Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter!! I got a finish in before the bunny arrived

Crossroads is done!!  I think I might put it back on the frame and feather the parts of the X that are quilted, it just doesn't look that even to me.  But that's not gonna happen for a while. We'll see if it grows on me

Crossroads

Crossroads back detail

Crossroads border
Crossroads back

And since I finished one of the quilts on my to-do list, that means I get to start another one.  This is one that will be for Hands 2 Help (did you sign up yet?  see the button on the side).  It's a double nine patch, which I found here.  A couple different layouts, not sure which one I like the most.
Double D9P layout 1 
Double D9P layout 2

Double D9P layout 3

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.  Don't eat too many of those peeps or jelly beans :)

Sunday, March 24, 2013

DWM - 3/25 and Hands2Help

Well, really there's nothing on the design wall that's new or even interesting.  Dang.  but there will be soon because you know what time of year it is!  It's time for Hands 2 Help, make a quilt for two great charities.  Just click on the button and check it out.  Better hurry, there's a give away for signing up.

H2H 2013 logo
So why nothing on the design wall?  Cuz I was quilting like a crazy woman!!  I tried so hard to get it finished, but it just wasn't going to happen.  I have the bottom border to do and the feathers going up one of the side borders.  Man I wish I knew how to do feathers upside down.  When I have a one sided feather (just doesn't sound right does it) I have to go in a circle.  I can't do bother side borders.  Doesn't look at that nice with all the markings does it?   I mark and use a ruler.  Talk about taking twice as long, but I do need to do it.  And I think I'm getting better with the ruler, no bites out of the ruler this quilt.  I've got some pretty good nicks in some of the ruler.  I found out who quilted the original design for this, Sheri Butler who posted on the APQS forum.  Wow, she's inspiring :)  Thanks to Sandie for a great name for the quilt, Crossroads here's what she said - "Your paths crossed in Pinterest where you found the inspiration piece, the blocks intersect with the cross that forms, and all of our paths cross every week here on DWM." Brilliant!
Crossroads

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Sunday, March 17, 2013

DWM 3/18 - can we have one more day for the weekend, please??

What a great quilting in weekend.  I finished up the Irish Chain, my oldest UFO ever by a very very long shot, over 10 years old. But that baby is done!!  I finished one of the plaid obsessions.  I have all the string ready for the second one and working on the sashing and nine patches.
Plaid Obession #1
Then I got distracted by Pinterest where I was so inspired by this  beauty.  I say this and unfortunately it's not linked to anyone's blog or web site.  I tried tracing back to see where it came from, but wsn't really sure I hit the right place. 
quilter unknown but would love to know who is quilting this so wonderfully
As I looked closer I thought, wait a minute, I have those blocks!!  30 of them from a block swap.  So guess what I did, yep it's together and on the frame now :)  I don't know if I'll be able to make mine as gorgeous as that one but I'm gonna try. Wish I knew who did the quilting on that one, I'd love to drop them a note and get pinterest linked to the right person

30s Repo - needs a name
Boy I tried turning off the word verification but the spam is just awful, had to turn it back on.

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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Happy National Quilters Day and a finish for St Patrick's day

I finished it, binding and all!!  So happy to have this one done.  It took for ever for me to quilt this cuz I just didn't know what to put in the big empty space.  A couple weeks ago I was going through some old quilt magazines and found this in the August/Sept 2011 issue of The Quilter Magazine.  As soon as I saw this I knew that was what I needed for the center.  Mary Nordeng has some wonderful books out but I wasn't able to find a blog.  Anyway, very inspirational, thanks Mary :)
Mary Nordeng's Circle of Blooms
So here's mine.  I just can't believe I did it.  I was a bit nervous trying to take on such a grand motif and mine is far from perfect but I was pleased as punch with the turn out.  And I only have 1 quilt left on the waiting to be quilted pile - woohoo!!  Oh back to this quilt....I used two layers of batting, Hobbs 80/20 and Hobbs poly down.  Bottom Line thread in bobbin,  Superior Rainbow (Berry delightful) on the colored areas, 2 strands of bottom line in the white areas.  This one is resting comfortably on one of the guest beds.







Friday, March 15, 2013

Fresh off the frame for St Patrick's - Triple Irish Chain


I couldn't  wait to share, just pulled this off the frame.   I'll have better picture of the full quilt and other tidbits tomorrow.  Today just a couple of pictures.




Saturday, March 9, 2013

A little quilting today

 I felt like doing some crazy quilting today and that is just what I did.  I finally put the Irish Chain on the frame.  I made this quilt over 10 years ago for my mother in law.  When we moved to the house we live in now, I had just finished the top and then we started construction on the house.  I was in a bin in the basement for over 10 years.  I thought it had gotten thrown out but was pleasantly surprised when my husband found it.  Now my mother in law is no longer with us.  But I think she would have liked it.  She was a sweet heart and I do miss her.  I smile when I see this quilt because I think of her.

The pictures doesn't show very well.  I have not natural light in my quilting room.  But you get the idea....It was a bit of quilting therapy today.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Easy Steet

It's done.  I just finished putting the binding on.  I used a pantofgraph on this one.  It Fly Away, not sure who the designer is.  I can check in the morning.  Doing a search didn't bring it up.  But I did get this pantograph with my long arm.  I was never able to do it as there are some long winding graceful curves and I just struggle with those on a pantograph.  But hey, how will I ever get better if I don't try.  Easy Street is for me and the pattern is so busy that even if I mess up on the quilting, it will hardly be noticeable !  Yep that's what I told myself and I just went for it.  I started out pretty shaky, but by the time I was half way through I was feeling a lot better.  It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be but it didn't make me run out of the room screaming cuz it was so bad either :)  Well here you go....It's a big one 102" sq.  So Fine on top, Bottom Line in the bobbin and Hobb's poly down batting.  This was the first time I've used the Hobb's poly down.  We'll see how it looks after it washes up.




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