Loose Change & a gift from me

Sharing another 'Loose Change' quilt with you & a chance to receive a gift from me (more on that soon).
This is Kerryn's version of 'Loose Change', made using French General fabrics. A few weeks ago Kerryn & I had a sewing day to make some shop samples, see here. Remember my version of this lovely quilt?

                                              The same but different!

My quilt had simple cross hatching, whereas with Kerryn's I stitched a quarter inch either side of the seams, a feather on the half square triangle corner stones and curling ribbon on the border, using a Gunold variegated thread.

                               A lovely cream backing to show off the quilting.
                          The class for making this quilt is coming in September.

Now last but not least, my gift to you!. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
Have you noticed my newly made over blog? Did you see I have a 'grab button'? Well if you are willing to put this button on your blog I will give you 10% off the next quilt you commission me to quilt!
Also on my Facebook page I am having some gift giving too! Pop over & like my page to go in the draw!

Customer quilts..................

Another busy week in the Quiltme studio. I have a very special quilt to show, but that will have to be for another post as the quilt is now winding it's way back.
First is the quilt Lois made for her friends one year old daughter. Lois is fondly known as 'the cat lady'............here's why.............

I have quilted several quilts for Lois & most feature cats. Lois asked for simple quilting. So a looping stipple on the border , curling ribbon & plenty of ditch stitching.

Look at this cute little face!
Lois found the perfect fabric for the backing...................................

Next up is Jenny's wall hanging. Purchased as a BOM from The Country Yard a couple of years ago.

A combination of stitchery, applique, piecing & English paper piecing. Designed by Helen Stubbings of Hugs and Kisses.

Until next time......................................................

Customer quilts & one of mine!

Glenda's very first quilt! This is no baby or beginner quilt, look at all those points & triangles..........................triangles mean bias edges too. This quilt measures 90" x 104" & Glenda has made a most excellent job of the piecing, all the points are there! This quilt was delightful to quilt, no wavy borders or cut off points.

I did a large open stipple/meander through the middle, then ditch stitching on the border, orange peel & curling ribbon.

Next is Jill's pretty table runner, made as a gift. Jill finds these table runners perfect for posting overseas.

The Country Yard had a fun class on Friday night called 'Whirlwind Scraps'. I quilted the sample with all over Baptist fan ( I like to call it 'horse hooves'......see my explanation here ) using a  Auriful variegated poly thread.

This is the back, you can see the lovely texture.

Today I finished my Angel Story quilt top! Whoopwhoop!! Did you hear me? You didn't? Well I was doing it! This was another long term project...................could be another long term project to hold down the quilter to quilt it too!

I learnt how to do English daisies from the Crabapple Hill Studio, I was going to give you the link but they don't have the tutorial there anymore? Basically an English daisy is a small circle of wool felt covered with masses of lazy daisy stitches.

click on the photo

a wool felt star

some lace

and French knots.

 

My great Nephew is now 3kgs & nearly ready to go home......where have the months gone?

Hexagon quilt

Vivian has been very busy making this stunning hexagon quilt. Many hours of English Paper Piecing & needle turn applique ( the house border ) has gone in this quilt. As usual Vivian gave me free range on this quilt.

Using a Gunold variegated thread for the petals & swirl on the middle hexagon, a cream Madeira polyneon thread for the orange peel on the cream hexagon's, then I needed to put some stipple in some where, because Vivian loves stipple, so the border was a good place. Then some feathers & curling ribbon, over cotton batting.
If you are new to my blog & you like this quilt I am sure you will like Vivian's other quilts, please see here , here & here.

Quilting, a bag & other bits

When I contacted Ileen yesterday to say her quilt was finished, she couldn't get to my studio quick enough! I didn't even get time to take any decent photo's of the quilt! Ileen made this one........a HUGE quilt measuring 100" x 110" for her son, the starry border to represent Matariki . Matariki is the Maori name for a small cluster of stars............you can read more here .
Ileen is not alone in the problem of wavy borders, until I had pointed out the importance of measuring borders, she had no idea. I gave her the link to Bonnie Hunters tutorial on borders for some help, also telling her she was not alone, this is a problem I see all too often. So, much unpicking went on before any quilting could take place.
Illeen wanted simple all over quilting in the middle, then 'something' on the border. I know bad photo's, but I did an all over in the middle, then the first border straight lines, second border more straight lines framing stipple, third border, curling ribbon & finally the outside border I quilted  roaming, looping stars.

Just to give my arms a wee rest after that huge quilt I did two wall hangings from Ngaire. Ngaire has been making these hangings from patterns featured in the New Zealand Quilter magazine.

Ngaire told me exactly how she wanted both these hangings quilted.

Not sure of the birds in the first hanging, but I'm pretty sure these two are Moreporks?
To see more of the series she has been making you can go here & here.

In my last post I mentioned hoping I would have a productive Sunday, well the answer is yes & no. I wanted to do more the time just seem to run faster on the weekends. Anyhow I did get a Library bag made for on granddaughters 6th birthday. I used Leanne Beasley's lovely pattern. I spend way too much time fussing with what fabrics to use, I know my granddaughter is into fairies at the moment, so I chose the yellow background fabric as my starter.

I hope to make her a bunting for her bedroom too, but we will see, I have plenty of other goodies in my 'gift box' that can be popped into her parcel if I run out of time!
Also on the home front.....................

I have been slowly plodding away at my Dresden plates.

I am starting to think about how I want to put this together, sashings, on point or as is? Of course my mind goes off to 'how will I quilt this?' Then of course what will I use as my centres?

Also another project that gets some 'plodding' time is my Angel Story by Annie Downs. I  have completed all the applique, I just have two blocks left that need the stitchery to be completed, then I can start putting the top together!

Thanks for stopping by, wishing you all a happy rest of the week!

Mettler Metallic threads............... :-)

Difficult to show the quilting with these darker quilts, but I did use Mettlers Metallic gold thread as well as an aqua poly neon & black threads. The first gold I tried was an old one I had, that in the past I had always had problems with, but I thought I would try it again.......but I had problems again (AKA.....get grumpy & throw the thread in the bin!), so I went to my local & bought Mettler Metallic, popped in a metallic needle, & off I went, no problems!!!
 I quilted Feathers, curling ribbon, straight lines & Celtic bubbles.
Lois has made this quilt for her daughter.........lets hope she likes it!

A view of the back...................................

I have finished another book, the first in the series called "A Someday Quilts Mystery" The Lovers Knot, by Clare O'Donohue

Nell Fitzgerald is looking forward to her wedding, and her grandmother’s gift of a wedding quilt, but things don’t go as planned, especially when Nell’s fiance calls off the wedding and Nell finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation – with her former fiance the chief suspect

I borrowed from my local Library, but unfortunately the second book is missing from the Library, they have book 3 & 4. So I have ordered it from the Book Depository, when I have read it I will donate it to the Library.......nothing worse in a series that needs to be read in order, one missing.

Enjoy the funny video!

For the love of scrap!!

If you love scrap quilts, please hang about!

Di made this quilt at a class at The Country Yard using bits left over from her previous projects.
Scrap quilts tell stories of quilts gone before, " that fabric was in Dad's quilt !" " Oh that one was in Daniel's baby quilt" ....etc, etc.

Isn't it wonderful!

Some close ups of the quilting...............

Di wanted an all over design for the centre of the quilt. I used a Madeira variegated polyneon.
This quilt pattern is traditionally called " Baptist Fan ".....but it reminds me of my childhood days of galloping my horse on the beach.........so I like to call it....... " horse-hoofs" .

  Fun with funky feathers!! Thanks Di for that freedom.

Do you like the green peeper? Click away at the photo's for close ups!

Curling ribbon for the outer border..

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend?