Pumpkins anyone?

January 28, 2015January 28, 20153 Comments

What better time to work on a fall themed quilt than on a cold

winter’s day?

Shirley made this next quilt as a BOM. Buggy Barn is the

designer of this pattern “Farm Fresh.”

How can you not love what designs they create?

I think that the pumpkins are my most favorite part of this

quilt. The quilting lines really make the pumpkins come to

life.

I love the Canadian flags in the flower pot too. I am unsure

if Shirley designed these herself or if they came with the

pattern.

The flowers in this pot are so cute too. I love the whole thing and

may just have to make one for myself.

Here is what the watering can and stool look like. It was alot

of fun trying to come up with whimsical designs for each

element of the quilt. Shirley also wanted the background to

be filled with meandering or stippling.

In the border area, I stitched in several more sunflowers. It

really does add a nice touch and gives the viewer something

else to look at. I used a polyester thread for the top and

backing.

Here is the stem of the sunflowers in the border. The thread color

was matched to whatever color was on the top.

The back looks like an entirely different quilt. The backing

is a dark blue batik and the thread shows up beautifully.

The vase of flowers on the back.

Pumpkins anyone?

The watering can, the stool and another vase of flowers.

What a great job Shirley did making this quilt.

Have a great week.

A Beach Theme

January 20, 201514 Comments

As some of you know, I am working on this BOM, by Roxanne,

over at Quilt, Scrap, Stitch. I felt like I needed something light

after completing and quilting Lily of Rosenberry last year.

This seems to fit the bill and it seems that the theme for

this year is one dealing with beaches and water.

This is what the BOM looks like, although the house in the

center left panel has been changed to a boardwalk scene. I

really fell in love with it and decided I needed to create it.

Here is what one of the blocks look like. I can’t wait until

the whole piece is together and quilted so that I can add a pair

of sunglasses as an embellishment.

This is the first block in another BOM I have decided to

participate in this year. Yes, I am crazy! Quilt ArtDesigns

is hosting a free BOM this year and the theme is “Oceans.”

It fits my theme perfectly. I was a bit apprehensive because

I am not a fan of paper piecing. Tearing out all that paper

drives me crazy.

I have figured out a way to avoid all the paper tearing though.

I used 2 layers of freezer paper, ironed it together, to make it

stronger and not so water absorbent. Then I ran it through

my printer and printed off all the templates for the Turtle

block. It is kind of the same method quilters use for applique.

Then, I ironed the templates onto the fabric I had chosen, cut it

out and sewed it together. Sounds fast but sometimes the paper

came off, especially the smaller pieces. Not to worry though, just iron

it back on again.

In this photo, you can see what the back looks like. I kept all the

paper on until I had to sew the whole thing together.

This is what the completed block looks like. I did keep the freezer

paper on the 19 sections that make up the block but next time,

I think that I will take it off. I do have some paper tearing to do but

I am still working out the kinks in this system.

Overall, it was a lot of fun. It felt like I was working on a puzzle and I

love puzzles. I did struggle with choosing the right colors for the turtle

but in the end, I just had to push myself a little to get started.

There are 109 pieces in this turtle,isn’t that crazy? I am wondering

how hard it will be to stitch through some of the pieces that have

multiple layers of fabric. That thought will have to wait until a

later day and time.

Have a great week.

It’s cold….

January 14, 2015January 14, 20152 Comments

I’m not sure where you live but it is cold here. Even though

the temperature is frightful outside, it is a great time to be

quilting.

I am trying to catch up with orders that I received before

Christmas.

Laura made this quilt for a friend. Wow! Lucky friend.

This quilt has quite the story behind it. Laura originally started

out choosing the color palette for this quilt with only fat

quarters. Then she bought some fabric at a local fabric store but

still needed a light pink fabric. She then ordered that online and

had to wait for it to arrive. Finally, she was able to put it altogether.

I think she definitely has a gift for choosing colors. Besides all this,

she managed to complete this quilt in a year!

Laura brought her friend with her and Danielle picked out

“Happy Times” as the pattern for the quilting. She also liked

the light peach polyester thread and a dark burgundy polyester

thread for the back. It is neat how colors change when they

are sitting next to another color.

This quilt has alot of piecing in it and Laura did a great job

with it. No puckers or ripples at all.

The quilt consists of 3 rows of pieced blocks and then a wide

sashing(a floral print) between each row.

Here you can see the floral print sashing between the pieced rows.

Another pieced block. I didn’t count how many but there

must have been at least 15 of them. The more that I quilt

for others, the more I appreciate all the time it takes to

actually create a quilt.

Some of these blocks are very interesting. I have never seen some

of them before either.

This is the color of the backing. It is easy to see the stitching of the

pattern that was chosen.

More of the backing. It was a large quilt. I am sure that Laura’s

friend will be happy to put this one on her bed.

Have a great week and stay warm.

100th post!

January 7, 20153 Comments

This post marks my 100th post!! Wow! I can hardly believe it.

Even though it does take a bit of time to blog weekly, I really enjoy

the opportunity to write. There is always something to write about

when it comes to quilting.

In this photo, there is a whole lot of cuteness going on with these

puppies. This is actually a Charity Quilt our Guild created and

I had the privilege of quilting it. I love these small quilts because

I get a chance to practice some freehand quilting. It also feels

good to give back to the community and help someone out too.

In the doggie blocks, I quilted around the dogs. How easy is that?

In the dark blue squares, I opted for straight lines, almost

imitating a plaid look. I was short on time too, so this was a

quick way to complete the top.

The background is a bit blurry but it is a solid dark blue fabric.

I did use a blue polyester thread for the top and back. I also chalked

in the lines and used a small ruler to help with the quilting.

Delores made this quilt. I am amazed at how a simple

block can look so great just by turning it around.

Here is a close up of the block itself. It is a rectangle with 4 different

colors in it. The block is also surrounded by the tan border and then

turned sideways to create the pattern.

I used a red polyester thread on the top and a medium brown

polyester thread on the backing. The panto is named “Bowknots.”

This is what the outer border looks like. I really like this

red print.

Ah, the backing. The stitching really stands out here. It is

an interesting pattern.

An overall look at the backing. Hope you have a good week

and stay warm. It is -22 here right now. Brrrr…

Happy New Year

January 1, 2015Leave a comment

Happy New Year!! I hope that you were not up too late-like me.

I was up until 2 am playing Rumoli, a card game. It was the first

time I have ever played. It was alot of fun.

This is the second fabric postcard I recieved over Christmas.

It came from New Brunswick. The theme was “Snowflakes.”

It was so much fun to participate and so much excitement

awaiting the postcards. It is amazing how creative some

people are.

Over Christmas, I did manage to stitch a little bit of

applique. As you can see in the photo above, it was really

a “little” bit. This does complete Block #5 of my

Beach Wallhanging.

Before Christmas, I did finish up this quilt for Joyce. It was

really big -120″ x 120″. What a great job Joyce did as well.

Everything was square and flat.

A close up of the blocks and fabrics used. The colors make it

look really modern.

We used the Flirtatous Panto as the quilting design and a taupe

polyester thread for the top and backing-which I am lacking

photos.

Hoping you have a great New Year.

Stitching Impressions

All aspects of longarm quilting

Month: January 2015

Pumpkins anyone?

A Beach Theme

It’s cold….

100th post!

Happy New Year