Heathers' Quilt

Charlotte's Quilt

Last year I was invited to the Carletonville Quilters regional meeting for a 'show and tell' and during that visit I volunteered to free motion quilt 'Charlotte's Quilt' for the husband of a lady who had passed away.  

It was my very first volunteer project AND my first experience quilting for someone else.  It was a true honor and I loved to work on that quilt.  I had hoped that once others would see it, that they would call on me again to FMQ their quilts for them.  To see a lot of close up pictures of Charlotte's Quilt, click HERE.

Soon after they had shown that quilt during their next meeting, Heather contacted me saying she loved what I had quilted and that she had a little quilt she wanted me to free motion quilt for her.

I was so excited!  A few things came up that prevented me from starting right away but a couple of weeks ago, I finally got the quilt and I started right away.  Here is Heather's beautiful disappearing nine patch quilt.  I loved her fabric choices!  It screamed Look At Me!!!

She gave me some guidelines of what she wanted me to quilt, but in the end I made a few suggestions and from there I had free reign and quilted what I thought best.    

I kept to the leafy designs she initially suggested within the sashing and borders and extend that design within the block with a custom motif that I think ties in well with the rest of the quilt.

She chose not to see any progress pictures, so I was rather nervous after I was done if she would like it, but when she phoned me after getting her quilt she was over the moon and completely happy with what I have quilted.  Happy happy day!!

I offered to do everything from the basting right through to the binding, and I am so glad I did!  This way I had the chance of seeing the quilt completed.

Note to Heather, thank you so much for allowing me to work on your quilt, I had a lot of fun!  Your quilt is truly beautiful and loved every second I spent quilting it.  I look forward to quilting for you again!

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A Quilt for Kayleigh

Kayleigh's little quilt is finished, and I LOVE IT!!  

As I mentioned in last week's post my little girl is turning 3 on 18 April, and I wanted to capture a little something of her within the quilt.  I did not have anything specific to work with, she has no favorite colour yet, not one single toy that stands out, or one specific movie I could use as inspiration.  

But I really wanted to have something to remember her at 3 years old, so I decided on her hands.  Trapunto was the best technique to really make them stand out.  It was the first time I've tried it, and I really love the effect.  The design really pops.

April is mid autumn here in South Africa, and in our region, Cosmos flowers spring up everywhere.  These flowers are also a wonderful reminder of Kayleigh's birth date.  So we took all of these pictures just outside of town between all the pretty colours... I think the quilt blended in perfectly in the background.  Even the blue sky and puffy white clouds helped bring out the colours of the quilt.

She had a lot of fun running around between all the flowers, its at times like these I wish I can freeze time.  She is at such an adorable age, everything is an adventure.  She has no fear!  She is such a loving child eager to give us all hugs and kisses, and she's very funny.. and even at this young age I already know she has a strong personality and she's very strong willed.. 

I used all of my favorite free motion quilting designs in this quilt.  Swirls and pebbles in the center and feathers inside the border.  I also quilted figure 8's within the white sashing borders. I admit, those corners proved to be a bit tricky, not one ended up the same....

This little quilt finished at 52 inch square.

I think she will love her new quilt, especially as she grows each year, comparing her little hands to those of when she was 3....

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TEN UFO Sightings!

No, no!  ET has NOT landed.. but MY UFOs has!  You know those UnFinished Objects you ignore up to a point when you realize its either time to finish them or forget them completely!  Well I have ignored my UFO's for far too long now, and decided that this year I am going to do my very best and finish what I've started.  

So I am joining in this years' a lovely year of finishes hosted by Fibre of all sorts and Sew Bitter Sweet Designs.

The plan is, to finish off at least one, either old or new project in one month.  Now I have more than enough projects to keep me busy for quite some time, but there is at least one project that I am sure that I wont be able to complete in one month, and that is my one inch hexies quilt.  There are over 1500 basted hexies to piece together, so I am going to make it my goal to piece at least 50 together in a month.  This will not be part of the linkup I am sharing over at a lovely year of finishes but just a personal goal I want to set for myself.  If I dont make it, its okay too, I just feel that unless I push myself I wont finish at all!

So for January I am going to concentrate on my clam-shell crochet blanket.  I am close to finishing it, and to just get into the whole idea of completing something before month-end I am going to keep it simple.  I want to add at least another 10 inches to this blanket (at 47 inches wide), so it should be finished it no time.  

There is a catch though, it is summer, and with temperatures going up to 34°C (93°F) it is going to be,... well ... HELL, lol.

But I am hopeful, and I am going to get it done!

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