These quilts have been so much fun to work on! Baby quilts are great projects, they aren’t so big that they take what sometimes feels like forever to make.
Gwen’s Fun Baby Quilts!
Tag: Longarm Machine Quilting Thunder Bay Ontario
Snow! And Quilting
Ok, it’s April 11th already and we are still getting snow?? It was snowing this morning when I woke up. It is supposed to rain a lot this week so hopefully that will help the snow melt.
I won’t complain too loudly as it sounds like west of us they are in for a pretty big spring snow storm this week…fingers crossed that we just get the rain!
Yesterday I put the last stitch into a very special quilt that I will be sharing more about very soon. My Longarm and I have been really busy and productive so look for more posts about that.
Next up is the second of three half square triangles I have been quilting for Marilyn. I always press tops and backs before loading them on the Longarm. Her piecing and workmanship is perfect and her fabric and colour/value skills are so inspiring!
Only many years of collecting could possibly build a stash that would make a total of 4 queen size quilts with such an array of fabrics. I wonder how close I am getting.
There are so many options out there for quilters compared to when I began. Tutorials abound on the internet and online shopping opens an incredible world of choice for new and experienced quilters. I personally have fun at times with a quickly pieced quilt but I also really enjoy the journey and challenges of different projects.
Sometimes, projects linger longer that I originally plan such as my Longtime Gone quilt and the collective projects that are waiting…when I start to feel a little guilty regarding what projects in the quilt world that are referred to as UFO’s (unfinished objects) I remind myself that I like to savour the journey. Some projects don’t require quick completions.
Melissa’s Quilt
This quilt is so special, not only was it Melissa’s first quilt but it is also a quilt for her Grandma.
Melissa is blessed with Aunts that quilt and they have pulled her into the fold of quilt makers.
How pretty and spring like is her quilt! She chose the pantograph Shasta Daisy which is such a perfect fit.
She chose fireside for her backing.
Modern Quilts and Fireside Backing
I love blue, I love blue for its calmness.
Often quilts are dropped off and not fully opened until their turn comes. This quilt had been discussed with its maker through email as was the quilting decision.
So when I first opened up the quilt and laid it over the Longarm the room already painted a soft blue…really became blue!
The pantograph parchment was chosen and I chose a baby blue thread which moves perfectly across the quilt.
The fireside backing is so soft and blue and really shows off the quilting design. I pieced the backing for this quilt, it worked out beautifully!
A Quilt for our Newest Granddaughter
My daughter recently had their second baby. She and I had discussed the baby’s quilt many times over the last months and she eventually chose the pattern Ivy League from Wren Collective and the palette that was used in this version of the quilt…
I was able to connect with Rachel Thomeczek of the Wren Collective https://wren-collective.com and she kindly shared the palette that was used. Check out her patterns there are several that call to me.
The fabrics are from the Painters Palette from Paintbrush Studios and I ordered them from Pineapple Fabrics. https://www.pineapplefabrics.com
This was my first time using the Painters Palette fabrics and it won’t be my last. They are a little heavier and have a wonderful sheen to them.
To backtrack a little I had originally ordered another palette but it wasn’t quite right, thankfully though a portion of it was absolutely perfect for the backing that we both had our hearts set on. It’s a sweet out of print Cotton+Steel fabric called Flower shop and there just wasn’t quite enough of it… adding the 3 rows from the first quilt top try worked perfectly. *on a side note had I not taken the time to straighten the grain…see my previous post on the quilt…I don’t believe that it would have laid straight when finished.
The quilting is freehand adding a soft organic look and feel to the quilt. Using a 60wt thread allows the stitches to take a backseat to the design.
I hope that this little one and her big sister will spend many hours happily snuggling under their quilts (and making tents and other adventures!) made with so much love and prayers in every stitch.
Cathy’s T-Shirt Quilt and Karen McTavish
I must confess that I haven’t quilted many T-shirt quilts over my quilting career and in this case there was a bit of a learning curve! A quick chat with Karen McTavish solved the issue that I was having… the tension was beautiful but the stitches were long at times.
She asked what thread I was using, which was Glide and suggested a less slippery thread…I switched to sew fine and problem solved! Thank you Karen for you kindness and generosity!!
For those who don’t know Karen, she is an amazing quilter whom I became acquainted with in a years ago quilting chat group called LaChat where several Longarm quilters met regularly to chat and had forums full of support from one another. Karen had just begun her McTavishing at that point at least the name was suggested at that time….her quilting career has been an amazing one to follow!
I first met her in Duluth when there was a Longarm conference and Quilt Show held at the DECC. So many years ago, it was my first trip alone, first hotel room alone and I met many Longarm online friends there….That was about 17 years ago!
Karen is an APQS dealer and has a Longarm rental shop in Duluth MN and she has recently been expanding her shop carrying exciting fabrics and supplies! Her website is very worth a visit let alone her shop when you can! Check out her amazing online classes while you are there!
https://www.mctavishquilting.com/index.html
So back to Cathy’s T-Shirt Quilt. The story behind it is a collection of T-Shirts belonging to her son in law…he didn’t want to part with them and now he not only doesn’t have to he can also make good use of them! We chose the pantograph bayside as a gentle non descriptive design which worked beautifully.
Altheas Quilt
This quilts maker has been working on using up her Mother’s stash for a few years now. She is very creative and has a lot of fun with her designs!
I will start though with the backing that had two pieces that needed to grow into one large back. I decided on this layout as it was interesting, fun to piece and made the best use of the fabric supplied.
It also really shows off the quilting, doesn’t it?
Minecraft Quilt
This quilt will totally delight the 11 year old recipient…he has been waiting for it to be completed. It is one of the first bigger quilts made by his Grandma.
The pattern for this quilt can be found on https://www.kellifanninquilts.com/p/minecraft-sew-along.html. It was part of a sew a long and the designer has kept the block patterns up for others to enjoy. She also included the patterns for lettering and the dragon that was used for the backing.
The quilts maker chose the pantograph water-world. Children’s quilts are meant to be used and loved, a quilting design such as this will help the quilt to withstand years of use!
Fun Scrap Quilts
I suppose it would be wise to always sew up scrap fabrics into useable blocks or as I read recently, to only buy as much fabric that one needs for each project. However, a quilt that I recently wrote about and shared showed of a lifetime of collecting fabrics and scraps!
This quilt is an example of a fun and easy scrap quilt! I used the pantograph Popcorn as I always reminds me of clouds and the backing called for just that!
Millie’s Quilt and backings
It may be March, but winter hold its grip here in NW Ontario. We already have more than enough snow and now are forecasted to receive another 20cm over the weekend.
Millie’s latest quilt was a bright addition to my studio. One of the things that I do for my customers with no extra charge is to piece their quilt backs if needed. Sometimes the piecing isn’t just a matter of sewing two or three lengths of fabric.
Millie had two different fabrics and just sewing a seam did not grow the back to the right size. I actually prefer interesting backs.
I used the pantograph Shasta Daisy on this pretty quilt.
I don’t always know where the patterns that my customers use to make their quilts. How fun for me to find out today that Millie used the pattern City Slicker by Highway 10 Designs.
I have been following Kathy’s blog for years and really admire her work!
Wendy’s Quilting and Life 