Raw Edge Applique

This pretty quilt is the result of a raw edge block swap. You just stitch down three  different sized circles. The blocks are cut in quarters and then swapped and re sewn. These are fun blocks with lots of color and very useful. I have a collection that I use to fill out rows in a design. It seems I can always find a color in these blocks that blends with what I'm working on.

Here the quilter put them all together to make this cheerful quilt.

The challenge when quilting this is not to catch the hopping foot of the machine on the edges. Some of the circles are stitched right at the edge and some as much as a 1/4 inch in. I went slower and quilted with one hand on the blocks, tucking down edges. The quilting design needed to catch most of the edges and provide a uniform coverage,because when this is laundered, this quilt will bloom! We chose Twirly Roses with Glide thread in Linen.

                                                                    Off to put the turkey in.
                                                                     Happy Thanksgiving!

Yellow Brick Road of Flowers!

This quilt is a popular pattern, Yellow Brick Road. My client did it in happy upbeat flower fabric. It is like quilting on a flower garden! We picked a variegated thread that had the colors of the flowers. Jester/Rainbow by Superior Threads fit the bill and looks just beautiful . It seems to capture the flower colors in each fabric. This thread has a bit of poly in it and so has a little sheen to highlight the colors and the quilting.
 Looking  at the quilt pattern, all of the pieces are either square or rectangle shapes. It is often a nice idea to choose a quilting design that has swirls and curves to add interest and  contrast. Makes it fresh and not so boring. The design chosen, Oodles of Doodles, is perfect.

The backing fabric is a light pink so I matched the bobbin color to that.  I really am liking this design and think it has lots of potential. It could be stitched vertically on the quilt, so it would look like a vine growing. (This could be done by loading the quilt differently on the frame.)

Here's a close up with little flash. You can see the design better.  I will finish this up today and then on to the next. I am trying to get all my "must have by Christmas" done. It dawned on me that next week is Thanksgiving and the holidays around the corner ! Yikes.

Layer Cake ,Block @, I mean Block 2

Okay, here is block 2 in my version of the Layer Cake Quilt a Long over at Moose on the Porch Quilts (link on right). This is a pretty Layer Cake and a different look for me. Each block is going to have a narrow border around it in an accent fabric. What should it be???? Anyone have some ideas.

Here are the fabrics and the first block. It is mostly red/white/blue with tan/kakhi and a bit of green in a couple of the fabrics. I think I will have to venture on and get a few more blocks done and put them on a design wall and see what they say...I hope they speak!
 Guess it's time to go load a quilt and think of something else!

Iowa Visit

I just returned from a visit to Iowa to see my Mom and some of my brothers. Mom was recently moved to an Alzheimer's facility  and my sister and I went to pay her a visit and see how she was doing. The residence is beautiful and she seems to be adjusting. Friendly staff and she is well looked after.

 The  family home has been cleared out and listed for sale, so we can finance her situation. One afternoon we met at my brother's place and went through items of family value.  I was delighted to see that the  Dresden Plate quilts made by my Great grandmother had survived!

Celia Hagarty Rathgeb made two identical Dresden Plate quilts. One for each of her daughters. I knew my mom had the one passed down from her mother, but I was surprised to see she had both! This quilt is the one in better shape. Each plate has 15 blades and is 7 1/2 inches and the block is 10 inches. This is a smaller plate than is normally seen.  The sashings have a cable design quilted in them and a larger cable is quilted in the outside borders. Around the plate is a floral design and a florette in the cornerstones! All hand pieced and quilted. Pink thread in the pink sashings and border and white everywhere else. That's a lot of quilting! And then to do it twice !!

This has always been my favorite quilt pattern and I am so happy to have these quilts. My mom knew that I would treasure them.

 I am sorry that I didn't get pictures of the other quilts that went to family members which were made by Mother, but am sure I can visit them at my siblings houses.

Now it's time to do laundry, catch up and load a quilt on the frame!

Dorothy's Garden Jubilee Finished

It is hard to get a good picture that shows the quilting on this beautiful quilt! This is the same pattern as the picture on the right , but the customer enlarged the designs. It is very effective and the blooms have more presence. Some of the flowers are 3 dimensional and most of border flowers have ruching and other treatments.  The backgrounds are free hand in a McTavish type design and the border is beadboarded on the outside and free flowing vine and leaves on the inside.

This photo is a little closer. Still hard to get all the pretty quilting to show , but the flowers sure look pretty! Dorothy A..you did good girl!!

Viewer's Choice-Congrats to Linda Gray

This past weekend our guild (Orange Grove Quilters , Garden Grove,Ca) held our show. A bit smaller show , about 100 quilts, as we had a different venue. Know what? It was better !! More intimate, very friendly and we even had the Girl Scouts doing food. Win win!
 Linda Gray's basket quilt was chosen Viewers Favorite and well deserved. She did a great job on the piecing and applique and it was a joy to quilt.

The fabric choices were perfect to show off those flowers.  The applique was outlined with So Fine thread and the same was used in the block background. Light purple was used to outline the sashing and do the swirl design inside the sashing.  Outer border has a swag design in black to blend in .
All in all a quilt to be proud of, congratulations Linda!

Layer Cake Fun !

I've joined in the Layer Cake  Quilt a  Long over at http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/ (Moose on the Porch Quilts).  Every 2 weeks  there is a new block by a designer for us to do. This is the first one.
  Fabric is Clermont Farms by  Minick & Simpson. It is a real stretch for me. I am usually  a purple,green,blue girl. This time I went out of the box. I really love all the fabrics in this selection.

I think I can have some fun with these. I do need one accent fabric that will be surrounding each block and then used as a border. What do you think?  red, dark tan, green (there is a bit in some of the prints)
 No idea what  this will look like in the end, but should be fun getting there!

Wonderful Floral applique !

This is the quilt I'm working on now. What a fun quilt !  It has different appliqued flowers and the border is all 3 dimensional blooms.  I have the sashing design done, now on to outlining the applique and doing the background fill.  Think I will outline with clear Monolon. That way I can embellish the leaves, do designs in some of the flowers  and not have a lot of thread color change.  For the background I will use a new thread , Glide-Linen. It is a poly with a slight sheen and very thin..just the thing to do fills and not have them overtake the quilt. The pretty applique is the star here.

 As with a lot of the quilts I do, this has both Statler computer guided designs and freehand . Most of the work on this will be freehand, which I love to do! The sashing is Statler, done in Glide Xmas Pine. The winding flower pattern really complements the flower theme.  I will let you know how it turns out!