Double Wedding Ring Table Runner

I made this Double Wedding Ring Table Runner using the Quiltworx pattern called Forever Yours.  The arcs are paper pieced from batik jelly roll strips. The pattern is well drafted and the curves pieced together really well.  I love the look and it is definitely something I would make again.

It is easier to see the quilting designs in this picture of while it was in progress on my frame.  Sometimes I get questions about how much marking I do for certain designs.  I always do the minimum amount of marking I can, but in order to keep a reasonable amount of symmetry in the centre motif, I knew I needed a few reference points.  I marked the diagonal lines as well and the horizontal and vertical ones as those would show me where my feather spine needed to land.  I also drew the four little ovals that would be the empty spaces that the first feather plume would nestle into.  

My feather plumes motifs are far from identical, but there is enough similarity for it to be pleasing to the eye without being too stuffy.

I decided this runner would be the perfect gift for an aunt of mine, and I couldn't in good conscience give it without making sure those rich burgundy batiks would not bleed onto the background fabric when she washed it.

I have to admit I was a little scared of the idea of washing it myself, but I decided to follow the instructions in the article "Save my Bleeding Quilt" written by a fellow fabric dyer and quilter that I respect - Vicki Welsh of Colorways by VickiWelsh.  She is very scientific in her test methods, so I felt confident to go ahead.

After a 12 hour dip in the tub with some blue Dawn  dishsoap, my quilt came out perfectly.  (You really need to go and read the whole article for all the details.)

When I dropped this little gift off with my aunt, this got to come and live with me!  It was my Grandmothers and I will share more about it tomorrow.

Stars and Logs

This beauty was made by Muriel.  Muriel is the mother-in-law of my good friend and fellow quilter Sandra.  Muriel usually quilts her own quilts on her domestic machine - (even the giant Thimbleberries Block of the Month kind), but decided to mix things up with this one.  

I sent a variety of panto suggestions that would offer nice even texture, and Muriel narrowed it down to a few favorites, but left the ultimate decision of thread and panto to Sandra and I.  Plush was on all our short lists and I think the end result is really nice.

Muriel was able to find this wide backing that complimented the quilt so well.

This pattern was adapted from a Block of the Month called "Stars and Logs" from a now closed quilt store.  (I couldn't locate a pattern by that name in my quick internet search.)

Hexagon Stack 'n Whack Fish

These two baby quilts were made by Reneta.  They were the result of a class a number of years back, and weren't made for anyone in particular.  She has a feeling that someone she knows will have twins one day and these will be their quilts.  She put green Cuddle on one, and blue on the other.

Reneta left the quilting design up to me, but she did have one request.  She asked if I could add a couple of goldfish (like the one in Disney's Pinocchio) to the black border in a bold or variegated thread.  If my machine was computerized this would be a snap, but I'm always up for a bit of a challenge....

I found a coloring book image and copied it to an appropriate size, and cut it out so I could chalk the basic shape onto the fabric.  Then using the chalk line as a rough guide, I drew in the rest of the fish details with my needle and thread.  I decided that a solid orange Magnifico thread would be more effective than a variegated so some details weren't bolder than others.  I impressed myself with this one - I thought there was a 50/50 chance that I would be picking this out and trying something different!

I love how well it shows up on the Cuddle backing.

For the rest of the quilting I did continuous curves in the Kaleidoscope hexagons, and added a curl to my curves in the green star points.  The back border got a water meander in a blue thread to give it a little more interest.

I love how these quilts came out and they are super cuddly as they have a minimal amount of quilting and Quilter's Dream Puff batting.

Post Christmas Sharing

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas and New Year's away from the computer and spending time with the special people in my life.  Time now to catch up and share a few of the last quilts I completed before Christmas.

The first quilt was made by Nadine.  It is a Hopscotch pattern.

Nadine is a new quilter and it was fun for me to be a part of her finishing her first big quilt that she made for herself.   We decided on the Breath of he gods panto for some nice overall texture.

This beautiful red flannel backing will make for an extra cozy quilt.

This next quilt was made by Katie, another young quilter that I had the pleasure of working with.

  

We decided on the Fascination pantograph, and I love how crisp this one looked out in the snow.  Katie was giving this away to family for Christmas and I'm sure they were thrilled!

Unfortunately I didn't get the best photos of Gwen's quilt.  The batik fabrics and black accents were very rich. Gwen wanted the quilting to be quiet on this one, so we opted for the Ebb and Flow panto to just finish it off.