Caterpillar & Butterfly Quilts

Caterpillar Top; QUILTED with Bubble Meander (freehand)

... and this Butterfly Top; QUILTED with Single Loop Meander (freehand)

Woe is me... I'm pretty sure these were from back in the summer. I'm a bad blogger!! 

And I swear it shouldn't be NOVEMBER already?!? I'm loving having my sweats out again, truly, but the biting cold & wind this past weekend took me by surprise. Had to amp up the layers for morning walks!

Rainbow Colors Quilt

This was QUILTED with a simple Meander (frreehand.) While the quilting isn't something to get too excited about, I think the colors are stunning.

I'm missing a quilt guild meeting tonight. The quilt machine was down for almost 3 weeks while I waited for the appointment with the technician to come, and thankfully he was able to fix 'er right up! However, this has left me with a hefty backlog, and the semi-custom I had on the schedule today didn't get finished when I thought it would. Sigh... 

I'm done for the night now and am getting ready for Law & Order followed by American Horror Story!

House Quilt

Wall-hanging House Top QUILTED with Stars & Loops (freehand)

My quilting machine has actually been down for a little over a week, but as I mentioned before, I'm woefully behind in posting.

During my forced "stay-cation", I did get to do some things that typically get ignored & I got to do some fun stuff. We picked apples, carved pumpkins, got the kitties in for an overdue appointment, got significant work done on a queen-sized Christmas gift, set up a mailing station, moved around & reorganized my sewing/quilting room, stacked a load of firewood on the back porch, switched my closet & bureaus out for the current fall season, prepped inventory for a month-long Christmas crafting event, and canned apple pie filling! Whew!! I get a lot done when I don't have to work & make money :-P

My machine was fixed earlier today, and I managed to get one small quilt finished before the rain & thunder moved in.

Patriotic Sampler Quilt

Patriotic Sampler QUILTED with a Ribbon Meander

Daisy Baby Quilt

This sweet pink & green baby quilt was QUILTED with a Daisy Meander (freehand)

 

Don't be afraid to quilt using minky or fleece as a backing. They both quilt up beautifully! Just be careful not to create too much tension between your roller bars, thereby stretching the flexible fabric.

I've even used fleece on the back, rolled it forward, and sewed it to the front to create the binding. It makes for a soft edge :)

Brown bubbles

I'm such a bad, neglectful blogger! I can't even remember how long ago this quilt was finished!! One of these days I'll get on a schedule & stick to it :)

Is this a Churn Dash block? This fun quilt was QUILTED with a Simple Bubble Meander (freehand)

I'm utterly gleeful that autumn is upon us. It's truly my favorite time of the year (with Christmas time almost a neck-in-neck tie.) We did a little apple picking & carved pumpkins this week. All that's needed now is a first fire roaring... but I think we'll be needing some wood for that. 

Earth Rails Quilt

I have to admit I love the way the quilt turned out! 

It's QUILTED with Leafy Swirl (freehand)

Is everybody feeling Autumn creeping in where they are? It's lovely here. The temps have been in the 70's & I'm soaking it up as often as I can. I so wish Smokey was enjoying our walks (perhaps you remember me mentioning my lab has a partially torn ACL??) Instead I've been doing more running with my 18 & 22 year old daughters, so I guess that's not a bad thing either.

Brown Sampler Quilt

QUILTED with Leafy Swirl (freehand)

School schedule is under way; a new quilting schedule is under way; and I'm reveling in the Autumnal weather! 

Unconventional Log Cabin

Each center showcases a Rose while I meandered in between (freehand)

I'm severely behind in showing client quilts. Perhaps now that we're back in the school swing of things & the schedule becomes more regular, this too will become more regular :) 

Braid in a Day in Blues & Lime

Braid-in-a-Day Top

QUILTED with a Daisy Meander (freehand) 

TGIF peeps! Enjoy the beautiful weekend...

Crazy Patch Pastels Quilt

QUILTED with a Daisy Meander (freehand) 

There's something about this quilting pattern I love. Simple yet sophisticated! 

Ribbons & Bows & Batman Quilt

A modern play on a memory quilt of sorts~ 

QUILTED with Ribbons & Bows Meander (freehand)

Brown Rails Quilt

QUILTED with Swirls & Curls Meander (freehand)

... a quick shot of the backing turned up against the top:

Hand-Dyed Twister Quilt

If you haven't played with the Twister Tools yet, you really should. It can be a "wrap your head around it" experience to begin with, but once you've gotten the idea, it's a cinch & it produces a lovely effect.

This top was QUILTED with Bubble Meander (freehand)

I didn't meet the maker of this top, but I'd love to know if the border was pieced using scraps left over from forming the twisters? Stitch & Craft in Manheim, PA sells this larger Twister Tool if you want to try it out!

Braid in a Day Quilt in Gray, Green, and Blue

Have I mentioned how popular this particular quilt pattern has been this Spring? Perhaps it's due partially to the class Stitch & Craft had on this technique?

The top was QUILTED with a Butterfly Meander (freehand)

Have the "dog days" of summer hit your neck of the woods? We've had some decent summer weather, but I've managed to make it out to the pool only a couple times & I've been in the water just once. The days I've had a little time to run out there have been cloudly/rainy, and on the hot days I seem to be working like crazy or running errands.

In other news, my beastly dog, Smokey, has been put on "rest" for 6 MONTHS. The vet suspects a partially torn ACL... whoever heard of such a thing in a dog?? Leave it to mine... leave it to my dog who loves to take our daily walks (some of you may remember over the years my descriptions of how "over eager" he's been to walk me... err I mean, walk WITH me), who loves to jump enthusiastically into the pool, doing so over & over for 30 or more minutes at a time, who loves to follow me up & down & up & down the stairs as I run hither & yon doing mountains of laundry & cleaning up this old house... to curb his activity seems so mean, but then watching him hobble knowing he hurts isn't fun either. Sigh... 6 months is a long time

Bargello Quilt

                  WOW isn't this quilt stunning?? Some day I really want to make one, but for the time being I was placated to play with it ... eh hem, I mean quilt it like a professional :) 

It was QUILTED in a semi-custom way with ruler work to accentuate the lines of the colors & some basic freehand in the black areas.

Take note of the outer orange stripe. It's not simply a tiny border accent but rather a flange detail. I wish I'd gotten a closer shot of that to show it off properly. 

                       

Another beauty I was honored to work on!

Ribbons & Bows Quilts

Both quilts are QUILTED with Ribbons & Bows Meander (freehand) 

I feel like I'm finally getting back on track after our spring marathon of birthdays & holiday celebrations. Days are more "normal", I'm getting some sewing done besides quilting & homeschooling, and I'm not completely exhausted ALL the time :) 

Now if I could just wrap up the end of this homeschool year, I'll feel like I can "reset"!