Spring is in the air! . . . finally!

It must be spring because my little goose couple has returned to the hay bales at the top of the road.  The female has been there for many days (maybe two weeks) but honestly, the weather has been so poor and winter like, the opportunities for picture taking were scarce.  Today, the sun is finally shining so I stopped on my way home from Addies to check her out.  I'm not sure she was impressed . . .

..... but, she has a "million dollar view" don't you think?

(our house is about mid point on the right side of the picture - we, unfortunately, do not have that million dollar view)

I don't normally post pictures on my blog until after the customer has picked up their quilts.  I have six sitting and waiting to go to their rightful homes, but all of the following have been picked up and most likely bound by now!

This first quilt was #1  on my to do list after coming back from Mexico.  You might have a bit of trouble figuring out the front from the back of this quilt - Linda pieced the back using 2 1/2 inch strips.  I admit, I was a bit nervous when I was loading the quilt on Freeda, as I wanted to be 100% sure that it was straight.  Even one cm difference would have shown in the backing - but thankfully, Linda is an excellent piecer, and the strip on the bottom of the quilt backing was as straight as the first strip on the top!  Whew!  (Glide thread; Flirtatious panto; Hobbs 80/20 batting)

Linda's quilt - front

Linda's quilt - close up of backing strips

Linda's quilt - backing
 

I put together a little baby quilt to practice my 3s and e's using the eazy peazy method called "Strip and Flip"  by Cluck Cluck Sew - if you want more information on this technique, go here .   My 3s and e's are OK, but have a ways to go to compete with Nancy or Andrea . . . I'll need more practice, practice, practice . . .

Strip and Flip baby quilt

Strip and Flip baby quilt - close up of 3s and e's

These next two quilts belong to Stacy - who has been a busy mother with a new baby and a 3 year old!  Somehow she still finds the time to quilt!

Stacy's quilt - Hearts in Bloom panto



Stacy's Deloa quilt - backing



Stacy's Deloa Quilt - Starburst panto

Spring in the Little House . . .

You've seen quilts done by Louise before . . . here ,  here, and here . . . she's one busy quilter.  These two are for her granddaughters.  One of the great things about Louise's quilts is the beautiful choice of fabrics, but another feature are the innovative pieced backings that Louise puts together!  Pieced backings can sometimes cause a problem for longarmers (don't ask me how I know this) . . . but Louise's backings are beautiful and square and add another dimension to her quilts.

Louise's quilt - appliqued

Louise's quilts - hanging with Freeda (excuse the out of focus pic)



Louise's quilt - backing close up

Louise's quilt - backing

and just one more for this post . . .

Another repeat customer, Eleanore - this quilt is made from a selection of tan/gold/brown flannels.  It is for her son's fiancé, so she wanted it to look a bit more feminine - I think we accomplished that! (Glide thread; freehand swirl/feathers; Hobbs 80/20 batting)

Eleanore's quilt - backing



Eleanor's quilt - hanging with Freeda

oops . . . one more!  Joan is a new customer who made this quilt for her for her daughter.  It is a "Around the World" type pattern made from a beautiful selection of blue/grey batiks.  I used my favorite freehand design - swirl feather - using Glide thread - Graphite color.  I love that color of thread!

Joan's quilt - hanging with Freeda

Joan's quilt - backing

 

Well, that's it . . . for now!  I finished a stunning hand applique quilt today, and have six quilts being picked up in the next couple of days - so will be posting more soon!  - OK, here's a sneak peak . . .

 

 

 

 

Now for news from the Little House - I have decided to move my Freeda back home and continue quilting for my customers from the comfort of my own home studio.  I have gained a ton of experience and exposure being at Addies over the past year and am so thankful for that - not to mention the great people that I have had the pleasure of meeting.  The decision to move my machine home has more to do with my lifestyle than anything else.  Also, I want to concentrate more on improving my custom quilting skills, and to do that, I need to have a more flexible schedule to practice, practice, practice.  And, did I tell you I spent two days at Sparrow Studioz learing from Judi Madsen (Green Fairy Quilts) - a wonderful experience.  I'll post pics later . . . So for now . . . Happy Spring from the Little House!