Same pattern -- different variations...

This will be a very short post, but I wanted to show you how you can make totally different looking quilts with the same pattern, but different variations. I'm using the same star pattern for most of the quilts I'm making our grandchildren under five years of age. It's a fun, easy pattern that goes together quickly and is adorable. Here are four of those quilts. By varying the fabrics, you can create very different looks...

Thatcher's quilt...

I'm back from California -- sunny San Diego to be exact. Did I mention just how much I love it there? We came back to a weather forecast of snow on Saturday in Colorado. {Sigh.}

I have another quilt to show you today. {Surprised? No.} I just finished this quilt for our four-year-old grandson, nicknamed Tate. He is a strapping little guy with favorite colors of black and red. When I saw this Burly Beaver line by Robert Kaufman I knew it was created for this boy of ours. The fabric line is filled with burly backwoods beavers, checks, tree bark, and thermoses -- everything a logger needs!

I chose red and blacks for the main design, but filled in with a lot of gray. I love black, but in small doses with fabric, so I chose the gray to soften the bright, bold reds and blacks. I also chose a swirly pattern for the quilting. I wanted something circular to soften the stark lines of the quilt.

There's something delightfully cute about those beavers -- especially when you are outdoorsy kind of guy!

I used up a little more fabric with this design on the back...

 I love the "tree bark" fabric in this line. So cute to carry the theme of loggerman to the obvious pattern of bark. This fabric dominates the back of the quilt and is the frame on the front of the quilt.

One down... a couple million to go ~~~ !

Miss M.'s quilt...

One of these days I'm going to surprise everyone {including myself} and post about a furniture refinishing project, gardening adventure, or craft that I've completed. {Dream on.} I really didn't think this goal to make 40 quilts this year would be so consuming, but it is. However, I've loved every minute of it. Originally, I made the goal to use up a lot of the stash I've collected the last few years. This next quilt is a perfect example of making due with what you have...

Two-year-old Macy loves the color pink. Her mom says it's the only color she knows, so I decided to broaden her horizon and use this cute metallic floral fabric from Hobby Lobby as the "inspiration fabric" for the quilt and incorporate four other pretty colors as complimentary fabrics...

I had enough already-purchased fabrics in mint, peachy-pink, salmon and turquoise to bring those colors into the mix...

I love how these cute fabrics play off each other...

The back of the quilt was another place I was able to use up some of my stash. It's a little wonky, but I don't think a two-year-old will mind.

One more quilt checked off the list!

Miss O.'s...

In between trips to California and Florida, I have finished a few more quilts. This one is for a little six-year-old granddaughter who loves red and pink. These adorable fabrics come from Moda's "Just Another Walk in the Woods" collection.

There are flowers, trees, ruffles, and sprinkles on this quilt -- a winning combination for this adorable girl of ours!

I'm finding this quilt making business {I'm trying to make 40 for our children and grandchildren by 2017 Christmas} has really been good for me. I love to create in general, but when I'm making things for people I love, it's even better. 

Throughout the whole process of picking out the fabrics, planning the design, sewing, and binding, I find I'm thinking about the person whose quilt it is the whole time. I count my blessings that this little {or big} person is in my life.

Each quilt is like a little gratitude journal all rolled up in fabric and thread and a whole lot of love.

I'm also learning new techniques with each new quilt. I'm pretty sure the last quilt I make is going to be the best for that very reason. Ahhh well... life is a process!

Fabrics:

Moda, "Walk in the Woods Forest Dark Pink and Dark Cream"...

Moda, "Walk in the Woods Sprinkles"...

Moda, "Walk in the Woods Ruffles and Ruffles Red"...

Moda, "Walk in the Woods Toss the Garden Cream"...