If you heard an "Alleluia Chorus" fill the air last week, it was signifying that at last after 2 years and 2 months I was able to complete the conversion of Avery's baby quilt into a twin size quilted comforter for her "big girl bed".
I found this cute background paper that was perfect to display the completed project and Avery's sweet smiles. This "Flowers and Hearts" paper is from Retro Designs Shabby Chic Rooms Part 2 ... follow the link and scroll down for a preview of this kit. You'll find Part 1 and Part 3 previews, too. Keep a watch out as you scroll and you'll find some freebies to this and other kits along the way.
This journey began when Avery was born and her mom found this adorable baby crib set with butterflies, dragonflies, and daisy flowers.
Avery's baby bed converted into a junior bed which was great for her toddler years. When she was three, Avery got her "big girl bed" and her Mom asked if I could convert her baby quilt and bumper pads into a twin size comforter for Avery's new bed.
This picture was taken 2/21/09 and the project was started. I took the chenille covered rope off the quilt and bumper pad and started using square pieces to lay out the enlarged quilt. I found a sheet set at Wal-mart that matched pretty close, cut it into pieces and added the applique pieces from the wall hangings you see laying in the foreground of the picture to fill in and enlarge the quilt. It needed some more of the black and white houndstooth fabric but there was none to be found in Abilene. However, when I was in a fabric store one day a lady walked by wearing a houndstooth skirt...this sent me straight to the Good Will Store where I found a skirt and dress made from houndstooth fabric that I was able to cut into the pieces needed. I drove Tony crazy...I arranged and rearrange the pieces a hundred times at least to hear him tell it...LOL! I couldn't find pictures of the final pieced quilt on the floor but I found this LO I did as a Creative Team member at Deco-Pages using Kit Chiche by Vavie 974.
Avery's Birthday Quilt
This was just the pieced quilt top that was ready by Avery's 3rd birthday on February 28th. It still needed to be quilted...and I discovered that it was too narrow as I wanted the side panels to hit right at the mattress edge. Back to the fabric stores I went looking for some chenille fabric to add a strip on each side to make it the right size. Some chenille fabric was needed anyway to cover additional rope so there could be rope all around the enlarged quilt. There was no chenille fabric in the color I needed to be found in Abilene so on a trip to Lubbock to visit my mom, I found the chenille fabric. I took the quilt apart and inserted the chenille strip, covered and added the chenille rope and got it all stitched onto batting and was working on using the flat sheet from the sheet set I found to back the quilted comforter. Thank goodness for my dining room table as the project would have been almost impossible to do without it!
Between health issues and Baby Reese's quilt needing to be finished, Avery's quilt got put on hold. Though I had to take some time off occasionally from my CT duties I did get this LO scrapped of Reese's quilt. This was taken when Reese was born and Papa and I were putting the quilt and crib rail liner onto Reese's crib...which, by the way was Luke and Avery's crib passed down to Reese. Papa didn't realize he was going to be in the picture...Nana should have told him to smile....LOL! Reese's Grandmommie made the crib skirt, sheets, and bumper pad for Reese's crib.
This all took place in October of 2009 and on November 8, 2009, I was in the ER from a fragrance exposure at church. My health took a nose dive it was impossible to get Avery's quilt done by her 4th birthday party in February 2010. It was physically challenging to "wrestle" with the quilt so I started working on the pillow sham and lamp shade and had them done not long after Avery moved into her new room in their new house in May of 2010. Luke had gotten a new bedroom set for his new room that came with a lamp and so Avery was excited to have a lamp of her own, too! I worked on Avery's quilt off and on as I could over the past months.
Finally, last week I finished quilting the top and backing together. At some point along the way as the quilt sat waiting on the dining room table, I had told Avery that when Nana got it done she could help me tack on ribbons and buttons on the back side of the quilt. She said, "I might need to sleepover, too!" Nana remembered, and invited Avery for a sleepover so we could finish her quilt together.
The next morning, Avery and Aunt LaChelle played hopscotch on the quilt while Nana was drinking coffee and waking up! The two pieces at the end of the quilt became the round pillow you saw in the top LO!
After a breakfast of waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries, Avery separated out all the large white buttons while Nana cut and fray-checked the ribbons. The quilt was thick and Avery's main job was to use the pliers to pull the needle and thread through! When we were all finished, we headed to the table to take some pictures. On the way, we found one ribbon that got missed and so Avery sat on the table and added one more ribbon and button to her quilt!
All Finished...loved doing the whole project but didn't like that it took so long to get it done. My favorite part was helping Avery stitch on the ribbons and buttons which weren't really needed to hold the quilt together, but it sure did make for some fun memories and a cute back to her quilt!
Resting today and tomorrow, I will cut the curtain valance into two pieces to make it fit the windows in Avery's room. There are two other pieces with appliques left. One will become a square pillow and the other a wall hanging...but, those may have to wait until after I get "Baby Boy" quilt done for Reese's little brother due in June!
