Once Upon a Time

My, oh my, does the time fly! It has been a busy year and I realized that I haven’t posted to my blog for a LONG while! So, today is the day!

I do a TON of stuff – videos, patterns, online classes, in-person classes, etc. – which is all quilting related and I do quilt on real quilts from time to time! The past few months I have been working on some AMAZING quilts and now I want to show you some of them.

This first quilt I am going to highlight is a quilt I made for my Granddaughter Maddie Tong. As with each quilt, there is a story!

This quilt was made from a kit that I found (on a great sale) while visiting with my sister in Illinois. We went “shop hopping” in her area and I found the kit.

Click on any image for a larger view.

I did a little research and this was offered in 2018 by Moda. I purchased the kit in late 2019, pieced it 2021 and finally quilted it earlier this year, 2022.

The quilt is WAY too cute, WAY too much fun to piece and WAY, WAY too much fun to quilt!

Here is the finished quilt! It is a larger twin size.

Here are some of the quilting details –

I quilted a feather cable in the outer borders and a combination of continuous curves, ribbon stipple, swirls and other fill in patterns to complete the quilting, The batting is Warm Company, Soft & Bright and I used an assortment of Signature 100% cotton, machine quilting threads.

For the center Castle block I did straight lines (free hand), wavy cross hatching, continuous curve, landscape stipple and swirls in the hearts.

Here is the back of the quilt and you can see a lot of the quilting detail even though the backing fabric is a fairly busy print

And of course, here is one HAPPY Granddaughter!!

I know she will use and enjoy this quilt for many, many years!

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Hawaiian Gnomes!

I just finished quilting this too stinkin’ cute, Hawaiian Gnome quilt for my customer. The pattern is based on the pattern, A Tale of Two Gnomes, by Cotton Street Commons. As you can see, my customer used Hawaiian prints for the Gnome hats and switched the pine trees from the original pattern to coconut trees to continue the island “vibe.”

Click on any photo for a larger view

The quilt is 59 x 70 inches. I used assorted high sheen poly threads and Warm & White batting.

My customer made this quilt for her nephew and his family who live in Hawaii. The quilt will be hand delivered when a friend of my customer visits Hawaii in a few weeks.

Here are some photos of the blocks. The blocks are a combination of piecing and hand applique.

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There was a fair amount of border area so I kept the quilting simple and did wavy lines to represent water. Where the block borders “overlapped” I also overlapped the horizontal and vertical wavy lines. These overlapping lines look like “fish nets” which, IMHO, enhances the island vibe!

My customer has picked up the quilt and LOVES it!!! She can’t wait for her nephew and his family to see it!

This quilt was WAY too much fun!!!

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Washington State Quilt

I have been working on some amazing quilts lately, and this is one of them! This was a Block of the Month Quilt from a few years ago, from a local quilt shop which has recently closed. The quilt highlights all that is wonderful in Washington State! The piecer did an amazing job!

Click on any photo for a larger view.

The quilt is 62 x 72 inches and the batting is Warm & Natural. I used a variety of high sheen polyester threads in the quilting. I kept the quilting fairly simple and just added details to the piecing. The piecer wanted something “special” in the sashings and requested small circles. Which I did using a 1 inch diameter circle template. (For details on this template Click Here)

Here are some close ups of some of the blocks.

Washington State panel with pine trees on the side.

Mariner’s Compass (Mariner’s Baseball) and apples.

Washington State Ferry and more pine trees.

Mountains and farm lands.

Umbrella, (which real Washintonians don’t use!), more trees, and of course, COFFEE!!!!

And here are some photos of the back of the quilt. The backing was a light yellow solid cotton fabric. You can REALLY see all the quilting!

Quilt back, towards the bottom of the quilt

This quilt was fun to work on, but it did take a lot of my time to do it! The piecer was thrilled with the finished quilt and is going to hang it in her front room!

 

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Batik Log Cabin

My oh my! It has been a while since I have posted to my blog! I have been busy the last few months, I have been traveling, visiting family, designing quilts, making quilts and of course quilting quilts! (That is a lot of “Q” words!)

Here is my latest customer quilt. Karla did a wonderful job of piecing this Batik Log Cabin quilt. This quilt is HUGE! It is 110 x 132 inches and each block is 22 inches square!

It is so huge that I could only photograph half of the quilt as it is hanging on my backyard clothesline!

Click on any photo for a larger view

The colors of the fabrics are fabulous and I love the center of each block (which is 10 inches square!) I used NINE different colors of high sheen polyester thread. Yes, it does take time to change each color, but it is worth it!! Here are the threads!

Here is the quilting on the blocks –

The photo is in a large pixel format. Please enlarge the photo to see the quilting detail an the thread colors! I quilted feathers along the diagonal from the corners to the middle of the block, stopping the feathers at the edge of the center block. Where the colors of the fabric change in the corners, I changed the colors of the thread. I love the overall texture that the feathers give the quilt.

Then I quilted the centers individually, following the lines of the printed design in the center block and filled in around the center with echo quilting and ribbon stipple.

Here is a photo of another block, in a large pixel format. I hope you can see the detail of the quilting.

It is amazing how a simple Log Cabin quilt can be changed / adapted to become a fabulous quilt!

 

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Technology and Quilts

Last month, my second oldest Grand Daughter, Mackenzie, graduated from high school! Woo hoo!!! She lives in North Carolina and unfortunately, I live near Seattle and no, I was not able to attend her graduation in person. Boo hoo!!

But… technology to the rescue! Her graduation ceremony was streamed LIVE and I was able to watch the whole thing in real time, sitting in front of my computer. To make things even better, my sister and my Mom and Dad, who all live in Illinois, were watching the same thing on their computer. We were doing group texts and conference calls during the ceremony and after. Even though we were all (literally) thousands of miles  apart, it was like we were all in the same room!

I even took a photo of my computer screen (on my cell phone) of Mackenzie getting her diploma.

Click on any photo for a larger view.

Ain’t technology great!

And of course, Grandma Cindy made a quilt for Mackenzie for her graduation. She will be going to the University of Nebraska next month and she will be studying music.

I found some perfect fabric in the Keepsake Quilting Catalog, ordered it and began making her quilt. Since she is studying music I found a “music fabric” collection and also a collection of red batiks for the University of Nebraska.

To see the Fabric Collections at Keepsake Quilting Click Here

The piecing pattern I made was a Free Pattern that I found online called Garden Path. To view the instructions Click Here

Mackenzie’s Garden Path quilt is completely done. It’s all quilted and I just finished putting the binding on it. If you click on the photo you should be able to see the fabrics with the music theme.

I quilted it with silver high sheen polyester thread using a free hand Swirls & Hooks pattern.

Here is a close up of the piecing and quilting.

I used a black print fabric for the back. It is a very dark black, but in the photo it looks more gray.

You can see the quilting better from the back of the quilt.

I wish Mackenzie lots of luck and fun times at college. Enjoy your quilt Mack-a-doodle! Grandma Cindy loves you!!!

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Late August Update

The month of August is just about over and things have been beyond wild!

The first part of the month I was in the Midwest visiting with family and then I drove to Southern Indiana to teach longarm classes. The classes were a LOT of fun and I met some wonderful quilters. One student drove all the way from Eastern Tennessee to attend my classes.

(I am in the process of working on the details for another teaching trip to the East Coast in mid October. I can’t say too much yet, the plans are not firm yet. As soon as I can, I will post the information.)

My Mother had her knee replaced in May. Of course we had to compare scars – her knee vs my hips! And, as I promised her last year, I gave her a quilt for her surgery.

Mom’s Quilt

I had the top pieced for a while – it just needed quilting. I quilted free hand feathers and swirls in the body of the quilt. In the border I quilted half circle wreaths and the “math” came out perfectly! I didn’t plan the placement of the wreaths that way, but I am glad it worked so well.

Top Border

Here is a closer view of the top border. I used Soft & Bright batting and Signature threads.

And best of all, my Mom LOVED it!!!

FWIW – I used the Longarm University 8 inch Feather Guide template set to quilt the border designs. For more details about this template set Click Here 

When I was in the Midwest, the weather here in Seattle was amazing! While I was gone my garden went crazy! (A huge Thank You to my neighbor Ellen who watered my garden while I was gone.)

My sunflowers are amazing! The zucchini are fabulous, the green beans -delicious.

Here are some photos. Click on any photo for a larger view

This year I planted two different kinds of sunflowers. These are my “smaller” sunflowers. (Note: The top of the arbor they are against stands least 6 feet off the ground. ) These sunflowers are darker, smaller and have many more flowers on them.

Then there is the “big” sunflower which is at least 9 feet off the ground! I am a little disappointed this year. Most of the seeds I planted of the big sunflower didn’t grow. So I have only this one big sunflower and one more that hasn’t bloomed yet. I’ll post photos of that one when it blooms.

The plants that have taken off like lightning are my “Jack-be-Little” pumpkins. When I left they were scraggly little plants. When I returned, they had nearly taken over part of the yard!

The photo below was taken yesterday and they have taken over most of the area behind the sunflowers and over my cinder block garden area.

I forgot how much these plants spread! And there are lots of little pumpkins on them!

Here is a close up of one of the pumpkins. (That is the garden hose next to it.) I would say that the pumpkin is about 6 inches in diameter and about 3 inches high. It won’t get much bigger.

These little pumpkins make great decorations and I will be giving them to the Grandkids in October.

They say it is going to rain over the weekend – I truly hope so! It is SO dry and in Eastern Washington the wild fires are awful! They REALLY do need the rain!

I hope your summer was wonderful and that you enjoy the last few days of summer.

I’ll post photos of pumpkins soon!

 

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Swoon, Swirls & Birds

It has been a while since I have posted quilt photos. So here are some of my latest projects.

Swoon Quilt – My friend brought me this quilt called “Swoon,” perfectly pieced in Civil War reproduction fabrics and she said “do what you want.” I love those words! (For the Swoon pattern Click Here)

Since the fabrics were traditional, the quilting is somewhat traditional with feathers.

Click on any photo for a larger view.

These blocks are large, 24 inches square with sashing. The whole quilt measured 84 x 96 inches.

Here is a close up of the feathers in the “center” which is where the blocks and sashings come together. Believe it or not, most of the feathers in this section of the background fabric were quilted with one start and one stop!

Here is a close up of the block quilting. I used the same “football feather” in the center of the block and in the  piecing around the star. The thread is Mother Goose by Signature and the batting is Warm & White.

The top and bottom Pinwheel border was a challenge. There are lots of different things I could quilt in it, but …. , there is the issue of bulky “seam joins.” This is where all the seams come together and there is so much bulk that you can’t get your needle/hopping foot over the seams and you can’t get way into the corner to quilt points. So, in keeping with the traditional theme, I quilted a Double Cable design over the Pinwheels – which turned out really nice!

Here is another view of the Cable on the Pinwheel border.

Squares & Swirls – This is a totally different quilt from a customer

A more modern quilt and very nicely pieced. Another big quilt 84 x 94 inches and a lot of fun to work on.

I used the All Over Swirls free hand design for the quilting. I love the “flow” of the quilting on top of the straight lines of the piecing.

Birds Through the Door Quilt – This quilt was a little more of a challenge to work on. It was originally going to be a wall quilt, then my customer added extra fabric to the bottom to make it into a lap quilt for a friend. What do you do with the extra fabric at the bottom of the quilt? We turned the quilt into a “door” and you can view the birds through the windows in the door! Now, how do you quilt a door?

I found a free hand “wood grain” quilting design and I did some practice quilting on muslin.

Then I did some research on how a door was constructed and then “constructed” a door on the fabric.

I even made some panels on the bottom.  This quilt is only 39 x 52 inches, but there is a fair amount of quilting on it.

 

Here is a view of the upper half of the quilt. I did a lot of “detail quilting” on the birds, the tree and the nests. You can’t see it, but it is there! Also check out the texture of the wood grain quilting in the green and beige fabrics.  (Click on the photos for a larger view)

 

And here is the bottom of the quilt. I hope you can see the panels in the “door” and all the wood grain texture.

This quilt was a challenge, but a lot of fun. And it is beautiful!

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Daffodils in Bloom

I have been working on a lot of things lately, but my most recent project is my new Daffodils in Bloom quilt! This quilt is soooo cute. If you are feeling like Spring will NEVER arrive, you can create your own Spring with pieced Daffodils hanging on your wall or on your bed!

Click on any photo for a larger view

This is the single blossom wall quilt, which is about 23 x 28 inches. The piecing is easy and the quilting, all free hand, is also easy. This would make a quick project for a spring gift.

And yes, I have an online class for this pattern. For complete details about this class  Click Here 

You can view this class online, purchase a DVD or purchase the piecing pattern only. For all the class details and pricing information Click Here 

Here is a 4 Daffodil Banner or Table Runner, finished size about 29 x 59 inches.

I know that some of you may be looking at the piecing and saying “I hate making those long triangles.” You don’t have to say that anymore! I have found a quick and easy way to make these long triangles by folding and pressing them. There is NO special cutting equipment needed.

Here is a video on how this fold and press technique works

 

 

And here is one more photo. This is a 15 Daffodil Quilt, about twin size-ish at 68 x72 inches. This quilt has not been quilted yet, but it will be soon – and of course I’ll post photos!

Bring Spring into your “space” with a (relatively) easy quilt!

Think Spring!!! Think DAFFODILS!!!

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Blindman’s Fancy Quilt

December FLEW by in a whoosh! I have been sooooo busy – which is a very good thing – I haven’t had time to post!

I have been working on several AMAZING quilts and will be posting photos of them over the next few days.

This quilt, Blindman’s Fancy, was an incredibly quilt to work on! I did a Google search to find out who designed the pattern, but couldn’t find anything specific. There were more than a few photos of the same “style” of quilt with somewhat similar fabrics. But only a few of the photos showed the quilting on the quilt.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a whole view of the quilt I did, but here is a photo from The Quilted Pineapple blog of what the whole quilt looks like.

Click on any photo for a larger view.

The quilt I did for my customer, Karla S, looked very similar almost the same colors and fabrics.

I quilted the blocks all the same with feathers, feathers and more feathers. This photo does not do the quilt or the quilting justice! There is a feathered wreath in the center of the block and more feather “swags” surrounding the wreath. There is contentious curve quilting in the Flying Geese blocks and more feathers in the corners of the block. There is a TON of texture on the quilt from the quilting. I used a matching thread throughout the quilt. In the photo the colors are a little washed out. They are much more vibrant in real life!

Here is a photo of the back of the block quilting. Again, the color on the photo is really washed out. The fabric is really a medium dark gold with a brown print.

I went a little crazy in the border! It was huge and I quilted my Amish Swirl Feather border design.

This is the corner of the quilt and you can really see the quilting here! A lot of work, but well worth it!

Another view of the border, away from the corner.

One more photo of the border from the back of the quilt where you can see the detail of the quilting.

FWIW – to quilt this border I used the 8 inch Circle Feather Guide from Longarm University.

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Sally’s Scrap Quilt

What do you do when you have some time and a lot of scrap fabric? You piece a scrappy quilt top. What do you do when you have a friend who is going through a rough time and you want to offer them some encouragement? You quilt the scrappy quilt top and give it to them as a gift.

That is exactly what I did with this quilt. I loved piecing it a while back and knew then, that it would be going to a good home someday. And today is the day. It is a combination Christmas and “everything is going to be all right” gift.

Here are the photos – click on them for a larger view.

I think there are scraps from nearly piece of  fabric in my stash – and then some!

A close up of the piecing and the quilting. Quilting is simple, free hand, ribbon stipple.

Another close up.  The blocks and the sashings were quilted indvidaully with Signature, Victorian varigated thread, and then I went back and quilted in the black fabric using Signature, Shadows varigated thread.

A look at the back. The fabric is kind of a tie dye with blue, black, beige and white. It is perfect for this quilt!

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