Tumbler Lap Quilt

Although I don't usually like following other people's patterns I fell in love with a lap quilt kit I saw at the summer quilt show in Regina. Quilt Patch from Moose Jaw had a booth where they displayed several beautiful quilts and an assortment of their patterns. Among them were these beautiful little brown lap quilts with fuzzy backings.  They looked so warm and cuddly that I kept going back to the booth until I finally gave in and bought one. 

The kit called "Gezebella" came with an assortment of browns material and I added a bit of green to the mix and an extra two rows to make it a little bit larger. I quilted it freehand with a gorgeous gold thread in an overall leaf pattern.  I think it will make a great little Christmas present. 

Playing with flannel

I decided to play with some flannel that I had in my stash (even though this project is not on my goal list).  I know that flannel doesn't tend to wear well but this stuff is so soft and beautiful that I really wanted to make something out of it. 

I bought all the flannel at the same online store so was surprised when some of it was quite a bit thinner than the rest (not a good omen for wear) and even when piecing it it was fraying a lot more than I expected. And, none of it was cheap!  It's a lesson learned!  

I designed this little quilt on a little app on my iPad called Quilt Studio. I played with the colours for quite a while before deciding on this arrangement. I was pleasantly surprised when all the measurements for material and sizes worked out. 

The finished square blocks are 12" and so the quilt is approximately 60x72 inches. I am going to back it with the herringbone brown and quilt it simply.  I think I am going to use wool batting to make it even softer.   I am very pleased with how it looks so far!  

As soon as I quilt it I will post more pictures. 

Trying out hexies

Well last week was one of those weeks where we did nothing but running: doctors and funerals and work trips. So to let down I took a day off work Monday and decided to do some playing in my sewing room. 

I have never done hexies that were not split in pieces (kaleidoscope) before and I don't have patience for a lot of hand sewing so I tried doing them on the sewing machine. I watched a couple great little videos on you-tube and off I went.  It went together very easily. The first row or so I struggled but modified the method to one that works great for me and the rest just fell in place. 

So here is my try at hexies. All cotton (I should have kept the name of the material) I think I will bind it in the red/orange. It measures approx 47x42.  

Sister in law's quilt

My daughter gave me heck for not posting but I protested I have been busy. Three or so years ago I decided to make a quilt for my sister in law. 

I started by cutting out 500 pieces of material and then it sat there until I finished my step dad's quilt (professional pictures to come) in August just in time for his 83 birthday, and then I started in earnest. 

I didn't want to post anything until I gave her the quilt. I finished it last night.  She is coming today for a visit and it's going to be a surprise. She has no idea it is done or what it's going to look like...  But I think it's safe to show you.  

The quilt is a Sparkler quilt by Freshly Pieced.  I used some of Judi Madsen's ideas for quilting but just did a meandering on the sparklers. I could not believe my luck with the veregated thread I used in the coloured areas, almost a perfect match. I cannot remember whose collection the material is from (when I do I will add to the post). 

Sorry for the quality of pictures,  I just grabbed the old iPad to quickly document my progress.    

She wanted greens, purples, and blues.  I added white to give me the great quilting space.  

She also wanted frogs!  Frogs?  I said no but I did stick a couple (6) in the coloured pattern pieces -one per row.   See, this one is pink!

The thing she will certainly NOT be expecting is how I tried my hand at trapunto and included her name and her three kids on the corners. (Picture before clean up or binding) 

Enough for now..one more quck task to do - putting on my made by tag.

Barry's quilt almost done

I am so pleased with how Barry's quilt is coming.  I only have the binding and some beadwork to complete.  Here is a sneak peak at just one part of the quilt.  

I love the colours and the quilting.  It's his 83 birthday on August 11 and I am going to take the quilt to him in person.  

I will post a large picture of the whole quilt this weekend. I sure have learned a lot with this quilt about my new machine's likes and dislikes. I am loving the process! 

Fighting with my machine

Just a note.  I feel stupid and yet vindicated.  I have been struggling with my quilting on the Avante since I got it.  The installers set it all up but I could never get the tension on the fabric right.  I kept saying that something was wrong.  The machine appeared to be set up right according to the manual but while the front locking mechanism locked the back take up roller with the hand crank would not lock properly and so the quilt was always loose. I kept looking at how tight and beautiful others' quilts looked on their machines while mine sagged drearily. It finally got so bad with my dad's quilt that half way through stitching in the ditch I couldn't keep everything aligned (probably because it was so much larger than the test piece and mom's quilt that I have done since I bought the machine). 

I decided to go back over the manual and the video provided by Handi Quilter.  Part way through the video they showed how the leaders on the take up pole were attached and low and behold mine draped to the front rather than to the back. The installers had put the leader on backwards.  I don't know why I didn't twig on this earlier because my other set up is similar and those leaders hang the right way (I put that one together myself). 

I finished stitching in the ditch and took the quilt off the frame.  I noticed that the backing is slightly crooked, obviously operator error combined with the quilt's shifting on the poles. Luckily the quilt is one I am doing for family and I will be able to live with some of the imperfections... Adds character.  (Ahhhhh).

But my machine is now set up properly with the locking mechanisms giving just the right amount of tension!

Note to self.  If you think something is wrong...just because it was done by experts doesn't mean you are not right!  Trust your gut!

Mom's quilt finished

We'll another finish for 2014.  I decided to finish mom's quilt before I quilted and finished the preemies day quilt.  

I practiced feathers swirls and circles on the quilt.  I was so proud of myself doing two long columns of feathers, and they look pretty good ...until I took these pictures and burst out laughing - I realized I had quilted the feathers coming off the stem of the largest whimsical feather in opposite directions.  And, I forgot to fill in the surrounding area with a filler.  But my husband liked it. 

Circles were another issue as my machine or needle kept catching on something on the back of the quilt and throwing me off  rhythm. I guess more practice with different threads, materials, and batting will solve that!

Getting used to a new machine is fun. I finally am getting my stitch length closer to 10 per inch without using the stitch regulator. My eyelashes have disappeared.  Don't like how the regulator surges as I move the machine so I am determined to perfect my stitching without using the regulator. 

Here is the front and the back after pinning the binding.  I am pleased with my progress.  My binding is so much more professional than previous quilts.  Here is the back...

I love the Minky backing.  So soft!  

The quilt with an audience (Fuzzbucket my beautiful 28" standard poodle) peering in the window.