Favorites

Electric Love

I finally have a picture of my favorite quilt, and I am ready to share it with you. As you have already learned, I love hearts. I don't know what it is, but I just love how there can be such a variation yet everyone can relate to the symbolism of what a heart represents.

Block detail

I acquired the fabric and pattern from a Black Friday sale that my mother-in-law took me to. We got a good discount if we came in our pajamas at midnight! We had a great time, and as we were getting ready to check out I saw this pattern on the shelf. I ran around the shop until I had found all the right fabrics and we left. For as excited as I was, I let the bag fall into my 'later' pile and it didn't get touched for a couple years.

Quilting detail

A few years ago we moved to Sioux Falls. I sorted thru all my sewing supplies to get more organized and came across the bag, and when I looked inside all the excitement from that trip returned. I stopped everything I was doing and dove into it. I think the end result is quite remarkable!

As much as I love this quilt, it is for sale. The quilt is 41' X 65' and has zigzag quilting overall. The back is a solid pattern that looks similar to coffee beans. The cost is $350 and that includes shipping. If you are interested, please contact me!

Log Cabin Rewind

Another one of my favorites is a log cabin. It took me almost seven years to complete, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started. One of the biggest mistakes I made was I followed the instructions to the letter. I gave myself no leeway and not long after I started I got frustrated and threw it into the back of my closet. I swore off log cabins forever!

Two years later, I was again sorting thru and organizing my stash and came across the mess of the log cabin I had. If you have ever made a log cabin, you know that you start with a small 2 or 2 1/2 inch block and stitch strips around the outside until you have a block size of your liking. When I started this one I had cut the pieces the EXACT length and width the directions called for (time consuming too!) And as I pieced, not all of the edges would line up. That is where the frustration came in.

Quilting/block detail

I was determined to finish this one. I ironed out all the pieces and threw the directions out the window. I used  the strips I had to finish what I could and then used scraps to make all the blocks the same size and assembled the quilt. I loved the result so much that I decided to make two more log cabin quilts (one for my daughter's doll bed and one for my bed--pictures to come later, they are not quite complete).Give yourself room to make mistakes, and you will be more successful in all your projects. You can always cut away, it is much harder to add!

My husband loves this quilt so much he won't let me sell it, and it has become part of my permanent collection. I can custom make a log cabin for you, but this one is off the table...

Caruso Sunset Detail

The last quilt that I would like to feature as a 'favorite' is the one I made for my mom. We were in a quilt shop and looking at these great batiks. I suggested I make her a quilt and she picked out a pattern that would go well with the fabrics.

When I started cutting, I realized the pattern was out of my skill level (at the time). Again, the directions were unclear and confusing- so I used them as a 'guideline' and mainly used the picture to direct what the end product was going to be. I basically ended up stitching the block detail on top of the blocks, assembled, and quilted.

When I showed the end project to my mom, she was stunned! The blocks I had placed on top fray and move and it adds a playfulness that is not seen very often in batiks. It turned out so much better than either of us had anticipated. She proudly displays this on her sofa and everyone comments on it.

Again, this one is not for sale (my mom would never part with it!) But if you see something you like and would like one of your own, please contact me for a custom quote!

That is all I have for today! I have several projects coming to the board as I continue to complete projects. Please check back to see what is next. I am also working on several of my own patterns that will be available soon. If you would like more information about any of the quilts or information you have seen, message me!

Spring Cleaning

I love this time of year, everything is fresh and new. And for some reason it seems so easy to to set new goals for the year and come up with a plan. When the year started I bought a new sewing machine! I splurged and spoiled myself. I have had several months to play and practice and with the new season I have reprioritized and reorganized my 'stash'. I want to complete (and sell) as many projects as possible and that starts today. I have two projects ready to go and two more on the way.  

 This one may be familiar, It is a project I 'restarted' late last year. It was the first quilt I made, knowing nothing about quilting. I decided to take out all the quilting, and redo it. I think it turned out spectacularly.

I did a free motion double heart design with directional sashing overall. I hope this inspires everyone to look at those few projects that may be just not sitting right, and take a second look to see if something else can be possible. I am selling this one, if you are interested please message me! It holds a lot of great memories and started me down my path, but it is time to let someone else love it as much as I do. It would make a great baby quilt or small lap quilt, it could also be hung on a wall for some great color!

The second one I have available is very different. I was practicing a new scrapping technique. I wanted to use light and dark contrasts and think it turned out great. I quilted it with a decorative switch around the blocks but because the overall quilt was busy so I left the rest of it alone. The back has a fun bycicle design that is a fuzzy fabric. I was practicing a new block type and after I had made a few, I kept going. This pattern is all me, the first one that I have actually finished! and I played around with the quilting. It is a great size, I made it and extra long lap quilt. (I don't like when my toes don't quite get covered up) If you are interested in the pattern or quilt please contact me!

That's it for now. I have more sewing to do. I am dipping into pattern making and I should have some available by the end of the year. If you see anything that you like or would like to know more information about feel free to comment or share.

Mid Year Accomplishments

Where has this year gone?! We are six months in to this year and I have made some progress towards my goal to finish as many projects as possible. Of course I had to start a couple projects in there too, but last week I finished two amazing quilts. I had mentioned earlier this year that I would be making a T-Shirt Quilt for my sister who graduates this year, and well I finished it. I am so excited to reveal it here. The other one I finished is for a couple of friends who just bought their first house!

I also had a great opportunity with both of these, I got to quilt them on a long-arm. I would have never been able to quilt the one for my friends on my machine (my little janome) without a long arm. 

Here is the finished T-Shirt Quilt. (I have close-ups below) I added fabric between all the shirts so that I could get all the blocks to work. At my sister's graduation party we had this on display and by far the most favored block was the lion king with the green 'mane'. Each block has a story, and each shirt is special to my sister. I tried to take each one she gave me and accent the beauty and design of each one.
She gave me about forty shirts and I had her pick out fabric that she liked out of my stash I I put it all together. We also sorted thru each of the shirts, talking about size, her preferences, and if she likes the front or back (mostly with all the names listed or signatures of cast members).
I then got to play around with practicing techniques, patterns, designs, and colors. (Then later I got to play around quilting)

 This is the back, I think it really shows off the quilting. On the front, it's hard to see it from a distance (It looks really cool up close). I used a bright purple thread to show it off against the black fabric (It has treble clefs that are slightly lighter than the black.
I tried to do something different in each block, and use the stitching to really enhance to shirts.

I had so much fun with this whole thing. I did get a little stuck here and there-but ultimately (and because of a little time constraint) I got it done. She graduated on Friday, and I get to present it to her then! (Her party was over Memorial Day Weekend and I had the top done, but the long arm wasn't available until the next day.

So here is each section, stories and inspiration, of an amazing sister represented in fabric.

Camp Foster is a prominent theme thru-out the whole quilt. I actually started with the blue print camp foster shirt in the lower left corner. Shan was very active in plays (Stage manager) and several are featured. I used the flower print to fill in some spacing when I was piecing the whole thing. When I was working on the shirts I had run out of ideas and started cutting into the blocks. The red Austin Packers one was the first one I cut. I used a monarch print to build that section. The most expensive fabric I used in the whole entire top was the red stars that is striped in the cougar shirt. It's red with silver stars, I only got 1/8th of a yard as it was $16/yard! Yikes! One of my favorite pieces is the strip of color blocks across the top. I was working on another quilt and had these few left over. It worked out to be a great filler. Then you flip it over to the back you can see the inside row detailing. Shan had picked out the batik print and I used it to accent the side.

The 'I heart New York' shirt was a later addition to the collection. While I was working on the top, Shan actually went to New York and brought a shirt back to add. It ended up being my favorite shirt.When I

quilted it on the long arm, it tore a little because the print was so new. When quilting the shirts, I was more careful not to go over the designs themselves if they were a little thicker. The Nicaragua was a last minute addition. I had received it in the mail the day I finished the top. Lion King came from the New York trip and I wanted to do something special. The print was very thick and I didn't want to cut into it and ruin it.The in-between print I used were music notes to accent around. Some of the other fill ins were fabrics Shan picked out from my stash. I really tried to do some special with the blocks and the back shows it best. I used a bright pink/purple thread against the black- it really popped the stitching out.

The second half is coming later. I wanted to get this out. I have so many projects in the works and several that I am close to finishing. I will post more, and show a couple more techniques.

Another piece of exciting news. My husband has agreed to build me a long arm! He of course wants it to be perfect so it might be a while, but that would be so awesome!

Happy quilting!!