfect cotton gift than a quilt? Angela is one smart cookie :) 

So we collaborated on an idea - Ken and Angela got married at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco and she thought it would be cool to do a Tree quilt similar to the Chuppah Quilt tree I did for Hayley and Brad.  And here we have it, the "Four Seasons Mosaic" Quilt for Ken and Angela. A very fun commission!

The famous Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC Logo -   inspiration

 As part of my design process I am always consulting Steve on ideas. He led me to the above logo for the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City and I loved it's modern aesthetic. I used the way the branches are drawn to design the 4 different trees structure. Thanks Steve!

I connected each Season with a Mod Mosaic block comprised of the Fabrics used in the 2 connecting Season's blocks. Below is Autumn to Winter.

Close up of a Mosaic

SUMMER

AUTUMN

 Summer evoked a full green tree with lush cherries through out. Autumn is a mix of red, yellow and orange leaves including some falling of course!

2 Butterflies - Ken and Angela, married for 2 years

WINTER

 Winter was a bare tree with snowflakes floating by and holiday ornaments adorning the branches.

Spring is a budding green tree with pink cherry blossoms.

SPRING

View of the Back side and the detailed Quilting

For the back I kept it a simple light Grey (Kona Ash) so the detailed Pebble quilting could be highlighted. 

Tree quilt on a Tree!

Close up of the "Pebble Quilting"

 This was my first time doing Pebble quilting. I love the look and texture, but wow does it take a long time and A LOT of thread!

Dedication square - Ken and Angela married 5/30/10 - at the Four Seasons, San Francisco

San Francisco Fabric from Spoonflower

 I found this awesome San Francisco fabric on Spoonflower (www.spoonflower.com) but just a little too late, after I'd already started the front. But glad I could incorporate it!

I really love how it turned out and thankfully so do Ken and Angela. They received it today and Angela told me it is more than she ever imagined! :) Pretty awesome feedback. They are excited to have a visual memory of their Anniversary/Wedding day and also a really cozy one! Congrats Angela and Ken!

Max's Quilt - Elephants and Apples

Elephants and Apples - for my newborn cousin, Max!

Patchwork Backside

 My cousin's Jonathan and Lauren in Michigan (also Jonah's parents of the Super Star Quilt fame) welcomed baby Max in early March - so I quickly got to work on this fun and funky baby quilt to welcome him to the family. I used Jacquie Gehring's Modern Dresden Plate chapter from "Block Party" for the Elephant circles on the front.

Who doesn't love these Elephants?

or this great "boy" color palette?

For the back, I went with a random Patchwork design with a big MAX, of course! I love the mix of the peacock blue with the apple green and greys mixed in. Sew Modern once again came through with some great graphic fabrics, including a few of Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy re-release.

Max from Michigan!

Free Motion Quilting

From the West Coast to the Great Lakes

Great shot of a para-sailor over the Pacific on the left!

Max's quilt was delivered today, and his mom texted me that he LOVES it! Well, he is a very smart 2 month old after all. I hope he spends many a day and night cuddled up with his very own Elephant and Apples quilt.  Enjoy Max, Jonathan, Lauren and Jonah!

Spring Scrappy Projects - LAMQG Tote Bag and Spider Web Pillow

The LA Modern Quilt Guild (LAMQG) organized a "Green" Tote Bag swap for the April meeting. The only rule was that some part of the bag had to be pieced or quilted. I decided the Friday before the Monday meeting to tackle my first tote bag.... and this was the result! I used all fabrics that I had on hand with the exception of the linen used for the lining, and finally made good use of the Improvisational Blocks I created at the Denyse Schmidt workshop I took last June. 

 The central part of each side was made up of the Blocks from the workshop - my pieced addition. The sides and red and white border were fabrics from a giveaway I won from Sew Modern a few weeks ago. 

 I used a very easy to follow tote bag tutorial from the Bijou Lovely Blog- 

http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/2010/05/market-tote-tutorial.html 

I like that this bag calls for a layer of interfacing to make it stronger and stiffer to the touch.

 The swap at the meeting was a "White Elephant" style with each bag being able to be stolen once. Mine was picked early on and stolen midway through - :)  I got a great pink and brown tote, with adorable popsicle fabric and other great details. Need to take a picture!

Me modeling my Tote!

 In between large projects, I like to tackle smaller ones, to learn a new skill and or pattern. I recently finished this large quilted floor pillow that I made using 4 Spider Web blocks.

 I dug into my stash and pulled out some bright pinks, reds, oranges and purples. I love the contrast against the grey. I used 2 of the Liberty of London fabrics I got as part of a scrap bag I bought from Purl Soho in New York. They are so soft and lightweight!

 Close up of the echo quilting with in each star.

The Pillow Back

Yellow and Grey Pillows and Runner - Jessica's wedding accessories

Pillow fronts

 My sweet cousin Jessica is getting married to Mike in late April 2012 in Del Mar, CA. Her wedding colors are the very modern Yellow and Grey. Jessica asked me if I could make some pillows for the white couches and ottomans that will make up the lounge area at her wedding -  and Oui La! 

 Jessica and I made a trip to Sew Modern and got these great graphic, modern prints. 

Pillow Backs - envelope enclosure, w/ contrasting binding

Runner top

 There was a lot of extra fabric, so we decided to do a runner that will be used on the entry, sign in table at the wedding. 

Close up - simple straight line quilting, and big block patchwork pattern

Centerpieces I made for Jessica's Bridal Shower which was last weekend.

Runner Back side

Film Strip Accent

I can't wait for the big day to see my cousin walk down the aisle and see these pillows/runner in action! I'll post some pictures from the wedding for sure.

Steve's Upcycled Shirt Quilt

Half Square Triangles

View of the quilting on the backside and a special Patchwork Shirt

A mix of Steve's button down shirt prints and some added quilting fabrics

Way back in the summer, I was in between quilt projects, and Steve was cleaning out his closet. He had a bag full of button down shirts that he no longer wears, and asked me if I could make a quilt out of them. I was up for the challenge! I decided to keep it simple with a Half Square Triangle layout and added some other coordinating fabrics that I had in my stash. All against an off-white background. This is what I came up with - It is a lap sized quilt and currently is placed on the arm of our big red chair that is Steve's TV watching spot. 

Corner Arrows

Steve came up with the idea to make a Patchwork Shirt out of some of the scraps. I think it's pretty clever!

Close up of the Patchwork Shirt- Buttons and all!

I had to put this quilt on hiatus in the Fall when a few other projects arose, but finished it earlier this year and we finally took it out for a photo shoot. Definitely the most masculine quilt I've made to date!

Jonah's Super Star Quilt

 

 

 

 

Super Star quilt for my 2 year old cousin, Jonah!

Stripey Backside - w/ his Initials - Jonah Arnold S.

My awesome cousins Jonathan and Lauren live far away in Michigan, and I wish I could see them more often. I was excited when they commissioned a custom quilt for their little boy, Jonah's, first big boy bed. Jonah is not only getting a new twin sized bed and quilt, but a new little sibling in less than a month!

Lauren and I collaborated on colors and design. She wanted a very similar quilt to one found on PB Kids, but more custom w/ light green accents and a reversible back. 

Hand Appliqued Stars using Green Embroidery Floss

 These stars were a learning process for me. I used stencils, a foundation layer, and turned edge applique for the first time. Not to mention Hand Appliqueing each star with a Blanket Stitch!

Straight Line Quilting

For the back I simply pieced strips of green, white, navy, light blue, and a light blue and white "ticking stripe" patterned fabric.

Jonah Arnold!

 Last minute addition was a throw pillow w/ a patchwork "J" and 2 appliqued stars.  

Envelope enclosure

J is for Jonah!

 Jonah's twin bed is on it's way, and according to his mom he can't wait to snuggle under his new quilt! Looking forward to the pictures of it in use. Congrats on your new bed and new sibling, Jonah Arnold....ENJOY!