Sarah brought me this fun butterfly quilt and I got to play a bunch in the borders. It is quilts like this that make me appreciate the 26″ throat on my APQS Millennium machine. Sarah’s butterflies are big- around 16″ square. With my Mille’s huge workspace I could do each row of butterflies and the […]
A while ago I got a visit from the thread fairy and in the box was an awesome variegated hot orange and red Lava thread by Superior Threads. It was LOVE at first sight but once I got it, I wondered what quilt I’d be able to use it on because it could easily overpower […]
Eve is a member of my online quilting guild and one of the nicest people around. She is also one of the top two applique artists I know personally. Her work is just stunning. I am in the process of designing the quilting for her phenomenal Santa applique quilt. She did all of the applique […]
This quilt was a block swap that my friend Eve participated in a long time ago. Each of those blocks was made by one of her cherished internet quilting buddies. She carefully laid the blocks out in the diamond grid and then went to work on her signature applique. Eve is an amazingly talented applique […]
I’ve had so much fun with Sarah’s dog quilt today! I wasn’t sure what to do on the outside border. I decided to find a bone clip art and trace it on freezer paper. As an aside, if you do a Google image search for “bone,” make sure you have the safe search feature on […]
I finished Sarah’s Handbag quilt and it looks great. I’ll get some photos up soon, but right now I want you to see her next quilt. This is such a great example of how you can take a pre-printed panel and elevate it to so much more! Isn’t this adorable? Sarah wants this one to […]
This quilt top is on the design wall right now. It is made with a plethora of animal print fabrics. My absolute favorite is the one that looks like alligator skin. They look really 3-D! Now, the hard part! I really want to do something special with Shelly’s quilt but I need to consider that […]
This is Sue’s Sampler Quilt top that will hit the frame soon, but for now I wanted to import it into my computer to come up with a design plan which will accentuate her piecing. She is planning on entering it in a quilt show this fall. Pressure’s on, eh? Step one: S & S […]
The colors in the picture are so far off. I have no idea why my camera decided to transform Nonnie’s Card Trick quilt into such weird colors. Trust me when I tell you the colors are rich, beautiful jewel tones. The outside border is an elegant paisley lovely print. Nonnie wants this quilt done custom, […]
I’ve seen other quilts with lighthouses as a theme but I’ve never seen one this whimsical. Look at how those lighthouses are bending and stretching! The playful fish are the perfect touch in the other blocks. This is Fay’s quilt and I believe it is a quilt top she used for a class she taught. […]
This is Fay’s Dresden Plate. It is made out of thirties fabrics with the cat and the fiddle being the star of the focus fabrics. Isn’t it cute? She wants this quilt done custom so I’ve pulled in a photo of the block into my computer. I then use a Wacom tablet to draw on the […]
Here is Faye’s Lighthouse quilt I promised. She is a wiz at machine embroidery and teaches gobs of embroidery classes (and quilting classes and software design classes and… well, you understand). She teaches at the Smocking Shop and she also does maintenance work on Viking, Bernina and Brother! To say she is a busy little […]
You know how everyone looks for a job where they can feel like they make a difference? There are so many times in my quilting when I absolutely KNOW that I have made a difference. This next quilt is one of those times. I am making a memorial quilt to help a family celebrate a […]
Okay, I’ve been stringing you on long enough! Here is a wide shot of Sandy’s amazing 5 Little Monkey’s quilt. I was stunned the first time I saw it. How could you not be knocked out? She did some stellar machine embroidery work on this quilt. I hope she enters it in a show somewhere […]
You’ve heard of a progressive dinner, right? Well, this next beauty is a bit like a progressive quilting project. Jen made this from a quilt kit she bought in Paducah and really loved the irregular border. It is another good example showing how to mix stripes and dots, isn’t it? I did an all over […]
I promised you a glimpse of Sandy’s over-the-top kiddo quilt but first, I want to show you her dots and stripes quilt. I really admire her ability to pick colors and fabric. I always look at those stripe fabrics and think how cute they are; however, when I go to use them I can’t always […]
Suzanna adorned her neutral quilt top in such soothing colors. I love the color combination she chose with her fabrics. It is a quilt that just speaks gently. I’ve been calling it the “Rectangle Road” quilt, but I’m sure she has a better title. This is a great strip quilt pattern that could make good use of […]
I can’t believe how beautiful the silk fabric is on these bow ties I’m piecing into a memorial quilt. Each tie has its own story from the Christmas themed tie to the funky 1970’s-fashion statement tie. FUN! Here are the steps I’ve been doing to prepare the silk bow ties for piecing. First I separate […]
I’m working on Linda’s Hankerchief quilt today. Each block is set on point and features one of her mother’s many hankerchiefs. It has such a delicate essence about it. I really want to bring each of the blocks alive. I chose to do curved cross hatching behind her butterfly hankerchief. Doesn’t it add great movement […]
I pulled this festive log cabin off the frame today. I did an all over, edge-to-edge pantograph on it and the top just dances now. The fabric is all from the Dick and Jane fabric line. My dad had his old Dick and Jane book around when I was a girl. I remember finding it […]
Here’s Kris’ T-shirt quilt: bound and ready to be delivered to her tomorrow! I did an overall meander that added some great texture to her t-shirt quilt. This type of quilting would be easy to do on your domestic sewing machine as well. Just think of it as puzzles pieces or a wandering path […]
I just love it when I get to quilt someone’s very first quilt. They have such a great sense of accomplishment! I know I was so proud of my first wall hanging. In fact, it still hangs on my wall to this day. Wavy, pouchy, bumpy goodness and all. This is Judy’s first quilt. Let […]
Sarah’s purses quilt is finished! Yeah! I tried to take photos of the purses but the background filler on the white fabric is freaking my camera out and the stitches aren’t showing. You can, however, see the daisy chain in the inner pink border. This quilt was so much fun to work on and I […]
Jennie Beth’s quilt now has feathers in the outside border and wavy interconnected lines through all of the one-inch pieces in the middle. If you click here, you’ll see the drawing I did on her quilt to show her the ideas I had for her quilt top. She chose the version with more traditional feathers. […]
