A Library Quilt…

June 2, 2015June 5, 20157 Comments

Joan bought this quilt kit, online, at Connecting Threads because

her daughter loves books and works in a library.

Isn’t it cool? The cream fabric has dates stamped all over it which

resembles the old fashioned way of taking books out of a library.

books on the bookshelf

Joan wanted something swirly so we used the “Flirtatous” panto. It helps

give movement to the quilt.

I used a cream polyester thread for the top and a dark brown

polyester thread for the top.

If you look closely you can see some of Alex’s favorite authors and

book titles too. I thought that it would be appropriate to stitch

some of them into the spines of the books.

The backing is made up of circular books and looks pretty funky.

I had alot of fun with this one.

I am continuing to show you some more of the quilts that I worked on

for Northcott last month.

This one was really bright when I received it. Patti mentioned using an

all over design (or panto) so I chose Quirky as my design. It is very

circular in design and I chose it to add some movement to the top

It has alot of straight lines and very bright colors so I wanted

something to soften it a little.

border of the quilt

Here is a close up of the stitching on the top. I used a variegated

thread with lots of reds, oranges and yellows in it. If I remember

correctly, it had a cream backing. Yes, it was only a month ago but

alot has transpired within that time frame. There are still a few more

of the Northcott quilts to show but you will have to wait patiently

until next week.

Have a great week and happy quilting.

Happy Canada Day!!!

July 1, 2014July 2, 201411 Comments

Happy Canada Day!! Canada is now 147 years old-wow! I hope that you get

the chance to go out and celebrate, at some point today.

Mina’s bedrunner

Mina took a class in a local fabric shop, in Barrie and this

is what she created. She did a great job and the fabrics are really

beautiful.

Mina chose “Spring Garland”, a pantograph as her quilt design.

A light taupe polyester thread was used on the top and in the bobbin

for the backing as well.

Here is a pieced block within the bedrunner.

And here is what the backing looks like. A solid taupe color as

well. The stitching really stands out on the back.

Carol’s Quilt

Carol is a tremendous and quick piecer. I am amazed at how fast

she can create a quilt.

Carol wanted SID in the sashing areas and around each block. A variegated

blue thread was used in the sashing area, due to all the different colored fabrics

in has in it. I think the variegated thread was a good choice for this area.

SONY DSC

A close up of the sashing area. It is too bad that the SID is so

invisible but it is so necessary to help outline all the shapes and

stablilize the quilt too.

The solid blue blocks were stitched with straight lines.It does give

the quilt a bit of a modern look.

SONY DSC

On the backing, I used a dark blue polyester thread to match

the color too.

On my week # 2 of Fabric Postcards, I have nothing to show you but I am hoping to

complete one for Friday. I think that my theme this week will be “Vegetables.’

Stay tuned…

Ruth

My WIP for the week

May 23, 2014May 23, 20144 Comments

This little baby quilt has quite the history. Orginally, I had quilted

an edge to edge pattern- stars and loops all over it, in a variegated thread.

The owner didn’t like the finished product and neither did I. So, that meant

picking out all the stitching- all 5 hours worth of it. Now, it looks much better.

BAby quilt

Carol decided that she wanted the blocks outlined so I SID around

all the piecing in a white polyester thread. The backing has a dark green

backing so that is the color we chose for the back as well.

Here is a close up of the block and I think it looks much better.

If you look closely, you can still see the stitching from the earlier panto but

I think that the first wash will take care of that.

Did I forget to mention that I have a second one to do too?

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts.

Being selfish and enjoying it.

June 4, 2013Leave a comment

This quilt belongs to Judi from Farm Lane Studio. She has several cute quilts that I am finishing for her. This one is of blocks surrounded by sashing. Judi decided that she would like some movement so we went with “Kelsey” due to its circular nature. I think I rather like it. What about you?

Judi’s quilt from Farm Lane Studio

Aren’t you proud of me? I remembered to include some close up photos as well.

Close up of Judi’s quilt.

Jeanette also had a quilt that needed to be finished for her granddaughter. It is so cute! It has tons of butterflies in the fabrics so we chose a pantograph that had butterflies all throughout it. A variegated thread was also used and I think that it turned out beautifully.

Jeanette’s butterfly quilt

And here is a close up of the quilting on it.

Butterfly quilt close up

Jeanette was so pleased and thus I was pleased. I even managed to take a shot of the back of the quilt. The variegated thread makes the back look like a whole new quilt, one in which you can use, if you get tired of the front. Two for the price of one. Now, that is a great deal!

Back of Jeanette’s butterfly quilt

Besides all this, I am trying to carve out some time for my own personal quilting. It seems to have taken a back seat but I am about three quarters through piecing a top and I really want to get it done before school is out. There is a local quilt show coming up in September and it seems I am always rushing to complete something for it. So, I am being selfish and enjoying it. Hope you have a good week. Keep stitching, Ruth

Getting back into the groove.

April 2, 20136 Comments

Holidays, family gatherings, March Break and just being sick with a cold has really taken a bite out of my schedule. Usually I try to hit the gym three times a week but the past three weeks, I didn’t even get there once! So, now I am getting back into the groove and going to the gym. I feel so much better when I take time for myself and exercise a little.

Here are several of my finished customers’ quilts.

Here we have Liz’s quilt. She made it for her grandson and I love the bright,bold Batik colors and fabric that she used for the top.

We decided to do a pantograph called “Happy Times.” It looks like waves, which is perfect for her grandson because he loves water.

Variegated thread was used for the top and backing. It blends in perfectly and adds a nice touch to the top of the quilt. I love variegated thread!

Liz’s quilt for her grandson

Here is a quilt that Donna made for a lady who is giving this quilt to her grandson as well. Do you think we have a theme here? I stitched in the ditch around all the Churn Dash and a criss cross design was stitched into the sashing too.

It almost looks like cross hatching to me.

Donna’s Quilt

Here is another art quilt in the series that I am showing you.

Once again Susan Brubaker Knapp is the designer. A seashell and foamy waves are stitched into the blue background. Can you see it?

Seashell and foamy waves

The next three art quilts were inspired by a farmer’s field close to my house. I tried two different techniques to create the quilts.

Each one looks totally different from the previous one. Which one is your favorite?

Farmer’s Field #1

This piece was created using Watercolor pencils. The white background was colored in using the pencils. When the whole piece was completed, I used water to blend the colors and give it that mottled look.

Heat was applied to set the colors and then stitching was added to create the lines.

Farmer’s Field #2

Here is the second field. The colors are a bit more appealing to me in this piece. I love how blue the sky is.

Jaquard paints were used to create the colors. After the paints dried, they were heat set with an iron. Then the stitching was

added in the field and sky. Later, I decided I didn’t like the stitching in the sky and picked the stitches out. That is when I discovered that the thickness of the paint is not very forgiving.

You can still see the holes in the fabric. Lesson learned for next time.

Farmer’s Field #3

My last field. This one is my favorite. I think that the colors of the snow and sky is what attracts me to it.

Again, Jaquard Paints were used to paint in the field and I decided to do minimal stitching. The lines in the field is what drew me in the first place so thus the reason for not much stitching.

What do you think?

Have a great week. Happy stitching.

Ruth

Ode to Old McDonald’s Farm

February 13, 20136 Comments

Penny brought me a quilt to finish for her 4 year old grandson. She was very clever with her design for the quilt. A book panel was bought but instead of making a fabric book, she made a quilt. Sashing, in primary colors, was added around each individual block. We decided to stitch a simple swirl pattern so it wouldn’t distract from the quilt itself.