Olga Quilt Finish for a Brand-New Quilter + More Y-Seams for My Retro '80s Building Blocks Sampler

Part One: Yolanda's Very First Quilt!

Good morning and thank goodness it's Friday, everyone!  I haven't been blogging as frequently as usual because I've been busy, busy, busy.  My oldest son Lars just got home from working all summer as a camp counselor and he leaves to head back to college this Saturday.  My younger son Anders' 18th birthday is TODAY and he heads off to begin his adventures as a college freshman next Thursday.  I've been doing lots of laundry, birthday planning and college shopping for the boys to ensure they have everything they need for school.  

Of course, quilting has been happening, too -- I'm behind on a few quilts that I wanted to share with you, and today I want to show you this Olga quilt (a beginner quilting pattern from Tuesday Bassen, inspired by vintage Scandinavian textiles and available for purchase here) that I quilted for my client Yolanda.  The most amazing thing about this quilt is that it was made by a TOTAL beginner -- not only is this the first quilt that Yolanda has ever attempted, it's her very first project on her very first sewing machine.  She did an amazing job -- I would never in a million years have known that she was brand-new to sewing if she hadn't told me that when she dropped off her quilt top!

60 x 60 Olga Quilt with A Bit of Fun E2E

Yolanda requested a "simple meandering quilt design" for this throw quilt destined for sofa snuggling, and I suggested A Bit of Fun E2E, which combines a basic meander with loops for a playful counterpoint to the rigid geometry of the piecing lines.  

After picking up her quilt, Yolanda told me that her 2-year-old son is enjoying tracing the lines of this quilting design with his little finger -- I love that!  

A Bit of Fun E2E in Apricot Blush Glide Thread

I used Quilter's Dream 80/20 cotton/poly batting and Glide thread in Apricot Blush.  For some reason, I had a really difficult time getting the colors to photograph accurately with this quilt.  Although you can see the quilting design best in the photo above, the colors are closer in the other photos.  It's a deep teal with a spicy paprika and orchid purple in real life, like you see in the photo below:

Olga Quilt with A Bit of Fun E2E

Thank you for choosing me to quilt your very first quilt, Yolanda!  I hope it's the first of many for you!  😊

Yolanda's quilt was the last one that I quilted at my Bernina dealer's shop on their demo machine before getting the computer robotics installed (finally!) on my own machine at my home studio.  In my next post, I'll be showing you the first queen size quilt that I was able to quilt on my own Q24.  You only get ONE quilt per blog post; I'm rationing y'all now!  

PSST!!  I'd Love to Quilt for YOU!

By the way, if you or any of your quilty friends has a quilt top or two that needs quilting, I'd be delighted to quilt for you!  My turnaround for edge-to-edge quilting is currently running about 3-4 weeks, and you can click here to find out how to book your quilt with me.

Part Two: Another Y-Seam Sampler Block

Before packing my Featherweight away again, I made another of the Y-seam blocks for my Retro '80s Building Blocks sampler quilt:

Block 17, 10 Inches, in Kona Solids

This block, like many of the others in this project, was fiddly and slow-going, but the results make me happy so it's totally worth it.  

My 1935 Featherweight is a Dream Machine for Y-Seams

I love, love, LOVE sewing Y-seams on my vintage 1935 Singer Featherweight 221!  I did not have to reach for my seam ripper even once.  As a side note, I put those Y-seams in this block deliberately.  My starting point for this quilt, the 2014 Moda Modern Building Blocks sampler quilt, used flying geese units to construct this block without any Y-seams at all.  I like the cleaner look of the block the way I redrafted it, and this project is supposed to be a skill builder, and Y-seams are a skill that I wanted to perfect so I have put LOTS of them in this quilt!

Moda's Easier Construction of Block 17, Using Flying Geese

Here's what my design wall looks like currently.  I feel like I'm starting to pick up speed and the end is in sight!  The next couple blocks are a lot less complicated and should come together more quickly than the last few.

Retro '80s Sampler In Progress, Past the Halfway Point!

When this quilt is finished, it's going on Birthday Boy Anders' bed here at home.  Maybe I can get it done by the time he comes home for Fall Break?  That would be the second weekend in October.  If not by then, DEFINITELY by Thanksgiving Break!  I made my husband take a picture  of me and my sons in the parking lot as we were headed into a restaurant for brunch the other day, since it's getting rarer and rarer to have both boys with me at the same time anymore.  Birthday Boy Anders is on the left in the Beatles T-shirt, and he's headed to Furman University as a Freshman next week.  Lars is on my right in the red T-shirt, and he'll be a Junior at Appalachian State University this year.  He goes back to school tomorrow morning.  And yes, despite squinting into the bright sunlight of a summer day in the Carolinas, this photograph captures everyone's personality perfectly!

Anders (18), Me, and Lars (20)

By the way, I'm 5'7" and my "little boys" are towering over me now.  Lars is 6' and Anders is 6'2", last time we measured them.  But I still see and remember the little boy within each one of them.  

Anders, circa 2010

Enough blogging for today -- my birthday boy has awakened and I promised to make him hot chocolate and banana bread.  Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

I'm linking up today's post with the following linky parties:

FRIDAY

Whoop Whoop Fridays at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Off the Wall Friday at Nina Marie Sayre

 TGIFF Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday, rotates, schedule found here: TGIF Friday

 SATURDAY

UFO Busting at Tish in Wonderland

SUNDAY

Frédérique at Quilting Patchwork Appliqué

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

MONDAY

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts  

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

BOMs Away at What a Hoot Quilts