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:

Re-usable quilt bags

When I return your completed quilt, you'll find it in one of these new re-useable bags.  I've had good feedback on these- you can return your next quilt in them.  They are a great way to carry your quilt. 

These are just a small way I can say "thank you" for your business.  Hope you like em! 

Thread

Do you ever wonder what kind of thread a longarm quilter uses?  Here is my thread rack.... these are 6,000 yard cones.  My most used color is Coronado- a light cream color that seems to work on a variety of quilts from tan to pink to light green or brown.  (It's towards the top left corner of the rack.)  I use quite a bit of Permacore thread by American & Effird, also use Sew Fine by Superior Threads, and a few cones of Signature thread, also by A&E. 

I started using Permacore after well-known award winning quilter Linda Taylor recommends & uses this thread.  It is strong enought to stand up to the high-speed sewing conditions of longarm quilting, and comes in hundreds of colors while being reasonably priced.  When a thinner thread is needed, the I use the SewFine thread by Superior Threads.  I also have gold & silver metallic thread from Superior, and have had great results using this thread.  I just finished a table runner using the gold metallic, and I think this really gives it some sparkle and adds some fun to the quilt. 
Unless the piecer has a strong aversion to clear monofilament, then I will use this for stitch-in-the-ditch quilting on a custom quilt.  It will disappear into the ditch, and often there are so many fabric colors, it would be impossible to match them all.  So, the monofilament is a great tool for this.  Otherwise, I generally don't use the monofilament thread for all-over quilting, just stitching in the ditch (outlining blocks, etc.) 
Thread thread is included in the quilting fee, unless a metallic is used.  Then, depending on the size of the quilt, and density of the quilting pattern, there may be a small fee to cover the added cost of the metallic thread, and also the added time, since I need to stitch out the pattern at a slower speed to avoid breaking the thread. 
Oh, and don't forget variegated threads.  I have a few colors of these, too.  I have a cone of blues, one of greens, a primary colors version, and also one called Mocha Almond Fudge- goes from dark brown to rust to tan & light tan.  The added fee may also apply for variegated threads. 
I generally use the same thread on the top & bottom of the quilt.  Keep this in mind when choosing a thread color. 



Gold metallic thread used on this quilt



What I've been working on.....

Here is a custom quilt... put a feathered wreath in the on-point blocks, and lots of straight-line stitching in the green border, and also in the background. The outer border also has feathers.








Here is a McKenna Ryan quilt, all those pieces are tiny & fused down with an iron-on adhesive. I outlined all the pieces with clear monofilament thread, and then added the background textures. The camera didn't get the colors quilte right- they look a little washed out. It is really a beautiful quilt, commemorating the customer's trip to Alaska.

Bali Wedding Star quilt

I was honored to be able to work on this gorgeous Bali Wedding Star quilt. The piecing pattern is a design by Judy Niemeyer, all done in beautiful batik fabrics. The pictures just don't do it justice- those batiks are so vibrant & beautiful. All that amazing paper-piecing must have taken hours & hours!

The quilt was 104" square, so I didn't have a way to get a picture of the full quilt. But here is a good size section of it.

This quilt is done with all hand-guided patterns. The Intelliquilter was not used at all for this one. Each of the little squares in the arcs are quilted with a continuous curve pattern, and the stars have a large arc pattern in those areas. The feathers are a hand-guided pattern, to fill in the light areas between the darker batiks.

For the feathers I used a finer thread, called "So Fine" by Superior Threads. Since there is a bit of back-tracking on the feathers, there is less thread build-up in those areas that have to be stitched over twice.

The edges of the quilt all follow the curved piecing, and so there will be some interesting binding techniques going on. I am hoping to see if after she has the binding complete.

A view from the back:

Recent quilts

This first one is quilted with the "Bubbles" pattern. There are little fish in some of the fabrics on the quilt, and so the bubbles are cute with that.

This flying geese quilt was quilting using the "Gala Vine" pattern.

And this quilt by is done with freehand hearts.

And here's a quilt using the new "Wishing Star" pattern. I think it turned out very sweet. The customer is giving this quilt to her granddaughter who is moving into a big-girl bed. It looks like I only have a close-up of the quilt. I wish I had gotten a full image of the quilt.

New patterns

Pictures of the latest patterns available with the Intelliquilter: