Tuesday 28 April 2015

..... and now on to 2015

It seems I had a few quilt tops waiting for me to get back to work! 

One of my first finished quilts was Myrla's beautiful Joannie Morrow quilt called Wisteria Medallion.  The fabric and piecing is very "busy" - so I quilted it with a simple modern panto - Bauhaus.  I think it worked!






Another amazing part of this quilt was the backing - old flour sacks - the quilting shows up well in the backing - Myrla does great work and it's a pleasure to quilt for her.



I've quilted a few quilts for Karen - here's a couple more.  Karen used a plush backing - I love the way the quilting stands out on the backing!  Karen's first quilt was a 25 patch - Glide thread; Diamonds are Forever panto






Karen's other quilt is a bright colored chain type quilt.  I pulled out the Dragonfly Pond panto - and perfect match! 







I also worked on one of my own quilts - the pattern was originally called Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend - but I changed the name of this quilt to Diamonds in the Sea.  I wanted to practice some cross-hatching, Stitchi in the Ditch and some ruler work.  I'm really pleased with the result - especially because this one is for me!!




The above picture was taken BEFORE and Stitch in the Ditch (SID) around this diamond  - and the picure below, is a similar diamond but after I've stitched in the ditch all the way around - see what a difference that makes in the finished look of the block.  I've been doing a lot of SID lately and plan on doing a lot more.  It's worth the extra time and effort (imho).






Diamonds in the Sea - backing

Diamonds in the Sea - finished
 

  I've been thinking of making it again - Diamonds in the Forest, Diamonds in the Snow, Diamonds in the Fall, Diamonds in the Flower Garden . . . the possibilities are endless - and I do have fabric that would be perfect!

More coming soon, from the Little House . . .

Sunday 26 April 2015

. . . more from 2014

I'll finish up with the 2014 quilts . . . just a few more to show you.

Do you remember when I started making a "String" quilt?  It's starts out with quite a mess. . . .




  Here it is finished - Hobbs 80/20 batting, Glide Thread; Freehand swirls, leaves and flowers.



 
 
Somehow, it didn't seem to make a dent in my stash of scraps . . . I'll have to make some more, I guess.
 


Barb designed and pieced this quilt as a gift - she did an amazing job - don't you think?

Panto:  Tulip Festival; Wonderfil Konfetti Thread; Warm and Natural Batting




.... and last but not least for 2014, is a quilt that I made a couple of years ago, but just got it on Freeda this fall so I could take it with me to Mexico - it is the perfect size for the truck camper.  Pattern is Sunflower Serenade made with Timeless Treasures fabrics; Glide thread; Hobbs 80/20 batting




That's it for 2014!  Next post will be new quilts completed this spring . . . here's a sneak peek . .




Until next, Happy 2015 from the Little House!

Saturday 25 April 2015

Let's get this party started . . . !!!

Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, Mexico

Well, that's a catchy little title - but I really just used it to get your attention - after all, it's been over 6 months since I last posted!  Shame on me . . . but I was away from quilting until the beginning of April, and since then have just been go, go, go!

The name of this post should really be "All in the Family" or maybe "Better Late than Never" - because I'm finally going to show you the quilts I finished up in November (yes, November 2014) before leaving for my little winter paradise spot.


All of these quilters are in the same family - sisters in law, mothers, mothers in law, cousins, aunts . . I'm so fortunate to have met Heather, who introduced me to her quilting family!

Heather gave me a couple of quilt tops.  She always knows how she wants them quilted - and I'm happy to do what I can.  I'm pretty sure they are both Camille Roskelley patterns. 

The first one was quilted freehand with a kind of figure 8 pattern.  Glide Thread; Hobbs 80/20 batting.





This next one was for Heather's daughter.  Originally, we chose Double Bubble panto with a teal colored thread.  I wasn't loving how it was looking so I sent Heather this picture - she wasn't loving it either - LOL! 

 It just so happened that the day before a package came in the mail for me which included "Dragonfly Pond" - perfect!!!  Here's the finished product - Glide thread; Hobbs 80/20 batting



Becky is Heather's sister-in-law - and she made another Camille Roskelley pattern.  Becky asked me weeks before if I could get Retro Revolution panto (Urban Elementz) - perfect choice, Becky!  See how it matches the fabric on the backing?



 
 
 
 
Becky's quilt - backing

Kelly is also Heather's sister-in-law.  She made a humungous Swoon quilt (yes, Camille Roskelley again) - in more traditional fabrics.  She chose the Baptist Fan panto . . . another perfect choice!



Kelly's Swoon - backing
Jean is Heather's mom.  Her kids gave her the fabric and pattern for this log cabin quilt - and she did a beautiful job of piecing it.  It is another rather large quilt!  Wildflowers panto; Glide thread; Hobbs 80/30 batting.




Beth is Becky's mom (hope you're keeping track of the family tree).  Her lap quilt was a flannel sampler - so nice and cozy.  Glide Thread; Starburst panto





Helga is Heather's cousin - so I guess Jean's niece.  Her quilt is a Christmas quilt - it turned out very festive!  Hollyberries panto, Glide thread; Hobbs 80/20 batting





Audrey is Heather's aunt, Helga's mother and Jean's sister - I did quilt for her back in the summer, but forgot to post pictures (sorry :( ) - I can't find the pictures of it - but I remember the quilt - it was made from is lovely rich autumn colors - I believe it was for a wedding present.  Panto:  Come Dance with Me; Glide thread; Hobbs 80/20 batting.  - If I find the picture, I'll post it later.



So, did you keep that all straight??  I've got a few more quilts to show you from November, but they are not from the "family", so I'll post separately - then I'll be caught up and be able to show you some of the exciting quilting I've been doing in April.

Until next time, catching up in the Little House!
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