Summer of Birthdays 2013

The past two months has been so busy.  The first of the Summer of Birthdays 2013 came and went on June 2nd when the Banana turned 11 years old.  Just the week before, I was madly getting her gifts together as well as making her long overdue quilt.

The pattern is adapted from a baby quilt by Ursula Reikes, who has done a series of books on the subject.  The Banana loves Hello Kitty, and I was able to use a simple block to avoid cutting too much into the focus fabric. 

The pictures are only of the quilt top.  On the day of her party, I machine tied it and used the pink fabric for the binding before presenting it to her.  The machine tying made the quilt a breeze.  I've used that method in many other baby and kids quilts largely because it's quick and it seems to hold it together well after repeated washings.

The second birthday also passed when our oldest had her 14th birthday earlier this month, but she is in Arizona for a few weeks.  So, really, I have a bit of time to finish up her gift!