Carpenter Star ala Naturals

This beautiful quilt will be a wedding gift for a lucky couple who were married yesterday.  I love the neutral tones used.  I am always trying something new and this is no exception.  I went with leaves and swirls as my theme and carried it through from border to center.  Thank you, ladies, for allowing me to quilt this gift for you.

Americana or Primitive?

Cathy made this beautiful quilt.  if you needed to label this 'type' of quilt, what would it be called?  Primitive?  Americana?

I haven't been exposed to very many of these type quilts, and am so impressed by the workmanship and detail that goes into the construction.  Each block is unique and has its own story to tell.  Many of them have hand stitching.  I just love this quilt.  Cathy is so generous, too.  She must give away one quilt each month!

 I tried to stay within a budget, so no rulers were used on this one, and I also tried to move from one block/motif to the next without tying off and restarting.

I think the back looks fun, too!

Thank you Cathy for letting me quilt this for you.

Laura's Ladies

My customer, Laura, from Ft. Worth, made these ladies from her grandmother's clothes.  Her workmanship is just outstanding.  According to Laura, she took just one class on applique and I would say she mastered it.  Laura cut out all the fabric behind the ladies dresses to reduce bulk...nice!  I measured once, but now can't remember exactly, but I believe each lady is approximately 12" wide  25" tall.

 Each lady is holding a different object, from a book, to a mirror, to a kitty cat.  They're just so sweet.

Just in case you wonder about me placing my customer's quilts on the floor so I can photograph them, I will share that I always mop the floor immediately prior to doing this.  In this case, I had to hurry out the door and couldn't wait for the floor to completely dry, so I placed a sheet on the tile so the quilt wouldn't become damp.  I never let my dogs near my customer quilts either.  In fact, I don't let them in the studio just in case my customers have allergies.

 I love the way the back looks on this one, don't you?

I used a mere five different ruler templates, two different marking utensils, three different threads, and listened to the entire 17-hour audio version of Catherine by Anya Seton (as well as started a new Louise Penny audiobook).

I sure hope that Laura is happy with this gem - I think it will definitely become a family heirloom.