Thursday, May 20, 2010

Festival of Quilts







I've been looking forward to the Festival of Quilts. I was hoping to have my Hope Valley Circles quilt ready to show, but Life decided otherwise, and inserted a few other items that had to be taken care of.

So, I thought I would just leave it this year, since I have nothing new and amazing to show. Then I thought of two quilts that I've never photographed, let alone posted online. What these quilts lack in intricacy and stunning beauty, they make up for in soft and cuddlyness, and are very well loved, even with no Designer Fabric in sight!

Before my baby was born almost three years ago, I decided I wanted to make him one special quilt that he would use all the time, and that would also be a keepsake for him to keep all his life.

This is the quilt I made him. It was made before I discovered Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry, Denyse Schmidt... Oh the innocence I had! It is also quilted in the ditch, which is somewhat uncool nowadays, but guess what? I still kind of like it, and my son sleeps with it every night. It is also made with pieced with circles, which I jumped right into back then, not realizing that they were supposedly hard to do, and now I can say I have no fear of them, (and you can try them too, they're quite forgiving. Just make sure you have a proper template.)

Two years later, I was expecting our second child, so I made a quilt for her. This time I tried wonky log cabins, which I'm not sure that I'm really into anymore, but that's life.
I also tried pebble quilting on this quilt, which is another cool feature that I will never do again. It has awesome texture, but SO hard to make it look nice, and you need a lot of patience and perfectionism to make this work, and those are two things I don't have.

So there are my two quilts that are not really show-worthy but they're very well loved, and they won't even be offended if no one else likes them, because they just love being snot-wipers and cuddlers to their very sweet owners.

37 comments:

  1. I really really love the wonky log cabin, the colours and the white and the border. Am I allowed to choose just one?!

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  2. Well loved and used are my favorite kinds of quilts! I think both quilts are wonderful and I'm amazed that your first quilt was made with pieced circles... you're a natural quilter!

    Jennifer :)

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  3. I love both this quilts, they are beautiful and obviously really loved. I would choose the circles one first though!
    And this is a really cool blog.

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  4. I think they are both beautiful!

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  5. They are great! Both are very super sweet looking. Isn't amazing that blogging and visiting online has opened the world of new fabric and styles?!

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  6. I really love the colors in your girl quilt. They're fun.

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  7. What lovely colors in the circle quilt!

    margaret
    www.quiltsoflove.blogspot.com

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  8. I love your quilts and your blog too Jolene, they are great! I'll be back when I can stay longer, thanks for visiting me and leaving a sweet comment.

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  9. both very lovely quilt. and so different! i love that your son sleeps with his quilt...i need to dig out the quilts i made for my babies!

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  10. I love them both and I bet they are both very well loved by their owners!

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  11. I love both of your quilts, Jolene! I'm soooo glad that I stopped by your lovely blog!

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  12. I think they are both show-worthy and I'm glad you shared!

    Regards, Sue

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  13. Both are beatiful quilts. Congratulations

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  14. Both of your quilts are simply lovely. I love the pastel colors and circles of the first one, and the cheerful brightness of the second one. You should be proud of them both.

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  15. I like both quilts. The first has such a softness about it and the second has a much brighter feel. Really well done.

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  16. These quilts are perfect. They are exactly what I believe quilts are all about - to be used and treasured for ever and not about fashion and current styles. I'm going to go and get out the quilt my babies had, thank you, Lis x

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  17. The best quilts are the ones that are made & used with love! Both of yours are great!

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  18. I like both quilts. Did you know that stitch in the ditch is undergoing a revival?

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  19. I love them both - two techniques I love and have never tried! I'll catch up sometime, lol. You did beautifully on both!

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  20. I like both of them. But I have to say the blue circles quilt is my favorite and I have never done circles but I do so want to. Thanks for sharing!

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  21. j'aime la fraicheur des couleurs ainsi que le message d'amour pour vos enfants

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  22. They look great! I am working on a pieced circle quilt right now, so fun.

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  23. both of these quilts are so beautiful....the colors in the first really drew me in and the log cabins are so fun. great quilts.

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  24. a used quilt is the best quilt

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  25. Quilts should be loved and used - a pristine quilt is a contradiction in terms! Love both these quilts - your son's quilt looks soft and cuddly, and the wonky log cabin blocks are so colorful!! Thanks for sharing!!

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  26. Such sweet quilts for your babies :)

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  27. I've done some stitch in the ditch...quilts are just meant to be loved. I'm working on ovals right now and hope they turn out as lovely as your circles. I love how soft the colors look in that one!

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  28. These are both beautiful quilts. :)

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  29. So...YOU'RE Blue Elephant Stitches! Following you now; you've got a lot of beautiful quilts!

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  30. There is nothing more appealing than a well used and loved quilt. they look so snuggly and beautiful. PS I was also innocent of the designer fabric.

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  31. Well used quilts rock....these are lovely.
    Randi
    http://DivaBuzz.designing-diva.com

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  32. Those are quilts your children will treasure for a lifetime because you would never tire of looking at them!

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  33. Great quilts! Love that you jumped right in on the circles, I haven't done that just yet! LOVE the colors in your daughter's quilts...and haven't we all done something that we're not into anymore! I think they're both fabulous! Love your blog too! BTW, I'm also smack in the Canadian Prairie...Winnipeg!

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  34. Both are great quilts-the drunkards path is very peaceful and the wonky logs are bright and cheery.
    Come see my antique quilt entries
    http://utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com
    http://starleyquilts.blogspot.com

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  35. i love your quilts!! your son's is wonderful with the circles and beautiful colors--i don't care that it's not got designer fabrics. to me quilts should be loved and comfy--whether artsy or not. i love artsy, but they're not as easy to love as your two darling quilts are. thanks so much for sharing!!

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