Mountains and Valleys

 

Katie made this one.  I call it Mountains and Valleys, although she did inform me that it is supposed to be a sunrise.  I can see a sunrise behind a mountain in there...  I had a hard time thinking up how to quilt this one. 

 

I ended up doing a wild feather wreath in each block using a charcoal thread. 

 

And I extended the wreath into the borders. 

Red & Whites

 

It's another red & white quilt from Norene. 

Some little bit fancy borders.

 

 

It's hard to see, but when I got to the end I ended up with a group of 4 piano keys, so the last design is a little bit extra wide.  But I don't think it is very noticable at all. 

 

Corner to corner in the center.  I really like how this one turned out!  Almost makes me want to cut all my fabric up into little squares...almost :P

 

Using it up- Black, white and Red

 

Norene (also my MIL) was recently on a mission to use up all her black, white and red fabrics and ended up with 3 quilts!  This one she laughs at since it's so wacky looking, but I told her "it's a modern quilt!"  I really should show this one last since it used up the last bits from her other 2 quilts...

 

I decided to do something "modern" looking and wanted to do these super swirls.  Inspired from Emily's quilting on this quilt. 

 

 

Quilt #2

 

Here is another design I wanted to try.

 

I will admit that it took me a little bit to figure out how to end up in the direction I wanted to go with this one.  It's all in which direction your hook goes.  If you want to go right, make your hook to the right.  And if you realize you goofed up, just do one less echo or layer and it will be all good.  :)

 

I got the design from this flyer in the mail.  Just to prove to you that I'm really not that creative-I get all my designs from various places! 

A couple of exciting things.

 

A couple months ago I decided to sign up to join the do. good stitches phenomenon.  I had just about forgotten all about it when I received an e-mail saying I was in!  If you are unfamiliar with do. good stitches, it is basically a group of sewists that each month make a quilt for charity.  Each person makes a couple blocks and sends them to the quilter to put together and finish and send off the quilt.  My group is Haven.  (There are hundreds of groups.  Well, I'm not sure about hundreds, but there are quite a lot!)  We are making quilts for Alternatives for Battered Women in Rochester, NY.  You can see what we are up to on flickr.  Our first quilt is inspirational words using quiet fabrics.  Or, as I like to call them, lights. 

 

 

So here are my 2 blocks, ready to be sent off! 

 

I have 2 months/quilts to plan: September and December.  I am planning on something suuuper simple for December's because, well, December is usually a pretty busy and hectic month.  But as for September...look out!  :)  I have no idea what I will come up with, but I will be on the lookout for something pretty and nice. 

 

 

Also, several months ago, I was contacted by someone from Quilter's Digest to send an entry for their newsletter.  Now, I had never heard of Quilter's Digest before, but I wasn't going to pass this up.  And I didn't really think it would really actually happen.  But! Lo and behold look what I got in the mail a couple weeks ago!

 

 

Anything look familiar?!  There's my alphabet quilt on the very back page.  Pretty Cool!!  It's in issue #5.  Yeah, it's a pretty new publication.  Now, where can you pick up your free copy?  Well, nowhere in my home state of Iowa sadly!  But you can find a list of retailers offering them here. 

 

And looky what I have here!  Another alphabet quilt!  I only started it about a year ago!  It's a commissioned quilt, which I have never done before.  I have no idea what to charge for this!  I kept track of my hours for piecing it though.  I know what the quilting costs, but for the whole thing?? 

help please.

So there's my 2 exciting things.  Exciting to me anyways!  Haven do. good stitches group and being in Quilter's Digest.  And it's only February!!

Triple 4-patch

My family sewing team made this triple 4-patch quilt as a wedding gift for my cousin this spring.  I know a couple few family members check the blog every once in a while, but I am taking the risk that they won't spoil it for us!!

 

 

 I believe the pattern was in Fons and Porter sometime last fall.  We made the blocks a bit bigger than the pattern called for.  We made the smallest squares 1 inch finished instead of 3/4.  (--the one year old is in there for scale purposes :P--)  I really love how it turned out!  Each of us cut out squares from our stashes so we had it all cut out and ready to go by the time we got together.  And it has a nice variety of fabrics as a result. 

 

 

I quilted an all-over swirly/feathery conglomeration. 

 

 

Here is a peek at the back. 

1, 2, Buckle my Shoe, & QCR Blocks 6 &7

 

Mary put together this darling baby quilt using an ABC panel for her newest grandson.  It also features a little growth chart on the side.  And a scroll at the top to write in the baby's name.  Mary had me leave that little part unquilted so that she could embroider his name there later.  The fabric in the borders has lines from the "1, 2, buckle my shoe" song. 

 

 

How cute are these vintage postcard ABC's?  I quilted some double bubbles with some meandering in a sage green thread.  The color blended in nicely without it being too distracting.

 

 

And here are my QCR QAL blocks #6- Curved Geese!

 

 

 

 

Half-way there!

 

Block 7 was Curved Log Cabin. 

 

 

 Scrappy version.  I'm really liking this block!

Black & White tumbler quilt

 

Norene made this massive quilt using all black and white fabrics.  The center part is big enough to cover a queen mattress and the extra large border gives it plenty of hangover.  The backing just barely fit onto my 14 foot rollers. 

 

Love the super narrow red border she put around it!

 

She loves her tight meandering, so that is what I did on this one.  With a flower or two here and there just to keep things interesting.  Each pass took me 1 hour to do.  I think there was 7 or 8 passes.  Plus when I finally got done, I discovered a few puckers on the back.  ARRRGH!  So add in 2 more hours to rip out and fix that.  But if you can't tell where they were- neither will I.  ;)