Cindy made this fresh and pretty batik pinwheel quilt. She selected a fun summery pantograph called "Fanciful Fliers." This pantograph is quickly becoming one of my most popular.
Cindy requested the Quilter's Dream Puff batting which balanced nicely with her cozy fireside backing.
Cindy made this version of the Highway 10 DesignsHome Quarter quilt pattern for her grandson's "big boy bed." The fabric is from a beautiful line called "Brave Enough to Dream" by Dear Stella fabrics. The pattern has some large pieces that really allow you to appreciate the fabulous prints.
Cindy selected the Ebb & Flow pantograph, and Quilter's Dream Puff batting that combines so nicely with her gorgeous navy fireside backing.
This fabulous quilt was made by my good friend and client Reneta. Reneta served as a pattern tester for The Quilted Stash. The pattern is called "Around the Island" and will be published in a book called The Quilted Stash. For those of you not familiar with Canadian Geography, the island in the centre of the quilt is Newfoundland.
Reneta is from Newfoundland so this quilt has a special place in her heart. She knew she wanted some special quilting on this one. Since I started quilting in 2012, I have quilted more than 100 quilts for Reneta, so she knows what I can do, and I have a pretty good idea of what she likes. Sometimes she has a vision, sometimes she leaves it up to me. When the idea of adding song lyrics to the open corners came up we were off to the races!
Reneta immediately knew the song that spoke to her the same way this quilt did - Saltwater Joys. The song was recorded by Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, written by Wayne Chaulk.
You can have a listen here.
I had a lot of fun doing the cursive writing quilting. The key to that was all in the preparation!
First I cut some newsprint to size and with a sharpie in hand I did some writing to see if I could connect the words and to get a sense of the row height that would work.
Next step was heading to the computer to see how many of the song lyrics could fit into the triangles. Two stanzas in each corner was a great fit.
Then I chalked in the lines that I would need to follow and numbered them for reference.
On the really long lines of text, I gave myself some registration marks so I had rough idea of the spacing, but otherwise I just went for it. The hardest part was remembering to dot my i's and cross my t's in the moment!
For the colourful squares Reneta requested my freehand topographic meander quilting. The beautiful fabric is the from the Journeys collection from Northcott.
And for the remaining two corners we opted for the Breath of the gods panto for an even design that complimented the rest of the quilt.
I will share more photos because I can! All of these photos were taken on the grounds of the Marine Museum of Manitoba right here in Selkirk. And for a little more behind the scenes - this is what the quilt looked like 50% of the time during this photo shoot. I am very lucky to have a willing helper!
I enjoyed every minute this quilt has spent with me. Thank you Reneta for putting your faith in me - I look forward to more collaborations in the future!
I recently had the opportunity to help two sisters finish quilts that they made "together" while apart during Covid restrictions. They followed the Ultimate Beginner Quilt Sew Along by the Fat Quarter Shop. It includes free block patterns along with You Tube videos to guide you. Above is Crystal's quilt. Below is Marja-liisa's.
I have to say that at first I didn't realize that they were made from the same pattern as the fabric selections and layout differences really make them look different.
This is only Crystal's second quilt and she selected the gingersnap pantograph.
Marja-lissa selected the popcorn pantograph for her first quilt. I think there will be many more in her future.
This lovely Double Diamond Bargello quilt was brought to me by Ann. She collected the fabrics over the last 10 years and was thrilled to get all her treasures made into a quilt for her. It is hard to get a true appreciation for the size of this King Size quilt as it tops my queen size bed.
Ann chose the Feather Curl pantograph for the quilting and i used a shiny Magnifico thread in a muted purple color. It is such a pretty finish for this quilt.
The quilting looks lovely on the flannel backing as well, but let me warm you a king size bargello with a flannel back does not make for a light quilt! Ann is going to stay fit making her bed everyday.....
This beautiful Broken Star quilt belongs to Gay. It is very special to her as the top was made by her dear friend Ann who recently passed away. I was honored to be asked to help make this treasure into a finished quilt.
Gay knew that she did not want dense quilting, as she wanted the quilt to have a nice drape when it was done. She also knew that she wasn't fond of the continuous curve design that is often quilted on the coloured diamonds. So the design plan became feathers, feathers and more feathers (but nice open ones.)
Each large diamond sections received a open feather plume in peach thread.
I quilted a feather wreath in the background squares and flowing loose feathers in the corners in a cream coloured thread.
When the quilt was on the frame and I was only seeing small sections at a time, I was worried that I might have missed the mark on the size of the feathers. They seemed really big, but I trusted the vision. Once I pulled the quilt off the frame I loved the result, and was pretty sure I had fulfilled Gay's request.
And a few more pictures, because I just love it so much!
