The Heat is Here….

I am not sure where you live in the world but in Ontario, right now, it is hot. It sure

makes quilting less appealing, as I would love to be outside and basking in the

sun,  just for a little while though.

Here are some finishes from the last month or so. Maybe next week,I will show

some pics of some recent tool purchases and fabric bundles.

Baby Quilt

Evelyn is becoming very talented in the area of creating baby quilt patterns from scratch.

This is one of her creations and it is so cute!!

Yes, my cows are upside down;  I wanted to see how many of you caught that!

The backing

I love the black and white cow print. I used a light lime green polyester thread for the

top and a white for the backing. The overall design consisted of swirls. It adds some

movement to the quilt top.

Evelyn’s 2nd Baby Quilt

Evelyn was on a roll when she made this second baby quilt using the same fabrics as the one

above.

We used the same swirly pattern but switched out the thread for a grey color. Both were used

for the top and the backing.

 

Dale’s Quilt

Dale always has the most interesting quilts . She is also very fast  putting them together.

I think that I may need to take some lessons from Dale in how she manages to do this.

What do you think Dale?

A close up of the blocks that were used in the quilt top. Because this quilt felt so modern to me,

Dale chose to have straight lines stitched across the top. I think it works great. I used a

monofilament thread to SID around all the blocks.  A dark blue thread was used for the

straight line stitching.

The backing

Even the backing fabric matches the top of the quilt. Great way to use up all the fabrics

when creating a quilt.

Ruth E. made this “Trip Around The World” Quilt. It was huge!

Flying Geese Border

I love Flying Geese and Ruth made the border out of these.  It adds a nice touch to the quilt.

The central square. A small swirl was added in this block.

Swirls were added on each side of the Flying Geese. In the Geese

triangles, I did a quick swirl as well.

The backing of the quilt was a cool relaxing tan color. You can see the lines from the top.

I used a monofilament thread to go around the Flying Geese and the center blocks.  A light

tan polyester thread was used on the rest of the quilt.

I think Laura made this lovely quilt. Stars and swirls were stitched all over the top. A l ight

purple polyester thread was used for the top and the backing.

Laura’s Quilt

The backing

Please consider if you want your stitching to be noticeable on the back of your quilt. If you don’t

want the stitching to be noticeable, then use the same color as on the top. If you want the

stitching to be more noticeable, then use fabric that is a different color from the quilt top.

I know, so many choices to make.

Black & White Quilt

I can’t remember who made this quilt but it is quite eye catching.

A grey polyester thread was used for the top and the backing. Dragonflies and Hearts were

stitched all over it as well. I really love some of the graphic prints used in this quilt.

The back of the quilt.

I am linking up to The Needle and Thread Network.

Have a great week and stay cool.

 

 

 

A Week of Baby Quilts…

It seems to be a week of baby quilts lately. There seems to be

a baby explosion around here. Arlene has completed her second

baby quilt.

Arlene’s Quilt

I think that Arlene is covering all her bases by creating 2 baby quilts, just to make

sure she has one on hand for whatever sex the baby is when he/she is born. Smart

grandma!

Close up

I love the colors that Arlene used and she is so precise in her piecing. She chose

a simple all over design called “Popcorn.” It has alot of curves so it works well

with all the straight line piecing and blocks.

The backing

Doesn’t the fabric make the quilt? I love the backing material used here.

Cute fabric

A white polyester thread was used for the top and the backing.

Anne’s BAby Quilt

Anne is also expecting some new grandbabies as well. Being the smart grandma

that she is, she also made 2 baby quilts  as well. This is the second one.

The colors are very soothing and the same panto-“Popcorn” was also

used for the quilting.

The backing

I used a light blue polyester thread for the top and the backing.

“Popcorn” panto

The quilting design is really visible on the back of the quilt.

Linda’s Quilt

Linda has been busy completing these next 2 quilts.   She chose a light grey

polyester thread for the top and a dark blue polyester thread for the backing.

“Brocade” is the name of the panto used for the quilting design.

The backing shows up the quilting nicely as well.

Around The World Quilt

LInda also owns this quilt. The same panto was used on this quilt as well.

A light cream polyester thread was used for the top and the backing as well.

The backing

The backing of the  quilt is similar to the floral fabric on the top of the

quilt.

Try checking out the Needle and Thread Network; a Canadian site

dedicated to Canadian quilters and textile artists. Have a great week.

On the Frame

It is great to always have a quilt on the frame. Right now, I have a quilt with an

interesting story awaiting its turn.  Gail, form Gateway Fibreworks,

in GravenHurst, Ontario, picked up this baby at a garage sale!!

Gail's hand pieced Quilt

Gail’s hand pieced Quilt

Can you believe it?!!  It measures in at a whopping 94″ x 94″ and

it is made up of 1″ squares that were all hand stitched together!!

I am freaking out here!!

Because the fabrics are so old, I am thinking that the creator of this

piece cut out each individual square with scissors!  Ekk! Thank God for rotary cutters.

Close up of Gail's quilt-1" squares

Close up of Gail’s quilt-1″ squares

Would you have the patience to do that?  I don’t think I would.

Because Gail has Alpaca’s, she gave me an Alpaca batting to try out.

I have never used this before but I don’t think that I will have any problems at all.

Alpace batting

Alpace batting

The batting is made up of 60% Alpaca and 40% wool.

When I took it out of the package, it weighed somewhat heavy and smelled

a little like wool, but without the itch.  It is a brown color too, so it would be

good for darker quilts.  I dont know if it will beard but I will  let you know

if it does.

Carol also brought in a quilt that she is giving to an auction.  She is very

generous indeed.  Carol has teamed up with another lady, named Holly, and

together I call them the “Dynamic Quilting Duo.”  They can put together a

quilt top in the blink of an eye – pretty impressive, if you ask me.

Carol and Holly's Quilt

Carol and Holly’s Quilt

This time, their quilt had a “Modern” feel to it.

Carol wanted all SID  around each block.

I used a white polyester thread and a matching green polyester thread for the top

and the backing.  The fabric on the backing was a light white, grey and green

color but mottled.  The green polyester thread was a 40 wt, a little thiner but

great for stitching in the ditch and hiding all those stitches.

Border area of Carol and Holly's quilt.

Border area of Carol and Holly’s quilt.

In the border areas, Carol wanted  double straight lines.

I think that it was a great choice, the lines echo the whole pattern

of the quilt.

Have a great week and I am linking up to the Canadian Needle  And  Thread Network.

http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/

Next week, the Great Canadian Blogathon is happening so check it out

to win lots of cool prizes.

Ruth