Sister's Choice

In October 2016, I finished up the quilting on this pretty little Sister's Choice.  I love 2-block quilts.  They're so fun to make...chain piecing one set of blocks and then the other.  It becomes mindless work, but with a mix of fabrics, each block is interesting in and of itself.  While joining the blocks and rows together, I made the border units "leader/ender" style and then just chaining them thru on their own.  Again, mindless...

While a simple color scheme an tend to get boring, and it did, I love the simplicity of it.  I haven't made many 2-color quilts, but I intend to make more.  I love the results, I just have to spread out the making of them as I tend to get a bit bored with the color pallet while piecing.  I have to just keep telling myself, "It's going to be beautiful and worth it when it's done!" 

Somehow I ended up making 2 extra blocks (one of each).  I wonder how that happened?!?!?  Oh well, leftover blocks with a few extra scraps seem to make great labels!

Sister's Choice

Designer (Book):  Julie Hendrickson (Remembering the Past)

Size: 64.5 x 74.5"

Featured Fabrics: Grand Traverse by Minick & Simpson (Moda)

Quilting:   Dusty Miller Grande (Patricia Ritter)

Quilting Thread:   Madiera (8105 - Blue/Grey)

Batting:  Quilter's Dream Orient

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

~ Heather

Bee In My Bonnet Row Along Quilt

The Bee In My Bonnet Row Along Quilt, in the book Quilty Fun, was the first quilt I saw by Lori Holt and it instantly made me a huge fan!  I love her cutesy 1950s inspired style - actually, I love anything with a vintage feel (no matter what era)!

I finished this quilt in April 2017 and, like all of the Lori Holt quilts, I loved piecing all of the adorable blocks.  It was so much fun putting together various fabric combinations being careful not to put too many of one color or pattern close together and mindful of the rows that would be above an below.

Lori Holt's designs just beg for bright colors with tiny prints.  The quilting mimics the playfulness of the quilt and what's more fun than a panto design called "Tickle Too"!?!?!?  

In her pattern books, Lori has been known to include sweet bonus block designs with hand stitched lettering meant for making labels!  I love these patterns and always make sure to piece them onto (or into) my backing before quilting!

Bee In My Bonnet Row Along Quilt

Designer (Book):  Lori Holt (Quilty Fun)

Size: 68.5 x 86.5"

Featured Fabrics: Assorted  

Quilting:  Tickle Too (Beany Girl Quilts)

Quilting Thread:  Fil-Tec Glide (White)

Batting:  Legacy Wool

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

~ Heather

The Oaks

I loved making this quilt!  I had been wanting to make just about anything out of the book Civil War Remembered, but this design was at the very top of my list!  I finished it in March of 2017.  Simple piecing + old timey feeling = big impact for me!

Look at that yummy controlled scrappiness!  I love pink, but I especially like pink with browns and dark neutrals...and I like pink even more with lots of other colors mixed in!

All those simple 9-patches deserved a slightly intricate quilting pattern.  I chose the Feather Meander because it's relatively dense and gives the feeling of "special-ness."  I'm not a big fan of custom quilting - or of ME doing custom quilting!  Oh, I love when others do it - on the right quilts.  But, not EVERY quilt NEEDS intricate custom quilting, nor does every quilt deserve it.  Some quilts are just meant to be loved and cuddled and that's why I quilt with pantographs.  I want my quilts to be used.  I have no problem with someone grabbing any one of my quilts and cuddling right up in it on the couch!

Just before adding a binding (and don't ya just love a striped binding?), I always pin on a sleeve to every quilt.  Why?  Well, beacuse, it never fails that last minute someone from the guild is asking if anyone has any quilts that can be displayed for something or other.  This way....my quilts are always prepared and the sleeves actually match and blend right in with the backing fabric.  If I added a sleeve when it actually needed it, I probably wouldn't be able to find any more of the backing fabric!

And, last but not least, the label...I label every quilt and quilted project that I do.  Always basically the same:  Name of Quilt, Designer/Pattern, Pieced & Quilted by (name, town, state, date).  I also add things like the Name of the person I am gifting it to and for what special occasion or I might note any awards the quilt has won.

The Oaks

Designer (Book):  Mary Etherington & Connie Tesene (Civil War Remembered)

Size: 62x62"

Featured Fabrics: Reflections by Jo Morton (Moda)

Quilting:  Feather Meander (Jessica Schick)

Quilting Thread:  Fil-Tec Glide (Med. Brown)

Batting:  Legacy Wool

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

~ Heather

Butterscotch & Blue

I have so many quilts that have never made it onto the blog over the last few years!  I just don't have much time between projects to get on the computer and spend the time posting all the information and editing photos.  Ever since we moved to Illinois, I've been quilting up a storm (especially since Jackman's Fabrics asked me to make shop samples for them) and I keep really busy!

So, today....I'm posting Butterscotch & Blue.  I made this quilt in February 2017 from a Jo Morton pattern in the book I Love Churndashes.  The original quilt was, of course, made with several beautifiul shades of blue and orangey-gold butterscotches.  I chose this fabric line full of purples and turquoise with hints of orange-golds in the prints!

Just a nice, square wallhanging quilted with a flowy, tight, pantograph in a blue-grey cotton thread.

Like I said....February 2017.  Yep, a little late getting this one on the blog,  but there are many more to come that are just as old...and OLDER!?!?!?!

It sure is a pretty one!  The fabric collection is very elegant and makes a playful quilt design (I always think of churndashes as a fun block) just a little more serious.

Butterscotch & Blue

Designer (Book):  Jo Morton (I Love Churndashes)

Size: 32x32"

Featured Fabrics:   

Quilting:  Whirlwind (Karen Farnsworth)

Quilting Thread:  Madeira (Col. 8105)

Batting:  Quilter's Dream Orient

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

~ Heather

Dresden Quilt Workshop Quilt-Along Challenge Week #4

Suzn Quilts' Dresden Quilt Workshop Challenge is so much fun!  Have you joined in yet?

It's so much fun to anticipate the next clue...to guess which space we will fill in next and to finally see the clue posted for the week!

4 half mini Dresden Triangles

This week we made 4 half mini Dresden triangles and added them to the Dresden filler blocks from last week.

4 Dresden filler and half mini Dresden triangle blocks

Those triangle blocks had to be trimmed up a bit after being added to the filler blocks, but that's a good thing.  It's always better to have an over-sized background for adding applique.  Sometimes those applique blocks shrink up a bit, so it's better to have a little extra fabric and trim up later!

Aren't these blocks just too cute?  This would make a mighty fine little table topper as is (maybe just add a nice thick border?)!  Susan....another design for you!

And, there they are...all of our blocks through week #4!  I wonder which section we'll fill in next week!?!?  Any guesses????

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

~ Heather