Looking In

 
I made this quilt especially for one reason…so my boys won’t fight (constantly!) over this quilt I made last year for the couch.
It didn’t work…but now they each have their own quilt while they fight.
 
 
I used novelty prints from my stash and bought from a local shop.  I used lots of different squares instead of a few yardage cuts, so it would be like an eye spy quilt.   I made the throw size of the pattern 56″ x 67″…so I can steal it when you-know-who is in bed.
 
 
The best part is I backed it with a double sided Minky (this one…it was on sale at the time for $7.49 a yard!) and  I skipped the batting.  The Minky I bought was 64″ wide…so I bought 2 yards and it was enough to back the throw size without piecing it!!!  Love that…and a super affordable alternative, especially since I didn’t use batting. 
 
I basted the quilt top directly to the Minky and free motion quilted it.  I’ll post more on that later… it is so soft and has such a nice drape. 
 
 
That sweet little 2 year old up there is giving me a run for my money.  I got out of the shower today to find him sitting on the couch with a open half gallon of ice cream and a spoon…must be my child.
 
The pattern can be found here.  My favorite block is this giraffe peaking from one side of the window to the other:
 
 
The background fabric is a print from Timeless Treasures.  It gives the background some oompth instead of using a solid.

46 Responses to Looking In

  1. SoozeM November 8, 2012 at 4:05 am #

    Ooh I love it, another one to add to my "must do" list!! Have to make the last few patterns I bought from you first though :)

  2. Andrea November 8, 2012 at 4:14 am #

    I love your quilt! Can I ask a question though… Do you have a hard time with the minky stretching when you quilt it? I tried it once and I must have either bought the wrong brand or done something because it kind of stretched when I was quilting it and then shrank back up after it was unpinned and made the top wrinkly.

  3. lifeinredshoes November 8, 2012 at 4:22 am #

    Such talent! And hey, did he save some for me?

  4. Jenny November 8, 2012 at 4:24 am #

    This is really, really cute, and after the day I had with my just-turned-3yo, I really needed to hear that story. He almost broke me today. Delightful, loving child … who destroys or damages something about every 15 minutes.

  5. Bari Jo November 8, 2012 at 4:32 am #

    Wonderful quilts! And the ice cream story is hilarious! I had one like him! :O)

  6. Valerie November 8, 2012 at 4:39 am #

    I yearn for the day that I can shower while my 18 month old is awake… I have a feeling I may have to wait until she is 5 or 6. ;) Love that you backed the quilt in minky! I am going to have to try that sometime!

  7. Collette November 8, 2012 at 4:40 am #

    Great quilt and I love those minky backings. I've done a few.

    I've got an ice cream stealer too. I keep the chocolate chips in the freezer or I used to before I found him crouched naked in the (ornamental only) fireplace eating them for breakfast. Sigh. Wait til he hits 5. ;-)

  8. Happier Than A Bird Quilts November 8, 2012 at 5:29 am #

    Great quilt! I really love the green!

  9. Kellie November 8, 2012 at 5:42 am #

    Hey Allison… what do the back look like with the stippling? Does it show through the double sided minky?

  10. SewBlinkey.blogspot.com November 8, 2012 at 6:47 am #

    A wonderful quilt and it looks easy to make. Kids, they never stop fighting! But don't we love them.

  11. marysza November 8, 2012 at 7:10 am #

    ooohhhh!!! it's wonderful! i love it! especially these windows with clouds!!! <3

  12. Rene Sharp November 8, 2012 at 7:13 am #

    This is gorgeous!! I will also have to add it to my list. I bought fabric for Pow-Wow over the weekend, can't wait to start it. Also bought Spin Cycle from you when you had your sale, so need to make those soon. LOVE your blog, it is very inspirational, a fan from South Africa :)

  13. Helen L November 8, 2012 at 7:40 am #

    great quilt!! and great cover for your quilt w/ your little 2 yr old hurricane!! :-P How did a TWO year old get into the freezer? Oh, I forgot: I was thinking of when my kids were little and the freezers were on the top. :-) Now with them on the bottom I can see all kinds of trouble that my kids could have gotten into! He's sure a doll though: That hair! My oldest girl had hair like that too: people would ask me if I curled it!! Yeah, right! Getting a two yr old to sit for that: they sure weren't thinking!! Thanks for sharing your great quilts and the pics of your cute quilts: those of us who have older kids sure do miss the sweetness of the little chubby cheeks!! have a great day! H in Healdsburg, Ca

  14. Teje Karjalainen November 8, 2012 at 7:54 am #

    Both quilts are so beautiful! the first one is still in my list and didn't manage to do it yet. and this new goes to the list, too!

  15. Miss Creatuurtje November 8, 2012 at 8:45 am #

    So great!!!

  16. Rosa November 8, 2012 at 9:30 am #

    It`s absoluteluy wonderful!

  17. Mary W Quilts November 8, 2012 at 10:39 am #

    I love doing I spy quilts, especially for kids. Very nice. Mary

  18. Michele November 8, 2012 at 11:18 am #

    Really nice. So sorry that it didn't help the squabbling much. I have to chuckle about the ice cream. My 3 yr old is constantly hiding "treasures", things that aren't hers, and I find them everywhere.

  19. Regina Diniz Outeiro November 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm #

    So beautiful!!!

  20. Jilly November 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm #

    That's a really cute quilt!

    As for the two year old – mine with that personality is now 5, and he just pulled the fire alarm at our local rec center this week . . . still has me running.

  21. Logan O'Bier November 8, 2012 at 12:05 pm #

    That quilt is so cute! Love it:)

    I'm having a giveaway if anyone wants to come over!

    http://sewscissorhappy.com

  22. Alicia November 8, 2012 at 12:21 pm #

    so cute! great idea for the minkee! I'll try it!

  23. Jocelyn November 8, 2012 at 12:50 pm #

    Well you can't blame them for fighting over the quilts. They're beautiful! :) I especially love the animals peeking in.

  24. Melia Mae Quilting November 8, 2012 at 1:34 pm #

    I have been wanting to try minky on the back of a quilt but am really nervous to use it on my long arm worrying that it would stretch. Did you have stretching issues?

  25. Auntie Pami November 8, 2012 at 2:00 pm #

    My ice cream thief is a little older, no really, alot older. I love this one. Perfect for an I Spy!

  26. Johanna November 8, 2012 at 2:14 pm #

    I love the background fabric! I have some of that in a pinkish color that I used for binding on a bag. The ice cream story is too funny! Sometimes it makes a bit tricky to not laugh when they do something like that! Last thing you want them to think is that they did something funny! That really opens a can of worms :)

  27. kathy-o November 8, 2012 at 2:18 pm #

    Ooooo – I've got some funky prints I really don't want to cut up too much – this is the perfect pattern! Thanks!

  28. The Cozy Pumpkin November 8, 2012 at 2:23 pm #

    Ha! The arguing sounds just like my house/couch. lol And that giraffe peeking up from the bottom is hilarious. It's the little things no?

  29. ohiomom November 8, 2012 at 2:31 pm #

    I love this quilt. And I especially LOVe the giraffe block! I am a giraffe girl, for sure. Beautiful :)

  30. Samantha November 8, 2012 at 2:46 pm #

    Looks great!

    I want to provide some feedback for your site- I subscribed via e-mail, but when I get the e-mail, it's only a preview of the message, like two sentences and no pictures. Usually when I subscribe to email I get the whole post displayed in an email. It doesn't show up as the whole post in Google Reader, either, but other sites do, so it makes me think it's nothing I can change but a setting on your end. So unfortunately I can't subscribe via email to your site any longer since it's just a sentence or two of little purpose, but I really enjoy your site! :) Now I must remember to come back often.

  31. Jamie Lee November 8, 2012 at 2:55 pm #

    This is another super quilt! Love it!

  32. Atina AlGa November 8, 2012 at 3:03 pm #

    It's beatiful! you're such a great artist.

  33. Jenny November 8, 2012 at 3:31 pm #

    Darling quilt…love your pictures!

  34. Kathy Gordon November 8, 2012 at 3:48 pm #

    Loving this one. I have a lot of novelty "eye spy" prints. I "see" a fun quilt in the future!

  35. Live a Colorful Life November 8, 2012 at 4:48 pm #

    This is such a fun quilt. Haha about finding him on the couch eating ice cream. Our three grandkids are SO different from each other. The youngest, who just turned 1, I am SURE is going to give them a run for their money!

  36. Marli November 8, 2012 at 7:21 pm #

    this is soooo beatiful!!

  37. Charity November 8, 2012 at 8:51 pm #

    Cute quilt! I love the background fabric.
    My two-year old has been giving me a run for my money too… just when I think she's finally giving me a break I find her pulling everything out of my wallet (and giving it to her little sister to chew on)

  38. Carol November 8, 2012 at 11:59 pm #

    I'll fight them for such beautiful quilts! Really lovely design, so cosy.
    Yes, what a gorgeous 2 year old.
    Carol xx

  39. prsd4tim2 November 9, 2012 at 2:18 am #

    Lovely quilt. Adorable (and clever) 2 year old.

  40. barbara woods November 9, 2012 at 2:27 am #

    i must be his grandmother because i don't buy ice cream because that's the way i eat it

  41. Tamie November 9, 2012 at 3:47 am #

    Such a cute quilt and 2 year old. He knew what was important to get accomplished while he could.

  42. Jeanenne Nielsen November 10, 2012 at 6:01 am #

    It makes a great quilt for kids. I just might buy the pattern if I get all of y other projects done, so I can start another one.

  43. Cory November 10, 2012 at 3:00 pm #

    This is a beautiful quilt and I would love to make it. I love the idea of using novelties for the windows. I have a question about the minky. I used it in a quilt with no batting and had the minky pull through to the front when I free motion quilted it. Have you had that happen and how did you prevent it? I ended up unquilting and adding batting. It made the quilt very heavy (not what I was going for). Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Take care and God bless, Cory

  44. Joni November 14, 2012 at 5:12 pm #

    What a refreshing design! I've made a couple of i-spy type quilts and your design is the best I've seen.

  45. AnneMarie November 15, 2012 at 3:32 pm #

    Super cute quilt! I know the fighting…it starts the minute I get up in the morning. Re: ice cream – it must be that age. My 3 yr old came into my shower at 6:45am with a chocolate pudding cup.

    I am not that brave with minky – I always find it difficult!

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