Here’s the latest quilt off the frame.  I love this little quilt.  The piecing was SO precise.  And log cabins are one of my favorite patterns.  I used clear Madeira monopoly on the scrappy blocks and the SID, white and lemon Filtec, and Moda Green So Fine in the bobbin.  I did feathered hearts, feathered wreath (center), and feathered vines.  I quilted a sort of traveling fern in the scrappy blocks (for texture) and hearts in the 2nd border.  I used a 100% cotton batting from Legacy.  I had tried to get a crib size Quilters Dream cotton to try on this quilt, but they kept sending me natural instead of white.  I still don’t have the right product.  After the 2nd crib batting came in the wrong color I ordered a board of Legacy cotton from Kingsmen and got it in 2 days.  I’ve let Quilters Dream know how much I was disappointed in their service.  I also told them that I was planning on buying a roll of cotton from them, but instead I purchased one from another vendor.  I finished 3 quilts since I first ordered the batting from Quilters Dream.  That is just not acceptable to me.

This latest work in progress just came off the frame and I absolutely LOVE it.  My Aunt hand-pieced this beautiful double wedding ring while undergoing chemotherapy.  Each of the rings contain 11 small wedges and each ring intersection is a mirror image of the opposite ring.  A LOT of planning went into each ring.  They are joined by pink and white blocks (fitting colors for a breast cancer survivor).  I stitched in the ditch in each of those tiny wedges and around each ring; feathers in the all the white background fabric and the pink/white blocks.  I layered white poly batting (MicroSafe from Joann’s – the last of that bolt) on top of 100% Legacy cotton to give it definition and loft.  I used almost a whole cone of FilTec white thread on it.  I really don’t want to call her to come and get it. Maybe I’ll wait a month or two!  🙂

Someone asked if I used a stencil.  I did not.  In the large white spaces in between the rings, I drew registration lines from corner to corner and vertically and horizontally to give me the placement for the start of the feather spline. I used an IttyBitty ruler and used the curved side of it to create the spines of the feathers. I’d use the ruler until I got to the end of it and then freehanded the loop at the end of each spline and then used the ruler to come back to center. I did this for all the splines then freehanded the feathes using the registration markes as guides for where my feathers should end. Where the rings met in the middle, I used the same IttyBitty ruler and just eyeballed it. I also used this same IttyBitty ruler to help guide the SID on the rings. You can find the ruler at http://store.offtheedgequilting.com/ittybitty.html. Someone had recommended it when I bought my first rulers after purchasing my machine and I use it a lot!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Here’s the last small quilt from my new quilter.  A small Irish Chain in turquoise.  I absolutely love this fabric!  We discussed designs and she expressed a desire for roses and daisies.  This is what I came up with.  I did a rose in the center surrounded by daisies with daisy shoots.  The 9-patch blocks had roses in the chain and daisies in the alternate squares.  I did a daisy and leaf border.  I used Signature thread in turquoise.  I hope she likes it. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This is another quilt by a new quilter (see the Irish Chain and 2 cute baby quilts).  The entire quilt was half-square triangles.  I mulled several options.  The fabric had birds of paradise and leaves.  The backing fabric was polka-dots. I decided on using a leaf motif in the green tonal fabric and clamshells in the print for texture (a motif wouldn’t show up very well in the print fabric).  The clamshells always remind me of the texture of feathers on a bird.  I stitched in the ditch around the triangles, also.  I like how this turned out.  Especially the texture of the clamshells. 

I also LOVE the fabric I’ve been seeing – lots of pinks and greens.  It’s inspired my next quilt design.  I purchased some pink and green border fabric and some complimentary fabrics.  I have some ideas floating around for a design involving applique and trapunto with pink, green, yellow and white as the main colors.  Now, to find the time to put the ideas to fabric!  I have to travel to Atlanta next month so that will put a bit of a kink in my schedule.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Here are two more baby quilts finished.  I was kind of stumped on this first one – a lavender and cream rail fence.  Cute colors, but what to do with it?  I was a bit tired of feather wreaths, and really didn’t think that would fit this quilt anyway.  I decided on piano keys for the outer border to echo the rail fence.  Finally, I gave in and did feathered hearts with wide curved crosshatching.  To fill in between the hearts, I did a three heart posey.  It looks nice finished.  My daughter really loved it.

The 2nd one was a small scrappy looking pink/green top that had starfish in the border fabric.  I did stars and swirls in the border and echoed the theme in the middle and alternated roses and butterflies in the larger 4-inch blocks. I like how it turned out. 

I’ve got two more small baby quilts to do and then a double wedding ring!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.