12/30/2018
12/11/2018
12/2/2018
I finished another quilt for our local veterans ... had some help on piecing the 'ten minute block' pattern from Sue Clay. I used my 'hopping foot' to do the curved topstitching on the white squares. And then quilted it with red white and blue variegated thread, backed it with a dark blue from the same Wilmington Prints' fabric line, and bound it with a burgundy on burgundy flannel. It might be a ten minute block, but it took me several months to get around to finishing the quilt!
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| Ten minute block pattern featured on you tube at this page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbTHlGGKMPM Thank you, Suzanne McNeil! |
12/11/2018
This week I made and donated two small lap quilts for Christmas gifts in a nearby urban setting. Fabrics by Quilting Treasures.
12/2/2018
I haven't kept count, but think we have passed the thirty quilt mark, so far...
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| 84" x 84" |
11/15/2018
It was my pleasure to repair another antique quilt for a customer ... he brought the quilt, which he had found in a shop somewhere, in this past summer and asked if it could be repaired. The seams of several of the blocks had opened, due to the threads weakening. I couldn't tell if it was from the thirties (machine pieced and hand quilted) or the seventies, as the fabric was not deteriorating as much as the thread was.
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| The Lemoyne square measures 17" |
10/30/2018
I made a quilted play mat for my young grandson, as when he visited me last month I realized that all those I'd made for him I'd sent home with him, and he is almost ready to start crawling, so I wanted to make one to keep here for him at Nana's house. I used a panel, added border blocks of more vehicles (and machine embroidered his name and I <3 U in the green checked blocks,) added a thin cotton batting and a backing of green grass print. Then I free motion quilted the race track and some of the images, and bought some small cars and trucks to be used with it. Can't wait to see him again and put him down on the floor with it!
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| Ian's name and I <3 U are machine embroidered in the border blocks with a satin stitch. |
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| A quilting friend showed me the little hole in the finger of my Bernina bobbin case that helps stabilize the threads on the back of a satin stitch ... what a difference it made! |
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| Cute cars and trucks bought at the dollar store, parked on a field of grass (back of quilt.) |
8/8/2018
The weather this past month has been hot and humid, with unrelenting 90 degree weather and humidity in the seventies for most of the month. I was unable to work on many quilts. This past week I was able to finish a second quilt for a firefighter's grandchildren. I didn't snap a photo of these two quilts, but they were very similar to the two sides of the quilt I made for my daughter. There is a third grandchild quilt in the works for her, but she doesn't need that one until next April. I'll be back to work on the veterans' quilts and the emergency vehicle comfort quilts soon.
6/28/2018
I'm continuing to explore the 'ten minute block' pattern, and this week took a collection of 2.5" strips by Hoffman to begin a Christmas season lap quilt. Rather than starting with ten inch pre-cut squares, I sewed five strips together and cut ten inch squares from them. I found a bolt of fabric that complemented the strips sets to use for the fifth square of each block, and created this ...
I found it a bit easier to change to an embroidery foot, with feed dogs down, to top stitch the four edges of the center diamond as arcs. When I did this on the red white and blue blocks, the optical illusion of circular seams occurs. The white diamonds became 'cathedral window' style, and when the blocks are joined together, they appear to be 'corner blocks' on 'circle blocks!
6/22/2018
I saw a quilt with an optical illusion (a "circle" pattern, but formed of blocks with all straight seams.) The poster on Facebook said she had found the pattern on YouTube, one of my favorite spots for learning new techniques and more. Here are a few blocks I've made with the "Ten Minute Block" - you can search it on YouTube's site, and enjoy making your own sample. The video shows ten-inch pre-cut squares used for a full size quilt; I've used five-inch charm packs in red, white and blue prints for a lap quilt for a veteran. Here's what I have so far ... I have off-set the blocks but haven't decided yet whether or not to go for the circle illusion by turning the white diamonds' edges to form arcs ...
6/17/2018
This week I finished another baby quilt ... for our nephew Brian and his wife's baby shower. They are traditionalists, and do not want to reveal the gender of the baby, so this one is backed in neutral tones of yellow, green, gray, orange, rose, brown, blue and beige. I've used this 'to the moon' panel before, but this time I free motion quilted it using my embroidery foot with the feed dogs down.
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| Choosing the fabrics is only the beginning of the fun! |
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| WilmingtonPrints "Love You to the Moon" panel and blender fabric |
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| I chose a variety of WilmingtonPrints mini charm packs in neutral colors for the back |
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| I added borders of Penny Rose retro-30s fabrics to widen the back and border the quilt. |
5/27/2018
I've spent much of this week and last on veterans' quilts and wall hangings, making LeMoyne stars and using flag prints from a banner cut into 7.5" blocks.
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| Used this banner block for the center of one of the wallhangings. |
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I left the banner intact for a rather tall lap quilt: 40" x 60"
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5/19/2018
I chose 5" charms from four mini charm packs by Wilmington
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| pretty pastels and some reproduction thirties prints |
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| I chose silly birds for the back ... |
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| not a great photo, but you can see how the colors fit. I used a small pink gingham for the binding. |
5/1/2018 ECNG Anniversary Tea / Show
Rob and Heather's Wedding Quilt is finally finished and hanging in the show, and will be given to them after it is taken down tomorrow. Here's an initial photo: I'll try to get a distance shot of the full size tonight. It's the first time I've been able to see it from a distance in its entirety~
4/21/2018
This one is for my daughter's birthday (and no, she's not even close to sixty...)
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| This side features dolphins and tropical fish |
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| And this side features the moose, deer, wolves and black bears of the Maine woods. |
3/21/2018
The 'other front' of my sister's 60th birthday quilt...
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Chicadees, hummingbirds, and morning glories
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| identifying the local birds' eggs |
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| a beautiful border of chicadees |
3/5/2018
Working on background quilting for the long overdue wedding quilt...
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| Showing the work in progress at the Merrimack Valley Quilt Guild |
2/25/2018
STARTING ANOTHER FAMILY 60TH BIRTHDAY QUILT
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| Pretty Kitty gives her approval of the schoolhouse prints...   |
2/19/2018
Finished the quilting and binding today!
2/18/2018
Working on the other side of the 60th birthday quilt... showing the other face of Maine...
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| Maine has a lot of waterfront properties |
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| I had to add earth tones to lengthen the woodsy side of the quilt. |
2/8/2018
Starting another family member's 60th birthday quilt...
2/6/2018
Five weeks into the new year, and despite starting with a broken arm, I've been busy making more comfort quilts for our local police and fire departments. As I had only two bolts of the EMT panel that I used for 2017, I had to find more appropriate prints to use.
Since the first of the year, I've completed four more comfort quilts (that makes 26 so far) , in addition to a baby shower quilt for our expected grandchild (next month!)
All of these quilts are made of fabric that is in stock at Quilters' Quarters ... and all fabrics are discounted 20% or more!
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