Heartstrings

I don't usually start by showing the back of a quilt first, but these little mice are just too cute!  I have two baby quilts to share today.  Both of the makers selected the Heartstrings panto for a sweet finish.

The first quilt was made by Amy for her great niece.  I used a variagated Fantastico thread in  colour #5024 Opalescence for a little extra colour and shine that is still soft and pretty. 

I also had the pleasure of quilting this darling quilt for Gay.  Gay took a portion of the blocks from what was supposed to be a larger project that she wasn't loving to make them into something she did. 

I used white thread on the front and back of this one.  And another super cute backing for this one!

Beautiful Batiks, Hawaiian Applique and a great trade!

This lovely Hawaiian applique pillow is actually mine!  There is a good story behind it coming to be.  My dear friend Kathy brought back the kit for me on her Hawaiian holiday last fall.  The fabrics were beautiful batiks in colours I love so I was very excited.  Upon closer inspection of the kit, I came to realize it was laser cut for needle turn applique.  Those of you who know me, know that I am highly allergic to hand applique.  When I mentioned this last point to Kathy, her response was, "You are creative, you will figure something out!"

The best way for this kit to get completed was for someone with hand applique skills to tackle it.  My new quilting group "In Stitches" has quite a number of ladies who enjoy hand work and are skilled to say the least.  I took this kit with me to a sewing night and asked Marion if she would be interested in a trade.  I offered longarm quilting services in exchange for applique services and Marion enthusiastically took me up on my offer.  I told her I was in no rush, but to keep track of her time so that we could make sure it was a fair trade.  What seemed like just a few short weeks later Marion had the applique finished.  She said she enjoyed having a new project and does a little handwork every evening.  Her skill set is amazing.  These little tiny silk stitches wowed me to say the least!

I decided to SID around the applique and do one large spaced echo and pebble the remainder of the background.  I love adding binding to my pillows for a crisp finish and I found the perfect batik in my stash to match.

The kit suggested adding velcro or buttons for the back closure.

Now check out the beautiful top I got to quilt for Marion!!

This rich beauty was a Block of the Month for from a number of years back.  I know Marion changed out some of the colours to make it her own.

Marion selected Quilter Dream blend batting,  the "Come Dance with Me" pantograph and a goldy/green thread that blended nicely with the variety of fabrics.

Marion decided to use up some of the matching batiks on the back.

Marion and I were both happy to share our skills on each other's projects, but I think I got the better end of this deal!

Floss Bracelet

This cheerful quilt is from a pattern called "Floss Bracelet" from the Missouri Star Quilt Compnay.  The kit was put together by Keystone Modern Creative and was pieced by my daughter Kendra while she took breaks from her University assignments.

I decided light custom quilting was the right approach for this quilt.  When I loaded it onto my machine the was a lot of wide open white space to tackle first.

Freehand daisy's and loops seemed to compliment the quilt name well and the colors would be perfect for a tween or teen girl in your life.

 The colourful fabric is Kaleidoscope from Alison Glass.  It is woven cotton that isn't as thick as linen, but has more texture and body than a standard cotton. I stitched in the ditch between the blocks to give some crispness and did small u-turns in the thin white sections.

This fabric bolt end was sure the perfect backing.  It was worth a little extra piecing to make it work!

This is sure a cheerful little project.

"How Green is My Stash?"

These two quilts were made by Val and are destined to be gifts for her two sisters.  When she brought them by she told me she had been referring to the projects under the name "How Green is My Stash?"  According to Val even after these two lovelies she is in no danger of running short of green anytime soon!

For the first quilt Val chose the Feathered Garden pantograph, which really complemented the print on the backing fabric as well as looking great on the top.

Val selected the Mimosa pantograph for the second quilt.  This pantograph always adds nice texture without being too dense.

Log Cabin Star

I can't believe a month has passed since I last shared photos of what I have been up to!  There is always something that appeals to me about a blue and white quilt, and this beauty made by Pam is no exception.

I don't know if Pam followed a specific pattern but she used the beautiful fabrics in the Indi-Glow collection by Studio Mousseau beautifully.  The central log cabin blocks are made up of just two fabrics, and Pam used the border print and yardage to her advantage for a striking finish.

We used the Dusty Miller pantograph for a nice even all over design and it shows up very nicely on the lovely blue backing fabric she provided.

Again, this one could have happily stayed to live in my bedroom!