Thursday, September 18, 2025

Quilting for Jayne, Marilyn, Monica & Sue

Hello Quilty Friends!
How is your month of August going? Is it spring or autumn for you? It is spring in New Zealand, the temperatures are warming up, the flowers are blooming and the birds are flitting about getting ready for their busy season. I've been busy too, not making nests, my baby making days are over! Although I have spent some time in the garden,  pruning the apple tree & I found a good way to use the cuttings, see the end of my post for that. And of course I have been quilting some more lovely quilts for my customers. 





Quilt Information:

Pattern - Unknown to me.
Measurements - 50"x 74"
Quilting - Custom Quilting.
Batting - Hobbs Heirloom Wool - Purchased from me.
Backing - Gardenia - Purchased from me.
Threads - Glide Linen.
Binding - The Full Quiltmekiwi Binding Services.





Quilt Information:

Pattern - Unknown to me.
Measurements - 57"x 74"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Camo.
Batting - Supplied by Marilyn.
Backing - Supplied by Marilyn.
Threads - Glide - Mocha.
Binding - The Full Quiltmekiwi Binding Services.





Quilt Information:

Pattern - Unknown to me.**
Measurements - 51"x 75"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Blooming Feathers.
Batting - Wool/polyester - Purchased from me.
Backing - Green Grunge - Purchased from me.
Threads - Glide - Herb.
 
** Monica's daughter started this quilt 30 years ago, then leaving it to Monica, who was not previously a quilt maker to finish it. Monica did so well! 
I think Monica may have the quilt making bug, so we might see her work here again.







Quilt Information:

Pattern - Unknown to me **
Measurements - 49"x 52"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - NZ Fern
Batting - Wool/polyester - Purchased from me.
Backing - Green Grunge - Purchased from me.
Threads - Glide - Sterling.

** Sue made this quilt for her brother, lots of fabulous kiwiana fabrics on show!

Thank you Jayne, Marilyn, Monica & Sue for letting me loose on your quilts!


If you've lasted this long do you still remember I mentioned about pruning my apple tree? Yes? 
Ok well instead of pushing them through our mulcher I decided to weave them into a wall. 
Now I have a fun rustic looking place to make compost.



Another fun garden related thing I did after purchasing a mystery bag of bulbs from
  Pompallier Mission & Printery shop in Russell. I planted one of the bulbs in a small vase of water.


I wish I had 'planted' the other bulbs like this, it was fun watching it bloom. 



Every now & then I want to bake something. I had a big tub of passionfruit yoghurt so after a short Google search I found the following recipe:Yoghurt Cake I replaced the greek yoghurt with the passionfruit, I used raw sugar instead of white & I also sprinkled some frozen blueberries & the zest of one lemon...this was so yummy! I made it again yesterday only I put the batter into muffin cases. 
A word of warning you will want to keep eating - don't say I didn't warn you!  


Two recent arrivals to my wide backing shop are these two beauties:



Well I hope you enjoyed this rather long blog post.
 Wishing you happy days sewing, 
let me know what's blooming for you!

Leeanne.

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Quilting for Linda

Hello Quilty Friends!
Are you standing ready to wave goodbye to August? 
Hubby mentioned this week that is it Friday again & didn't that come around quickly? Yes it did! A friend of mine shared a post with me that there are only "X" amount of Fridays left until Christmas.
 I know what you are thinking, I should not remain friends with people like that! 
But I will stay being her friend because she is precious.
 Speaking of precious relationships, my customer Linda has been sending her quilt tops to me for several years. 
Linda a loyal partner-in-crime since 2017. I can safely say Linda is a repeat offender! 
That's my wacky humour for a customer that keeps returning & I'm so pleased she does! 
Let's take a look at her latest batch shall we:




Quilt Information:

Quilt Pattern - Boardwalk by Treehouse Textiles.
Measurements - 62" x 62"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Coneflower.
Batting - Wool/polyester - Purchased from me.
Backing - Bluebird Heather Ross - Purchased from me.
Threads - Glide - Linen.




Quilt Information:

Pattern - Vintage Diamonds by Blue Elephant Stitches.
Measurements - 52" x 65"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Peeling Good.
Batting - Wool/polyester - Purchased from me.
Backing - Dark Teal Ruby Star Society - Purchased from me.
Threads - Glide Military Gold.


Two quilts loaded on the same backing & batting



Quilt Information:

Pattern - 16 patch + Sawtooth & Star Hallow + 9 Patch
Measurements - 40"x 48" & second quilt 45" x 54"
Quilting - Straight Line Quilting
Batting - Wool/polyester - Purchased from me **
Backing - Strawberry Heather Ross - Purchased from me. **
Threads - Glide - Linen.

**When the quilts are not huge I can load them on the same backing & batting if requested which is what I did with these two cute quilts.






Quilt Information:

Pattern - Folk Sampler by Farm & Folk.
Measurements - 53"x 67"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Compass Rose.
Batting - Wool/polyester - Purchased from me.
Backing - Log Cabin Quilt** -Supplied by Linda.
Threads - Glide - Linen.

**Linda supplied a pieced Log Cabin quilt to use as the backing for this project, making it a two-sided quilt — such a lovely idea, but not without its challenges for a longarm quilter! 

As you can imagine, I can’t see the back while quilting, so centering the quilt top becomes a bit of a guessing game. Pieced backs also mean double (or more!) the number of seams, some of which can be quite bulky. These thick areas can sometimes cause issues like skipped stitches, shifting, or even tucks.

That said, it all worked out beautifully on this quilt. Linda thoughtfully added wide strips around the edges of the backing, which gave me plenty of wriggle room — and even the added appliqué patch on the back behaved nicely!

Thanks so much, Linda — long may you continue repeat offending!



If you're new to my blog, you might not be a quilt maker yourself—but perhaps you've always dreamed of owning one. Well, maybe I can help with that! I make quilts for people just like you.

Or maybe you do make quilts, but time is tight and you need a beautiful, handmade gift for someone special. Quilts truly make the best gifts! They're like a lasting hug—a quilt hug—that stays long after the flowers have wilted and the chocolates are gone. And best of all? 

No layers of dreaded plastic wrapping!

I invite you to browse my collection of quilts, bags, table toppers, and even Christmas stockings. There’s something for everyone, and each piece is crafted with love.

Feel free to share with a friend or two!


Until next time, see you back here another week closer to Christmas!

Leeanne.


Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Quilting for Jean, Julie & Ngaire

Hello Quilty Friends!
I'm pleased you made it back for another dose of quilty goodness. Three very different quilts on show today but they all have pink fabric somewhere. 
Are you a pink fan? I believe myself not to be, 
but when I look at my wardrobe I have heaps of pink clothing, what is that all about?
While I try to decipher that puzzle, you go ahead & enjoy my clever customers quilts:


 






Quilt Information:

Pattern - Sunshine & Lollipops - Homespun Magazine.
Measurements - 71"x 71"
Quilting - Custom Quilting.
Batting - Supplied by Jean.
Backing - Supplied by Jean.
Threads - Glide - Linen.





Quilt Information:

Pattern - The Sewing Room wall hanging - Jenny of Elefantz.
Measurements - 22" x 24"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Sewing 2.
Batting - Cotton - Purchased from me.
Threads - Glide - Linen.

Julie will no doubt share some amazing photos on her blog, along with all the other lovely things she makes. If you want an absolutely beautiful blog to follow, please see Julies: https://mythreadbearlife.blogspot.com/







Quilt Information:

Pattern - Unknown to me.
Measurements - 38"x 47"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Diamond Loops.
Batting - Supplied by Ngaire.
Backing - Supplied by Ngaire.
Threads - Glide - Linen.


Ngaire has created this stunning quilt, 

which is being raffled to raise funds for Bream Bay Coastal Care.

If you're curious about how I quilted it — from loading the quilt to the final stitches — I’ve uploaded a (long!) video showing the full process. There are a few non-quilting bits too, so feel free to fast forward to the parts that interest you... or watch the whole thing if you're a quilting enthusiast! 🧵🪡

📽️ Watch it here:Quiltmekiwi Youtube Video 


On the weekend I visited Magnolias at Proctor, what an incredible garden!
 Below is a collage of some photos.


Another weekend task was to put my Bears & Deers quilt together:

I decided on "Night Visitor" from my wide backing selection.

For a closer look at my selection of wide backing fabrics,
see Backing Fabric at the top of the blog.


Thank you for stopping by, see you next time!

Leeanne.



Thursday, August 7, 2025

Quilting for Lorna, Sue & Suzanne

Hello Quilty Friends!
Welcome back to the land of eye candy goodness 😍
My lovely customers have been busy creating some absolutely gorgeous quilts, Suzanne with her pretty vintage sheet quilt, Lorna with her striking log cabin quilt & Sue with her detailed wool quilt. Have you got your favourite drink on hand? I have, COFFEE!
 Let's take a look at these quilts:



 



Quilt Information:

Pattern - Log Cabin.
Measurements - 77"x 102"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Blooming Feathers
Batting - Cotton - Purchased from me.
Backing - Butterfly Whisper Yellow - Purchased from me.
Threads - Glide - Cleopatra.



 






Quilt Information:

Pattern - Tradewinds by Sue Spargo.
Measurements - 34"x 40"
Quilting - Custom Quilting.
Batting - Supplied by Sue.
Backing - Supplied by Sue.
Threads - Glide Tar Heel.
Binding - Full Quiltmekiwi Binding Service.
Extras - Hanging Sleeve & Pre Printed Label.

To see some other Tradewinds quilts I have custom quilted, please see this blog post.





 Suzanne made a blue version of the same quilt, to that quilt, here is the blog post.

Quilt Information:

Pattern - Vintage Sheet Squares.
Measurements - 54"x 66"
Quilting - E2E Quilting - Funky Daisy.
Batting - Cotton - Purchased from me.
Backing - Supplied by Suzanne.
Threads - Glide - Peacock.


Thank you Lorna, Sue & Suzanne for letting me loose on your quilts!

I've just come back from five nights away in Taupo for some bike riding & spending time with friends,   my daughter & granddaughter.
It was SO good to be back on 'home' ground, to see the mountains, lake, river & winter air!




Thanks for stopping by!

Leeanne.