A big finish!

I love projects! It's nice to have something to work on that has an actual ending (as opposed to the piles of laundry that seem to never end).  Of course, finishing it, is almost as exciting as starting it!

The last couple weeks, I have been working on a crib bedding project for one of my nearest and dearest friends, Beana.  She has three girls, like me, and wanted something new for bambino number three (Miss Lily).  She has a penchant for all things red, so she went looking for a red crib set, only to find that few exist (and those that do are WAY too expensive).  She knew that I had run into the same problem with my third (not finding the perfect crib set), so I ended up making my own.  She asked me to help her make one for Miss Lily and I was more than happy to oblige.

Beana has always been so giving, so I was happy to be able to give back a little something to her.  We both perused fabric websites and came up with a few ideas.  Ultimately, we both just fell in LOVE with Jill Finley's line "Meet Me In the Meadow."  Beana picked the red floral, the yellow dot, and the green vines (I picked the red vines to do the binding and ties on the bumper).  Since the nursery walls were already yellow, it was a perfect fit!

I found a bumper on clearance and use it as a "fill" bumper (so much easier than actually measuring!).  Out of the red floral (Beana's favorite), I did a straight crib skirt; then used all three fabrics to make a crib quilt.  Since she said, "I will be using it, not hanging it up" I used high quality, low loft, cotton and bamboo batting.  The backing is a solid red fabric that I happened to have in my stash.  Altogether, the project took six yards (not including the backing). I told Beana it took 3 yards so that I could surprise her and bless her with the remainder...shhh, don't tell her. :D
(Sorry about the quality of the pictures. They really do not do this fabric justice.  My camera is on it's last leg and flashes whether I want it to or not; even with tons of natural light).

I used EVERY last bit that I could.  This is literally all I have left (one 8 inch square and some yellow strips).

The bumper has all three fabrics in 26 inch sections.  The binding is the red vines (as well as the ties).

The quilt is my favorite part.  Beana and I played with a block layout and she picked the red center.  I love how it turned out and think she made the right choice! The red is definitely the highlight here!! After I got it stitched together, I decided to do just an antique triple saddle stitch. I didn't want to do anything freehand that would take away from the beauty of the fabric itself.

The rest of the red floral was used for binding (and then washed and dried to make it wrinkly).

I wish I had enough to make a sheet and curtains for her, but it wasn't in the budget for either of us this time around.  Maybe someday :)

It was so fun to work on, and equally as fun to be done.  Since my creative space is my dining room table, it's always nice to put the machine away (even for a day).

And my living room that serves as my "layout" space has been returned to it's tidy state (with blankets and the crib set all ready to go to their new homes)

Maybe once it is placed in Lily's nursery, she will post pictures of it actually "in use."

On to my next project!

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway! I will be picking a name tonight and posting tomorrow. Good luck everyone!