What the last Design Wall Monday in September? Say it ain't so....

Oh boy where did Sept slip off to?  I've got to pay closer attention.  Well a whole month has gone by and not much to show for it.  I did make some progress on a much easier wind down project, my chevrons.  I've 2 of 3 put together.  They look very different don't they?  They both have similar yellows, one had a few more.  One has scrappy grey the a constant grey.  One more to go.  I think it's interesting how changing a couple of things  can make the fabrics look

I did get one little sweet thing quilted.  Just a plan simple all over stipple is all this crazy little guy could handle.  I think I like the back better than the front.  But it was nice to work on all that crazy color in my neutralized sewing space.  Hobbs 80/20 batting, glide thread on top, flannel and cotton backing, I love the binding.

Lots of visual stimulation for tummy time

Love those smiley faces!!

And I entered my first ever local quilt show, gotta say I was pretty nervous.  But much to my surprise, I won a blew ribbon for shining star!!  That just kinda made my day!

Shining Star

Hope everyone has a great week, check out the linky parties on the side bar.

Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2015 - Large Quilts - Shining Star

Here's my large quilt entry.   This baby measures in at 117 x 117, now that is definitely the largest quilt I have ever made, and likely to ever make!!  This one is for my bed.  I had made one other king size quilt, just a bit smaller than this one, and it was worn out.  Yep holes worn in it from almost 12 years of daily use.  I sure how this one last that long cuz I'm not sure I can do another :)  This is a simple log cabin made with 2 different fat quarter bundles of Kaffee Fassett Shot Cottons.  Oh I LOVE the look of the shot cottons, such depth.  My husband loves log cabins and I like a bit more modern so this was a nice middle ground I think.  I used two layers of battting, Hobbs 80/20 on the bottom and Tuscany Wool on Top.  Glide thread was used on the top and magna glide in the bobbin.   I wanted the quilting to help differentiate between the light and the dark areas.  Light areas got the straight line point to point quilting and the dark areas got the yummy feathers.  No surprise that my quilt has feathers right?  So here's a few pics of fresh new quilt with no holes!!

Shining Star

my log cabin quilt in my log cabin bedroom

Now head on over there and see all the wonderful quilts - get ready to be inspired!!

That's one big quilt!

Oh my it's almost done, had to share, more pics once the binding is done. This is the largest quilt I've ever made, the binding might take a while!!

Design Frame Monday

Nothing new on the design wall this Monday.  But I did get in a finish, a real finish.   Here's the scrappy tumblers.  I used a new pantograph, Fern by Patricia Ritter.  It was fast, easy and has that feathery feel, what's not to love about that.  Batting is Hobbs Polydown, glide thread on top and magna glide thread on the bottom.  I'm so excited to have a quilt with a pantograph, I don't know why but I do love them!

Scrappy Tumblers - Poly down batting, glide thread on top

Pantograph - Fern by Patricia Ritter

love the texture

the back is as crazy as the front

And in the exact opposite direction from a pantograph, I have shining star on the frame.  Even though the pictures show a nice difference between the light and dark, it is a bit subtle.  So I want to differentiate the light from the dark in quilting.  The light is gong to have the strong straight lines, ya this is going to take a while.  I have to mark and use a ruler.  I think it actually takes longer to mark than it does to quilt!!  The darker colors are going to have some sort of feathers (surprised right?).  Actually I did three blocks with the lines and was trying to take it out.  But I have two layers of batting, wool and 80/20 blend and I just had such a hard time getting those stitches out that I gave up and just went with the lines!!  I like them better now that I've done a couple of rows.  Still thinking about the feathers, I've got some time to think about it.  I've gotten 4/13 rows done with the ruler work on the light colors.

Shining Star

This is gonna take a while....

Stop by all the linky parties to see what's going on out there, plenty of inspiration all over.  

Frame Friday and a couple of top finishes

Hello 2015!!  What a great quilting start I've gotten on this year.  That humongous log cabin king size quilt - not only are the blocks done but they are all sewn together!!  This thing is plenty big enough to handle the shrinkage from quilting and the first washing, I LOVE it.  It's subtle and colorful and everything I like.  I'm going to go some fancy stitching on the star to bring that out a big more.  Can't wait to get this big ol' thing on the frame.  Oh boy will you at the mess in that room.  I was so busy getting those blocks together that I didn't tidy up a bit.  Plenty of time left in 2015 for that tidy up stuff :)

Shining Star ready for quilting

I also have a tumbler in Kaffe Fassett prints.  Just an extra throw for the bed for little naps or extra chilly nights.  Nothing subtle about this one at all!

Kaffe Fassett Tumbler

But I have to wait to get those on the frame because I have Marie's square pants quilt on the frame.  I love her fabrics.  You can't tell from the pictures but one of the prints has gold in it, so it sparkles when I'm quilting, so fun!!  Oh boy can you see that one spot where I forgot the pebbles in the feather vein?  I always forget something when I do custom quilting.  This is why it's a good idea to take pictures *while* you are working on something.  Easy fix when you catch it while it's still on the frame.

Maries' square pants quilt

Do you wee where I skipped the pebbles, you know what I'll be doing first on this one.

I love pictures from under the frame

Hope everyone has had a great start for 2015!  Check out the linky parties on the left side bar, there's a few for Fridays'

Finally some sewing time!!!

Is this really only the second post that I've had in December?  Wow, only a few days left to get in a couple more posts so I don't feel like a complete slacker!  But that won't be a problem - I have a  little sewcation time planned this week.  And I finally have something on my design wall for design wall Monday - yahoo.  I got tired of sewing the same block 169 times, so I started putting the blocks together on this king size quilt.  It's definitely gonna be the biggest quilt that I've ever made, but I'm determined to get this one done.  I've got an 8 block square section done (will be a 13 block square quilt), I've got blocks ready to go with the next log, I've got blocks done, I've got rows started, this poor quilt is in every single possible stage except done!  It's pinned to the design wall which makes it look a bit wonky.  My design wall has lost it's will to hold quilts on it.  I think I need a new batting for it.

Shining Star section 1 - 8 blocks sqaure

some blocks are done

only 3 bags of logs left!!  so close

next log placed just waiting to be sewn

section 2 in progress

I did have a little fun this weekend showing Veronika how to use the long arm.  She made her first three quilts.  I need to get pictures of the first two for her son and daughter, they are really something.  She finished quilting those two in one day.  It was a long day for her and by the end she really needed to just sit down for a while.  They were really were so cute.  I finished up the last one for her.  It's made from the scraps of the one she made for her son, I love the colors!!  Pantograph was Tea Lights by Valerie Smith, purple glide thread on top, bottom line in the bobbin, batting was Pellon 100% cotton.  That was really some soft batting, I was pleasantly surprised!

Veronika's Strip Quilt

Tea Lights pantograph, Glide on top, Bottom Line in the bobbin, Pellon 100% Cotton batting

Love the backing on this one

Linking up with the linky parties on the side bar, something for every day of the week!