My previous quilting has been -stitch in the ditch, diamonds, and simple wavy lines.  I want to learn how to do free motion-squiggles and others, but I'll try that out on some doll quilts. I really am stuck on what to do with the words-should I stitch over them, or just stitch between the rows?  I like the sunshine motif idea and was trying to figure out a way to do some suns, or just circles somewhere-maybe in the borders...may I should draw some ideas over the pictures.  Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming! 

Yea!!! The top is finished!!!  I had a little cutting oops on the side borders-measured the wrong part so I had to add some in.  Oh well.  Anyway I made four patch blocks for the corners and machine appliqued circles on top. 

Now any ideas on how I should quilt this???  The main area I'm not sure about is the middle panel with the embroidery on it. 

That turned out great-perfect for a guy quilt.  He should happy to get such a thoughtful gift! 

It depends on what it will be used for really.  If it is just to cuddle in it can be on the small end.  If it is a floor quilt for playing on, I make them big 45" x 60".  I am working on a crib quilt right now that is 40" x 52".  It fits so nicely on my sons bed.  (it is a convertible crib-you take the front of the crib off to make it like a daybed and it still uses the crib mattress.  He is almost 3 and just started using a blanket in the bed.) 

Here's another-she has TONS of info about quilting.  Alot of it links to other quilting websites, but it is all organized into topics.  (when on the website click on the little diamonds to go to the links) 
Victoriana Quilters

Here's the finished embroidery of the words-I just used a simple backstitch.  It took almost 4 of the little skeins!  I worked on it off and on for about a week.  It is still a bit wrinkly from being in the hoop. Today I started to sew the outside border, but I need a little more to finish it up- Back to the quilt shop tomorow! 
(FYI-in the first picture, the quilt in the background is a whole cloth quilt hand quilted by my husband's grandmother)

Thanks for the compliments! 

Do you piece using a machine? I'm giving that a go for the first time and can't get my seams to form points at all.

Well, not that my piecing is always perfect (those pinwheels were hard), but I think there are a few things to make sure everything lines up nicely.  (I do use a machine, but I have also done by hand.  It is easier to get more precise piecing by hand, but it takes SO much longer and I would rather have a few mistakes on the machine.  I can live with that! )
 
-Use a rotary cutter and make sure all of your pieces are the correct size (even 1/8 inch will throw things off)
-Use a lot of pins to help keep everything lined up.  When you are joining up seams put the pin right through both seams. like this
-Sew slowly-the faster you go, the less likely your seams will match up.
-Check all of the settings on your machine-There is a knob on mine that adjusts the presser foot.  If the pressure is too much it can cause your layers to shift. 

Thats all I can think of for now-hope that helps

I'm gonna jump in here.  I am working on a quilt for my son, but I have a few others in various stages of completion! 

  But it turns out all I want to do is start new projects...hmmm .  However I have vowed to abide by a, "can't start one till you finish one" rule, although maybe I should do, "can't start one till you finish two" (or three, or...)     

This is SO me!!  I have a few drawers of works in progress! Right now my excuse is that they are packed up in the garage while we wait for our house to sell. 

Back to the current quilt....I have had the idea in my head for a while, but when I packed up mostly all of my fabrics and craft stuff, I went into creative withdrawl!!  I did leave my sewing machine, basic sewing necessities, and embroidery things in the closet just in case.  So since I didn't have any fabric to dig through, it was the perfect excuse to head to the quilt shop.  I made a bunch of pinwheels for a border and sewed them around a middle panel.  The middle has the words to "you are my sunshine" embroidered on it.  I just finished that a few days ago and now I am tying to decide what I want to do for an outside border.  I'm going to take pics tomorrow of the finished embroidery, but here is what I have so far. 

checking the placement of the words

I am working on a quilt right now that has a pinwheel border and I used these directions to figure it out:

http://www.quilterscache.com/P/PinwheelsBorder.html

http://www.quilterscache.com/H/howtospeedpiecehsts.html

I don't know if she's already picked out some bedding, but Carter's makes solid colored crib bumpers, so they could just be paired with other solids to match the room.  Our son's room is light blue with striped muted primary colored curtains.  I got cream bumpers and solid sheets that match.  The previous owners of the house had a baby boy too and the room came with a palm tree and giraffe painted on one wall with grass along the bottom.  It is very low key. We have a few other things on the walls, but I don't want it to be too busy.

carter's bumpers:http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/IWCatSectionView.process?Section_Id=11320&pn=4&pl=9