On the Machine....

I'm working on this large Stach-n-Whack quilt....   Since I have not quilted in a couple months, I really feel out of practice!!!   LOL

Piano Keys in the border is one of my favorite treatments!

For now I'm doing all the Stitch in the Ditch and block quilting...   will go back and do the freehand designs once this is done!

The freehand work in the secondary design will be leaves....  using a Superior Rainbow thread. 

Since I'm doing two different threads, one for the blocks and one for the leaves, is why I decided to do all the blocks first.  The thread in the blocks is InviFil by WonderFil, a 100 weight...  and the Rainbow is a 40 weight.  This means I have to adjust my top thread tension each time I change my threads...

What's on your Wall???

Or table cloth as the case might be....

I've been intrigued by all the Hexie quilts I've been seeing all around the internet.  It got me thinking of the second or third quilt I ever started...  The second quilt class that I took back in 1991 was a hand piecing class.  I had grand illusions of making a whole quilt by hand.

At the shop I took this class there was this template that I had to have...

 

Then I promptly started buying fat quarters of every fabric that appealed to me and started making Granny Flower blocks.  You have to remember I started making these in 1991.  At that time I thought the only fabric one could use for background was muslin...  Don't ask me where I got that idea cause I don't know.

I made blocks and I'd put them away and make something else.  Then I would get them out and make a few more...  A lot of these were made while the Hubster was in the hospital (but that's another story...) 

Then at some point I decided that I'd start putting them up on my design wall which consisted of a flannel backed table cloth.  They stayed there for who knows how long...  until we were getting ready to move.  Then they got folded up and packed away.

These blocks have been packed away for 7 years since that move....  until yesterday.

I was going to press them and make them all nice before I took pix, but then I thought "why?"  They are probably going to be folded back up and put back in their container...  I feel like I should start putting them together, but when?  Between making socks and applique my time for hand work is already taken up.

Oh... I did fussy cut many of the blocks.

Some of the fabrics came from my Grandma's scraps...  like the green and rust print in the center of this one.

And some of the fussy cutting wasn't the best...  my light house are a little bit wonky.

And some newer fabrics crept in as the project progressed...

 

But the big,  BIG difference that I notice between my granny's and the new hexies...  are mine are hand pieced.  Not English Paper Pieced, but hand pieced with set in corners...

So I use to joke and call this "My forever quilt"  cause it's taking me forever to make!  You never know..  now that it's out of the box I may work on it once again.

As on every Monday...  you can head on over to Judy's and see what others have on their wall.

Almost done...

I'm almost done with the Crazy Quilt...  I really, really like the way the border corner turned out!

I feel like I've used a roll of tape on the tape roller thingy trying to get all the lint of the velvet.

Doing a few motifs in the patches...

I've been asked about the thread catchers and if there is a pattern.  I found them on Pinterst...  and followed the pin to NEEDLING THINGS where I found the tutorial on how to make them.  She says to use a 9 1/2" triangle, which I did for this one.

I thought it was a little small, specially for my big hands!  So the last 2 I started with a 12" triangle.  I like this size better :-)

Yesterday's Quilting

I'm working on a Crazy Quilt for a customer.  I believe the blocks were made by a family member in years past...

She sashed the blocks with black velvet...

Stitching in the ditch around all the patches with Superior MonoPoly. 

I'm doing a feather design in the border and sashing...

Every piece of lint clings to the velvet!!!

I also made a couple more thread catchers...  This time I started with a 12" triangle instead of a 9 1/2".  Like this size much better! :-)

Now I need to find some buttons to sew on these...

Leftovers Bali Pop Quilt

I finished this quilt a couple weeks ago...  and never shared it with all of you here.  So better late than never.

This is a customers quilt from the pattern Leftovers.  I have no idea why they named it Leftovers but I think I'm in love... 

I quilted my freehand Leaf Meander... (one of my favorite designs from my book Just Leaf It)  Thread is King Tut on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin.  Warm Soft & Bright Batting....

I just love the way the darks and lights dance across the quilt top...

The quilting photographs better in the light fabrics...

Now to find some Bali Pops that I can't live without!

New Class Sample

I spent part of Thursday making a new class sample....

Starting with a Swirl - Beginning Edge to Edge Freehand Quilting

Do you like the look of edge to edge quilting but don’t like following a line? Let Kim show you how to freehand quilt fast, fun & fabulous designs all starting with a swirl. Starting with how to piece a stripy quilt on the longarm, we will Start with several different Swirls and add few simple shapes for fast freehand quilting, then add a few more fun elements to create fabulous designs to cover your quilt tops. We will also explore how to use these shapes to create complimentary borders and sashings.

 

 

I got Blake Island but you really can't see West Seattle to the left of the island.  (wish they would get rid of those power lines...)

Another good pic of Blake Island.

To see when and where to take this class check out my class schedule....

WIP Wednesday

While working at Quilt Harbor I've been challenged to make a quilt out of group of fabrics....

I'm thinking this will look really good in my vintage Airstream trailer with it's harvest gold appliances...

So far I really like how it's coming together...

On the machine today...

 

I found some much need time to quilt today....

Done and off the machine....

My customer always chooses the brightest and cheeriest colors...  just what we need on a gloomy day!

Maybe it's not all that bright but it sure is cheery!!!

With working the two jobs still I'm trying to find at least one day a week to quilt!  What use to take me just a couple days now seems to take me a couple weeks...

I think this is one of my favorite edge to edge treatments...  :-)

On the machine today...

I finally found some time to quilt...  A simple edge to edge treatment for this wonderfully bright quilt.  I'm calling this design Butterfly Wings & Mistletoe Leaves....

 

Have I ever told you how much I love bright green!!!  LOVE...

 

I've  also got some more done on my Hearts Desire...  appliqued my block onto a black background.

 

Now I need to decide what to do next....

On the Machine Today... 9/12/11

Every so often I get a quilt that just doesn't speak to me....  Just doesn't tell me how it wants to be quilted.  When this happens I spend a lot of time doing the S&S or what longarm quilters refer to as Standing & Staring.  After Standing & Staring for awhile there are a few of those quilts that just will not talk!

When a quilt is refusing to talk, a lot of times I just go for it...  start stitching and see what happens.  That is exactly what I'm doing today.  Going for it.  Making things up as I go along...

 

So far so good....

Back to our regular quilting program...

While I was on vacation last week and part of this week, even tho we didn't go anywhere special, I decided not to quilt.  Cause I was on vacations!  LOL  Now I'm back to work and back to quilting...  quilting lily pads, frogs and dragonflies...

Tomorrow morning I will do the background water fill and then add the dragonflies.

Oh yeah....  I had no idea that a picture of a pie would get so much attention!  LOL!!!  Someone ate the last piece of pie (not me)!!!!  I better make another one!  :-)