Missing my long arm!

I've been away now for almost two months and am really missing my long arm.  Maybe it's because I know I'll be home in a week, but I have quilting on my mind a lot these last few days.  Don't get me wrong - I have loved Rving in Mexico these last 8 weeks, and have to admit, do NOT miss the winter weather at home, but it's time to get back to my Freedom!

I was busy before I left, and have just now found the time to post a few pictures of what I'd been working on in January - life really can be busy in an RV park in Mexico!  I've been working on a little hand applique project that I brought with me, and I have to say, I'm not loving it.  The piece itself is great, but I've got a long way to go before I tackle anything bigger.

Here's my January catch up . . .

First  - a beautifully pieced quilt for Trish's grandson . . . all those little pieces were perfectly square!  What a pleasure to quilt!  Filtec Glide Thread; Wisteria panto by Patricia Ritter.  This quilt will be going to Casa Grande to be bound and then to a "show and tell" with a group of quilters there - I sure hope they like it as much as I do!

hangin' with Freeda



Back showing Wisteria panto pattern

I also want to show you Barb's amazing Butterly Wall Hanging - each butterfly was appliqued on - and after the quilting, it almost looked 3-D!  Filtec Glide Thread; All over freehand Swirl/Feather design.

Sheena made this Disappearing 9 patch for some friends living in the United States . . . we chose the panto "Maple Syrup" - very fitting, don't you think?  It just brought a new dimension to the quilt top - perfect choice!  Filtec Glide Thread; Maple Syrup Panto.
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Fran always does beautiful piecing - this quilt was made from some fabric that she had that she wasn't particularly fond of - so she cut it into strips and made the square patches.  A lot of work, but so worth it as it turned out to be beautiful - I think this is what you'd call "synergy" (Synergy is the interaction of multiple elements in a system to produce an effect different from or greater than the sum of their individual effects) - wouldn't you say?  That's how this quilt was to me.  Filtec Glide Thread (Canteloupe); Terry Twist in the squares, freehand swirl/feather in sashing and borders.



hangin' with Freeda

Fran's Quilt - back

almost done . . . Betty's modern quilt.  Her daughter bought the pattern and fabric and asked Betty to piece it for her.  I quilted it with straight lines some parts, and soft swirls in the main body.  I was very pleased at the effect of the straight line quilting.  My Freeda does not have channel locks to keep the lines perfectly straight, so I used a binder clip on the carriage so it would not move as I quilted across the top - who needs channel locks!!!

hangin' with Freeda

Betty's quilt - back

and finally, a simple, but very cool quilt that Diane put together.  Three pieces of fabric - that's it!  I used "Pretty Paisley" panto by Jodi Beamish; Filtec Glide Thread - Sand.  Simple - but very effective!

So, that pretty much kept me busy until the end of January!  I'm already booked up for April and looking forward to a great summer..... and really excited to be going to Sparrow Studioz to take two days of classes from Judi Madsen (Green Fairy Quilts)  I know I'll be coming back with a lot of great ideas for quilting those more modern quilts!  Once again, thank you to Sparrow Studioz for raising bar for the quilters in the area.

This is my first quilt to tackle once I get home . . . another stunning hand appliqued top!

Nothing says "Welcome to the first day of spring" better than this!  Happy Quiting everyone - and will see you soon!