A small gesture
Kid crafted wrapping

Liz's quilt

Folded

Our babysitter, Liz, has been watching the girls since she was in 7th grade.  She has been my number one, go-to sitter for six years and she is leaving for college next week.  I get a little teary thinking about it - I actually did cry at her graduation party.  The four of us are going to miss her, but she is headed off on to her newest adventure and we couldn't be happier for her.

Front 

I finished Liz's quilt on Tuesday night and washed it yesterday.  I am really happy with how it turned out  - in fact, it may be among my favorites.  Blue is Liz's favorite color and I wanted it to play a strong role in her quilt.  I also wanted the design to be something simple and fresh, young and vibrant just like the girl who is receiving it.  I started with a few sets of Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party fat quarters.  I cut 30 separate fat quarters in to rectangles measuring 13" x 15.5" (my fabric was pre-washed).  I arranged them in a grid and sewed them together.  This took me a few hours on a Saturday afternoon in late May.

Back 

For the back, I used two pieces of a turquoise solid that I joined using a patchwork strip.  The patchwork rectangles were from the scraps of the original fat quarters.  The back still wasn't long enough so I added another strip.  I told you all what happened with the batting.  Once I had a piece that was big enough, it was time for the quilting.

Quilting

For the quilting, I chose a blue thread that is slightly darker than the aqua that is on the back.  I'd call it a French blue.  It took me a very long time to decide how to quilt this.  I contemplated many different options until I settled on the wavy horizontal lines.  I used my walking foot and started sewing the lines free motion - well, as free motion as you can with a walking foot.  They were very fun to sew and I love how they look.  For the binding I chose a yellow polka dot (not sure who makes it, sorry) because I really thought the quilt needed a good pop of color.  I think it works well.

On the chair

After washing and drying, the quilt measures 60" x 88".  Now it's time for us to wrap this quilt up and deliver it to Liz.  And then we have to say good-bye.  Pass the tissues.  I'm going to need them.

Comments

Anna

ABsolutely gorgeous quilt! :)

Jane Weston

You did an amazing job. It looks wonderful and the perfect gift for someone going to college...I bet she will love it.

leslie

oh, erin. she is going to LOVE it.
she will be tucked in by your hands and the memories of your girls every night!
what a WONDERFUL gift.... it is gorgeous!!!!

Mary Beth

So beautiful!!! Awesome colors and I love what you did with the strips in the back. The wavy lines were the perfect choice for the quilting. Yes, get the tissues!!

Dallas

Those fabrics are really fantastic. What a great gift.

Jane Dentinger

So beautiful! I wish I had been the babysitter. You may have just finished the perfect girly quilt.

Mama Urchin

What a special gift. It looks great Erin and different from your style, which is so good sometimes. I've been thinking about wavy line quilting too.

Melissa

Love, Love that Quilt. Very Beautiful. And you picked the perfect fabrics for it to look very vibrant and young- but also very rich. I'm sure she will cherish that quilt for a very long time.

carol

Love the quilt - another successful project for you

Mary-- The Yellow Door Paperie

This is beautiful! I'm sure your babysitter will love this, she's a lucky girl.

I love the turquoise/french blue, so summery.

Imperatrix

I love the little fingers peeping out at the top. So sweet!

larissa

wowee! what a beautiful gift. she'll enjoy that for years! love the colors you chose. I'm working up the courage to do my first quilt. someday. hopefully soon.

Kelly

That is beautiful, stunning seriously. I'm so inspired.

She will just love it. Sorry you are losing your beloved babysitter. It's funny how people come and go in our lives, all touching us deep in the heart even if they have to leave.

Tracy

It looks so great, Erin. She's going to love it!

Stephanie B

That is such a pretty quilt!! I love all the colors! I am sure it will be a well loved gift.

Pam

Wow, it's gorgeous! Love the wonky horizontal lines quilting...I assume you start in the middle and work your way out? I love piecing, but my machine quilting is very rudimentary...would love to learn some new techniques so I am not so dependent on the ladies with the long-arms.

caroline

Oh Erin. That's just about all I can say! Wow.

Laura, Lulabellesview

Spectacular quilt!! You really do have an eye for putting fabric together. I love how you used the large prints and large blocks on the front, and the back is just so vibrant and crisp. Just lovely.

Indiana Lori

This quilt is awesome! I'm finishing my second quilt and I have a question. My quilting teacher taught me to hand sew the binding, which is quite tedious. You seemed to finish this one quickly. Do you wrap the binding and hand sew, or do you have another method that's faster? Your binding looks perfect.

Best,

Indiana Lori

Charlotta

It's a treasure which she will keep for Life!
You're very talented!!!!
Char

Bobbi

That is so awesome. Congrats to Liz!

Kathy

That is a wonderful gift. Beautiful.

Jenny Craver

Awesome! I absolutely love it and am very jealous of the recipient.

julie

erin, it's gorgeous! So vibrant, the colors are amazing. And the yellow polka dot binding is perfect. What a lovely gift!!

Charlotta

Funny...I frequent blogs lots and read familiar ones everyday but this morning I thought...hmm, lets have a peak to see what House on the Hill is all ABOUT...loved reading your ABOUT page...great insight to whom you are...we have 2 girls too and I know how finding time to craft and paint and blog aswell as all the other tasks we try to fit in everyday can be trying...but we manage somehow!
Have a wonderful day!
Char

rachel | buttons magee

It is a stunner, Erin. And I am always so touched by the relationships of long-time babysitters with their kids. I went to a high-school graduation party at the beginning of summer and her baby-sitter drove in for the party.

Charlotta

Sorry...House on Hill Road...I was supposed to right!
I'll stop babbling now:-)

Jennie

It's gorgeous! All your choices were just perfect, Erin - patchwork fabric, the quilting lines, the binding color and pattern, and my favorite shade of turquoise on the back. Liz is going to love it.

Jamie

This is so beautiful....she is one special girl to get this treasure. I love the photo of the girls holding up the quilt, only their fingers showing....
Thanks for sharing!!

Elaine

Wow - what a beautiful quilt to brighten a college room and also for her to remember all of you!

Valeria

Very nice gift!!!!!

Stephanie

Just gorgeous!!! Blue is also my favorite color and I love This line of fabrics by Anna Maria Horner. I may need to make one of these for myself.

melissa

Lovely. I think the middle patchwork strip on the back is my favorite part.

Heather

What a terrific going away present - I am sure she will love it and miss you about as much as you will miss her. All the best.

SpiderWomanKnits

What a spectacular quilt and a wonderful gift! She'll have it forever. So sweet.

Also very sweet are those little fingers peeking out from the quilt holding it up ;) Love it!

kristyn

this is sure to be a gift she will treasure always.
each and every time she uses it she will think of you and your family. and maybe one day, she'll make a quilt for someone special in her life. what a wonderful story.

Myra

That is great!

HobbyMommy

Love it!!!

Andrea

Oh wow, it's just so colourful, vivid and beautiful. She will love it, and it sounds like she is so deserving of this quilt! Thank you for doing a quilt in such bright colours...I love them so much together yet have gotten kind of 'lost' in the bright with white (borders, sashing, etc) trend. this is stunning!


Renee'

She is going to LOVE it!!! Its BEAUTIFUL...Goodbyes are always hard but it will be just as difficult for her...she will always be a big part of your life :)

Sarah Jackson

It's so beautiful - just right for a dorm room. When Lindsay was looking for a duvet cover she kept rejecting everything that was based in white, because it would get so dingy. So excellent choice on the colors. I love it.

beki

Oh, it's wonderful, Erin! I love the wavy line quilting. I think I'll try that next time, if I ever get beyond another quilt top.

Fiona

Beautiful. Love these quilts with the big squares that are popping up. A trend I'll definitely get on board with :)

Fun Mama - Deanna

What a beautiful quilt and wonderful gift. It will be beautiful in her dorm room and a wonderful reminder of home and good friends. Thanks for showing us. I love the colors together and the binding really does pop.

kirsten

gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! my fave is the binding. i'm a sucker for dots.

Sarah

LOVE this quilt! Such a fan of Anna's fabric, it's wonderful to see it all together like this.

Isa

Lovely quilt.
I like the simplicity in the pattern, and the beautiful colors

Potiron

BEAUTIFUL!!!! what other word can I use???

I love those fabrics, and the simple idea of just squares works quite well!!!

I love the back too!!!

Liz will have quite a memento to have from you!!!

Work well done............ !!!

Kristin

That is just gorgeous! Perfect choice of binding.

Christine

I love it - so simple in terms of piecing, yet so striking - not every quilt that size needs 2000 small pieces, eh?

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