The Last Wedding Quilt

Tags

freemotionquilting, modernquilt, quilt, weddingquilt

Nephew #4 got married in July 2015. Here is the quilt I made for him and his lovely new wife. This quilt is currently living with them in Bangkok, Thailand.

Figuring out what to do

On the design wall

Sewing the rows

Pinning the top

Experimenting with different quilting options

Anchor quilting the sashing with my walking foot

Marking the squares for free motion quilting

After echo quilting the sashing, I filled each little square with free motion quilting. I broke and buried the threads in each square. Yes, I am insane when it comes to quilting.

Free motion quilting each little square

Free motion quilting and binge watching Gilmore Girls

Colored Squares – Full View

Close up of the quilting

Label

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Big Girl Quilts

Tags

contemporaryquilt, girlquilt, quilt, traditionalquilt

Nephew #2 welcomed his third daughter in April. They already have plenty of baby quilts from the first two girls, so this time I made big girl quilts for the older sisters.

I wanted the quilts to be different, but since they are sharing a room with twin beds, the quilts needed to go together. So I chose different patterns using the same fabrics.

Ali’s quilt is a traditional Rail Fence pattern with 1/2″ white sashing.

Ali’s quilt top on the design wall.

All over loops and flowers quilting

More of the quilting

The back

The label

For Avery’s quilt, I cut a bunch of 10″ squares. Then I cut them in half, making two 5″ x 10″ blocks. Then I cut one of those in half making two 5″ squares and so one, with each cut I kept one block and cut the other in half. The final cut made two 2.5″ squares. Then I mixed them up and randomly re-assembled the blocks into 10″ squares using 1/2″ sashing.

Avery’s quilt in process

Completed top on the design wall

Matchstick quilting with the walking foot

More quilting

The label

The patterns are distinctly different but by using the same fabrics and 1/2″ white sashing, they look pretty good together.

Ali’s Quilt artistically draped

Avery’s Quilt artistically draped

Tangerine

Tags

modernquilt, quilt, traditionalquilt

The June/July issue of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine should be in your e-mail boxes now. The pattern for my Tangerine quilt appears on page 72.

I found the center block in the “Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns” by Barbara Brackman. It is block #1164, called “Arrow Crown”. I added the ribbon border first, then decided it needed to be bigger and added the other borders. The quilt was completed in November of 2014 for a guild challenge. Each member drew a crayon from a paper bag and had to make something quilted using only that color plus white, grey or black.  I drew tangerine.

Close up of the front

Close up of the quilting

I quilted it on my domestic table top Juki using a low loft cotton batting. I used all white thread in the bobbin but switched the color of the top thread to match each block.

Full view of the back

Ups and Downs

Tags

modernquilt, quilt

I am calling this quilt “Ups and Downs”. It is a wedding gift for Nephew #1 and his sweet bride.

Ups and Downs (2015)

Ups and Downs – close up of the front

Ups and Downs – back

Ups and Downs – quilting from the back

Ups and Downs – label

Boston Uncommon

Tags

quilt, traditionalquilt

I finally completed another version of my Boston Uncommon quilt pattern. In exchange for me making this quilt in these colors, Dawn Williams made a generous donation to the Michigan Organ Transplant Family Assist Fund.

I started piecing this quilt at the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild retreat at the end of January. It was supposed to be a queen, but I miss-calculated and it turned into a king. I had all the blocks made by the time I realized how large it was going to be, so I decided to just go with it. The final size is 92″ x 102″.

Here is a full view of the front

A close up of the front

Here a full view of the back.

I quilted a king on my Juki once before, but it was so hard to move all that weight around. I decided to send this one out. This is the first time I have had someone else quilt one of my tops. Kathy Koch of Thread Bear Quilting did a fabulous job.

Close up of the quilting from the back

This is the label

Quilting on Dancing Nine-Patches

Tags

freemotionquilting, quilt

I have eight quilt tops ready to be quilted. The first was “Brad’s Quilt”. The quilting is done. All that remains is to hand sew the binding.

I started quilting on “Dancing Nine-Patches” yesterday. The plan is to quilt a diagonal grid in the nine-patches and then fill in the areas between with something else. I am not brave enough to do the grid free-motion, so I drew it on with chalk and a ruler. I am using my walking foot to trace the lines. Once the grid is done, I will switch to free motion to fill in the rest.

Linking up with Free Motion Friday.

Brad’s Quilt

Tags

freemotionquilting, quilt

I am linking this post to Free Motion Friday. I have been quilting on Brad’s quilt.

I anchored the entire quilt by using my walking foot to echo an outline of all the blocks. Then I free motion quilted a grid in the nine-patches.

Here is the front of the quilt.

I had to use the flash to get my camera to photograph the black fabric, so these photos are a bit washed out. The backing is actually a very nice grey on black fabric.

It is easier to see the quilting from the back. I used white thread which pretty much disappears on the front and pops on the back.

I used the “Tree Roots” pattern by Leah Day in the borders.

More of the quilting from the back.

Free Motion Quilting in a Small Space

Tags

freemotionquilting, quilt

It can be a challenge to setup comfortably for free motion quilting in a small space. My sewing room is about 9′ X 10′. This is not a lot of room for spreading out. I have room for some shelves plus four pieces of furniture, a sewing table, an ironing board, a cutting table and a drawer rack for fabric.

Here is how it looks set up for regular sewing.

My sewing table is perpendicular to the cutting table. There is just enough room for my chair between the shelves and the sewing table.

Moving around the room, here is the fabric storage.

The ironing station.

The design wall.

For free motion I need a lot of table space behind and to the left of the machine. I turn my sewing table so that it is backs up to the cutting table. The ironing board is lowered and placed to the left of the sewing table.

Now there is just enough room for my chair between the sewing table and the fabric drawers.

I can’t close the door to the hallway, but I do have the support I need to free motion a large quilt.

Before anyone asks, I DID clean up the room before taking the photos.

I am linking this post with Leah Day’s Free Motion Quilt Project.

I have been busy

Tags

modernquilt, quilt, totebag

I haven’t posted for a while, but I have been busy.

I made this giant tote bag for carrying quilts to guild meetings:

It measures 24 x 20 x 8 and can hold up to three queen sized quilts.

Yellow Cubes is finished! Yah!

I have entered this into the Modern Quilt Exhibit being curated by the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild for the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Show in July.

New Baby Quilt

Tags

babyquilt, girlquilt, quilt

I fell in love with this fabric (Urban Garden by Jennifer Moore for Monaluna Organic Fabrics). So, I made this quilt for my niece who is expecting her second little girl in about 4 weeks.

I am also giving her this “Big Girl” quilt for her toddler. This one was finished a few years ago and I have been holding on to it until her daughter was a little older.