Happy Feb 29th!

We get an extra Design Wall Monday this year! But I have nothing on the design wall as its down for a few days (maybe more than a few) while I paint the long arm room.  The jewel tones are going and making way for Vintage Linen.  I'll miss my color, but will be a refreshing change. I may have to compensate in quilts that are oozing with color to make up for the lack of on the walls.  Sure will be glad when it's done.  But I have a design table which has a few things on it. First up the next two blocks for Splendid Sampler.   I really am liking this mystery sampler.  I've been able to keep up and hey, we're 5% done!  I'm making blocks that I know I never would have done if I weren't participating and finding that I really do like them.  It's the adventure and going down paths that you might not have traveled otherwise.  Anyone doing the Splendid Sampler?  Here's blocks 4 and 5.  Block four I used the flower centers on the Accuquilt Round Flower Die, they were the perfect size and for fusible, cut perfectly!

Splendid Sampler Block 4

Splendid Sampler - Block 5

Look who came to visit this weekend.  He insisted he was a Dr in this picture.  I told him he really looked more like a quilter!  He loves fabrics, I really think he's my best chance at having a quilting buddy so far.  One thing we did agree on is who's car seat cover was on the table. We both agreed that one should go to Louis.  This is from a pattern Daugther #2 picked up at Joanne's.  Like the strategically placed strip of coordinating fabric? That's what ya do when don't have enough of one fabric, add more to it.

He looks like a quilter right?

Baby Carrier Cover for Louis

Calvin gets this one. I've had those fabrics waiting for a couple of years for the right project.  Just barely had enough to finish these to. Great to be able to complete projects with what you have on hand.

Baby Carrier Cover for Calvin

Hope you have a great week with some quilty fun.  Check out the linky parties on the side bar, lots of fun all around.

The last of the Feb Finishes

I dunno how it happened, but I have two more finishes for Feb.  Wow, what is going on here?  I've been stalled for the past 6 months or so and now the finishes are coming out of the woodwork. Well ok so I've been working on these for quite some time.....But a finish is a finish!!

Big Rigs for Big Boys 

Yep - where's all the crazy quiltin???

I"m guessing the back is going to get more use that the front, trains, planes, helpicopters, cars...oh boy

First up is the Big Rig quilt.  This little guy saw me working in the sewing room one day and asked what I was working on. I told him a quilt and he looked up at me with those big eyes full of excitement and said "For me???".  I asked him if he need a new quilt and he had no hesitation at all, very promptly replied "Yes".  When I asked him what he wanted on his quilt almost as quickly as the "yes" he said "Trucks". Here you have his Big Rig Quilt.  This guy had a sleep over this weekend and was so excited to see his quilt top done.  I think he was actually more excited about the backing (which is super cute for a 4 year little dude).  He was so excited to show everyone.  I wish I could have sent it home with him, but it just wasn't done before he had to leave.  No worries, he'll get it next week.  Notice the lack of detailed quilting shots?  Well that's cuz I only did stitch in the ditch and around the applique.  My goodness do you know how hard it is to NOT quilt something like crazy?  I caved and at least had to quilt a road for those big rigs but that's it.  Man took every ounce of will power not to quilt more and more and more. The ideas racing through my head.....This is  a twin size quilt for Mr Smiles twin size bed.  Hobbs Poly Down batting, and filtec invisible thread on top, So Fine in the bobbin.

And then there's this one.  I really want a broken dishes quilt.  I think I have a boat load of 2.5 in squares and I just just make one with them.  I tried with these Joel Dewberry prints and it was just too wild next to each other.  I separated them a bit and I think it calms it down a bit.  I did some custom ruler work on this one so soften up all the lines, but not too much.  I'm saving the crazy ridiculous quilting for the swoon quilt which is almost done.  Here's my broken dishes.  I think this will be my first Hands2Help quilt this year.  Check the side bar, it's starting soon. This is my favorite time of year!!   Ploydown Batting, Glide thread, size is 68 x 80, nice size, cozy flannel on the back.

Block 1

Blocke 2

Block 3

all three blocks

And I started the Splendid Sampler, we'll see how long I can keep up.  Three down 97 to go.  It's a challenge that's for sure.

Check out all the linky parties on the side bar. I think there might be a couple more this week.  Anyone know of any long arm linky parties?  I'd really like to join a couple of those.   

February is Full of Finishes!

Wow, February is turning out to be way better than Jan for the finishes department.  Shoot, I've got two more on the books.  Now that the twins quilts are done, I put Til Death Star Do We Part (Moon Glow) back on the frame.  I tell you that quilt was on and off the frame more than any other quilt I have ever quilted. But it's off for good.  I feathers the half moons on the border and think it just fits so much better.  This quilt is far from flat, but those little love birds won't have any idea!!

Half Moons needed more feathers 

Done Done Done

Soft and cozy back

I also finished up Moon Dust which is Moon Glows simpler less flashy sibling.  I do have to say Jinny Beyer does know how to put a color palette together.  This was completed with the left overs from Moon Glow. That is a really generous quilt kit.  The Moon Glow quilt is a great size on it's own, but Moon Dust is 74 x 87.  I cut up all the scraps left over into charm squares and 2.5 in stripes.  Used all the charm squares with about 20 left over.  Makes me feel like maybe I left a few things out of Moon Glow!  Moon Dust has Hobbs Poly Down batting, glide thread on top and pantograph is Fantasy Flame from Urban Elementz.

Pantograph - Fantasy Flame Urban Elementz

Hobbs Poly Down Batting

Moon Dust

Moon Dust Back

74x87 - made with 5 in charms left overs from moon dust

I've got presidents day off today and have the hubs running errands.  I'll be spending some time at the frame with a ruler and maybe a little piecing.  I really should try to get that swoon quilt done now that I'm such a roll here.  Hope everyone has a great week.  Check out the linky parties on the side bar.  I added a couple new ones last week.

Graffiti Quilts - Not Planned and Planned

Two Graffiti quilts completed, but made from Shirtings from the twins Dad, Gramps and my shirt stash.  Doesn't everyone have a shirts stash?  The first one, the green one for Louis was inspired by Katy over at KatyQuilts with her Improv Quilt.  I tried the improv, it looks so liberating, so free, so fast an easy.  It brought be to a screeching halt.  When I have a plan, I can look at the plan and go.  I know what I need to do and get it done.  But this no plan stuff, oh boy I just don't know how to do it and do it without halting to a snails crawl.  So I got the green one done, it's a baby quilt not that big and I can just push through it.  I love the colors of this quilt.  I wasn't confident in the graffiti quilting so I chose a thread color to match the backing.    The grid on the shirting material is freehand grids, not measured, organic, ya that's the word I want!! More on the graffiti quilting at the end.  Glide thread, cotton sateen backing, hobbs 80/20 batting.  All make for a pretty nice drape of the quilt.

Unplanned

Unplanned Back

 

The second one I needed a bit more of a plan.  EQ7 to the rescue.  I went with triangles, they look great, modern and a consistent patch, I used the accuquilt triangle die, even easier!  Then I just randomly decided in each row where the blue would end, threw in a couple of blue triangles like they were falling off, and it looks pretty unplanned right?  I think this took me even longer than the unplanned quilt above.  But it's done and I think it was worth the effort.  I just quilted the horizontal lines on this not the vertical, in the shirting material,  I got lazy.  I used a light blue thread on top went with 60wt  bottom line rather than glide, getting a bit more adventurous, but not overly confident, shirting material on the back and hobbs 80/20.  I like this combination a lot better, nice softer drape. More about the graffit quilting next.

Planned

Planned

The quilting, oh my this was way out of my comfort zone.  I had Karlee Porters Graffiti Quilting book, six of my doodles and my ipad with the internet close by.  It's really had to just change up the quilting pattern as you go and do what *feels* right.  Well shoot, feathers feel right all the time but I know I can't do feathers all the time.  I would almost literally do one collection of "things", take a look almost all are in either groupings of three or five, stop, check the book, check my doodles, check the internet and figure out what needed to  be quilted next.  It was definitely a learning experience and really stretched the way I had to look at quilting.  Oh and an added bonus, I actually did some ribbon candy quilitng, I was so happy, it even looked pretty decent a few time. Here's some detailed pics on the quilting.  I definitely recommend giving it a try.  I tried, and now I'm going back to my comfort zone and feather something ridiculously!

There were a couple of questions about dense quilting and softness.  Good questions. First, nothing is ever as soft and cozy as hand quilting, absolutely nothing.  I really want to do a blog post on this with examples, one of these days....There are other things that contribute to the stiffness or softness of the quilt.  I think you need to consider softness with air pockets and with drape.  If you associate softness with air pockets, then no dense quilting will never be as soft as less dense quilting. If you associate drape with softness then there are things that you can do to have a very soft drape.  Use a thin thread, the more dense your quilting the thinner the thread. There is a difference between the 50wt  thread  and the 60 wt thread with dense quilting.   Batting, use cotton batting if you want a soft drape, poly if you want a stiff quilt (which you will want if you plan to hang - one layer of cotton, one of poly and your quilt will lay very flat with dense quilting).  I think backing makes a difference too.  Minky is very pliabe, shirting material and cotton sateen all help keep that drape nice and soft.    I really do want to do a blog post with pictures and attempt to show the drape of different combinations of batting and dense quilting.  No it's not as soft and airy as less dense quilting, but drape, which does not have to be stiff and can be quite pliable very dense quilting.

Don't forget to stop by the linky parties, so much inspiration out there.

Two Fun Finishes

I love baby quilts. They are so fun, so quick and you can try out all sorts of new things.  These two are for the twins that are due in April.  I got to try out quite a few new motifs.  I wanted something different on each quilt and different in each strip.  I think I did pretty good.  That wasn't the plan at first.  Rarely does my original plan actually look much like the finished product.  I wanted to do an all over free motion design with an elongated swirl and then echoing a few times in all the strips.  I hated it.  Took me ten minutes to quilt and 3 hours to rip it all out.  But really I didn't like it.  Then I decide ok, since fast and easy wasn't going to work might as up the complexity level, something different in each strip.  I got a little lazy on a few, just quilted the fabric, hey it works.  The zig-zag on Calvin's is interesting as it looks like different fabric on each side of the quilt doesn't it?  I quilted on the green line on one side, and the white line on the other.  The shadows make it look different.  I really didn't, and still don't, like the green peas in the first green strip of Calvin's but I just wasn't going to rip that out.  I don't think he'll mind :)  One of the arrows in the bottom of Calvin's the point is way off center.  Again I wasn't going to rip it out.  But the key lesson here, is that if you just look at those one individual things they may not look all that great.  But mix them up with everything else in the quilt and you might not even notice.  Now that I told you, it may be all that you notice!! I hate when that happens.  Details on the quilts, they both have Hobb's 80/20 batting, Premo soft thread on top, magna glide in the bobbins and super soft minky on the back.  Just love how the quilting shows up with minky. The fox is from The Red Boot Quilt Company, super cute. I had so much fun with these.  Can't wait it meet these two little guys.

Something different in each strip. Sometimes just using the fabric pattern was good and of course there had to be feathers

A little ruler work

Not that happy with the numbers, but I don't think Louis will mind.  If he does, I"ll make him a new quilt :)

Sweet little fox

Loved picking out the pants for the fox

super soft minky on the back

Love how that looks.  Hobbs 80/20 batting, magna glide in the bobbin, premo soft thread on top

Here's Calivin's, can't wait to meet them both

ruler work feathers, nothing but pure fun

The argyle pants are my favorite.  

Just using the fabric on these for the quilting motif in the striped and zig zag strips.  The zig zag looks totally different on the other side, the only difference is quilting on the green line vs the white. The shadows make all the difference

 

See pea pods thingys in the green, I really don't like it, but just left it and it's fine with everything else.  The zig zag looks totally different on the other side, the only difference is quilting on the green line vs the white. The shadows make all the difference

One got numbers the other letters.  

love the back of this one

And what do you do with the left over minky?  Why you make burp cloths!  The burp cloths that I made that match the quilts are with a towel which is ok.  But those minky burp cloths, wow, you could wipe my face any time with those.  I've got a few different scraps of minky left and will definitely make a few more. Here's a free pattern that I used, quick and easy. When the babies are done with them, they'll make the cutest dust cloths

Just a little progress on the quilt that has plan but isn't suppose to look like it has a plan.  Sheesh this looking like there is no plan is really time consuming!!  When I think improv and no plan, I think cut sew, cut, sew and boom you're done.  That is not how this one is going.  It's slow moving, only 4 more rows to go.  I've the got the true improv quilt on the frame, pretty excited to get started on the  graffiti quilting.

ready for some graffiti quilting, trying to pick a thread that will blend in yet I still want to be able to see it.

Done' forget to check out the linky parties on the side bar. I added a couple of new ones.