March-ing ahead

 What's happening? A quilt show, some quilting and a bit of sewing, that's what! It has been cool and rainy here, perfect days for staying in and getting some work done. Customer quilts have been finished and I even had time to learn and practice using the block quilting feature on the HQ. Good for me! Let's dive in...

The week started with this colorful customer quilt

Quilted with variegated thread in the Irate pattern

Its a great looking combination that looks nice together.

I made one of the Villa Rosa designs that come on these small postcards. They go together easily and are a snap to finish. I had the blocks done by closing time.

Next up, this jelly roll race done in reproduction fabrics.

I used a swirly, flowery panto on this one. It came out very pretty.

Nice blue backing, the quilt going to a 13 year old girl for her birthday.

One afternoon, I quickly put together this small kit made for the evening guild. It is quilted and bound and ready to go.

Here is a quilt I made (Villa Rosa) from a 10" pack of Ruby Star fabrics. I made this top just for fun.

Panto: Stacked Snails

Cheerful cherries on the back.                                                      

My big guild had an auction of quilts from a member who is seriously down-sizing.

I bid on quite a few of them, and went home with four vintage quilts for my collection!

Our president, Leslie, reading us the rules in front of the quilt that took in the most money for the guild. The final bid was $750!!! Wow! Not one of the quilts that went home with me...

I'll have to photograph my buys and put them here next time.

Outside, these pansies popped up following the hard freeze we had a couple weeks ago. What resilience they have!

Inside the studio, I spent two days quilting this lovely (and giant) star sampler for a customer.

The panto is a complex combination of flowers, swirls and vines with leaves. Each row took a long time tp do, but I think it was worth the time to use one as beautiful as this one.

It really looks nice in the open areas of the quilt.

Coordinated backing.

I made this little quilt to practice setting patterns in blocks.

Here is one that had a hiccup. I don't think it was supposed to have a double line in the feathers.

I was happy when this fell precisely in all four quadrants.

I set up the inside of the block, then hand guided the frame.

Most of the stitching on the back looked fine. But...

The first row had a major tension dilemma. I left the mistakes in because they didn't affect the integrity of the quilt, just looked really bad. After a tension adjustment, it went well.

Sunday, we took a quick trip to Watkinsville for a quilt show. Here are the quilts that I liked best.

Another week done, some quilts and some fun

 I was on the go this week and only had time to do a few quilts. I taught a free motion quilting tutorial at the art group meeting, traveled to Franklin for my HandiQuilter club and met in Blue Ridge with some guild members to cut and assemble charity quilt kits. In the few times I was in the studio, I finished some customer quilting!

This colorful star quilt was made in a local shop class

The customer chose a light green thread and this triangle quilting pattern

It really looks fun on the backing.

This quilt makes wonderful use of a collection of coordinated batiks.

I used a quilting pattern of meandering ferns.

You can see the quilting a bit better here.

I love the positioning of the stars with the gold centers. The layout is quite stunning.

The customer chose a swirly design for the quilting, which I did with gold thread.

Really nice!

This beauty was made by a guild member, using the Carolina Lily block .

It is quilted with a ginkgo leaf clamshell pattern that echoes the border fabric pattern.

The backing is this lovely blue paisley.

There was a country-wide massive storm this week, and my grandson had a snow day from school. What better way to enjoy the snow than to go sledding?! We didn't get snow...just more rain. Pretty soon our yard will float away. It is so squishy we can't let Penny run out there. C'mon Spring!! I'm ready for some warm sunshine.

Wheeeee!!

Working hard and having fun

 I had a few finishes this week and it feels good! First up is a vintage quilt from the customer's great aunt. She had the top and needed it finished for her sister. It only needed one block to be repaired, which I did after I got it quilted.

The quilt was fairly square, but I did take in the borders at a couple of spots to get them straight. I gave the whole top a good starch and press then went to work. I used my go-to pattern for this age of quilt, Rounded Squares. It adds texture, holds everything together and doesn't take away from the fabric selection in the blocks. 

I had this fabric for the backing in my stash, and it is identical to a fabric in the quilt. The double pink sashing is also from my stash to compliment the cornerstones.

Next up, the queen lone star vintage top. I did some sewing to get the setting squares and triangles to fit, and did the starch and press routine again.

Some of the points at the edges were nipped when trimmed and bound, but it couldn't be helped as they extended to the edge of the quilt. For the number of diamonds hand stitched together, this top was square and pretty flat. 

Baptist fan quilting

White backing shows all the wobbles...it still looks really nice. I did the binding in the blue seen in the photos, and still have a label to add to finish the job!

I also quilted two QOVs from the same maker. They both feature a giant star with triangles on two sides forming a border.

Loads of different patriotic fabrics give the quilt sparkle

Simply Stars panto in gold thread

I had enough of the backing left to sew up the binding for the quilt.

Number two is the same pattern with fabrics in different positions.

Same panto and thread

Great allover flags for the backing.

I started working on a quilt I saw in Texas at my sister's guild show. The vendor for the pattern book was an Aussie lady who traveled all over Australia in a caravan (RV) with her husband for a year. She made one block a day during the trip and finished it exactly a year later. It has 365 four inch blocks! So far, I have made 9. I'll be at this for quite a while, I think!

This is the center of the quilt. It is 12" square. I have to do the embellishment stitching on the blocks. The next round has 16 blocks!

I got to thinking about all my quilts while pulling some out for a trunk show next week and thought you might enjoy seeing where they are in my house. Lots of pictures and a messy house!

Two quilts on our bed. Its been cold!

Quilt on a trunk

Quilt on the bedroom wall

Quilt on the dining area wall

Five quilts on a ladder in the living room.

I change these out periodically.

Quilt in the peak of the living room. Mr Wazoo says it is never coming down.

Three snuggle quilts on the sofa. I use one most nights while watching TV.

Four quilts in decorative baskets by the couch. A pretty girl photobombing the shot.

Two quilts on the guest bed.

Three quilts on the small stand, and five on the ladder.

Tw quilts in a basket in the guest room.

A small quilt on my Singer 401.😉 Guest room.

I change the bigger quilt monthly. The Kaffe stripes one stays there.

Both in the studio.

Guild challenge and Rat Race quilts on the studio wall

Not a quilt, but a Barn quilt from Mr W for Christmas!

We like Bigfoot...

Another guild challenge and a shop challenge quilt in the studio.

One of my miniatures and a guild challenge quilt in the studio bathroom!

A gift from a man who lived next door in Wisconsin. I made him a quilt while he was dealing with cancer treatments, and he hand stitched this block for me as a thank you. I cherish this because he has since passed away.

Fish quilts made in two different classes in Florida live in the studio bathroom, too.

We recently re-folded the quilts on this shelf unit. There are 78 here, and sixteen more in my duffles, ready for my program in Dawsonville. Figuring in the sixty quilts I gave away last year...that's a pile of quilts. If we ever had a fire, I would probably try to save some quilts. It would be a devastating loss to have them burn up. Or my stash!!! Yikes! I would have a nervous breakdown if I lost it all. I think I need to give away a bunch more to assure my legacy.