Still Excited

I'm still excited about quilting and I actually quilted for 5 and 1/2 hours today!

A new record for me for the last 3 months.

(I used to do that a couple of times a week.)

But you can see by the picture that this quilt is certainly exciting!

Nancy really understands color, scrappy, and

putting it all together!!

(I'm having some stash envy here!)

Here you can see a couple more blocks up close and also maybe see the quilting a little more clearly than that first post: 

I think I have 12 more blocks to do and then the borders.

Doin' the happy dance!

Happy quilting!

Finally

I think I've been experiencing a quilting funk.

I just haven't been able to get excited about quilting.

I have to do it because it's my job, but I've been going to the machine kicking and screaming.

As for posting...well.

I'm finally excited about a quilt again:

Just a sneak peek, it's a queen so there will be much more later:

*************************

This next one is for Doris and she wanted circles quilted on it.  When I looked at it through the view finder of the camera and saw how the "weave" jumped out, I did different sized, overlapping circles all over the quilt.

A very different kind of design for me.

Happy quilting!

More quilts

Been quilting a lot and not posting much but I'm here today.

Here's one I did for Roxanna.

A great rooster wall hanging that turned out looking like trapunto because when it came time to quilt the background, I couldn't do anything but outline the chicken wire.  That mashed it down and popped up the rooster:

Here's the back:

Another one for Roxanna, the 4th deer friends quilt I've done for her!!

You can see my dear friend in this picture:

Here is the close up of Santa's beard, I made it curly this time:

This is one I did for Diane who had all her friends do one of the dolls.

She gave them the background fabric and pattern and they provided the fabric for the dresses and the aprons.

I hope you can see all the different lacy fabric they used.

Here you can see the heart meander on the blue background and some of the design I did on the pink.

It is like a cursive capital L, only with hearts instead of loops.

Here's a closer view of the design on the pink:

I did 2 other baby quilts yesterday but forgot to photograph them.

Oh well!

Happy Quilting!

Another Good Day

I had another good day of quilting today and had my first entry into the swimming pool for the year.

With the problems I've been having with my shoulders, I've been wondering if my treading water regime would be doable this year.

But I did just fine, the movement I do for treading water caused no pain what so ever, so it should be good for building up the muscles in the rotator cuff, thus strengthening and helping my situation.

The water is still just a little bit chilly. 

Oh, (this is embare-assing) when I did a butt check on my swim suit before I put it on and I could watch TV  through the suit before it was even stretched!

That means, my swimming friends totally failed me last year.

We had more than sun shinning at the pool!

Here's the first quilt I did Friday for Beverly:

A close up of the back shows the flowers and the whirligigs:

This is the one I did for Arthene,

a little Christmas in June.

I really love the fabrics and the pattern she chose.

Here's a closeup of the quilting:

And I love the pieced back:

Happy Quilting!

Quilting In the Middle of the Night

You might have noticed I have been absent yet again!

I finished another round of IVIG infusions for Myasthenia Gravis and after a week of recovery I'm finally quilting worthy.

In fact I woke up at 1:30 am today, looked at the clock and wondered if it was too early to quilt.

For the last 2 weeks even thinking about quilting made me tired, so I knew I was ready, but I opted for more sleep.

However sleep would not come, so at 3:00am I got up and started in.

I managed to get a baby quilt and a throw done today, and I'm not pooped;.

Doin' the happy dance here!!!!

These pics are not the ones I did today though.

I was sooo pooped the last 2 weeks I couldn't get these posted.

These first 2 I did for Sue

This is a really cute "I Spy esque" quilt:

Every square has a different pic and here in the close up you can see the quilting:

And this shows how the quilting looks on the back:

This is a good and quick idea for a baby quilt when you have some really cute fabric you don't want to cut up:

This one I did for Deb:

You can see the quilting a little better here:

Happy Quilting!!

Finally

Finally finished this one for Kennisha.

  This pic is about 1/3 of the quilt.

Here you can see the quilting a little better.

I did cross hatching on the black floral parts, not something I usually do, but it looks pretty good over the flowers.

In the four corner squares I did this design that I learned from the Eva Larkin book I have which is my absolute favorite free motion quilting book!!!

If you don't have it I highly recommend it! 

It will totally boost you FMQ skills.

And DO read every word from the front cover to the back, the lady KNOWS what shes talking about!

Another pic to show the leaves in the green border, the big meander in the yellow border, 

the curlicues in the red border, 

and a repeat of the leaves only this time with a back and forth to them,

ending with more cross hatching in the black floral border.

(Still not a fan of doing crosshatching but I like the look of it.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Quilting!

More quilts

Been doing more quilting than posting lately.

Here are some of the quilts I did recently.

This one is a shop sample for Quilters Corner:

And a closeup of the underwater meander on the border:

Another shop sample for Quilters Corner:

This one is for Beverly and is a combination of cotton knit and minkee with minkee on the back.

Closeup of the back:

And this is another shop sample for Quilters Corner:

Happy Quilting!

a finish and a start

This is one I finished for Jane:

You can see the border, the setting triangles and the square here:

And here is a closer look at the square:

And the back:

This is a queen that I just started for another Jane.

Pattern is called Wedding Ring, Thus the heart quilting motif.

And now for Dusty's hair cut,

Before:

After (with his Basset face on!)

Haircuts make you tired!

Happy Quilting!

Flowers and Birdies

Just finished this cute little baby quilt for Diane:

It was hard to get the quilting to show up but I finally took it outside on this glorious spring day and the sunshine did the trick.

Simple flowers in every square and wavy lines on the seams is the design.

I teach this flower in my Intro to Freemotion Quilting Class and always tell my students that by the time they finish quilting even a small quilt, they will have command of the flower and the wavy lines will have the look of giant ric-rac.

Wavy lines are really easier to quilt then the old

 "stitch in the ditch"

so If you've been waiting to start quilting for some reason, (that's not even a good one) just go ahead and start with this pattern, or a wavy line.

It really is fun!!

Happy quilting!