100th Post!

I was going ahead with my regular posting when I realized my next would be my 100th post!  So I thought I would do something a little different than my regular quilting posts and share what I should have posted 7 months ago.  My "new" longarm machine!  It's actually a used 2009 Nolting Funquilter that I bought from the AQS show in Des Moines last fall.  I was really nervous about getting it, but I really love it and it should (eventually) pay for itself. 

My table is 14 feet long!  So I should be able to quilt about any size.  It's just long enough to barely get the vacuum cleaner through.  Some other features to note is the stitch regulator.  I confess that I have been using it a lot more than I did at first.  My old machine did not have it and learned to quilt without it.  But now I am doing designs with more detail and I feel that I have a lot better control and acuracy.  I can work my way slowly through an area and then pick up the pace.  I really like having the option of turning the stitch regulator on and off.  I also have zipper leaders with an extra zipper set to have the next quilt ready to put on.  Which rarely ever happens- I dont normally think that far in advance, but they are really nice to have.

And here is my view from the "drivers seat".  Actually there is no seat.  I stand.  I don't know how some people can sit and work on thier longarm and manage to scoot thier way down the quilt as they are quilting.  At least I think that's how they would do it...

(Guess what 2 quilts I'm going to post next!)

This was my old machine when I very first got it in spring of 2009. It was a Nustyle 228 and was traded in to Nolting.  An oldie but a goodie.  We eventually added a third set of legs in the middle of the table because the machine kept rolling towards the center.  And only 2 tubs of fabric underneath!  I don't hardly remember only having just 2 tubs.  This was just a brief moment in history before they multiplied.  There's about 4 or 5 now :) 

Anyways, here's to another 100 posts!!  I have come a long way in the last 3 years.  Thanks for reading, following, viewing, and especially for your kind comments!

Fairies for Clara Jo

Peg just recently bought an embroidery machine and has been busy making all kinds of fun things for her grandchildren.  (three out of the four are little girls)  Yeah, I think she will get lots of use out of her machine! 

I outlined each fairy and filled in with flying loops.  It's impossible to see the quilting in the floral print (even when holding the quilt close!) but, I did a large flower in the print blocks and a feather around the border. 

I was concerned about having tension issues, but my Nolting was not phased at all. :)  She used a pretty stiff interfacing on the backs of the fairy blocks, and fleece for batting.  This was the first time I've quilted through fleece, and it was no problem at all.  Peg has already started on the next granddaughter quilt.  The theme: peacocks! 

A few more little quickies

This one is another little wholecloth.  Cowboy cows with guns that say Moo...  Silly stuff  :)

This alphabet panel makes a cute baby quilt.  Sure is a heck of a lot easier than my alphabet quilt! 

Some bubbles in the border and swirls in the rest. 

And lastly, this little log cabin. 

The back.  And that wraps up these little quilts from Norene. 

Some little quickies

Norene had me quilt up a bunch of little quilts that are to be sold for a local charity event. 

These designs are on the cover of  Sue Patten's book- "Freehand Filler Patterns". 

Back

 

The front of a little whole-cloth.  Hard to see the feathers here...

The back shows the freeform feathers better.  These quilts are about 30 to 40 inches square, so they would be a good baby or doll quilts. 

2 of my World-Famous-Scrappy-Color-Block-Baby-Quilts

Soo back in February my cousin had twins.  A boy and a girl!  A week before I was going to see them at a family gathering, I decided I'd better make them my world famous scrappy color block baby quilts.  Me? A procrastinator??  Maybe just a little bit.  :)

(think we could use a good rain? The whole state of Iowa could use a nice soak!)

I think maybe scrappy doesn't quite describe these blocks.  They are more like fragments of fabric.  Tiny pieces that you can't hardly do anything with.  I'm pretty sure that making a "real" block would be much quicker to sew.  A 9-patch or Ohio Star or something.  But that would just leave me with more little scraps!

Love this pink and yellow combo. 

 

I can just sit here at look at these fabric fragments all day.  I see 3 that I made dresses out of back in my 4-H days.  One my mom made me a dress from when I was really little.  Some I've inherited from my sister, my MIL, and my Mom's stash.  Some I received in my scrap bundle from Sew Fresh Fabrics.  Some are leftovers from some of my more recent projects... 

Anyway- Welcome to the world little baby twins!  Linking up to Megan's Sew Modern Monday. 

A Pink Quilt for a Cause

Jessica made this darling pink quilt.  She is donating it to a friend stricken with cancer.  I asked her if she paper pieced those little squares because all those points just looked so perfect.  Nope, she didn't.  She's just that good! 

(tee hee!  notice my big toe holding down the quilt!)

I did an all-over rose/leaf/curly-Q combo in the center.

I mimicked the design in the fabric on the outer border.  It's hard to see, but it's loopy hearts with curly-Q's. 

The back. 

Thanks again Jessica for letting me quilt up your projects!

Swirly Purple Snail Trail

My sister made this lovely purple snail's trail quilt.  Love how she made it lighter in the center!  She said that she had to lay it out as she was making it and figure out how to make each block.

Quilting this one was all about the swirls. 

Here's a little sneak peek at my garden.  This little gray butterfly is called a Gray Hairstreak.  I learned a little something about it here.  It says it is common in "disturbed, weedy areas"...  Baa Haa haa!  That's my yard alright! :)

'Victoria Falls' Iris- One of the bluest irises out there!

Zebra striped T-shirt quilt

Elaine made this T-Shirt quilt for her granddaughter who is graduating high school.  Elaine is not a quilter, so she got some expert tips and advice from her quilting friends to help with this project.  She did an excellent job! 

I usually think of how I'm going to quilt something as I'm putting it on the machine.  As in a few moments before I actually start quilting on it.  And that was the case with this one too.  I had a moment of genius to do zebra stripes in the big black border and I just love how it turned out!  I used a fine gray Aurifil thread throughout this quilt.  The quilting blended in and stood out in all the right places.

I kept the center pretty simple and did loops with a few stars here and there in the big empty spaces.  As well as stars in the cornerstones.  T-shirt quilts are always kind of fun to figure out how you are going to quilt around each shirt design.  It's fun to weave in and out of the words.  Sometimes you can get away with just outlining the design, but others are too big to leave unquilted.  For example this one; after the quilt was off the machine, I decided to go back and stitch around the "sister!".   My machine has no problems stitching through those vinyl/plastic-like decals.  But it is still a little nerve-wracking because if you have to rip it out, you will leave little holes in it. 

Anyways, Elaine was just tickled with how her quilt turned out, and I think I might just say that this might be my favorite t-shirt quilt I've done so far!  :)

*notice how I've removed the dates on my pictures.  Now you have NO IDEA how belated my posts are!  Ha ha!

Whirligig Quilt

This "whirligig" quilt (I don't know if that's what this pattern is called, but that's what I'm going to call it) was made by my Mom, sister, sister-in-law and me for a cousin who is graduating high school.  I'll admit that I did very little of the piecing...

...but I got to quilt it!  I just did some simple swirls (my favorite) all over in cream thread. 

All swirls except for this little part. 

And here's the back. 

Swirls.

Congratulations Joe! 

Birdies and Owls

Here is another quilt from Joyce for her grandaugher.  Love this one too!

 

Her only request was to stitch around the birds and the owls.  I echoed them a little bit to make them stand out.  How cute is this fabric??  Super cute I say.

In the rest of the quilt I did a little bit of everything!  Feathers, flowers, swirls, swirls with feathers, swirls with petals...  I had fun with this one. :)

Here's a good look of the back. 

And -what the heck- here's a couple pics of my little guy. 

He's 4 months old and growing by leaps and bounds!