Kite quilt

Isn't this a cute baby quilt?  A nice change from the snow & wind outside here in Iowa!  It makes me think of warm spring days.  This was quilted using the "Here Comes the Sun" pattern.  A neat way to use up some colorful scraps in your stash. 

Oodles of Doodles pattern

A few Christmas quilts, that were quilted using the "Oodles of Doodles" pattern.  I think it looks like swirling snow/wind on these quilts.  It's a nice all-over pattern that has even coverage & texture. 

Loading a quilt on the frame

I took some pictures lately, showing how a quilt was loaded on the frame... I thought this might be interesting to share here on my blog. 

First the backing is pinned (wrong-side up) to the canvas leaders on the back bar & the lower front bar....  The fabric is not pulled tight, but just enough tension so it will lay flat between the 2 bars. 

Then one side of the quilt top is pinned to the leader on the top front bar, and the other side is loose. 

Then, the bar that holds the quilt top is raised, so that the batting can be laid in between the two layers of fabric.

I lower the bar again, and baste around the edge of the quilt top with the quilting machine. See how the batting is sandwiched in between the quilt top & the backing.... 

After this, I can quilt a section of quilt, and then roll up each completed section on the back bar. 

Eventually, the whole quilt will be rolled up on the back bar, and will be completed.  Then I can un-pin the quilt & take it off of the frame. 

And, here are some pictures of the quilt that was on the frame when I took the pictures-  this was made for a 4-H project, and it's her first quilt!  She really did a great job with piecing a large quilt.  The stars seem to dance across the quilt top, with the lighter & darker purple fabrics & the way it's pieced.  Very pretty.

It was quilted with an all-over swirly design, using light purple thread. 

quilt labels

If you are like me, you put off making labels for your quilts, and sometimes it just doesn't get done.  Now, I can make labels with my embroidery machine, and really speed things up.  Here's a sample of a label.  I haven't trimmed it to size yet, or added any other embroidery, you can get an idea of how the lettering would look.

If you'd like a label made for your next quilt, let me know.  I could apply it to your backing before or after it's quilted.  Just let me know the personalization you want. 

I can also personalize the front of your quilt, too.  If you'd like the recipient's name or other message.  Here's a little sample on a scrap-

If you'd like this done on your quilt, let me know the color & placement of the word(s) you'd like. 

Having fun with embroidery

I've  recently entered the world of embroidery machines.  Here are some projects that I've done to get familiar with my machine. 

These are two cotton tea towels for drying dishes, personalized on the corner with some fun kitchen embroidery & names.  There are some really neat details on these patterns, they are about 3.5" wide in size. 

And here are some zippered bags I made, it was fun to try out some designs I found on the internet.  So much fun to personalize things with names & these fun patterns. 

Geometric Path

This is one of my own patterns, called Geometric Path- it's a good "non-flowery" pattern when you are looking for something geometric, and not too feminine.  Here I used it on a flannel boy quilt. 

some recent quilts....

Here are some recent quilts using 2 new patterns, and 2 older ones.....

This is a new pattern, called "Oodles of Doodles" designed by Patricia Ritter.  It's a swirly design- on this quilt I thought it would look like swirly snow & wind going throug the snowflakes on the fabric. 

A view of the back: 

And here's a pattern that I've used before, called "Along the Way"...

 View of the back:

Here's a new pattern called "Trim the Tree"- looks like ornaments hanging from pine boughs....

 And this one I've used before, called "Starry Nights". 

 View of the back:

Doggy bones pattern

Here's a cute doggy quilt that I thought some dog bones would look cute on.  So, I came up with this pattern.  I think it turned out sweet. 

Election Day!

Don't forget, today's the day to cast your vote!

Let your voice be heard!

Pieced backings

A few quilters have asked lately if it's ok to send along a pieced backing.  As long as the backing is still 3 or more inches bigger than the top on all sides, then it's fine.  Sometimes a creative backing can be a way to use up some extra blocks & add some interest to an otherwise plain backing. 

If you have some leftover pieces or blocks, piece them together & insert them between two sections of yardage. 

The only caution I have is that I can center the backing to a point, but not always perfectly.  If you make the backing asymetrical, then it will be easier for me to work with.  Here's a great example of a backing on one of my baby quilts.  The inserted strip is off to the side. 

When the backing needs to be perfectly centered, it can be tricky, as it's hard to tell exactly how much the top will draw up when quilted.  It may end up off to one side or the other by an inch or two.  So, just keep that in mind when piecing your backings. 

Dresden Plate quilt

I love the look of white on white quilting- white thread, white fabric.... the texture of the quilting really stands out.  Here is a great example of this, with these pictures of a Dresden Plate quilt that I quilted lately. 

I did the crosshatching with the Intelliquilter, and the feathers are freehand.  The blades of the plates are stitched down using clear monofilament thread using a tiny serpentine stitch.  I didn't want to take away from the fabrics in the plates. 

2 new patterns

Here are two new patterns that I've designed... The first one is called Geometric Path.

Here I've used it on this fun zig-zag quilt:

And this on is simply called "Love".  It's a more dense design, and has to be stitched out quite slowly, so this one would be higher than most of the all-over designs are priced at. 

Here it is used on a quilt: