Project Quilting -- Nine Patch

Whew...made it!! Just under the wire, so I think that's what I'll call this one:  Under the Wire.  Its almost 9 p.m. as I type this, so I'm not kidding. I just finished the binding.

I had my first idea for this quilt from EQ7--my go to because creativity is not in my vocabulary. But then, at a retreat this past weekend, a friend had a book called "Circle of Nine." The theory was nine specific blocks set in a quilt with different spacers.  This was my take on that theory.

And below is a close-up of the center quilting. Nothing fancy, especially since I didn't have a lot of time. No shot of the back as its a dark gray with purple thread--nothing shows...sorry!

One more challenge and that block is revealed tomorrow. I will get that one done sooner!

Thanks for looking!

Dory

Amish Quilting

This came from Barbara in Oakland...it was like getting a blank piece of paper in "quilt speak." Can you say potential????

 Barbara and I spoke "design" on this quilt for a long time. She made it for a friend of her's, a man, which to me means no frilly stuff. After much discussion, we decided all quilting should be geometric and the thread should match the background (I had briefly considered using a neutral gray).

We talked about that center diamond for a long time. Barbara sent me some photos of similar quilts with the star quilted in the center, but they were all done with hand quilting. So out came the rulers and the marking tools and I placed the same type star in the center and started quilting. (If you click on the pic, it will open in a new window so you can see the quilting better)

 The back.  Did I mention that the backing fabric was solid black??  I love solid backings--it makes the quilting its own design. 

Another design issue was what to do in the corners--the star just didn't fill it up enough. I suggested the curved crosshatch and Barb agreed. I think it turned out well...what do you think?

Next decision was the sashing. I'd just recently seen this design in a quilting magazine and loved it--luckily Barb did too! I love how it turned out and how the curves there complement the curved crosshatching.

 Another shot of the back with a bit more detail.  See those little designs in the cornerstones? Barbara's friend is a gardener and she wanted something quilted that would make the quilt more special for him. She opted for this "tulip" design. I wasn't sure about it at first, but although its a flower, its geometric and fit in perfectly.

  

Not sure what happened to the color here--the lime green is definitely not gray and the brick colored sashing is certainly not pink!!  But the quilting did show up, so I'm adding this to show you the stars quilted into the large cornerstones to coordinate with the center star.

 

  And finally, a shot of the back...in its entirety.

 This was such a fun quilt to work on. I hope I get more Amish designs in the future.

Dory

Joyce's Feathered Star

Seriously, is this not a beautiful quilt???? (My camera doesn't do it justice, not at all!)

Joyce chose her fabrics to resemble a poinsettia. I think she did a great job. She asked for texture, so I did an outline design in the outer border, and feathers in all but the center colored spikes. I didn't quilt the green centers until the end, as I just couldn't decide what I wanted to do. I finally opted for some basic SID to push them back and not take away from the more colorful areas.

The large outer corners were crosshatched one-inch squares and a feather design was put in those smaller triangular areas.  I also did a little feather in the outside border corners to add a little continuity to the quilting design. Pics are of the front and back so you can see a bit better.

And a couple more pics of the back to show off the quilting.  (This first one is worth clicking on for a close-up; it makes my ramblings above make sense)

 

This was such a fun quilt to work on...I really had to do some thinking. Joyce always gives me such great projects to play with--I love it!!!!  If only she'd move to the west coast, I'd quilt all her quilts, if she'd let me. 

Dory

A Couple More to Share

This one came from Paula and is filled with pinwheels!! I love pinwheels to look at, but they're tough to quilt as the centers generally have lots of bulk. On the body, I took the easy way out and did CC throughout--it allowed me to slow way down on those intersections and not break a needle!

I did a little playing in the border, although it doesn't show up real well. Same geometric that I've done before, but this time, I filled the centers with paisley's and curves.  It was fun and added some nice texture to the dark fabric.

This next one is from a new quilter in my hometown of Quincy. I haven't even met Leslie yet, but hope to when I go back for our retreat in a few days. This is an Alex Anderson pattern, not sure what its called, but its from one of her beginning books. Although Leslie is just starting to quilt, she did a great job putting it together.

And she even got brave with the back...check out the flying geese!!!

 

I think she did a great job! 

Dory

Cute Kids' Quilts

A new customer brought me these two.  Deb swore she wasn't a quilter, but I think that may change in the future.  This one was finished, but she wanted more quilting. It already had the large squares quilted in it, but she wanted to some detail added to it.  I outlined all the critters, the rainbow and cloud and stitched over the various parts of the "landscape" to add a little definition.  Unfortunately, it doesn't really show up, but Deb was happy and it is a darn cute Pooh Panel!!

She also brought this panel quilt in that she'd done for her grandson. Usually I don't quilt so densely on kid's quilts, but due to the size, custom quilting was the same cost as my minimum quilting charge. She opted for the custom.

Lots of color changes and detail work and it turned out pretty darn cute!  Here are a couple more pics.

Hope the baby appreciates it!!!!!

Dory