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quilts


We are driven to create at this deep wordless level of the soul
because we are all fashioned in the image of God, who is an Artist

~ Author Unknown

Quilting For Christmas

1/17/2018

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Here's a beautiful throw size quilt I made for my MIL for Christmas.
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My local quilt store was selling the kit. I loved the fabric and thought it would be perfect for my MIL.  The center is a pre-printed panel and the striped inner border is actually a flange.
I finally felt confident enough to quilt it with a scrollwork design. It reminds me of snow flurries and is perfect for this Christmas quilt.
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The scrollwork design can be tricky because it's hard to quilt over the same line you just quilted, but I am getting better. Yay!
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If you follow my instagram, I gave a sneaky peak of it in process back in November.
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Crayon Blox Quilt - Lessons Learned

8/3/2017

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Crayon Blox Quilt
Crayon Blox Quilt
Just got the quilt off the longarm and attached the binding.

Here's the full quilt after binding:
block of the month quilt
This was a block of the month quilt project at my local quilt store. Here you can see when I was deciding how to set the blocks and an image of the top before the quilting was started.

I used solid fabrics on the back so the quilting really shows - eek!
pieced quilt back
But I love how the back turned out!
Longarm Quilting
Which leads to Lesson One:
I think the quilting is too much for the front; it "fights" with the piecing.
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And Lesson Two:
The thread is the wrong color. It just looks dirty on the light colored batik fabrics. I used King Tut thread in Riverbank on the top and So Fine in Clay for the bobbin.  Maybe a light gray or off white would have been better and then black thread in the solid black areas and in the outer border.
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 But the back is fun ;)
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So, it's not perfect; but the quilt is done, I learned some useful stuff and I have more quilting experience.  It's not about perfection, it's about the journey.

I was pleasantly surprised with the back - maybe I should hang it like this!
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Quilt as Desired?? Some Help with That

6/27/2017

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Who is the Quilt For?

This quilt was made as a donation for an organization that helps homeless veterans.  I wanted a more masculine feel for the quilting so I used pointed, linear, geometric designs instead of organic, rounded, floral designs.
quilting designs
Quilting Detail
Notice the zig zag quilting in the bear claws and the curved pointy design in the bear paw.  Straight lines were quilted in the sashing.
Bear Paw Quilt
This quilt could have easily been given a softer, more feminine feel by quilting a large mum design in each bear paw and feathers in the sashing.

What is the Quilt For?

  • Wedding or Show Quilt: I would have used rulers and maybe stencils to get really detailed and fancy.
  • Everyday-dragger Quilt: If this was for a little kid or college dorm, a meander or some other type of basic allover design would be perfect.
  • Accent or Gift Quilt: To make the quilt a little fancy, try one design in the blocks and a different design in the borders.  Something that you can do by hand without rulers or stencils.
Masculine Quilting Ideas
I quilted half feathers in the inner border and pointed leaves in the outer border.

Once you decide who and what you quilt is for, you'll have a better idea of how to quilt it. Test the designs right on the quilt using your piece of clear plexiglass.  After you've quilted a few tops, you'll start to get a better idea of which designs give the quilt a perfect finish.
Bear Paw Quilt
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When Meander Quilting is the Perfect Choice

5/31/2017

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Pumpkin Bundle and Old Timey are some of the first quilts that I quilted for someone else:
Meander quilting
Pumpkin Bundle
meander quilting
Old Timey
I had done a lot of practicing of other quilting designs, but wasn’t feeling very confident and didn’t want to mess up someone else’s top! You know how you’re about to take that first stitch and feel so nervous you think you’re gonna pass out? 
 
So, because of the more traditional quilt design and because of my nerves(!), a medium size meander was the perfect choice. The quilting would blend in and continue the traditional scrappy feel of these quilt tops.
meander quilting
meander quilting on Old Timey
I call this one Old Timey because my husband loved it and it reminded him of his Grandma.  I used off-white thread and Hobbs 80/20 batting.

These quilts are another example of same pattern, different fabrics like these.
meander quilting
Because of the fall colors, Pumpkin Bundle is my favorite of the two.  I used Superior's So Fine thread in Hawk for the quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting.  If my customers don't already have a name for their quilt, I give them my own name because it helps me remember them.
meander quilting

Quilting Tip

To keep the meandering the same size as you move along the quilt:  After quilting the first section, place your plexigass on the top and trace over your quilting.  You can refer to this as you roll the quilt and keep the quilting consistent.
allover meander quilting
Beautiful Basic Meander Quilting
With all the fancy quilting, you may be discouraged because you only feel confident doing a basic meander quilting motif.  But take heart, sometimes it's the PERFECT choice!

So give yourself permission to be a beginner and get comfortable meandering!
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How I Longarm Quilted "Ruby"

5/25/2017

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Here's a quilt I recently finished for my Sister-in-law.  She asked for a quilt with red and with flowers so the beautiful red and white floral border was my starting point.  I only had 1/2 yard of it, but thankfully I had a bunch of fun red and white fat quarters that matched the red in the border fabric - yay!
Beginner Quilt Design
A good beginner quilt project
I decided on a pretty basic pattern and bought some solid red fabric for the sashing and binding. 

The Quilting

I planned on an overall quilting design but added a little twist to make it interesting.  Here's the basic plan drawn on my plexiglass:
Longarm Quilting Plan
The Quilting Plan
I divided the quilt into diagonal sections and did a different motif in each section.  The circle quilting in the sashing made it easy to stop and start each section as I rolled the quilt on the longarm.
quilt as desired solutions
I used chalk to divide the border into matching diagonal sections.
quilting designs
I got brave and used solid white for the backing!  The diagonally quilted motifs show up much better on the back.
longarm quilting designs
Add a label and ready for gifting!
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Journey of a Quilt - Bonnie Blue Complete!

4/28/2017

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bear paw quilt
Bonnie Blue Quilt
I am excited to present the completed bear paw quilt. Here's the quilt that lived here previously. VERY different, huh? It's nice to be able to change things up a bit.
Here are a few detail shots:
feather quilting
Feather and Meander Quilting
I love how the bright blue binding and tiny border pop and bring out the blue in the wide border.
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Blue Binding - Love!
Here's the tutorial so you can make hanging pockets for your quilts.
quilt back
Back View Showing A Hanging Pocket
Fabric backing faux pas (learn from my mistakes):
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Pretty feathers! In the picture above, you can see some practice is needed on these bump back feathers - tracing over previously quilted lines can be tricky.  But the busy fabric on the front hides the detail and is a great place to practice new quilting designs.
feather quilting
Feather Quilting Detail
Sew on a little label:
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and done!
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Is is perfect? no. Will it win an award? no, I almost always do cheater binding (not hand sewn).  The piecing had some problems, the backing wasn't big enough and I wish I had done a different quilting design in the quilt body.

But it was fun to make, I learned a lot and it looks awesome in my living room. 

I highly encourage you to begin your quilt journey!

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Same Pattern, Different Jelly Roll Race Quilts

3/22/2017

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jelly roll race quilt
Army Green
feminine jelly roll race quilt
Pink Lemonade

Comparing 2 Jelly Roll Race Quilts: "Pink Lemonade" and "Army Green"

Both of these quilts use the jelly roll race pattern just like my previous post about Batik Garden.  This pattern is a wonderful way to start your quilting journey.  You can see how using totally different fabrics and quilting designs completely changes the mood of the quilt.
masculine quilting designs
Masculine Quilting Motifs

About Army Green

Army Green was made for Quilts of Valor so I wanted a very masculine type quilt.  I had a jelly roll full of green and tan batiks and added some green, tan and brown fabrics for the borders and did mostly angular quilting.  I used a design I call Palm Frondish in the body of the quilt, meandering triangles in the outer border, spiral boxes in the dark brown border and radio waves in the tan border. 
masculine quilting motifs
Quilting Detail
Quilt back
Back of Army Green Quilt
I just love the batik leaves fabric I found for the backing; it's perfect.

About Pink Lemonade

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Pink Lemonade is a very feminine quilt.  I made it for Quilts Beyond Borders when they were collecting quilts for young ladies in Russia who were coming of age and had leave the orphanage.  I wanted something cheery and bright; so when I saw this pink, orange and yellow jelly roll at Quilter’s Market, I knew it would be perfect for this top!
quilting designs
Scroll Quilting

Feminine Quilting

My quilting inspiration was from this book, In the Studio with Angela Walters, where she did different designs across the body of a quilt.  I used chalk to mark diagonal lines on the quilt top to divide it into three sections and filled one section with scrolls, one with paisley and one with bullseye spirals in pink thread. These rounded, flowing designs add to the feminine, happy feel of the quilt.
feminine quilting designs
Bullseye and Paisley Quilting
flange on a quilt
Flange on a Quilt
I added a flange between the body of the quilt and the border.  I love how the black makes those bright colors pop!

Quilting Inspiration

Where do I get my quilting ideas?

Books with quilting designs are an invaluable resource that I refer to whenever I’m looking for inspiration.  I also keep a list of quilts and how I quilted them and notebooks where I doodle to test out ideas. Some designs work better on one quilt than they do on another, but the only way you learn this is by actually quilting!

Two very different looks from the same pattern!
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Quilting the Double Wedding Ring Quilt

3/2/2017

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double wedding ring quilt

Custom Longarm Quilting

This is a wedding quilt I designed, pieced and custom quilted for my nephew and his bride.  I used the Metro Rings pattern and the Quick Curves ruler to make the double wedding ring blocks.
wedding quilt before quilting
Before Quilting

How to pick quilting designs

When deciding on the quilting motif, it helps to know a little bit about who the quilt is for.   My SIL said the couple were young hipsters, so I tried to keep that in mind when deciding on the quilting design.  He plays drum in a band and they both have tattoos and ride motorcycles so I wanted something more graphical so I went with a Celtic/Egyptian/Art Deco feeling.
quilting designs
celtic motif and ruler work
Most of the pictures were taken while this was on the longarm, so you may see chalk marks, unquilted areas and batting with no binding on the edges.
Art Deco quilting design
Art Deco corner design
I quilted the solid blue corner areas as if they were pieced:
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Celtic and Egyptian motifs
Celtic and Egyptian designs

You Should Name Your Quilts!

You should definitely name your quilts - it will help you remember them and picture them in your mind.  The large triangles in the border represent the Tennessee mountains where the couple live so I named this quilt Wedding Rings in the Tennessee Mountains.
freehand and ruler work
Quilting in the Mountains
I used a combination of stencils, longarm quilting rulers and freehand quilting.
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double wedding ring quilt
Happy Wedding Rings!
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Longarm Quilting a Paper Pieced Cats Quilt

2/2/2017

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Fran's Paper Pieced Cats Quilt

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This is Fran's absolutely amazing paper pieced cats quilt. She designed the layout of the quilt and had a wonderful idea for the quilting motif - an allover loop-de-loop with yarn balls.
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The paw print blocks in the border are a really fun touch and I love the way she incorporated the cute pictures from a pre-printed panel in alternating blocks.
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Fran also included the printed cats along the sides and bottom so the quilt ended up the correct size - 110" x 115".  This is a big quilt and I was excited and a little nervous about quilting it, but I think it turned out wonderful.
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Here you can see the quilt on my longarm and a closeup of the loop-de-loops and yarn balls. What a perfect quilting idea!
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Before and after quilting shots of the blue cat. He looks so cute with the runaway yarn all around him. The quilting helps tell the story of the quilt without overwhelming the top.
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On the longarm. You can see the quilted and unquilted areas.
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The completely quilted top with a peak at the back.

Quilting Summary

  • Allover loop-de-loop with yarn balls
  • Superior King Tut thread in Caravan for the top
  • Superior So Fine thread in Ginger for the bottom
  • 10 1/2 bobbins
  • 80/20 batting
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Fran did an amazing job on this quilt
and I'm sure the lucky recipient will love it!

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    To You:

    My favorite way to express my creativity is with fabric.  Join me as I share my journey with you. I hope you'll be inspired to create something too!

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  • Home
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