Denise's Sampler Quilt

I just finished machine quilting this sampler quilt for my friend Denise last night.  It was so much fun!!  This was the first Free Motion Quilting project I've done that incorporated a variety of stitching designs; I was so happy for the opportunity!  But, no matter how much I practice ahead of time, I always feel like I'm going to have a stroke when I first start stitching someone else's treasure. It's easy to get caught up in the lie that it needs to be perfect for them to love it.  But, once I was able to embrace the imperfections of FMQ, I was able to relax and thoroughly enjoy the process.  :)

Denise had pieced this quilt during a class over 20 years ago?  She did a great job with the piecing, but had never gotten around to the quilting part, so she handed it off to me.  I sat on it for a while, waiting for the machine quilting inspiration to hit.  (Inspiration always hits when I'm to be doing something else!)  Anyway, it's always fun to see these projects come to completion.

I stitched in the ditch around most of the blocks and motifs, then went back and filled in with FMQ.  It's amazing how the quilt will "speak" to you and tell you how it wants to be stitched.  I find that it evolves as I go; I just need to start with what I know and let the rest happen (isn't that the case with life too?!).

  I'll definitely use Aurifil 50 wt. thread in the future; I didn't have the right shade on hand so I used a combination of Coats & Clark 100% cotton and Signature machine quilting thread, but I'm learning that my Bernina is happiest with Aurifil, especially for FMQ.

Here are some up close shots:

This little door knob makes me smile!

And, here are some shots of the back:

Can you see the curtains in the window?  :)

OK, that's it!  :)

Denise, I can't wait to give it to you in person!

Sewing Lessons

Table Runner for Pat

I had the chance to machine quilt another table runner for Pat.  (This may be the last quilting I do for her since she just bought a Bernina a few weeks ago!)  She does such beautiful foundation piecing....

This time I used a sagey green shade of Aurifil 50 wt. thread.  It blended nicely with the various shades of greens.

I stitched in the ditch (or the "vicinity of the ditch" as I heard one quilter laughingly describe it!),

then stippled the borders and sashings.

Pat, glad you're going to keep this one for yourself!

One Last Pillowcase for Me!

This one is my favorite!  Since it's made out of my favorite fabrics, this one is for me!

Another Pillowcase!

I came home and made this pillowcase for my nephew last night.  He had insisted on going home from JoAnn's with these fabrics several years ago, and they've been sitting in my stash ever since.  I figured they'd be happiest as a pillowcase for his birthday next month.  :)  This time, I used a french seam for the side and bottom seam; I really like that touch.

I think I need to make one for myself yet!

Big Stitch Quilting

My fellow quilt guild member Milagros brought this lovely quilt to our meeting today, 

and encouraged me on with the Big Stitch Quilting method!

I get so bogged down with which perle cotton to use, but Milagros boldly goes where no quilter has gone before and simply used inexpensive crochet thread on this beauty.

So glad for your quilting influence, Milagros!!

Pillowcases for Charity

I made these cute pillowcases this morning for my quilt guild's charity project for Philhaven.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed making them and how quickly they came together!  It was a fun walk down memory lane as I pulled out various fabrics from previous projects.

I am very, very late in the game in getting on board in making pillowcases for charity....  I had convinced myself that the One Million Pillowcase Challenge was simply a ploy by the fabric industry to get quilters to buy more fabric, just like the diamond industry invented the need for engagement rings.  (By the way, there's a great video on the College Humor site about the whole subject, but it was too vulgar for me to include the link - what a shame!!)  Maybe my premise is correct, but I finally realized it doesn't mean I can't use some of my leftover fabrics in my stash to partner with my quilt guild members and do some good in this world.  So, here are my pillowcases!

I found this fabric at the thrift shop a few years ago; I bought it for my sister who has collected anything Snoopy for forever, not knowing what I was going to do with it.

It was perfect for a pillowcase, and I had just enough fabric to make two - one for charity and one for her.  :)

These fabrics were left over from backing from the t-shirt quilts I had stitched for my twin nephews' high school graduation almost ten years ago.

And these fabrics were left over from a baby quilt, 

an "I Spy" quilt for my nephew, and another t-shirt quilt.

Click here for the link to the tutorial I followed. 

My guild members used french seams on the side/bottom seam for extra finesse, so I'll try that on my next one!