Layer Over Layer

I don't have an overly large design wall. Whoa---I wish for more at times like this. I'm layering quilt tops over quilt tops and using my rug weaving frame to hold more. The first layer is Patriots Dream. All basted and ready for quilting. I'm going to sit at my domestic sewing machine to do this one, and maybe add some handquilting as well.
The one to the far right under everything is the Crazy Quilt top I just finished piecing. Ready for layering.


The quilt top layered over all this is a Jelly Roll quilt I going to quilt once I finish adding sashing and borders. My friend Barbara pieced this one up at quilt retreat during our Jelly Roll Race! What fun!---and over on the rug weaving frame is a rug which you can't see, with another Jelly Roll quilt top laying over it that I finished. I'm auditioning some sashing and borders for it.

Layer over layer-----do you do this on your design wall?

I've been forgetting to show you how big Sassy is getting. 6 lbs. now. I took this picture of both of us with Photo Booth on my iMac. Lots of reflections, but the camera on the monitor takes pretty clear photos.

Corvette Quilt- At the Finish Line!

I started this quilt in October. I found the Corvette panel at a quilt show once upon a time (that means long ago)--- and the backing fabric on eBay just recently.

It's been a fun quilt!

It was a bit difficult to decide on a quilting motif as it's more of masculine looking quilt, so "feathers" were out, unless it was for female Corvette owner! I finally decided on some racy looking swirls and flame points.

Wordless Wednesday

Finishing Up Some Projects

I'm finishing up some projects this week, like the last few Crazy Quilt blocks.

Block # 19

Block #20

This is how they all look on the design wall with some pretty green batiks I found for the inner sashing and the borders. I plan to take the blocks to our upcoming quilt retreat and get it finished. This has been a really-fun machine embroidery project! I've already started downloading some of the series 3 crazy quilt blocks for another wallhanging.

The Art Nouveau wallhanging is off the frame now.

And finished---

This is a picture of the Corvette quilt as it looked on the frame yesterday---I finished it late this afternoon. I'll post pictures after I get the binding on. It was a challenge to find a quilting design that was not feathery to stitch around the Corvette and up and around the log cabin blocks. I finally decided something "fast and racy" looking! Swirls with some pointy flames!

More later----(click on pic. to enlarge)

Vintage Easter Greetings

Nostalgic Easter Greetings from my vintage post card collection. Have a happy and blessed Easter Sunday.

Postmarked 1910

Happy Easter everyone!

Scattered & Sidetracked

I feel so scattered lately. I have too many projects going on, and more running around in my head. Usually first thing when I get up in the morning I head to the sewing room determined to get some sewing done. Nothing like sewing in your comfy jammies either! While one machine is doing embroidery, I can usually squeeze in piecing a few quilt blocks on my other sewing machine. It really depends on the stitch count of the embroidery design. I like when the screen on the machine says 10-12 mins. for a color number six or whatever. I can usually get two blocks on the blue and red quilt done in that time.

I'm trying to get at least one crazy quilt block embroidered in the mornings, but if Sassy shows up---that's all over. She wants to go outside, then it's breakfast and play time! ---so off we go. Lights out in the sewing room until late afternoon usually.

Three more embroidery blocks to do, and then I can start planning a border. I would really like to find a batik that has a border effect woven into the fabric. My friend Jane found this border type fabric at Sew-Batik. Something like this is what I have in mind. Maybe I can find a similar border print locally. Our local quilt shops have a lot of beautiful batiks. Oh, joy---an excuse to go fabric shopping!

On the way down the hall to the sewing room I go through the living room. Sidetracked to the long arm. I'm working on this wall hanging I pieced several years ago and this was my "Quilt Whispered" project when I took Carla Barrett's online class at MQ Resources a few years ago. I'm finally getting around to finishing it using Carla's drawing suggestions. It was a fun class, and I learned a lot about drawing designs onto a picture of a quilt top using a wacom tablet. This is what Carla suggested:

This is what I have completed so far.

Thank you Carla! I could have never come up with some of these quilting designs on my own. I'm looking forward to finally getting this finished. A little here, a little there. Scattered and sidetracked---

Opps--I almost forgot to post a recent photo of Miss. Sassy!

Quilt Blocks and Sassy

Crazy quilt block #13

Crazy quilt block #14

Sassy treking the wall ledge

It's a big world out here!

Her favorite napping spot under the desk.

That's my doggie. One of her favorite toys---a strip of fabric! :o)

Quilting & Elizabeth

I loaded Kristie's quilt onto the frame this a.m. I wanted to try my Martilli's Zip Clip to load this quilt. Click on the picture, and you can see the clips on the leader. You will also see some straight pins---the zip clips did not work. :o( Once I started tensioning the quilt backing, the zip clips slipped out of position. Well, so much for that idea.

Some of Deloa Jones leaves on the borders.

Gingo disk design and free motion in the center of the large blocks.

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In 1998 Life magazine did an article on Elizabeth Taylor and her upcoming brain tumor surgery. I couldn't help but notice the pretty quilt covering her as she lay in her hospital bed. I wondered do you suppose she's a quilter?

I wrote to her and received a nice reply along with an autographed picture. I've always thought that it was very kind of her to have her personal secretary to send a reply considering her health at the time. I must admit I also was a tad disappointed she was not a quilter, but she must have loved this quilt someone made especially for her. Goodbye lovely lady. You will be missed.

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Wanna play ball?

Sweet Sassy

30's Quilted

I finished quilting my friends 30's print quilt. I used the Circle Lord Swirls in the center of the quilt top, and feathers on the border. I won't attempt this method again! It turned out to be somewhat difficult to stop at the seam line of where the center panel of the quilt meets the border. From now on when using a panto or template and it's "edge to edge" all the way. Oh well--- tried a new thing, and learned a new thing!

I love how it turned out though---hope she does too.

Do you think a puppy can ever have too many toys!

Sassy 3 months

Feathers, Swirls & Sassy

I'm learning how to do spineless feathering from Elaine Huffman's book, "Crisscross Dancing Feathers". I think I've found a wonderful feather-niche with these! After some practicing I could manuver the corners. Yeah! In the past curving around corners has been a challenge. Also, no marking and no spine with these feathers!



This is a friends quilt I'm doing. She initially wanted small swirls in each four inch block. That was pretty tight quilting, and getting each four inch swirl evenly spaced as I curved around was not much fun either. So, I convinced her to let me use the larger swirls instead. I like how it looks so far.



Sassy had her second series of puppy shots on Wednesday. She now weighs 4.1 ounces. I think the point 1 must be her long fur! The vet seemed to think she would weigh between 10 and 12 lbs. when she's fully grown. She is learning to "sit". Potty training is still hit and miss! She has adjusted to wearing her collar, but now hates her leash!