Gifts, Leftovers, Requests, and Progress

I decided at the last minute to make a teacher's gift for my son's Kindergarten teacher.  

I finished it in two days!  I used (42) 10" print squares and (84) 4.5" white squares.  Place the white squares on opposite sides of the print square and sew corner to corner.  Trim, leaving 1/4" seam allowance. 

 Ta-da! Insta-quilt!  I love that it's really simple to put together, but still looks like I put some effort forth!

I even had some backing fabric on hand that was from the same designer as the prints on the front!

The quilting went quickly since I got to use my baby (my Tiara).  I'm working on a video review of that by the way!  I've made the video, I just have to write the post! Is there anything stranger than listening to yourself on film?  I end up sounding like a Southern Elle Woods or something.  ha ha!

After trimming the corners from the quilt at the top, I had all these perfectly matched triangles of prints/neutral all ready to sew!  I whipped out this baby quilt in no time!

I'd been wondering what to do with that yard of Meadow Sweet 2! Perfect backing!

I opted for a coral linen binding for this one.  I like the added texture.

I also quilted more densely than I do on larger quilts.  Makes for an extra crinkly, cuddly quilt!  This one will go in my Etsy shop soon.

Last week I finished two custom quilts for the utterly adorable and completely sweet Kelle Boyd (designer Ann Kelle).  She lives really close to me so I'm a convient quilt monkey. :) 

I adore pixelated hearts!  This one has a completely different look than my last one, but I love it!  It's bright and fresh and summery! 

I used the Remix zig zag print and cut it on the bias for the binding.  I usually don't make bias binding, but I had a feeling this would turn out cool (and I was right!)  It sort of reminds me of a Greek key pattern.  Just love it!

I also designed and made this ballerina quilt for Kelle (Ann Kelle).  I based it off of THIS quilt by Kati.  I'm not sure if Kati used a pattern, but I designed one to fit the dimensions of the ballerinas.  Doesn't it look like candy?  I love all the solids!

And there are loads of ballerinas on the back too!  This fabric line is just too stinkin' cute!!!!

I'm also making some progress on my pillow for PTS10!  I just have to decide how I'm going to quilt it!  Decisions, decisions!

Gifts, Quilting, and WOWZA!

I'm meeting up with 8  of my favorite girls in Atlanta next week and I'm busy making some presents for them!  I bought these wooden frames a while back (sorry, I don't remember where!) and I painted each one a different color using acrylic paint.  Then, I cut a piece of fabric that is slightly larger than the frame and 3-4 pieces of batting a tiny bit larger than the frame opening.  I'm sure you could use fiber-fill stuff too, but I have tons of batting scraps so that's what I used!

Push the fabric with batting through the frame opening and place the cardboard frame backing in place.  Pull the fabric taunt over the batting.  Use hot glue to secure the excess down to the cardboard frame backing.

Ta-da! instant mini pincushion that can't tip over or roll off the table!  This is a great way to use that precious scrap you've been hoarding! :)

I'm busy quilting my Scrappy Trip Along!  I decided to use a cathedral-like quilting (see my video tutorial).  

This process is pretty speedy and it's super forgiving if you're new to free motion quilting!

I finally broke down and sent out a quilt to be professionally quilted.  I made this top using blocks from two of my quilting bees--see my post about it here  I knew this top needed something special so I asked Krista to take care of my baby.  I did not give her instructions.  I simply trusted her.  Obviously, she didn't disappoint!  

She totally blew me away with this "K" quilted into one of the blocks!

Can you believe this????  It's absolutely stunning!

Every square inch is covered in awesomeness!!!  I truly cannot thank Krista enough for her fabulous artistic talents!  This quilt is better than I could have ever dreamed!

I even love it from the back!  I'm waiting on my binding fabric to arrive to finish this up and I can't wait to snuggle under it!

Fall in Winter

I finally finished my Modern Maples quilt!!!!  It's the middle of winter and I'm celebrating fall, but who cares?!?!?!?

This is my take on a pattern by Amanda Jennings in Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays.  I changed the layout some and I decided to use various neutral solids instead of just one color.  I also gathered my courage and used lots of hard to find fabrics!  See that bit of blush colored Presentation Mermaids?  Yeah, that's the last little bit I had! Sniff. Sniff.  It was worth it though!  I love each and every print I chose!

The colors and fabrics I used are really outside the box for me, but I am thrilled with the results!  I also quilted this in no time with my new machine, Bea (a Tiara).  I don't think this even took me 2 hours to quilt!  I used the double loop style from Angela's free motion book (such a great book!).  My stitches and transitions are not as smooth on this pattern as on my regular stippling, but it's getting there!

I couldn't just put the special stuff on the front!  I used almost all of these Lush paint dots I had for the back!

We can't forget the label!

Blissful Bea!

Bea (my new BabyLock Tiara) and I have been getting aquatinted!  It's been blissful!   This is a custom order full size quilt using Moda's Domestic Bliss.

I managed to quilt this 85"x95" quilt without having to wrestle it! You know what I mean--the rolling, the shoving, the cursing-yourself-for-making-a-quilt-so-big moments we all have when you try to free motion on your home machine.  There is just so much room now! 

Quilting larger quilts is so much easier!   I used a floral motif from Angela Walters' book.  I won't lie, this design took a while to do all over this big quilt.  It's not difficult, just lots of bobbin changes!

Here's a peek at the backing.  This may be my all time favorite print for backing (from Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line)!  It's at least tied with an Ikea text print I'm pretty nuts about!

While I have a stitch regulator for the Tiara, I did not use it for this project.  I'm really comfortable with this design and I like to go super fast so I chanced it. :)  I'm pretty happy with how the stitches came out, especially the back!!!!  I had absolutely NO tension issues! Oh happy day!

Le sigh.  I seriously love the back!  It's making me want to quilt a whole cloth quilt using just that print! 

I'm also using Bea to expand my FMQ horizons a bit.  I'm trying some new things out with this quilt--not quite sure if I should be experimenting on my Wonderland quilt, but oh well!  Bea will make it beautiful I'm sure. ha ha!

Made this little mini version of a quilt I made last year.  I gave this one to my quilty friend Stephanie who lives just down the road from me.  She is about to move into her new house and I thought her new sewing room could use some decorating!

The backing on this one is pretty special too!  This is an IKEA print that Faith gave me a while back.  I've been hoarding it waiting for just the right project.

Whew!  I think I'm all caught up now!  I'm headed to Dallas tomorrow to visit my best friend who is 9 month preggo!  She's still disgustingly tiny though.  So unfair! 

She's HERE!!!!!

I'm a proud Mama again!  This is Bea!  She's my new quilting machine (a BabyLock Tiara).  I'm still setting her up and reading the manual, but I cannot WAIT to starting quilting those 5 quilts I basted last week!  Also, remember this quilt?

Yeah, my 100"x100" AMH beauty?  I'm so excited to have Bea because now I don't have to send my pretty quilt off for quilting, I can do it myself!

Many Projects, FAQ, and a Basting Video

These are the three quilts I completed Friday night!

The quilt in the video.

Back side view

Close up of binding with invisible thread.

I just love this pattern!  I used Camille's version from her Simplify book, but I know there is a Moda Bakeshop tutorial for something similar!

I made these pillow covers Saturday night.  They're for a giveaway at a workshop I'm attending next weekend in Nashville.

I'm also playing around with some Amy Butler Love charms I've had for 2 years!  It was about time to use them in something!  I think this will be a nice size lap quilt (about 50"x60").

Who knew my FMQ video would spark so many questions?!?!?  I'm going to try and answer all of them here so I don't have to continually send the same emails. :)  I'm also posting a video of how I baste.

1.  I have a Baby Lock Symphony--no, I do not have a stitch regulator

2.  I use Gutterman poly thread for everything.  Aurifil doesn't like me, but my friend Tracey has the same machine and she loves Aurifil, go figure!

3.  I spray baste using 505

4.  I use size 80 or 90 needles to FMQ

5.  I machine stitch binding to the BACK of my quilts then use invisible thread to stitch it to the front. 

6.  I don't use any particular brand of invisible thread, just whatever is at the store when I need it

7.  I cut my binding at 2.25" on the straight grain unless I'm using premade bias binding.

8.  I can get about 5 lap size quilts or 10 baby size quilts from one can of 505.  This is a rough estimate.

9.  The style of FMQ I use is very easy for me in part because I used to draw and paint a lot and one of my favorite things to draw is underwater scenes (I'm a Pieces, ha ha!).  Do you see where this is going?  I drew seaweed ALL THE TIME so the movement to create the stipple look comes naturally from that.  I would suggest doodling to find what movement comes naturally to you and translate that on to a quilt rather than try and copy how other people do it.  This is the only form of FMQ that I can do easily.  I try and make swirls and it looks like a hot mess!  Stick with what you know!

Here's a little video of me spray basting!

Don't Hate Me!

This all started on Instagram when I posted this picture:

I had just basted these three baby quilts and I had a goal to quilt and bind them in one night.  Then came all the comments about how fast I am--I seem to get this comment a lot.  I don't feel I'm particularly fast.  I usually make simply pieced quilt and I machine stitch my binding so I think that accounts for a lot of the speediness.  I'm certainly not one of these people that stay up late quilting!  If I stay up past 11pm it's a late night!  

Then I decided to video tape the third quilt I free motion quilted to see if I really was going that fast.....and apparently I was!  I managed to quilt this 36" square quilt in less than 10 minutes!  Here is the video proof.

I think everyone has a part of the quilting process that they're good at, or at least feel the most comfortable with, free motion quilting is mine.  I did have someone ask if I've ever sewn over my finger and the answer is no. :)  Not yet!  I'm pretty aware of where my hands and needle are at all times, even if it doesn't look like it!

In case you were wondering, I did manage to finish quilting and binding all three quilt between the hours of 7pm-1030pm with a few breaks.  I'll show you guys the finished quilts when I can get some day light pictures.

So, what's your quilty talent?  Please share!