Jack's Skateboard Quilt!

Want to join a Polaroid Block swap that I am hosting?  There's still time!  The info is here.

Jack's skateboard quilt is finished and here are the pics!

Jack helped me design the blocks for this quilt over a year ago.  I have little penciled drawings he did of the shapes of the boards and the shapes he wanted the wheels to be. (We started with circles but decided when you look down on them they are more of a square).  I wrote down all of the measurements once we had it proportionately how we wanted it, but then the project was tucked away.  So recently, when my Mom visited, she and I began cutting more pieces for the quilt.  Determined to finish it, I kept making more blocks.  I could have stopped there but I felt it needed more, so I did some "log cabin" additions around each skateboard to give it more color.  I showed Jack a couple of them and he approved, so I added the strips to all of the blocks.  We were happy with it!  Then came the back.

I ordered this larger middle piece on line - it is Ty Pennington fabric.  I thought it had a nice "boy" look to it.  Then I was going to piece in the sides with one long strip but I couldn't resist cutting all of my left over strips and sewing them together for this look.  It took awhile so as usual, I made an easy step much harder than it needed to be.  The skeleton fabric is great, isn't it?   A nice friend on IG saw what I was doing and insisted on sending me this fabric!  I love my sewing friends - so thoughtful.  Thanks to Cindy, @savinggrc, on IG!

The binding is a black and white checkered fabric that I found as I was finishing the skateboard blocks. I made a skateboard out of it also, and Jack says it is his favorite one in the quilt.

I did lots of machine quilting in the log cabin sections, some stitch in the ditch, some down the center of the logs.  I then hand quilted around each skateboard.  The skateboards were done using raw edge applique and I didn't tuck the edges under, so I look forward to seeing the scrappy look it will have after washing and fraying.

Over the next week I will be starting another one in girly colors that I though I might keep for me and take along to skateparks.  I'll be writing a post as I make the blocks - a tutorial - so that my sewing bee mates can make some of these next month.  It is the block I have chosen for my month!  It's so easy really but the measurements will help everyone to be consistent in size while the log cabin part will be a random do as you please part of the block that will be fun to see as they all come together!  I'm a big fan of being mindful of the values of the colors so I'll mention a few pointers here and there concerning that.  If you would like to make a skateboard quilt too I hope you will follow along.

Anyone who reads my blog knows I'm a great starter but a not so great finisher - so since this is a post about a finish, I think I will have to link it up to all of the blog parties I follow!  You can find the buttons in my sidebar.  They include:

Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story - Quilt Story
sew cute tuesday at Better Off Thread - Better Off Thread
wip wednesday at Freshly Pieced (cause I'm starting another one!) - Freshly Pieced
Thank goodness it's finished Friday - TGIFF
Finish it up Friday at - crazymomquilts

I did some re-vamping of my blog to reflect what I blog about.  It has evolved into a quilting blog with a dog model and lots of skateboarding in between!  Sums up my life!

I'd love to see you over on Instagram.  I am @dukesayssewwhat over there.  Follow me and I'd love to follow you back for more sewing inspiration or - of course - adorable pictures of your pets!  xxoo

Kris