Simple Sampler

 

I recently had the pleasure of custom quilting Marlene's beautiful "Simpler Sampler" quilt.  This quilt is anything but simple, but it comes from Kim Diehl's book entitled "Simple Sampler."  Marlene did change up the border to make it her own, and I like the simplicity and how it frames the beautiful blocks. 

Marlene and I discussed a few of her quilting likes and dislikes but she said she prefers not to say too much and let her longarmer decide.  The hardest part for me was coming up with a plan for the pieced blocks.  I took my inspiration from the centre blocks and added diagonal lines in the background of 8 of the blocks, radiating out from the centre.  I like how the pattern gives your eye a place to rest.

The other four blocks were treated with a different motif that matched the molar feather quilting in the border.

The wool applique blocks didn't leave a lot of room for quilting, so pebbles seemed like the perfect choice to fill in all the small areas and make the applique pop.

Thank you for trusting me with your quilt Marlene, it really is a beauty.

  

Cattle Call

The darling Highland Cow was made by Reneta.  Reneta is a pattern tester for Art East Quilt Company, and this is one of their latest releases called "Cattle Call."

I quilt a lot of quilts for Reneta and every once in awhile she like to challenge my creativity.  (Check out song lyrics, martini glasses, mice and glass slippers, butterflies,  a world map....).  This time she suggested that we amp up the Sottish flair of this quilt and give "Angus the Cow" a Scottish Thistle.

I found a great tutorial at Lori Kennedy quilts for a thistle, so I didn't have to think about how to do it,  and I think it worked out perfectly.

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The wavy lines were quilted across the whole quilt first in So Fine thread, and the thistle was added last with a slightly heavier and shinier Magnifico thread.

Is this not one of the cutest quilts you have seen in awhile??

 

Amy's Scrappy Homerun

 

This is Amy's latest scrappy quilt.  When I asked the pattern name, she said that she made blocks based on a demo from her local quilt guild, and used a layout idea from the Alternate Routes pattern she just finished and came up with this.  I think she hit this one out of the park!

This quilt was just a scrappy stash buster, but it was calling out for something other than a panto.  I asked Amy if I could play, and she said to go for it.  I came up with a plan that didn't involve any rulers or thread changes to keep it budget friendly.

The grey linen background areas received some fun feathers, and the blue scrappy strips received my branching curl fill.

 

I am really pleased how this one turned out.  It really makes me want to make one of my own!

Scrappy Hourglass

Tannis brought over the beautiful scrappy quilt that she was commissioned to make.  I am not a maker of scrappy quilts, but I do love having them pass through my studio.  Tannis included a lovely range of fabrics that give the quilt the perfect warm and cozy feeling.

Tannis selected the Mimosa pantograph.  I love the additional detail of the pieced backing.   I great way to add interest when you might not have enough of one single fabric.

 

Pink Batiks and a Pretty Christmas Throw

Sherry sent this lovely pink themed batik quilt.  She told me she just cut some squares and rectangles from her stash and arranged them until she was happy. Sherry is stash busting and decided to tackle the pink pile this time.  Simple and lovely!

Sherry selected the Lilac pantograph that is becoming a  favorite around here.

Next up is a lovely Christmas quilt made by Dianne. She left the pantogaph selection up to me, and I added the "Windswept" pantograph.  Sometimes I see wind and sometimes I see ribbons.

 

Heart Crazies and a Bonus quilt

Sherry is fully in stash busting mode.  This is one of her latest creations from a Buggy Barn pattern called Heart Crazies.  I like Sherry's interesting layout with the blocks extending into the border in some rows.

I have quilted a number of quilts for Sherry and I have a pretty good handle on her likes and dislikes.  It took a little longer to decide on the right quilting plan for this one.  I sent Sherry many pantograph options but nothing seemed right to either of us.  I wanted to offer a reasonably priced option as this wasn't a quilt that warranted fancy custom quilting.  Eventually we found the perfect plan.  I stitched around the hearts and added a simple stipple in the background (one of Sherry's favorites) and a larger stipple in the border.  Custom, but with a light hand to keep it more affordable.

When I was outside getting my photos of this quilt, I had a little visitor stop by to visit the pretty floral border!

Sherry decided that the fabrics she had pulled from her stash to make the heart quilt were not going back, so she created "Heart Leftovers."

Sherry selected the Gingersnap pantograph for a sweet finish.

Journey Among the Stars

This spring I had the opportunity to do the custom quilting on the Manitoba Prairie Quilters' 2022 Raffle Quilt that they are calling "Journey Among the Stars."  The pattern they used is called Mineral Matrix by Wing and A Prayer Designs.  The fabric palette from Northcott's Journey's collections totally transforms the look of the pattern.

When I saw this quilt I was wowed, and a bit overwhelmed at the task of tackling the custom quilting.  There is a lot of unique piecing in this quilt!   No plain sashing strips to fill with curls here!  Figuring out how to tackle all the different selections, while keeping  a light touch to preserve the drape as requested was the first step. 

Curved rulers were my friend when I added the petals and arc motifs to the sashing rows.

I really love the designs that emerges on the back.

Here you can see the feather curls and loops that border the setting triangles, and the curl and bead board outer borders.

I love the wide backing that was provided but I do have to admit that I tried picking off what looked to be a stray thread but was actually part of the printed design more than once.

All of the blocks are unique and I had fun deciding how to quilt each one.

 

Raffle tickets are currently on sale for $2 each and I have some available for purchase.  The draw will take place on Sunday, April 10, 2022.  The quilt measure 92" x 92" and has an appraised value of $2, 850.00.  I know I would love to win it as it looks great on my bed.  If you want a chance at owning this quilt please send me a message.