2 done

This week I have focused on finishing donation quilts for my guild (Triad Modern Quilt Guild).

This small one is made of 9-patches from our guild stash. I backed it with a piece of green fleece from friend and guild-mate Colleen. This is a very simple quilt, I sewed the fleece to the top (right-sides-together) then turned it, closed the opening, and using my walking foot, finished it with straight line quilting.

 36" square

This next quilt I made using the "jelly roll race" method. I cut 2 1/2" strips from a set of FQs from friend and guild-mate Sarah, then stitched them end-to-end, folding and stitching til it was quilt-shaped. I FMQed it in alternating blocks of straight lines.

I didn't like how it looked when I finished, but I do like the effect I see in the pictures.

53" by 56"

I backed it with scraps from my personal stash.

I don't get to keep this one

This is a shop sample for Sewingly Yours. It was also a pattern test for my first pattern that I am teaching in August.
I call the pattern "Stellar", this quilt I call "Summer Star".

This quilt finished at 78" square after laundering.

I have been on a star binge this year. I love making stars from half-square triangles. Star quilts are very traditional, and I think you get a lot of "bang" for a relatively simply constructed quilt.

I developed this pattern over the past 2 years. The first one was an exercise in using scraps. So was the next. Teresa at Sewingly Yours asked me to teach it, so I had to write it down. I then made a batik scrap version, a patriotic version, a "Flea Market Fancy" version (which will be finished for the class) and then this version.

I FMQ-ed this using a bright polyester thread in a stipple. I used a zig-zag stitch design in the border that I saw in Angela Walter's book.

I love the texture! And while this is not my preferred color palette, I love how this quilt turned out!
The fabrics? A custom bundle I created at the shop.

This quilt will hang there for a while (I am teaching it in August, then again in October), then they will offer it for sale.

A group finish

This is on my completed page, but I did not do this alone!
I asked for patriotic colored blocks from my guild, the Triad Modern Quilt Guild. I love the variety of the blocks! I received 13, used scrap stash to create the background after I did a diagonal setting.

I used the 13th block on the back. I love the whimsy of it!

I used a hi-loft polyester batting and FMQ-ed it in a large stipple using blue variegated thread.

The quilt measures 57" by 73".

Completed Quilt

I started, and finished this quilt last weekend.
So fast, and way too fun! I call it "Witchy Women":

 
 
48" by 60"

Made using Tula Pink's amazing "Nightshade" collection, my sashing is a black & white dot from my stash and the border sections are Kaffe dots, purple on black.

The pattern is "Kwik Shifted Blocks" by Two Kwik Quilters and was so easy to put together. I love how this pattern was designed to show off great fabric. It worked perfectly with the focal print of the 3 sisters.

I took advantage of the small blocks to use quilting designs from Angela Walter's book ( a new and true favorite resource).

I FMQed this using Aurilfil 50 wt thread in a dark gray.

I love the Victorian mood of this fabric collection. The motifs, illustration style and color all work together to tell Tula's story of these 3 sisters. I also love how my choice of black and white dots add a touch of humor and enhance the "steam punk"feel of this quilt. The dots in purple and white keep my quilt from being too dark. I love who quickly it all came together, and I am definitely using this pattern again!

July FMQ Challenge

I jumped on the July Challenge from sewcalgal early this month. I happened to be finished with the last 3 quilts and hadn't yet started anything, so the timing was right. I also have received my copy of "Free-Motion Quilting" with Angela Walters (who is the July expert) so the mojo was working!

 This is an AWESOME book and I highly recommend it for your quilting library.

I have been pouring over this book ever since I received it 2 weeks ago. It is so well written, well illustrated and highly inspirational. This month's lesson/challenge is also in the book, so it was familiar to me and I had already decided to try it.

This method of dividing the quilting area into smaller sections builds on last month's challenge, just in a different, more formal way. Making the smaller sections with straight lines and filling in was easy and fun, and the contrast of the border of the tiles with the swirl filler makes a great texture.

I love how it looks and I am already planning to use this in a flimsy I am preparing to quilt.