Winner and some quilting pictures.....

First things first! Thanks to all who entered my giveaway, I am happy to announce the winner is Karen from Quilts Etc... So, Karen, send me an email with your address and I will get the fat eighth bundle sent right out! Congrats!!

 

So, this quilt was made by a different Karen and it is lovely! I was happy to quilt it, this only took me around 16 hours, so it was a faster job for me, it was great to get the quilt finished so fast and even better to get the next quilt on the racks.  I am on a mission to get some things done!

 

The request was funky feathers in the braided pieced quilting - I hope this quilting delivers that request. I loved this stitch so much I am working on a video tutorial for it! YAY!!

 

I love how these circles look like beads down the quilt.

 

White thread worked out great for the black/white fabric border.

 

Here's a shot of the back.

 

Have I ever told you how much I love free motion quilting? Well, I love it! I love the fact that each one of these feather swirls are different! 

I have a lot of projects to get done this week and I can't wait to get them done.  I am hoping to be better at posting, it is hard to post during the summer with all the family trips and fun times we are having - I am sure that when school is back in, things won't be so busy around here........fingers crossed!  

It's Giveaway Time!!!

We are giving away a lovely new released Fat Eighth Bundle of Independence Trail by Minick & Simpson.  What do you have to do to enter?  Simple - all you need to do is visit our Future Precuts page where we've added November & December 2012 precuts and tell us which precuts you can't wait to get your hands on.  Leave one comment for your November choice and another comment for your December choice.  If you spread the word by blogging leave us a third comment to let us know.  This giveaway will end Monday night.  (all these future precuts can be pre-purchased now on sale if you want to make sure you will get yours before they sell out)

We also have 9 new fabric lines all at 25% off, visit our home page to see more!  Good luck!!

Only in my dreams........

I would say that I made this quilt and that it was mine! But then, I would be lying - so in my dreams and for just a few short hours I will have the most incredible quilt on my bed......and my only claim to fame is that I was able to quilt it.

  

But then I think about really owning this quilt, and it sitting on my bed and realize that I would never let my kids in my room, I would always be telling (nagging) Clint to not sit on the bed - so really, this quilt belongs on a wall and that is where I believe it will be. Karin made this "Ladies of the Sea" quilt designed Sue Garman. Karin did a fabulous job and I would be lying if I didn't feel slightly pressured to make sure I didn't ruin this quilt.

 

I can't even begin to imagine the needle turn applique involved in making this quilt. Seriously, I know that I wouldn't have the patience to make this quilt right now. But, I am always grateful when I get to be a part of a quilt that will be treasured for a long time. If you think you have the patience to make it yourself, all the patterns and kits to get yours started can be purchased here.

 

So, this quilt was "simple" in the fact that I didn't have to think much about what I was doing. I had to draw a ton of lines, 1/4 straight lines on a 45 degree angle got a little tiring. Each block, from start to finish took me around 1 hour, some took longer than that. So, just in block work it was around 16 hours. The rest of the quilting, mostly pebbling took me 43 hours. So, 59 hours total to complete this quilt.

 

I think the hardest part about this quilt was keeping the straight lines straight, I am not perfect, I am not a computer and I am the biggest critic of myself. But, it is so amazing how once you pull a quilt off the frames, the imperfections seem to disappear as you get the whole picture in.

 

Amazingly enough, I enjoyed the pebbling more than I enjoyed the straight stitching. Although, my back was aching for a few hours after each quilting session. It's all worth it in the end as you can see the applique pop and become the showcase it needs to be.

 

Because of the dense quilting in the background fabric of the quilt, I didn't feel like I needed to add more quilting to the applique and the triangles around the quilt. The triangles and sash needed to "pop" as much as the applique. Stitching in the ditch is always the best option to make each shape stand out.

 

I used two layers of batting - I don't use one layer anymore - but for this quilt I used a wool batting and a Hobbs 80/20 batting. I think it worked out beautifully.

 

I love this picture!!

 

I used Kimono Silk Thread by Superior Threads for the first time. I have to say, I loved it! It's a strong, durable thread and super thin. I didn't have any problems with the thread and I am sure I will use it again. It's a little more pricey, but I think it is worth it for your masterpiece quilts.

 

Close up of the pebbling! I think I like it!

 

And, the back....oh yes, I think I love it!!

 

The backing used for the quilt was so great, it's a map of the world, but solid enough in color to showcase my work. I love it when my quilting shows.

 

I am so glad to have this quilt finished. It's one of those quilts that is hard to start because I get a little nervous, but the relief of the finished project is such an amazing feeling. Let's hope Karin likes it when she picks it up in the next half hour :-)

Saturday sewing

 

I was just itching to make something and usually my projects require the quilting machine to finish up, so I was racking my brain to figure out what to make. My daughter and I were talking about how she wants to make a dress and I pointed out the fact that I don't have any dress patterns so we couldn't make anything. We figured we would get some dress patterns from Grandma when we see her next and then the thought occurred to me that she had a skirt that we could mimic and make a scrappy skirt using some fabric we have in stock. Naturally we picked Good Morning by Me and My Sisters for Moda. She was so excited about the choice, and so was I!  Any excuse to cut up a cute bunch of fabric is always the best option!  

 

So, Saturday afternoon quiet time was spent with my daughter sitting by my side and watching me sew this cute skirt together. I used 10 fat eights to complete this cutie, which means I can make two more skirts out of this particular fat eighth bundle. Yay for more options.  I forgot how much I like to just sew, it's been awhile.
 

 

I had to use a zigzag stitch for the seams, realizing for the first time that I really want a serger.  I dropped that hint several times to Clint, so hopefully soon I can buy one.  The sewing possibilities will be endless.  Imagine that!  

 

I love how it turned out and my daughter was so excited to wear this to church yesterday. I plan on making more skirts out of this bundle and now that I know what I did, the skirt will work up a little faster and I can do a tutorial on it. Now, that would be fun! So, get some bundles and make the little girls in your life a fun little peasant skirt! The bundles in the shop are 30% off now, so it's a great time to stock up!