Current schedule

My December schedule has filled up, but if you want to reserve a spot in January, let me know.  I want to make sure I get all the quilts I have scheduled for December done in time for them if they are going to be given at Christmas.  

2012 will soon be coming to a close- I would like to thank you for trusting me with your quilts this past year.  I am grateful that I am able to keep working from home so I can be flexible around my kids' schedules.  The past few months I have been working around junior high basketball, piano lessons, and church activities- I am in a very busy stage of life right now.  I apologize if I have been hard to find home some times if you are calling to set up an appointment.  It's been fun to work on all your beautiful quilts this past year.  It is so interesting to see all the variety of quilts- each one is so unique and creative.  I wish you and your family a blessed Christmas season. 

New patterns available

There are a few new patterns available for you to pick for your quilts that need all-over patterns.

Thread wall

The sun was shining in the other day, and I took a picture of the thread rack.  I thought you might enjoy seeing it with all the colors available for your quilts.  When I order new cones of thread, it's like opening a box of chocolates when they arrive.  All those fun colors!

recent projects

I haven't been keeping my blog very up to date, have I?  I've been having some trouble logging in & also posting pictures, so I've been puting off trying to get things to work.  Hopefully today it will go well.  

Here's a new pattern called "Modern Squares" (copyright Konda Luckau).  I used it on this t-shirt quilt, and am happy with the results.  I think it will be a good option for teen quilts, or one needing something geometric.

Also designed, pieced, and quilted this Vikings quilt.  I've been saving the Vikings shirts that the boys have grown out of, and decided to put them together into a quilt.  It's a throw size, about 50x60.  I don't like buying or following patterns, and so I designed this myself, to fit with the shirts that I had.  The picture below shows the quilt before I added the gold binding around the edges.  This is going to the Boyden Fire & Rescue auction on Saturday night, so if you are looking for a gift for the guy in your life, you can bid on it at the silent auction.  It has a purple fleece backing & cotton batting.

new pattern

A new pattern available: called "In the Moment" designed by Anne Bright.  This is a fun pattern that looks a bit like blowing wind, or swirling bubbles.

it was a busy summer

I've had a busy summer, taxi-ing the kids around to activities, gardening, and just enjoying the short Iowa summer months.  Any day over 80* is a good one in my book, and we did have alot of good days here this summer.  I was doing some of this:

Now, the kids are back to school, and I've been at a more regular schedule in the quilt studio.  I did quilt during the summer, but only limited hours.  I must have not taken many pictures that I can find, but here a few things I worked on.  A couple very cute embroidered quilts:

And a very bright, fun dinosaur quilt- quilted with the Triangles pattern with bright, variegated thread:

Directions for an Ohio Star block

Looking for a fast way to piece a fun Ohio Star block?  Here's a link to a blog named LoveLaughQuilt.  Easy & fast- I think I might try it out!  Cut out some squares & get started- no triangles to piece.

Love Laugh Quilt: Starry quilt: a collection

Kingbird Avenue is open again

Wanted to let you know that Kingbird Avenue is open again....  They had been re-surfacing the road & fro a while we had to drive around lots of road-closed signs.  Everything but the middle line is finished.   That should make it easier for those of you coming this way to drop off & pick up quilts.

Circle Play pattern

This one is quilted with pattern called "Circle Play".  It's a fun pattern with circles of all sizes.  It goes great with the black & white prints in this quilt.

August Rain pattern

Quite often I use simple/geometric patterns on t-shirt quilts.  The piecer requested "August Rain" on this one, and I really think it enhances the quilt.  I used a light gray thread here, and Quilter's Dream cotton batting.

Freehand custom

 This quilt has some pretty applique on it.  I usually do all-over patterns for this quilter, but I couldn't see quilting over the applique on this one.  Instead, I did some freehand patterns in the background to fill in the white areas.  She & I were both happy with how it turned out.

Blacktop resurfacing

Kingbird Avenue- the blacktop just 1/4 mile from us is in the process of being re-surfaced.  So, if you are coming to drop off a quilt, you may find some road closed signs.  Right now they are just puting up stakes on the side of the road & you may be able to go around the road closed signs & get through.  It depends on what part of the road they are working on during the day.  I don't think the actual resurfacing will start for another week or two.  I'll keep you posted on when it's open again. 
Sorry for the inconvenience! 

How to make a T-shirt quilt Part 1- Preparing the t-shirt blocks

Here's the method I use to make t-shirt quilts.  It's a very simple layout & easy enough for a beginning quilter.  These directions are for a lap size quilt- 69" x 54". 

You will need approx. 1/2 yard of lightweight fusible interfacing per shirt.  I am going to be cutting twelve 14.5" t-shirt blocks.  So, you'll need about 6 yards of fusible interfacing for this quilt.

Step 1:
Cut out the whole front of the shirt- along the side edges, and along the top of the shoulder.  You should have 1 layer of shirt now with your design on it. 

 Step 2: 
Cut an 18" square of your lightweight fusible interfacing.  Lay your t-shirt, design side down, on an ironing surface.  Place the interfacing on your shirt, making sure the fusible side is touching your shirt.  Iron the interfacing to the shirt.  Make sure all areas of the interfacing get enough heat/time with your iron to securly adhere it. 

Step 3:
 Flip your shirt over right side up on your cutting mat.  Cut out a 14.5" square, centering the design.  If you are going to make alot of these, a template is helpful.  I had the lumberyard cut a 14.5" square template out of plexiglass.  Then I could just plop the template down & cut around all 4 sides.  It's not necessary, though- you can also just use the lines on your cutting mat.

Prepare 12 quilt blocks in this manner.

Custom quilting

Some pictures of a very involved custom quilt that was finished last month.  The straight feather sections were done with the IQ, also the diagonal 1/4" lines.  The outer border was hand-guided, echoing all the applique, and also the straight line filler. 
A very beautiful quilt- all that applique is done with perfect teeny tiny needle-turn hand stitching.  For some reason I can't find a picture showing the whole quilt.  But there are 9 large blocks just like the one in the first picture below.  The quilter had made this from a pattern in Quilter's Newsletter Magazine if I remember right, and the magazine article showed how the original quilt was done.  I tried to keep the same style of quilting as the original, but I did have to change it a little as the original one was antique, and the quilting was done by hand on that one. 

Chevron Feathers pattern

Showing you a fun batik quilt, that was quilted using the "Chevron Feathers" pattern. 

Here's the line drawing of the pattern- I thought the curvy lines of the pattern were a nice contrast to the sharp straight edges of the piecing. 

A quilt for me

I've had this quilt top pieced for a few years, but had never quilted it.  I often have a hard time motivating myself to quilt my own stuff when I have customer quilts waiting in line.  But about a month ago, I decided just to pin in on the frame & get it done. 
The feathered star quilt top is paper-pieced.  There is a combination of hand-guided & computer-guided designs on the quilt.  That large feather wreath is done with the Intelliquilter, I filled in the small stippling, and also the feather designs in the outer border as hand-guided patterns, as well as the checkerboard background fill in the cream corner areas.