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.

Done, Done and getting started!

I think it was a record for me getting 3 quilts quilted this weekend. Wow, how did that happen?  Well I'll show at the end what my motivation was for getting these done. But first here's a couple of Hands 2 Help quilts.  It's not too late to join in the fun if you haven't already.  There's a button on the side bar that will take ya where ya need to go for all the details.  I've got Graffiti H2H #4 and H2H #5 done.  I really have to get better names for this quilts!!  Graffiti details - Hobbs Poly down batting, glide thread on top, pantograph is Ebb and Flow.  H2H #5, Hobbs poly down batting, So Fine thread on top, Premo Soft in the bobbin, pantograph is square fold diagonal from Urban Elementz. That was a pretty tough pantograph for a hand guided machine.  I like to call the look *organic* and is full of *texture* which all really means, it's not as accurate as I would like.  H2H #5 is made with Shot Cottons so it's got a great depth of color that you just can't see on camera.

Graffiti H2H #4 

Pantograph - Ebb and Flow 

Glide thread on top, med grey

Hobbs Poly Down Batting, sweet batik backing reminds me of chocolate covered cherries

H2H #5

Pantograph is Square Fold Diagonal from Urban Elementz

So Fine Thread on Top - I love the dimension you get using a shot cotton

I also finished Sandra's quilt, just a quick pantograph on this one, it is a sweet quilt.  Great for movie night. Quilters Dream Select Cotton Batting, Premo Soft on Top and is bobbin, new combination for me.  I liked it, but had to change the bobbin a bit more with the 50 wt thread rather than the 60.

Sandra's Quilt size is 75 x 84

Pantograph is Simply Stars by Lisa Calle 

Quilters Dream Select Cotton, So Fine thread on Top Premo Soft in the bobbin

Veronika came by and we have another quilt top done, this is H2H #6  - Pattern is Off Track by Cluck Cluck Sew.  Well it was suppose to be but I forgot to put the white strips in between the rows.  What how could I do that?  I kept looking at thinking it seemed a bit narrow, but then thought that might actually be better for someone have chemo,  so I'm leaving this one.  

Off Track H2H #6

Veronika also brought this dresden plate top that she said we could use if I quilted it.  I was so excited.  No pantograph on this one.   I told my self that I couldn't start anything custom unless I finished Sandra's quilt and one more H2H - that was my motivation for all these finishes.  As soon as I saw that dresden plate I started thinking of different designs.  My frame was empty and I just wanted to get started.  I just got the full set of curved rulers from Quilted Pineapple and you know I'm going to use those all over this beauty!! And I also just got the book "You Can Quilt It!" which has some great ideas for a dresden plate.  This top was found in a shop in Galena IL for $20.  There is one little tiny spot on it, but I don't think you'll notice when it's all done.  So excited.

And there - that's my sewing week, not bad eh??  I wonder if I'll be this productive when I retire ;)  Checking out the linky parties on the right, something for everyday of the week.

Needles on fire!!!

Holy smokes, my machine has been hmming all weekend.  I did go slow at first because I really didn't want to take this beauty off my frame.  I quilted this for Ann (she sewed the binding on my HUGE  Shining Star quilt).  I LOVE the dark blue with the greens and teals.  There was just something so comforting and soothing when I quilted this.  It's a pretty big quilt so it took me a little while.  This has Hobbs 80/20 batting, glide thread light blue thread on top and light grey magna glide in the bobbin.  Pantograph is Fan Fare by Patricia Ritter, still one of my favorites. I was glad it was nice enough to take pictures outside.  Does her quilt sparkle??  Great job Ann, I'm gonna miss this one.

Ann's Easy Street

Hobb's 80/20 Batting, Glide thread on top, light blue

Pantograph  - Fan Fare by Patricia Ritter

is that backing perfect?  just love everything about this one.

magna glide light grey on the back.

Then a friend of mine posted a story on facebook with some things she found in her yard  after the tornado last week.  This friend lives in Harvard which is over 55 miles from Rochelle.  And another friend in Twin Lakes WI, over 77 miles from Rochelle had debris in her yard.   From the same family, how crazy is that????  Well they decide to try to find these folks and let them know what they found and try to return it.  They found the family in Rochelle lost everything, breaks your heart.  So these two friends decided not only were they going to return what they found, but they were taking donations for this family.  Betty asked, if you lost everything what would you want.  I of course immediately thought, a quilt, I gotta have a blankie!!  Betty also was able to post a picture of the family and two of the girls had purple dresses on.  I knew immediately what quilt top to use.  Lucky for me we had 4 quilts waiting to be quilted for Hands 2 Help (see the side bar, still plenty of time to donate a quilt to one of three great charities).   One of those quilts got diverted.  It's done and ready to be delivered this week when Betty travels to Rochelle.  I've donated the quilt and a gift card.  Details on this quilt - Dew Drops pantograph, Glide thread on top - white, hobbs poly down battng, magna glide in the bobbin, light grey.  I almost like the back more than the front.  The size 54 ish x 64 ish.  Why don't I measure these when I'm done???

H2H 6 now going to Rochelle family

Poly down batting (Hobbs), glide thread on top white

Pantograph - Dew drops by Patricia Ritter

I think I like the back better than the front almost.  

Magna glide in the bobbin, light tan

Of course then I was feeling a bit guilty about not having a finish for H2H, so I got this one on and off the frame in no time.  Poor April needs a break!! Details on this quilt - Ebb and Flow pantograph (seriously quick and easy), glide thread on top, med grey and magna glide in the bobbin, dark grey.  I think it's 64 in square.  The pattern is Graffiti, simple and fun. 

Graffiti number 1 - H2H finish #2 wild and crazy color!

Poly Down (Hobbs) batting, glide thread on top, med grey 

Pantograph Ebb and Flow - Lorien Quilting 

Pattern Graffiti

Magna glide in the bobbin, dark grey - love the lines and curves on the backing

On the design wall, just a few more of this and a few more of that. I think something will need to come down before another block goes up, I really should get serious about finish one of these....

couple more stars, couple more shirting blocks, somethings gonna have to come off before anything else goes on!

Check out all the linky parties on the side bar, so many beauties out there you don't want to miss it!!  Hope everyone has a great week. 

The party's over - back to work

I so enjoyed my week off.  Only two years until retire and I think I will have no problems at all when retiring.  So what did I do on my week off??

• The first and second tops for H2H were completed - you can see them here
• Becky's just beachy came off frame - goodness she made a beautiful quilt.  And I started my version  Aegan Sea - I'm doing the black sea- you can see them here
• I had my first finish since 2/20, third top for H2H completed and Marge's quilt quilted - you can see them here
• Tops 4,5 and 6 were completed for H2H (I had lots of help and lots of fun), I conquered "I"m no Einstein Baby" and I put backs together for everything on my list.  You can see the tops below.
• I got Ann's Easy Street quilt on the frame - but not one single stitch in it.
• I put 13 miles on the tread mill.

Now it's time to go back to work.  Quilting productivity should come to a screeching halt. But it sure was fun while it lasted.

I ain't no Einstein baby - I can't believe I finally got this together

Graffit #2 H2H #4

H2H #5 - I had 3 helpers with this one and the next.  These ladies got two quilt tops done in 4 hours, love it!!

H2H 6

Stop by and take a look at all the linky love on the side bar, lots of inspiration out there.  I added a new Monday Linky  Monday Making over at Love, Laugh, Quilt has a new one on Mondays - go check it out