It's a girl thing....

One of my favorite quilts to date is finally finished!!!  It took far too long - I started back in February or March of this year.  It wasn't hard to make - just took me forever to get it finished.  At least I got it done before the 1-year mark...phew!  I had a goal to finish a quilt top every 2 weeks at the beginning of the year.  I think this was the 4th quilt of the year - so, obviously I am not doing well at all in making my goal!

It's a hexagon quilt made from Girly Girl by Pat Bravo's Art Gallery.  I really like her fabric and have purchased a lot more since this!

I found this hexagon quilt along at Jaybird Quilts while I was on maternity leave with my youngest.  He was a colicky baby and was only content when I was holding him.  So, her blog was one of the first that I came across and it actually gave me the inspiration to start my own here (along with a few others: Cluck Cluck Sew, Simplify, p.s. i quilt, etc.)  It was a good way to pass the time - I spent hours browsing Flickr, reading blogs, and catching up on this "blogland" that I never knew existed before - all while sitting on the couch with my new little guy just praying that he wouldn't cry! :)  So, I've had this quilt in my head for over a year now!  It is amazing how many good tutorials there are out there.  I've got a list a mile long now, which continues to grow all the time.

I used Aqua Garden for the outside border and backing, and I used Berry Whispers for the binding.  I think that the bright pink frames the quilt well.  I purchased the fabric from I Love Sewing, a cute new quilting store in Fremont, Nebraska.

These photos didn't turn out all that well because it got too dark on me - I'll have to get some better ones sometime.  My husband helped hold the quilt for me in the backyard - and, as you can see from the little feet in the bottom - he had a little helper from my son too!  He has to be in on the action at all times.

I have it quilted at my local quilt store in a swirling design.  After I washed it, it crinkled up and became perfectly cuddly.  

I used 1 jelly roll to make this quilt + inner border, outer border, binding, and backing.  I followed Jaybird Quilt's Hexagon Quilt Along for the most part.  I sewed 2 jelly roll strips together and used the Creative Grids 60 Degree Double Strip Ruler to cut triangles all the way down the strip.  I was able to cut 12 triangles from each strip.  I used 6 of these triangles to make each hexagon - and some half hexagons on the sides. The top was sewn together in diagonal strips, and I used leftover pieces to fill in the gaps on the bottom and top.

It is approximately 48" by 66" finished size, including the narrow inner border and outer border, and after washing.

I'll have to set a new goal for next year - perhaps I can stay on-track....we'll see!  Here's to more time in 2012!  I'm already planning my projects......