Day Break Quilt

I’m so excited to share this quilt with you as it was so much fun to quilt!  It belongs to Lynn and the pattern is called Day Break by Jaybird Designs.   She used a line of fabric called Shimmer and the background fabric is a linen/cotton blend.  Lynn said she like how Angela Walters quilted one using the same fabrics so I used that as my inspiration, you can see that quilt here on Jaybirds site.   I spent a bit of time thinking how I wanted to quilt this one and knew I that I wanted to make the hexagon and star shapes the focus so I echoed around those.  I like to work within seam lines instead of working across them for the most part so that helped me define my quilting designs.  I decided to use three different designs in the star fabrics and in the outer border of each hexagon as that way the same design would never touch. The rest of the designs I kept the same on each block to create continuity in the piece.   Lynn will be using this a wall hanging but didn’t want it quilted to heavy. 

Here are some close ups of the quilting designs.  I did l’s in one star with matching l’s and e’s in the outer border, feathers in the second star with a feather curl in that outer border and a simple triangle in the third with loops in the outer border.  All the blocks have the same overlapping CC design in the center and straight lines radiating from the background.  I think it turned out to be a nice blend of curves and lines.  Lots of ruler work and stops and starts but it didn’t take to long to complete, only two full days of quilting!

Look at that pretty ice!  It is warming up to 0’c today so I’m panicking that it will ruin my ice!  It is suppose to warm up to +3’ on Friday!!  I think I’m the only one not happy about that!

Picture of the backing which is the same linen/cotton blend fabric that is the on the top.

I used a beige So Fine thread for the top, beige Bottom Line on the back and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

I am now finished my clients quilt for the year!  I have a few of my own quilts to finish and one being a Day Break quilt but in batiks. I think I’ll work on that one first and don’t be surprised if I quilt it the same or very similar to this one!

Four Patch Charm Quilt #2

This is Wendy’s Four Patch Charm Quilt and she made it using my tutorial here.  This is actually her second Four Patch quilt and you can see the her first one here.  This time she used shades of blues and beiges for her charm squares and a lighter beige background.  Wendy asked for the same pantograph design, Deja Vu, and brought a cream coloured Minkie backing.   I used a light beige So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting instead of Puff this time and it worked out very well.

We had a lot of snow fall yesterday, about 15 to 20cm so I had a lot of shovelling to do before getting my pictures.  Here is the before shot at sunrise.

First I had to shovel a path to the lake

…then shovelled and swept the rink.  Good workout!

Now it’s time to get back to my last client quilt for the year and it’s a beauty!

Vintage Dresden Plate Quilt

This is Alex’s Dresden Plate quilt and it has a lovely story to go with it.  In the 80’s her grandmother Eva started cutting and piecing the Dresden petals together and Alex remembers helping her thread her needles as Eva’s vision was starting to fail.  Eva then gave the Dresden circles to her daughter to make a quilt but her daughter didn’t quilt so they just sat in a box unfinished.  This year Alex, who loves to quilt, took her grandmothers work and appliqued them onto a background squares, added the center circles and sashing according to the pattern her grandmother started it with.  This will be a Christmas gift for Alex’s mother ( Eva’s daughter) so I’m sure it will be a wonderful surprise and be a special family heirloom.

I quilted a feather motif in the sashing, loops in the Dresden petals, stippled the background and added a swirl in the center of each block.   Used Quilters Dream Blend batting, and cream and rust coloured So Fine thread.

Stonehenge Wide Backing!

Attention local quilters!!!

I’m very excited to let you know that I now carry Stonehenge Extra Wide backings! I have 8 colours to chose from at the moment, they range from dark brown, gold, grey, light green to beige.  I’ll carry samples with me to guild days so if you’re looking for a backing you can see if any of these will work for your quilt.

We do not have a fabric shop in town and the nearest quilt shop is about 370km away so getting a backing for a quilt usually involves online shopping or waiting for a trip out of town.  I hope this will be a nice convenience for the local quilters.

Now to some quilting pictures!   This is Terry’s Hopscotch quilt and she requested Garden Frill for the panto design.  The batting is Quilters Dream Blend and the thread is a beige So Fine.

Catch a Christmas Star Quilt #2

This is Rae’s Catch a Christmas Star quilt by Bunny Hill Designs and you may remember that I quilted one like this two years ago that belonged to a different Raye!  You can see that one here.   I used some of the same quilting designs but changed the style up so they won’t be the same.  I did an open feather in the outer border, curls in the inner border, and CC’s in the small squares. I used loops, swirls and wavy lines in the background of the appliqué blocks and stitch in the ditch around all the applique.  I used 4 different thread colours, all So Fine.  Batting is Quilters Dream Blend.

I took pictures out on the lake this morning and it was nice to not have to fight with the wind so have lots of pictures to share.

Rae hand stitched the applique pieces with a button hole stitch. 

I shovelled off the ice and then swept it so in a few days, if we do not get any more snow, the ice should be nice and clear again.  I love all the cracks that are starting to show up, they make beautiful designs in the ice.

Postcard Cuties for Winter

This is Rae’s Postcard Cuties for Winter quilt and it is a Bunny Hill Designs.  This is a small wall hanging, only 36” x38” and is full of cute little appliqued wool snowmen.  Rae hand appliqued the whole quilt with a button hole stitch including the scalloped edges in the border!

I knew right away I was going to put a feather motif in the blue scalloped border design and straight lines in the outer border for a nice contrast.  All the blocks are stitched in the ditch as well as around all the applique.  To keep this quilt whimsical and folksy I did different background fills in the snowmen blocks.

The details are hard to see in the outdoor shots so I took a lot of close up pictures inside.