2014 - wow - how did we get here? It feels like we just turned the millennium just a couple of years ago . . . how time flies, eh?
I was so humbled when Betty asked me to quilt her applique quilt - Betty is an incredible quilter - and could have had this beauty done by any number of long armers . . . so, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to quilt this one. The only thing Betty knew she wanted was feathers in the sashings . . . so we built the design from there. The sashing feathers add a whole new element to the quilt, don't they? The rest was simple - swirl/feather/feather - in the blocks and the borders.
I did quilt closely around each piece of applique - which makes the design stand out even more.
Thanks again, Betty for giving me this opportunity. This quilt will be displayed at the shop as it is being offered as a Block-of-the-Month at
Addies Creative Fabrics.
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| Hearts in Bloom - hangin' with Freeda |
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| Hearts in Bloom - close up feathers in sashing |
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| Hearts in Bloom - feathers in sashing close up |
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| Hearts in Bloom - close up of swirl/feather/feather filler |
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| Hearts in Bloom |
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| Hearts in Bloom - close up |
I also completed this beautiful batik quilt of Eleanor's this week - it was quite a process acutally. I completed it (or so I thought) before Christmas, but when I took it off Freeda - I just wasn't happy with the quilting in the large circles. I had tried to quilt a oriental type floral motif (actually Gingkos) in each of those circles - and it just didn't work. . . . . so . . . . I called Eleanor, and explained that I needed a bit more time - as I picked out every stitch in those circles and re-quilted it. Yes, it was a lot of work, but so worth it! Eleanor did such a great job piecing the quilt - I couldn't let my quilting take away from that. The pattern is Afternoon Delight by Elisa Wilson made in a nice selection of black/grey/caramel batiks.
Glide Thread - medium brown; Hobbs 80/20 batting; Freehand design
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| Afternoon Delight - hangin' with Freeda |
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| Afternoon Delight - close up |
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| Afternoon Delight - close up of border |
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| Afternoon Delight - close up |
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| Afternoon Delight |
I searched out this pattern, and have already ordered it and the templates for making the circles - another quilt on my list!
It's a bit slow at the Little House - so I finally got my Prairie Star on Freeda and have begun quilting it over the past few days - so far, I'm about 12 hrs in - and figure I have another 6 - 8 hrs to go. As this is the first Judy Niemeyer quilt that I have quilted, and the fact that it is my quilt - I'm doing a bit of trial and error. Some of the quilting designs work - some not so much - so I'm changing as I go. I can hear Claudia's voice - "Think before quilting - don't think while quilting" . . . but I'm afraid that's not exactly how it's happening with this one. I have the basic design in my mind, but if it doesn't work in an area - it comes out before I move on. I've done a lot of SID (stitch in the ditch) to stabilize the quilt - and it's surprisingly square - this is great experience for me!
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Prairie Star - on Freeda
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I will be working away to get this one completed, and I have customer quilts to finish before I head to Mexico at the end of the month . . . cheers - from the Little House.
PS: I'm not even talking about the weather - we have it relatively easy compared to a lot of our neighbours to the east and the south . . . stay warm and safe everyone.
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