Betty's hexies

Another quilt for Betty - hexies this time.  Betty said  she made it all from scraps except for the backing.   This was quilted using a cotton batt which doesn't have much loft so I used grey thread in the border so the quilting would show.

 

 

 

 

Of course it is all hand stitched and she even cut out the paper foundations by hand.  She says she likes to keep her hands busy!  It took her several years to finish.




I'm getting ready to start on another quilt for my quilting partner Gail Stepanek so won't have customer quilts to show for a while. 

Nice and scrappy

This is Betty's quilt; it's a nice scrappy one.  I don't do many edge to edge designs, my work is 99% custom so it's kind of fun to do something different.

Betty is the one that brought me that dreadful batting.  She said she took it back to Hancock Fabrics and they refunded her money.  Thank goodness!



So far our Kansas summer has been unusually cool and I'm not complaining!  I haven't even had to use the AC since the 'polar vortex' moved in.  But it is making it hard for my tomato crop to ripen.  I planted several  plants in pots this year and they have done well, producing big fat green tomatoes.  I talk to them every day but they are waiting for more typical summer temperatures to ripen.  Only the leaves are turning color!

The return of The Thimbleberries Lady

If you have followed my blog for a while you might remember The Thimbleberries Lady that I quilted many quilts for.  Marsha took a break for a while but is back with this cute wallhanging.

Thimbleberries fabric is no more but I think Marsha has a lifetime supply in her stash.

 

 

 

When I took our quilt show judge Cindy Erickson out for a quick visit to a local quilt shop, Material Girls, this quilt was hanging on the wall.

 

Made by shop owner Jan Munroe this is Chick Jubilee by Bunny Hill Designs.  The quilting is so beautifully done by my friend and amazing quilter, Siriporn Hollar.  The quilt is square and straight but because I had to aim upwards to take pictures it looks a bit out of whack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's so fun to examine each block.  Siriporn added all kinds of fun details.

 

 

 

When my customers bring me their quilts they sometimes bring their own batting and I'm willing to use whatever they have with a few exceptions.  This batting now goes on the list of exceptions.

The touch of luxury cashmere appeared as little dirty spots trapped in the polyester.
There were even more holes and chewed up spots in this batting, more than I took the time to photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope she can get her money back and really, she should make an official complaint.



Yuck!

A real memory quilt

This quilt came with issues.  I was prepared; the customer told me the blocks  had been hand pieced by her mother when she was old and unwell. It was made from old family clothing scraps collected over the decades and it had everything in it: old feedsack prints, cottons from the 50's, bright psychedelic prints from the 60's, flocked cotton, wool, double knit, madras, seersucker - you name it! A real memory quilt.

 

 

Because of the wacky piecing and crooked seams we agreed an edge to edge design was the best choice.  I did overall feathers which give good coverage and ate up all the excess fabric in the borders and some blocks.

The end result lay flat and looked nice. 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what $1000 worth of Wonderfil thread looks like.  I placed an order using the gift certificates I won at MQS last spring and it just arrived.  Lots of Invisifil, many colors of their metallic and hologram thread and the wonderfully named Spagetti, a 12 wt. cotton thread.

 

 

 

 

My thanks to Wonderfil - I do like their thread!

 

 

 

 

 

Common Threads part II

In the first Common Threads post I showed pictures of a few of the 140 quilts entered into the judged show. In this post are quilts entered for display only: there were a total of 600 quilts hanging in the show.  Many of these quilts could have won ribbons in the judged show but their makers choose not to enter them.

Merilyn Austin made this ambitious appliqued Princess Feathers quilt by designer Kim McLean.  It is a large quilt and was hung at the end of a row facing the entrance to the show where it attracted a lot of attention.  Siriporn Hollar did a beautiful job on the quilting.

I don't especially like the Downton Abby line of fabric, but Leslie Snodgrass made a pretty quilt from it.  The pattern is Emerald Forest by Leanne Clair.  Another beautiful job on the quilting by Siriporn.

 

I like the bold colors in Lee Miescher's quilt.  This is a design by Heide Stoll-Weber.

This is such a clever design by quiltmaker Cathy Klusman.  She made it for her 3 year old great niece that loves Minnie Mouse and calls it For the Love of Minnie.

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Webert made Stars and Strips by Brendalou Scott and Liz Scott Adams.  Evelyn Gernaat did a very nice job on the quilting.

This is Moroccan Gem, made and quilted by JoAnn Blackmore from a pattern by Toby Lischko.  Great way to use that patterned fabric.

Charlotte Wolfe designed this for her shop for the 2013 Kansas Shop Hop and I really like the way she used the bold black and white chevron print in this quilt.

Lucky Gail Hand found this vintage beauty in an antique mall in Ohio. 

 

 

 

 

 

Such gorgeous hand quilting!


The next Common Threads post will be in two years - at our next show!