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.

Asian Fabrics and a Fabulous Pattern

This is Peg's quilt.  Each large block is a different Asian fabric.  I love this pattern so much I am adding this to my list of 'gotta-do's.'  Lots and lots of ruler work went into this one.  Isn't it pretty?

I think this would look great with some of the larger modern prints, too.

 The back looks pretty cool, too.

To Mia with Love!

My youngest granddaughter, Mia, who turned three on December 2, moved to a big girl bed well over nine months ago and I just finished her quilt for the new bed.  I recycled her window valance, bumper pads, and dust ruffle, added some new fabrics (lots of new fabrics... too many fabrics) and came up with this cheery quilt.  I say too many because I ended up buying almost double the needed fabrics trying to find just the right mix.  I had even made all the blocks with completely different sashing strips, and then ripping them all apart and starting over!

This is going to Montana tomorrow.  Wish I could just take it to her...

My other daughter, Mia's auntie, will do the binding for me.

Gray

Christina made this for a challenge -- it was part of a batik exchange.  She left me lots of open space to have fun. This wallhanging is 36" square.  I really did have fun with it, and learned a few lessons along the way, too.  I am so glad I used the purple contrasting thread on the ghost trapezoids.  It's so hard to know how things will turn out, and I have really been trying not to do so much frogging.

Tea Party Meets Feathers

This is Carolyn's sweet quilt, and it has a beautiful story.  Carolyn's mother made the center blocks before she passed away.  Carolyn added to the blocks and finished the top to give to her sister as a Christmas gift.  I tried to keep a unified theme from border to border and not add too many different motifs.  I used Glide thread and Hobbs 80/20 batting.

 I love it when you can actually see your work from the back, don't you?

Simple and Sweet

I just finished this sweet quilt for a customer.  She made it for her daughter.  I really enjoyed myself doing this one... not one issue or thread break, ahhhhhhh, and I just got to do some really fun quilting.

and here's the view from the back...

I have been so busy with customer quilts, and travel.  We just returned from Montana where we visited our little grands and their parents.  It was wonderful!

I was so busy before we left that I forgot to take pictures of two more customer quilts I finished.  Looking forward to Christmas and more relaxation...

Are you making tons of quilty things for Christmas?  Do you think you'll get them all done?  Last year I over-extended myself... I made quite a few aprons for family and friends, and then made quilty gifts, too.  I always think I can do some last minute gift making and it just makes me crazy.  I am vowing not to do it this year....  Hopefully I will listen to myself...  :)

Feathers Galore - Scrappy Triple Irish Chain

I just finished Laura's Triple Irish Chain.  The only request Laura had was for feathers and she wanted it special - it's a gift for her parents.  I used my arc and made a plastic template.  I marked each corner with the template with my marvy marker.  I was able to do the feathers, pebbles as well as the frames all in one motion, just one start and one stop.  The feather border was measured, marked, and then remeasured and marked, hmmm.  

the back...

 different lighting

Thanks for looking!