Mix and Match Quilting Designs

I love the idea of throwing lots of different quilting motifs together into negative space on quilts.



Here are two little baby quilts I put together using various different motifs. The motifs for some reason took on a beach theme. With shells, swirls, waves, pebbles, ripples and can you spot the attempt at a razor shell type shape?



The thread I used was Sahara Desert King Tut by Superior Threads - which is a variegated thread with the gentle changes of beige tones - simply gorgeous and blended into the linen like a dream. I've come a long way in 6 months from only using invisible thread to using colored threads. I'm becoming braver for sure. I'm starting to notice what some have been saying about using different threads for machine quilting.

AND the great thing about my dainty 12ft Handiquilter Fusion is that you can load two quilts tops at the same time and quilt them as you go - trimming after you have finished. You can tell from the backs that these baby quilts were loaded on side by side. I'm sure some longarm quilter is rolling their eyes at such a no no - but it worked for me .......

The strange thing for me now is when I look at the backs of quilts with utter glee - inspecting and feeling pleased with my balanced tension thinking 'wow I'm actually a real quilter'. And to me - that just seems like the most exciting thing in the world.

I could have quilted this beige on beige for ever and never have got bored. I think I could quilt white thread on top of white cotton and just be happy making endless texture on fabric .... I'm an odd type of bunny I know.

Working Hard

I have been working hard on a number of projects. I have five Memorial quilts that I am really excited to share with you - but not yet because the families have not yet seen them.

Meanwhile I have been trying to fit in progress on various other projects.

Detail of Baby Playmat. 

It is a busy month at the church this month with six new babies being baptized on a single Sunday so that is six little baby quilts. I have the top finished on Bess Beetle's quilt as well as - excited about that one. I have also finished the top for a quilt that I used Bunny #1 first fabric line with. I have a collection of really lovely quilt tops from members of my guild and beyond that I'm very excited about getting to (endless pouring over gorgeous thread colors.) All in all - I'm exhausted - totally in love with my longarm (we have been together now for 6 months!) and trying to find that balance between work, spending time with my gorgeous little ones and finding the odd moment to sit down (and yes - saying hello to the husband from time to time!)

 Baby Playmat with meandering square quilting design

The quilting candy are two little baby playmats I made for the new babies being baptized. Lost blocks appliqued in the middle, fun quilting designs, recycled ribbon loops for playing with or hooking on toys.

Free hand meandering squares and triangles design 

 Free hand triangles are really rather hard .... but I think it looks quite cool!

Mixing up Simple Free Motion Designs

Our guild is currently making baby quilts for charity and this was a top from Maria. Maria said that she had had this top for around a year so it would be nice to get it finished. The block is based on the Flatiron Partnership logo - which I think makes a really great block. It was such a great idea my Maria to translate this logo into a patchwork design. I read somewhere that you are a true quilter if you see a quilt in everything you see - and I don't know how many of you also walk around the world looking at things constantly thinking 'that would make a great quilt' .... my list of ideas & projects is seemingly endless these days.

As soon as I saw it and saw all the white negative space my eyes lit up. I decided to play with mixing various designs together.

The top I started off with spirals and pebbles. 

A little further down the quilt I added some longer wavy spirals to the standard spirals & pebbles.

Next I added in some plain waves to the mix ...

... and finally I added some feathers (I love this row the best.)

It was a fun, quick project - and I love the result.

I hope that in the future I will be able to push this idea further and mix lots and lots of designs up together to make a really interesting texture/design - try and encourage people to look at the top of the quilt for a long time - hunt for different designs and concepts mushed in together in unexpected ways!

Longarm Quilting Services

It seems that I have inadvertently started a Longarm Quilting service! I got Freddie to help me with the charity I am trying to set up 'Quilting A Memory' - so that I could quilt my memorial and memory quilts in an easier, more effective way and to a better quality.

It is true that Freddie lives in my bedroom. It is true that we are now deeply in love.

So I have decided to post some information about the cost of my longarm quilting services in the sidebar - and if you feel moved to do so - please contact me and I would love to quilt for you. 50% of all quilting costs go to Quilting A Memory. Quilting A Memory is a charity that provides free quilting services to the families of fallen/lost service men & women - making memorial & memory quilts filled with love from their clothes and or uniforms.

So to celebrate posting this - here is a quilt I just finished for a client Maria Gualdoni. Maria was so pleased with the the result of this quilt - she proudly showed it off at a recent guild meeting - which I have to admit felt really good.  I hope you enjoy the quilting eye candy that follows.

And some back quilt candy. 

 

Longarm Quilting: My First Client

At the moment I am practicing my free motion quilting on Freddie on some quilt tops given to me by a lady at my guild - NYC Metro Mod Quilters. Andrea blogs on The Beyondness of Things - her quilts are really pretty and I can not wait (in a terrified sort of way) to do some work for her. She doesn't like quilting and I'm not a big on piecing 'just for fun' - so it seems like a good match!

This quilt top was made for a 2 year old little boy - it is crib size.

I started. Panicked. Then unpicked.

Then finally got myself together and here is the end result. (Quilt has only been trimmed - not bound.)

Bee Purposeful: Navy and Aqua Chevron Striped Quilt

Back in July 2013 Little Miss Shabby asked for participants in a quilting bee that would fundraise for her churches mission work.

I am simply floored and humbled by how much I have learnt through the process. 

In August we made Scrappy Trip Around the World blocks. I thought this would be a piece of cake - simple squares - but I was made to eat my words! Here are the blocks I contributed to September's Quilt.

How cute does the final quilt look?

In September we made Churn Dash blocks. Toni was the quilter for October.

Again I learnt how little I knew about piecing. My blocks are above and the finished quilt is below. 

In October it was my month to choose a pattern and be the quilter.  I hummed and haa'd and bugged Corey with lots of silly questions. I finally decided on a Navy & Aqua Chevrons. Here is the finished quilt.

I quilted each white chevron in a different design. 

And here is the back. Using up 3 left over strips. I am really working on making my backs a bit more interesting. I see lots of quilts out there which have clever backs - and I will be putting a lot more thought into my backs from now on.

In November we made Flying Geese for Carla.  My blocks (below) have been lost in the post somewhere and have yet to make it to Canada.

But here is the quilt that Carla put together.

And January was our last month - and we made these 'Not Quite a Sawtooth Stars' and sent additional fabric along with this block (see mine below) that Jody is going to make into a larger medallion for the center of the quilt.

My biggest disappointment was obviously my geese not flying all the way to Canada. But I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this quilting bee and I hope to be part of more in the future too.

Diary of a Longarm: Week 8

I have loaded a little chevron quilt that I have made as part of the Bee Purposeful which is being hosted by Corey who is the very talented lady behind Little Miss Shabby.

I thought I knew what I was doing with this quilt top so I began with repeating ocean waves along the chevrons but after running the waves 3 times I wasn't convinced. 9 whole hours of unpicking later. I began again. I had found this quilt by Linda of L & R Designs Quilting and I loved it. Every chevron stripe is done in a different design.

At the moment I am working on the white chevrons and I'm loving how the blue & aqua stripes are standing up all puffy (not sure my photographs are showing this!)

I'm tempted not to quilt the blue & aqua stripes and leave them - we will have to see how this one works out.

Line Dancing at the Longarm

I've been told for a while now that it is good while you are free motion quilting to listen to music that has good rhythm and makes you happy and relaxed. I've been searching for that music (I usually listen to NPR talk radio) and I think I might have found it. Can you guess what it is from these photos (and the subtle post heading?)

Yes - I have been in America for more than 10 years now and I've finally discovered Country Music. Both in its upbeat groove and its hysterical lyrics. For example 'Truck - yeah!' and 'I want to sleep with my best friends fiance' and other such themes about corn, beer an girls. I am finding it a total riot - but I'm not sure the other people in the house are appreciating the smiles I am getting from it!