How Many Quilts?

Last week I had people guess how many quilts bigger than a mini are in my house as part of a giveaway for my third blogiversary.  Today I am announcing the answer and the winner.

These were all of my quilts not in the bedrooms in April 2016.  I thought about piling all the quilts up again (like Amanda Jean did once or twice), but that sounded like a little too much work.  ;)  So please, take my word for it.

There are 26 small quilts bigger than 25 x 25 inches.  They are mainly used for wall hangings.

There are 35 baby quilts bigger than 35 x 40 inches.  They are mainly used for wall hangings and cuddles.

There are 21 lap quilts bigger than 50 by 60 inches.  They are mainly used for cuddles and some wall hangings.

There are 37 bed quilts bigger 70 by 90 inches.  They are mainly used for beds, cuddles, and displays.

That gives me a grand total of 119 quilts in my house.  (Yep, a crazy quilt lady does live here.)  Of the 119 quilts, I made 111 of them.  My mother made four of them (which I quilted).  My grandmother made two of them.  Cheetah made one of them.  The last quilt is a darling store bought applique ABC quilt, which I was given when Cheetah was a baby.   Considering that I have made made nearly 200 quilts, that means that I have given away about half of them.

Now, I never said that you had to guess correctly to win. I only said to comment and guess.  So, my Mr. Random has selected Mary Burnette who said:

"My guess would be 136 quilts. You didn't tell us how long you have been quilting so had to use an estimate close to my own. My favorite color combination is grey with teal blue right now but of course that changes each year. Mary"

However, Cynthia did guess the exact number of quilts, so she also won:

"I am going to say 119. Right now I am enjoying turquoise and purple together. Congratulations on 3 years!"

I will be making both Mary and Cynthia a handmade surprise in some of their favorite colors.  Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone for participating, following and leaving such sweet comments.

XX,
Jasmine

Third Blogiversary

This week is my third blogiversary.  I have come a long way since my very first post, "Why Blog."  More than just my header has changed over the years.

I feel like I have grown as a quilter and made many new friends.  To thank my readers for joining me on my quilting journey, I will be hosting a giveaway.  This giveaway will be open to all readers no matter where they live.  I will send the winner a handmade surprise.     

To enter the giveaway leave a comment including a guess as to how many quilts are at my house and your favorite color combination.  While my previous post about my home may help give you an idea, remember that I have more quilts in closets, bins, and storage.   There are quilts I have made and received as gifts.  

I will be counting every quilt today that is finished and larger than a mini.  I define a quilt as a covering for walls, beds or people with three layers, stitched together, and bound.  Mini quilts have a perimeter of less than 100 inches.  Table runners will not be counted, even if Monkey occasionally tries to cuddle up in them.  ;)

My followers (new and old) may leave a second comment telling me how they follow my blog.  

This giveaway will be open through Monday, November 14, 2016.  I will announce the winner and total number of quilts on the 15th.  

Good luck in the giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed.

XX,

Jasmine

Blogiversary

This has been a crazy month, but I did finish three bags for my boys. 

I love how these show their personalities:  diggers for Monkey, Angry Birds for Panda, and a purple animal print for Cheetah.  What are they keeping in their bags?

Their own soccer balls.  (I love Monkey's tiny soccer ball!) 

This time I started with rectangles 18 x 21 inches and sewed the bag together completely.  Then I added the black casing for the ties.  This makes it so there is no raw edge rubbing against the ties. 

However, it adds extra bulk and the bag doesn't close as tightly. 

The idea for this casing came from the drawstring bag tutorial at A Quilting Life.  While I love having no raw edges, I'm not sure if I will do it again.  I do see lots more bags in my future.  They are great for organizing things.  I may make some for the boys winter mittens and hats. 

Plus I have started the quilt for my sister-in-law for Christmas. 

It's another twister quilt made my way.  I hope to finish this before Thanksgiving.  Then I will only have a table runner, two pillow cases, and a tree skirt left to make for Christmas.  It will be nice to do more sewing without deadlines. 

I have been so focused on getting ready for Christmas that I almost forgot that I started blogging in November 2013.  This has been a wonderful year for me, and I treasure the friendships I have made with other bloggers. 

So to say, "Thanks for making blogging worthwhile," I am going to have a giveaway.  :)  I actually bought two panels of Jeepers Creepers for a Halloween quilt and ended up using only one. 

So if you are interested in my other panel plus a yard of candy corn fabric, just leave me a comment telling me what your favorite holiday is.  This giveaway is open to anyone. I will keep it open through Friday and notify the winner through email. (So make sure I can reach you.)  I will then update this post. 

Update:  This giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations, Vicki!

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Lorna for Let's Bee Social.  (Link on sidebar). 

Quilt Kisses

My mom and I recently went to a quilt show in our area.  Although there were many georgeous quilts, only one really inspired me.  It was a pinwheel sampler in pinks and browns (like this one).  As I thought about why this quilt really appealed to me, I realized it was because of the simplicity. 

I have always admired the intracately pieced quilts, but they are not me.  This made me ponder my own quilting style.  I didn't think I really had a style of my own.  Yet I realized that I do.  My style is keeping it sweet, simple and extra special.  Simple quilts are me.  I love them, am inspired by them, and want to make more of them. 

This helped me come up with my blog name: Quilt Kisses.  I feel that my quilts are made with love while keeping it sweet, simple & extra special.  I like to think of quilts as wrapping the recipients up in love.  My favorite people to make quilts for are my husband and three sons: Cheetah, Panda, and Monkey.  (Yes, my house does seem like a zoo!)

Right after I finished the Simply Woven quilt for Cheetah, he had to stay wrapped up in it for days. 

 

 

Panda decided that he needed to be all wrapped up too.  So he pulled his quilt off of his freshly made bed. 

 

 

 

Monkey (who thinks he is just as big as his older brothers) had to join in the fun. 

 

 

 

It gives me warm fuzzies to see my boys enjoying the quilts I made just for them. 

 

What is your style and who do you like making quilts for?

 

XX,

Jasmine

Why Blog

I have given much thought to starting a blog over the last year since I discovered the beauties of quilting and crafts blogs. I first discovered blogs a year ago from a link at someone's scrapbook.com profile. (I know, I am way behind the times.) That link was to Amanda Jean's blog at crazy mom quilts. Her linky on Fridays soon opened up a whole world of blogs just when I needed it.

I was going through postpartum depression without realizing how bad it was. (I was functioning, but had a very difficult time leaving the house.) I really enjoyed looking at all the blogs.  However, when I saw the Richard Scarry quilt made by Jennie of Porch Swing Quilts, I knew I had to make one.

I first checked online to see if the fabric was still available, and it was! Then I called a few of my local quilt shops (yes I am spoiled that way) and found one who had it. I made that quilt in a record two weeks and bought fabric for four more quilts when I went to buy the backing. (I hadn't bought fabric for anything other than baby projects for years!) My awesome hubby was so supportive.

This started my blog reading and quilting therapy. I have spent the past year finishing so many projects--old projects, new projects, big projects, little projects...(including those four quilts I bought the fabric for last November). How wonderful it feels to finish things!

I have received so much inspiration and help from the blogging community that I am excited to be joining it. My hope is that I may be able to help and inspire others, and that I may have a place to look to see how far I have come.

As I am a logical, methodical, symmetrical, chronological kind of person, I hope the quilting (and blogging) police don't mind if I start off sharing my quilting journey in order.  For a sneak peek at upcoming posts, check out the My Quilts page. 

XX,
Jasmine