FRESH POPPY REPOST: NURSERY REVEAL...

Before Megan and I started QuiltStory we had another blog called Fresh Poppy Design. Because of a few reasons to boring to list, we started QuiltStory, and poor little Fresh Poppy Design has just been sitting over there, neglected. Over the next year or so we will have reposts from that blog, ones that we love and want to remember, and then we are going to delete the blog...Hopefully many of you are seeing these posts for the first time....

Okay, he is only 15 months old,

 but his nursery is finally finished...

let Little Dude take you on a personal tour...

These were an easy fix. Just bought Ikea white panels, and added the cute Amy Butler fabric to the bottoms. I plan to add a tutorial to the blog. Super easy...

My Husband did the board and batten (is that how you say it?) Walls. Well, he did the woodwork. I did all the painting and caulking. NOT FUN! However, I am in LOVE with how it turned out. I want it all over my house. But easily over 20 hours on that project alone...

Seriously! How cute is he sitting up there? There is the cute elephant painting my Mommy dear made for him. Also the quilts are from me and my aunt. I don't have all his baby quilts here. There are 5 of them. (If you count Megan's. And should we? I mean she still hasn't finished it!)

My Father in law built me this book case years ago for my girls. I repainted in this pale aqua. I need to give my Mom a little time to get her life back in order from her vacation, then I plan on putting her to work. I want gray fabric liners for the baskets. Pretty please Mama?

I found this vintage window frame at a little craft fair about 5 years ago. It has never looked so cute! I put some cute Rylee Blake fabric to back it, and I love how it turned out. Then I just added some little cup hooks to hang his hats. Cute?

I found this little shadow box at TJMaxx. It is so hit an miss there, but sometimes  you can find the perfect little gems. Inside are the hats I knit for him when he was a newborn. Heart pang...sparkly tears...  We want to freeze him in time and it isn't working!

My Mother in law made me the CUTEST baby blessing sailor outfit ever! It fit him for the 2 seconds he was blessed, then off it went. How were we to know he would be so huge? But I knew it would make for darling decor. The dandelions are made with vinyl on one of those cricuts I don't have but want desperately! I had a super nice friend make them for me :) 

I have a tutorial for this too. This cute fabric chandelier. It is from Ikea. I just remade the shade. Super easy, super custom, super cheap! ($13 bucks)

These frames above his bed are from Ikea too.  I took the photos inside. He was only 2 weeks old...man what is this salty discharge coming from my eyes???

The bedding I made with my Mother in Law. She is the best to craft with. I just cute and measure and she sews like a crazy woman in a labor camp. I let her have breaks occasionally, but not much. We had fun making them together. We didn't finish, so  naturally I send the crib skirt fabric back with her with detailed instructions and a deadline of when I would like it shipped back. She was several days early!

The children cracked me up goofing around in the corner (especially Sophie's face).

Okay, now that this post took me as long to complete as the room did...I am OFFICIALLY finished with his room and ready to move to another.

I am so happy with how this turned out. I kind of want to kick him out and move in myself. I had such a hard time with a boys room. No flowers or pink or ruffles. It took me a while to work it out in my head. 

What I love the most is that almost everything in that room is made by me or someone in my family. It is totally unique and custom.  The only problem with going this route, is that your baby may be 15 months old before it is complete.

Fabric Tuesday Folks!

Hope everyone is doing well!!  It's that last little bit of the school year that gets kinda crazy but exciting too as it warms up! And a little too warm in AZ :)  I (Meg) got back from a week long whirlwind first half of the week in Virginia/Maryland/DC and found a home in Virginia!!! Hooray!!!  Then we headed to back to Missouri to graduate. He'll be starting residency in July!

Happy Happy Day!! My face kinda cracks me up, it's like pure glee on the verge of tears. Hehe :)

And now I've got some lovelies linked up from last week, so fun!!

Birdie Sling from Gemini Stitches

Earbud Pouch from Making Life Prettier

Gorgeous WIP from Capitola Quilter

Tic-Tac-Tummy-Toes from Material Girl

Rose Star Quilt from Dee's Doodles

Mini Tote Bags from Geta's Quilting Studio

Your turn to link-up!! What have you been up to this week?

Fabric Tuesday #136

Bryan house quilt finish...Tribute Star Quilt

Becca is a super cute talented girl from Bryan House Quilts. This  Tribute Star quilt is just so eye catching. I love how it is offset. I also love the straight line quilting, it "moves" across the quilt. The color combination is great too!  Read her story about her Grandma Florence, really sweet. Such a great story to go with this quilt... be sure to visit bryan house quilts..

A few weeks back when my guild got word we would be working on a challenge using Denyse Schmidt's new line I was thrilled. I was more than thrilled when I found out the new line is called "Florence". Florence is particularly meaningful to me because I had a grandmother named Florence.  I actually never call her grandmother because she was always my mother's mother. She passed away when my mother was a young woman. But I'm sure she would have been a swell grandmother.

I wanted to make a special quilt in tribute to my grandmother Florence. More than a special quilt the process itself was special in it has allowed me and my mother to reflect a bit on our dear Florence. The fabric itself reminds me of the era in which Florence would have flourished (such great fabric!). 

When I think of Florence I think of the bittersweet memories of a mid-20th century woman.  A woman who was blessed with one child, my mother, late in life. And a woman whose last few years were spent battling a painful cancer when cancer treatment and palliative care were not what they are today. When I was a younger girl I didn't feel comfortable asking about Florence because of the sadness surrounding a death that leaves a daughter motherless. But as my mother says, as time passes the bitter becomes less bitter and the sweet becomes more sweet, and I've recently felt more comfortable asking about the grandmother whom I'd known only through the bits and pieces gleaned in passing as my mother casually wove her mother into conversation. 

My Grandmother Florence and Mom, Anne, at Belle Isle on the Detroit River 

I think of my mother, Anne, recalling how comforted she felt when as a little girl she would play with her dolls underneath the big quilt frame as Florence and her sisters quilted a big quilt overhead. It was apparently especially great during thunderstorms. (This sounds like a bit of heaven to me!)

My mom finds it remarkable that I have Florence's hands. I'm sure it was a trip to one day see your mother's hands on your teenaged daughter. I remember growing up my mom occasionally studying my hands in thought and shaking her head and saying, "you have my mother's hands." 

I remember my mother saying she loved to eat butter when she was little. As a mother I can only imagine Florence's surprise and bewilderment to find her daughter eating a stick of butter. And also the annoyance of having to clean butter off your child and having to buy more butter for cooking. 

(Really mom?!)

Florence was a very social woman and my grandparents would go out every weekend when Florence was healthy. She loved to laugh but never at someone else's expense.

Florence in the awesome, colorful (naturally) dress on the left, her sisters are next
and my great grandmother is on the right.

Florence loved the color purple and a particular pretty purple tulip quilt (that I will show you this summer). I like purple because it reminds me of my mother. My mom also loves purple and I guess  we share that same reason. Do we choose what we like? Or are we destined to become our mothers? And at what point do we want to become our mothers? Because there is a point where we do (sorry daughters, it's true). Do we want to become our mothers or are we wishing to be a part of their story? Or to pass their greatness to our children?

Florence used to love to sit in the back yard and gaze up at the stars. She knew the constellations and would point them out to my mom when she was a girl. (I would too, do you know how bright the stars were back then in that unpolluted, street light-less sky?)

 So, in honor of my grandmother Florence I give you my "Tribute Star" quilt. 

New quilt finish: Woodland Trails...

I created this fun quilt within the last few months. I don't normally go with these colors, but they really called to me. I think it was mostly the owls and hopping foxes. I mean, come on! I love this line a lot!  It is Les Amis by Patty Sloniger for Michael Miller. LOVE LOVE LOVE! There is the same line in a gray and aqua colorway. You will die! (or already have) 

I have a mix of applique. I just did fusible. Way to much turning under for me. I liked how the white squares made a trail, and the peach squares made a trail. That is how I came up with the name Woodland Trails...

I tried to machine free motion quilt it to make the peach trails stand out more, didn't really work, but I am still very happy with this quilt...

We don't have it in the shop just yet, but have it ready. Email me if you are interested in ordering this pattern.

Hope you like my entry into the Bloggers Quilt Festival from Amy's Creative Side. This is so much fun to see all the great quilts! It is so much fun to see all the creative people!

I am also entering this into the quilt-photographer category of the festival..

Cute quilt finish from Sew paint it...

Darling finish from Marianne of Sew Paint It. Marianne does a little bit of everything, sewing, decorating, renovating, painting, you name it. Our kind of lady! We got this submission, and Megan and I both have a soft spot for Sarah Jane fabric. Just looking at this quilt makes me want to go play with my stash. Anyhow, Marianne did a little bit of everything on this quilt, applique, hand stitching, machine quilting etc. We love it all! 

I finished a quilt!  It is my boys quilt using children at play fabric by Sarah Jane and I am really, really, really pleased with it!

I finished it today.

The backing was a sheet I found and I love it.  It is so soft and lovely.  Love the design for my little boy too.

Diggers and tractors - just what little boys like!

I did machine quilting on this quilt and then hand quilted around the stars.

I love hand quilting because it is so soft and specially for someone.  It shows you care.

The machine quilting is 0.25" from each seam.

The binding is also a sheet, a plain blue one which was worn out in areas.  It is really soft.  I hate doing the corners!  I must find some tutorials on doing that better because there is definitely room for improvement there!

Back from Vacation, Fabric Tuesday!

Hello all. Megan and I have been super busy the last few months. I feel like I have been out of town a lot. Lots of little weekend trips too. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. We will try to be better!  Last week I had a real fun time on my North East vacation with my husband. Hope you liked the sampling of INSTAGRAM pics.

I played on INSTAGRAM a lot over my vacation! I like it so much better than facebook! Probably because I am so visual. I love seeing peoples projects along the way, and not just the final product. Instagram is the perfect way to lay out some fabrics and ask people if they like them or if they should take one out etc. And get almost instant feedback! It is fun!  If you want to follow me (Heather) I am @quiltstory. Come follow me, I would love to see what you are up to as well.  I have plenty photos of my everyday life and kids, but I am trying to be better about taking photos of my quilting/fabric projects as well.

Anyhow, can't wait to see what you guys made this week...I will be sharing one of my project finishes later this week for Bloggers Quilt Festival...

Fabric Tuesday

Happy Tuesday friends!  Hope you're enjoying your week.  I know Heather is, she's staying in a hotel facing NIAGARA FALLS as we speak!!  Lucky! :)

Today we are guest posting at Happy Quilting Melissa!  Melissa asked us to do a post about trying to balance it all being creative mom's with kids!  I have no answers for you, but if you go check it out there will be an awesome giveaway!!! :)

And there will be giveaway everyday this week, so you should stop by!

I am EXTRA boring today with all my stress and packing I'm just jumping right into Fabric Tuesday.  Sorry nothing to share and no features :(  Next week!

Fabric Tuesday #134

What have you created this week??