What do Butterflies and UFOs have in Common?

Oh, my!  I unearthed a bin of "stuff" under my longarm and found a stack of butterfly blocks that I had completely forgotten about.  These were made as part of an exchange in 2002 (I think)!  I had intended on making these for a grandbaby.  Well, four grandbabies later --  I really did forget!  I'm on a mission this year to cross off a lot of "to-do's" -- wholecloth, art quilt, feather meandering, UFOs, stash-busting!! 

I have no idea who will be the lucky recipient of this cute little quilt.  The first picture is without a flash, and letting the quilt "relax" on a bed of beautiful maple leaves.  Taking this picture without the flash highlights the dimension created by the batting. 

This second picture is with a flash.  This is indicative of the true color of the fabrics. 

I got home from work a little too late tonight to take a good picture and won't have time for quite awhile to get a good pic in late afternoon sun - the best time! 

The final picture is of one of the "ghost" butterflies that I stitched in.  I've never tried this technique before, and it was fun.  I found a great new website for creating templates for machine quilting:  Coloring Book - Free Images for Templates

Freehand Feathers and Stash Busting!

I needed to practice my freehand feathers before I jump in on a beautiful quilt of Laura's.  I can make a feather, I just needed to practice the sizing, movement and "feel" of the overall feathers.  My first instinct was to grab some solid muslin and have yet an

other practice piece with no purpose.  But then I thought, use up some of that backing fabric you've got laying around!  Bust some stash!!  So, I grabbed a cute piece of baby fabric with some cuddly minkie-type fleece and voila, this is what I came up with. 

Ladybugs ala Patsy Thompson

 I organized a quilt retreat a while ago, and offered my quilting as a prize.  Cathy won the prize and asked me to quilt this cute little quilt for her granddaughter.  Many thanks to Patsy Thompson Designs for posting free examples of her freehand quilting online!  I have used her designs more times than I can count. 

I Want to Keep These!

I am really pleased with the way these look completed.  If you read my earlier posts, I taught myself how to design and create this triptych.  It helped to find these beautiful fabrics in a local quilt shop, and the blog posts that I read with tips.  These are 48" tall, and the center is 37.5" wide, and the narrower outside panels are 19.5" wide. 

They depict the desert hills and wind turbines near Mojave, CA where my husband works.  They are on their way to his office right now. 

I stitched black fabric all the way around, similar to a binding, and then pulled the black around the wooden frame that my husband made, and then finally taped them on with duct tape. 

Do you know of an appraiser who specializes in landscapes?  Would I just contact a quilt appraiser?  I may need to get these appraised before I start my second set.

Introducing the Newest Quilter in the Family

My daughter Christina just started quilting and this is the first quilt she made.  She wanted to do it from start to finish, so I let her use my longarm to quilt it herself.  Here she is with my newest grandchild, Landon Thomas.  He loves to 'hang out' with mom while she is longarming! 

And here is two-month old Landon kicking up his heels and enjoying his new quilt

made entirely by his mom! 

PS - Don't you love the name Landon?  We do!  Our last name is Landon so it has special significance. 

Triptych...Diptych...

I have finished on two parts of the triptych, so I guess right now it's a diptych!  I'm thinking that I want the sky to have a "windy" feel to it, any ideas on how I can achieve that?  I think I want to add some texture to the orange poppy area...

Dye Candy: Dye Candy Fabric Giveaway & Fresh Fabrics

Dye Candy: Dye Candy Fabric Giveaway & Fresh Fabrics

Hey, check out Chris' blog, Dye Candy, for a chance to win some hand dyes!

I'm Making a Landscape Quilt Triptych

I have never taken a class or studied books about landscape quilts.  This may be a BIG waste of time and money, but I am determined to create this tryptich for my husband's new office.  He is a windfarmer, and has lots of blank walls which probably need some sound reduction. 

I made a rough drawing, and from this, I've got this very rough base of a landscape. I have basted the blue batik until I get the rest of the fabric I need.  I will be doing lots of embellishing, and obviously will be placing wind turbines on it!  Can you believe I purchased this beautiful batik fabric, but forgot to get some gray for the turbines.  I plan to paint the side of the turbines to replicate shading. 

 Here are a few pictures that I am using as a reference.  I just received the picture with the poppies from my friend Carolyn, so I quickly changed my plan to add poppies.  Note the wild horses in the second photo on the right -- I hope to include a couple horses in one of the quilts, too.

 Here is a closeup photo.  Any suggestions of how I should quilt this?  I plan on purchasing some neat embellishments tomorrow.



Naomi's Carpenter Star

Angi made this for her daughter, Naomi.  I love the fabrics and colors she chose.  I wonder if Naomi's home is done in greens and browns... When I am quilting, I often think of the piecer and/or recipient.  Think, in terms of their lives, their interests, their futures, their jobs, etc.  Sometimes I turn off all sound when I am longarming.  This quilt reminds me of a grassy meadow and pine trees...  soothing.    I know Naomi lives in a huge city, quite far from a mountain meadow, but maybe she really loves pine trees and meadows?  

Longarmers, do you ever think about who will receive the quilt that you are quilting? 

I lost a lot of sleep over this one

I finished this carpenter star just in the nick of time.  It was really easy and fun to piece - just half square triangles.  The quilting probably would have been enjoyable had I allowed more time to do it.  I hope I never do that to myself again...  creating ridiculous deadlines when I am most busy - the first week of school!  Anyway, I truly like this quilt, and I do like the way I quilted it, too.  I wish I could say it is all original, but I copied most of the quilting motifs (except for the swagged border) from my online forum friends at MQR.