Free Motion Friday

I love Free Motion Fridays and it feels good to finally be back at it. I was able to get a little work done on my Tree quilt. I did some stitch in the ditch work, which is hardly worth showing, but I also got some swirls done.

 I'm hoping that the swirls look like stacked wood, the cut ends. Well, maybe in a simplistic way.

I think tomorrow they are calling for rain, perfect to do a little more quilting. Today I'm linking up with the lovely Leah at the Free Motion Project for the Free Motion Quilting Project Link Up

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Assembling The Cancer Resource Center Quilt

Yesterday I worked diligently on the Cancer Resource Center (CRC) quilt. To complete the quilt, I needed to three additional blocks and a border to a section. All done QAYG, of course. Since this is an emotion quilt, I wanted to add some emotional words, but subtle and let the guild members blocks shine.

 At first, I was just going to use the grey 50wt Aurifil, but then I remember I had some orange 28wt Aurifil. I think it really adds to the blocks.

 This little strip was added on to a section that I have joined. I used the same orange Aurifil to quilt the words. I've always just used 50wt, I may have to start experimenting with different weights of Aurifil.

I have the most complicated section joined. Once the all sections are done, I'll join them all together.

This is the back of the section I've joined. I like the back too!

All in all, I think the quilt is coming together nicely.

Since I finished my blocks to complete the quilt and did some FMQ I'm linking up with FMQ Project Friday, TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop and Finish It Up Friday


Color Me Quilty!

Pat 

Three More Trees and a Finish

I do love finishing projects even if they are small. I finished stitching the binding on my RMQG QAYG sample. I think it will look great hanging in my office.

I also was able to quilt three more trees on my Tree quilt.

The back

I love the Infinity Tree design (Leah Day # 365). I need to stitch three more in the middle, I enjoy the repetitiveness of the trees.

I used Aurifil 50wt #5004 for piecing and quilting both of these projects. It's becoming my go to thread color. I might have to buy a cone of it! That would be fun!

I'm linking up with FMQ Project Friday, TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, and Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop

Color Me Quilty!

Pat  

Tree Basting

 Tree (quilt) basting in pictures. For more on this technique, click here, here and here! This is the first time that I'm using Quilters Dream Wool batting. I'm really excited to see how this quilts.

Start by laying out the layers, just enough to fit the width of your table.

 Then just start pinning. I use long straight pins (although I bend them to make it easier to come back up through all the layers) and I use Pinmoors (thanks Leah for introducing me to these little things)

Notice my new smartphone (finally in the 21st century). I love to listen to audio books on it. Yippee Skippee, I can sit and baste my quilt on the dining room table and listen to my book.

This is the back of the quilt, after the first pins are put in.

 The next step, pull the quilt and boards forward on the table, until the boards are at the front edge. Then flip the batting forward and unroll the back of the quilt the width of your table.

 Smooth the batting over the backing

 Smooth the top over the batting

Start pinning again

I leave the board across the tippy top of my quilt while I pin the last section. It weights it down and keeps the quilt layers smoother.

TA DA!!! Finished basting my Tree Quilt!

I know it's a bit of a stretch to say that the quilt is finished, BUT the top, back and basting were all finished this week AND it's ready to FMQ!  So I'm linking up with FMQ Project Friday, TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, and Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop

Color Me Quilty!

Pat  

The Tree Quilt

I have been finishing up projects right along, so it only seems fitting that I start one this week. I know, I still have more I could finish up, but really a girl gotta have some fun.

This quilt started by cleaning/organizing some fabrics. I just loved the colors.

It's not done, I've got to sew on the teal/white strip and I want another border of the dark grey. What I have done though is stitch out a couple of samples of what quilting I want to do on this quilt. Leah Day always quilts some samples to test out her ideas, I thought I would do the same.

Infinity Tree - Leah's design # 365

 I have always liked Leah's Infinity tree design. I think it will look good in the citron yellow blocks.

This wood grain design is for the dark grey areas of the quilt. I think the medium grey will be paisley of some sort - to look like leaves. I'll have to play with that too.

My own wood grain design.

 Hopefully, this will be a tree that hugs back. ;)

Linking up today with Today, I'm linking up with Leah Day for  FMQ Project Friday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat  

Ready to be Stylin' My Next Pot Luck

Over the course of the year, I go to a lot of  'Pot Luck' or 'Bring a Dish to Pass' dinners. Needless to say, I really like to go in style and I think I can do that with my new casserole carrier.

That is actually a pretty big casserole dish, diameter is 9"wide x just over 6" high. It also fits a traditional 9"x13" pan also.

And what a great way to practice free-motion quilting. I followed around all of the flowers and leaves on the cover panel and had a little more fun on the inside panel. I used Aurifil 50wt thread.

Can you see that I quilted 'mm good' on the green strip?

I used Insul-Bright batting (shiny side toward the back or inside) and a second layer of white and warm batting. It made it pretty thick, I think next time I might just use the Insul-Bright.

The outside cover panel is approx. 30" finished and the inside panel is the width of the fabric, approx. 41" finished.

I included an inside "pocket" to put a thin board to help stabilize the casserole dish and to put a hot/cold pack.

This is just a prototype, I think I need to make a couple more to work out some of the 'bugs'. This is also my fourth week in a row with a finish!

Today, I'm linking up with FMQ Project Friday, TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, and Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop

Color Me Quilty!

Pat  

Charmed

I did finish my Charming Squares quilt this week, that's three quilt finishes in the last three weeks. I don't expect I will be able to keep up this pace, but it is nice to get some of these lingering quilts finished. I had a little fun with the photography. There is this great giant turtle (or is it a tortoise) at a playground in Ithaca. It's very cold, maybe it needs a quilt?

Wasn't my husband a good sport for getting up there and holding my quilt? He did it even through he thought I was crazy!

I quilted every other square with a different motif, although there is an echoing theme throughout. The borders were done with feathers, but still, just every other square. I had a great time quilting this quilt.

Charming Squares Quilt Specifications:
Size 92"L x 58"W
Pieced and quilted with lovely Aurifil 50wt (#5004) thread
Unfortunately used cheap high loft poly batting (won't do that again, even if the final quilt looks cool)
Design is my own, but not really original. Used a charm pack of Valerie Wells Wrenly and then cut some miscellaneous solids.


Today, I'm linking up with FMQ Project Friday, TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop and Finish It Up Friday


Color Me Quilty!

Pat 

Red Window Quilt - Warmth on a Cold February Day

I was able to get outside and take some pictures even though it was a bit overcast and starting to get dark. Humphrey insisted that he should get in on this action. I think he adds something to the quilt, don't you?

Another finish in February, makes up for no finishes in January. I made this quilt to "practice/test" my new Baby Lock Tiara machine - I think Betty-Lou (I name all of my machines) passed.

The quilt turned out very soft and cuddly

FMQ Wiggly Lines

FMQ Paisley

FMQ Swirls

I didn't use any batting, just simple brown fleece for the backing. I think the quilting really shows up well with this combination. I really like how the red binding sets off the whole quilt, even the back.

There were a few thread "burps" on the back, it really helps when you learn to thread your machine correctly. The quilt dimensions are 59"wide  X 71"long, a generous throw. The Red Window quilt is my own design.

 Today, I'm linking up with FMQ Project Friday, TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop and Finish It Up Friday


Color Me Quilty!

Pat