Dorothy's Circle Quilt

This unique quilt was made by Dorothy.   Dorothy always starts with a pattern and makes it her own and this time out is no exception.  Dorothy left the quilting decisions up to me, the only thing that was a request was that I bring out the circles in the body of the quilt.

I used diagonal lines that followed the direction of the piecing in the background, and added petals into the circles and varied the design in each circle.

I wanted the small circles on the black background to float, so i kept the design horizontal and quite neutral behind them.

In the three borders I did single loops, triple loops and a piano key that varied between straight and wavy lines.

To assist in marking the spacing of the piano keys in the solid black sections of the border, I pulled out my Simflex gauge.  It is a sewing tool that was created to equally spacing button holes or dress pleats, but as it easily expands and contracts it made marking the piano key spacing much quicker than measuring each one with a ruler.  I used the pieced section as my guide, and adjusted the tool to that spacing and then marked in each piano key with a small chalk mark.

New backings!

It was almost like Christmas here today! 

I received my Cantik batik "Homecoming" kit as well as 7 new colors of Stonehenge wide backing.

And here is a shot of my entire current selection.

 I just love all the Northcott Stonehenge wide backs -108" wide means no piecing and the quality is second to none.  I will have samples with me if anyone local is I need.

Pretty Quarter Sections

Sandra made this really pretty version of our Highway 10 Designs -  Quarter Sections pattern. Sandra dug into her leftovers from other projects in florals and pastels to put this top together.  She also got creative with the backing.

Sandra chose the Dainty panto to keep with the feminine feel.  

Spring is here at last!

Full Spectrum

This striking quilt was made by Bonnie for one of her granddaughters.  The pattern is called Full Spectrum by Rebecca Boline.  When I saw the bold and fun backing that Bonnie provided, I knew I could have a little fun with the quilting.

I used a varigated rainbow colored thread over the colored sections.  I just wanted to add some texture without fighting with the fabrics.

I opted for a shiny blue thread on the solid black fabrics, instead of the variagated as I didn't want to take away from the way the solid black set off the rest of the quilt. Loops in the small black sashing, and swirls and bananas in the outer border.

A very cheerful quilt, for not quite such a cheerful day outside.

Baby Hopscotch

This darling baby quilt was made using the Hopscotch pattern by Leanne.  I love the grey and yellow flannels she chose.

We decided on a freehand all over double circle pattern in a pretty yellow thread.  It think it turned out really cute.

Love the back too!

Turning Twenty

This is Connie's Turning Twenty quilt.  She was not over the moon about it when she dropped it off, but i was pretty sure she would like it more once it was quilted.

We selected the Trellis Vine panto and I think the texture that it adds is really great.  

I had to make sure to get a picture of this fun and funky backing too!

Red Work Sampler

This fabulous Red Work sampler was made my Trish.

This is Trish's first foray into embroidery, as she wanted a project to take with her on a 5 month RV trips touring the East Coast.  She finished the quilt top when she returned home.

We opted for a small bit of curved crosshatching over the red work as the circles were about 7" and would have been saggy and baggy without some stitching.  I used 100 wt Inivisfil thread and it really doesn't take away from the hand stitching.

I didn't to any stitch in the ditch in the sashings, and I love the effect on the back of the quilt.

It was a lot of fun helping to finish this quilt that is sure to hold special memories of a wonderful holiday.