Thursday 26 April 2018

A Quilt for Eli

     I have a finish to share with you.  It's Eli's quilt.  The pattern is Preppy Pod, an Elizabeth Hartman pattern.  I love the happy whales on this quilt and the soft primary colours.

 

     I made the lap quilt size but I added the row of whales to the bottom of the quilt to make it a little longer.   It's a nice size for a toddler, 45 inches by 54 inches. It's  about the same size as the quilt I made for his older brother Gabriel. Gabriel's quilt was the Dog Gone Quilt designed by Lorna McMahon of Sew Fresh Quilts.  Gabriel is two and a bit now  and his parents are just starting to use his quilt with him.


      I used Elizabeth Hartman's fabrics along with some Cotton and Steel fabrics designed by Rashida Coleman.  Rashida Coleman is one of my favourite designers and I started my fabric choices with her Kujira and Star fabric.  It's the fabric in the largest whale and I also used it on the back.

     I kept the quilting simple with wavy horizontal lines going across the quilt.  I think they give the quilt a water like look. The quilting was finished last weekend.  Lately I have been machine sewing my bindings on the back and the front, but this time I chose to machine stitch to the front and hand sew on the back.


     I'm glad I made that choice.  It gave me a little more time to spend with the quilt.   Eli will be turning one at the end of May.  He will hardly be a baby any more and I think I will be missing having a baby around.  I thought about his babyness a lot as I stitched that binding on by hand.

     Finishing this quilt was my One Monthly Goal for April.  I've managed to reach my goals 4 months in a row.  Maybe I am getting a better handle on how much I can finish in a given month.  You know it's interesting.  I brought the quilt to work today to show it to my co workers and several people asked me how long it took to make it.  To be honest I have no idea.  I work on many projects at a time and I don't track my time on each one.  Also I take a lot  of breaks to do things like wash the dishes or change a load of laundry.  I do know however that it took way less time to pin baste the quilt and to quilt it, than I was imagining it would take.  Hopefully this experience will encourage me to get to that quilting stage a little more readily.

     Eli's quilt is also my first finish for the 2nd Quarter of the Finish Along for 2018.  You can find my original list here.
I'm linking this post up with the Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday linkup which is hosted this week at Celtic Thistle Stitches and with the OMG linkup hosted by Patti at Elm Street Quilts.

33 comments:

Sandra :) said...

I saw your picture on Fiona's TGIFF linky and came over for a peek - your quilt is beautiful! I really like your simple quilting - it works perfectly with that project. Eli is a lucky little boy!

Laura said...

What a cute quilt for a little boy! I love it!

Pamela said...

What a fabulous finish!

Bernie Kringel said...

Yay! You finished it. It is so sweet and I bet he will use it for years to come!

Kate @ Smiles From Kate said...

Oh Lisa it finished up beautifully. It's perfect for Eli, I like the extra row you added in my opinion it enhances the design, he will so love it. Congrats on achieving your goal for another month and on such a wonderful finish.

Celtic Thistle said...

Fabulous finish Lisa, what a great quilt for a little boy!

Kay said...

I do love this, everything form the fabric to the whales are just perfect. x

Stitchin At Home said...

A great finish! Your grandson will love it. Congrats on reaching your goals 4 months in a row.

Patty said...

I love this! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.

chrisknits said...

What sweet quilt. I am sure it will be enjoyed for years.

Paige said...

The different background fabrics you used adds so much interest, great decision. And the wavy quilting and backing were the perfect choice!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

It turned out to be a stunning quilt, Lisa! I love Rashida's fabrics as well and the Kujira and Star fabric is so perfect for the large whale and backing. Congratulations on the finish and I'm sure Eli is going to love using it. It's hard to believe he's almost a year old!

canuckquilter said...

I'm sure this quilt will be well loved. Perfect choice for a little boy.

Karrin Hurd said...

Love the quilt!

piecefulwendy said...

Such a cute quilt, with all those whales i those happy colors! The wavy quilting is perfect too! I'm sure Eli will love it and it will be used for many years to come.

Nicole said...

Yay you! It will be while before he appreciates it but we can do that for him in the meantime. Have an excellent weekend.

Louise said...

It's so darling, Lisa! Great pattern, great fabric choices. Wavy line quilting gives that perfect watery look, too. Like you, I don't keep track of how long any particular project takes. Those breaks to do other chores are good for standing up and stretching a bit, too.

Little Black Cat Quilting said...

Such a fun and happy quilt for a little one! And I'm the same way, I never know how much time it takes to finish a project. I'm too stop and go to have an accurate estimate on finishes. 😊

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Your quilt is great! Eli will love it.

Lisa in Port Hope said...

It is wonderful! I love the deep blue background, so practical. Im sure it will be loved for many years.

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

I so love all of Elizabeth Hartman's patterns. Your version of happy whales is perfect! This will be a lifetime memory for Eli. Wonderful.

somethingrosemade14@blogspot.com said...

Lisa, I love this quilt and the fabrics and colors are perfect. This is a pretty special quilt for Eli, I know it is going to be much love. I need to check out this pattern, the whales are darling. Great finish!

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

A beautiful finish lisa. I have enjoyed the making of this quilt and now enjoy the finish with you. The backing is perfect, it must have been made with you in mind. And as you know, I think hand stitching the binding makes a quilt all the more special.

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Congratulations. It's amazing. I haven't tried the whale pattern yet.

Nancy said...

This is such a wonderful child's quilt. Those whales are fabulous. I especially like the largest one. Well done with reaching your One Monthly Goal. I'm with you: I think it takes a while to figure out exactly how much we can do in a month and which projects are good to include an OMG goal. I can never set as a goal something like deciding on a pattern or choosing colors for a quilt, but I can include hand quilting a certain number of blocks, sewing a quantity of blocks, finishing a binding, etc. Congrats on finishing a beautiful quilt!

Tish Stemple said...

Congrats on this finish! I hope Eli will cooperate and let you have some well deserved cuddles with his brand new quilt. You deserved them.

Soma @ inkTorrents.com said...

What a sweet quilt. Wonderful colours and the wavy line quilting was just perfect for the water effect. I don't keep track of how long a project takes either :)

-Soma

Cheryl said...

What a wonderful finish! I love all of the different whale blocks and that backing fabric is just perfect!!

Sue said...

Love this quilt Lisa! If only pin basting was something you could skimp on and still get a good outcome! I find myself dreading that stage as well!

Diana @ Red Delicious Life said...

Oh my goodness, this is the most darling quilt ever! And I love the background/big whale fabric. A perfect gift for a little boy.

Raewyn said...

What a beautiful finish - bet that will become one well loved quilt :-) And good on you finishing up 4 goals in a row!

Emily said...

This is beautiful!!! I've been in love with this pattern from the first time I saw it and I especially love this version.

Ella said...

I love the whales and the backing was perfect! On behalf of the FAL crew, congrats on your finish and thanks for joining in!