Custom Quilts of Joy

Turning Quilt Tops into Treasures

Recent Posts

Beyond the Color Purple – Finished!!

November 22, 2011
I just took this off the frame. What a beautiful quilt!!! I LOVE the embroidery and the color of this quilt. To summarize, I used a double batting (cotton bottom, Legacy Wool on top). I did this to create some extra loft behind the embroidery and I love how that makes the embroidery pop – almost like a 3d effect. I outlined all the embroidery and did the SID with clear Madeira Monolon on top and cream Bottom Line in the bobbin. I used tan light gold Superior Metallic, So Fine, off white Omni, and sage green Sew Fine on the top. The only time I switched the bobbin color was with the sage green. And the only reason I did that was because I was stitching through multiple layers of the green border applique. If not for that, I might have tried keeping the cream in the bobbin.

Designs I used were switchback feathers in the outer border, crosshatching in the red background fabric, pebbles and feather background fills with an on-point square dividing the fills within the blocks, feather plumes in the outer green border and a feather stencil I made along with outline stitching on the green applique border around the medallion. I love it. It would make a nice quilt to display this Christmas season.
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Color Purple – progress!

November 13, 2011
I’ve been doing the background filler on the blocks. I finished the medallion and 10 blocks, and have 6 to go! Woohoo! I LOVE the way it’s looking. After these are done, it’s on to the green floral print. Here’s some eye candy…
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Flock of Wild Turkeys!

November 10, 2011
Yes, that’s right. Turkeys. A flock of them! Here’s a not very good picture taken from my mobile phone this morning on the way to work. I had to stop to let about 8 wild turkeys cross the road in front of me and I took this pic of those remaining in the field on my left. This was taken just north of Timberlake Golf Course in rural Sullivan – across the road from Reedy’s house. They were actually very beautiful – I wish I had my good camera with me to get the color of their feathers. They were sure doing a lot of gobble-gobble-ing too! Must have been saying “Hurry up and get out of the way – we’re trying to get home for the holidays!” Ha!Ha!
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Beyond the Color Purple – backgrounds

November 8, 2011
Here’s a peek at one of the blocks finished. I like how it is turning out. Each block will have the same square-on-point design with the same background fillers (pebbles in the middle and feathered swirls on the outside). A couple of them will have an additional design in the middle where those blocks have a large unbroken space. Some of the blocks will have very little outside filler. But they all will have the square on point to tie them together.
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Beyond the Color Purple – the blocks

November 1, 2011
I’ve been stabilizing each of the embroidered blocks on this fab quilt. A Jennie Haskins design pieced by Glenda, and it is just fabulous!! I’ve been using Madeira Monolon (clear, thin and strong) to stitch around each of the block designs. I’m using a layered batting on this (thin wool on top of thin cotton) to give it a faux trapunto effect, and I absolutely love the look I’m getting. The embroidery will have almost a 3d effect that is going to be so cool when it’s finished. Each of the blocks will have a box on point, with the outside of the box to be quilted with swirls and the inside with pebbles. Some of the blocks that have a large space in the middle will get an additional design motif to echo the work in the embroidery. But all that quilting will give the embroidery a faux trapunto look. I’ve only two more blocks to outline, then it’s back to doing the gold diagonal crosshatch on the maroon sashing. The green print surrounding the center medallion consists of two pieces – one of which is applique. Both will need some quilting. The outer green border will get feather plumes. The inner green border (applique) I’m undecided on. I think it might be difficult to stitch as there are multiple thicknesses. But I’m still leaning towards feathers of some sort.

Well, it’s my birthday Thursday and we’re going out for dinner Saturday night with another couple – Cathy and Larry. Cathy’s birthday is on Friday and we usually try to celebrate together. So I’m taking the evening off from quilting and enjoying a night out with friends!

problem area
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Beyond the Color Purple – you vote!

October 27, 2011
This is the start of a new quilt (fabulously embroidered by Glenda). I need your advice, however. The dark red sashing is being quilted using light gold metallic thread. I was unsure at first, but I do love how it turned out. My question is whether to fill in the alternating diamonds or not. My thought was that it would give it a nice texture – the blank diamonds would puff up and give a nice texture. However, I’m just not sure I’m loving it. What do you think? Hurry and vote here.
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Patriotic Pansies Panel

October 19, 2011
I just pulled this off the frame. What a cool wallhanging/topper. The middle is a panel which I treated as applique. The surrounding borders have feather plumes, stars, and swags. I like how it turned out. I used QD cotton, So Fine and Signature threads.

Next up is a large embroidered quilt – a fantastic quilt. I’ll be posting pics as I go along. I need to practice running two threads through the needle before loading it, but should be starting on it Sunday.
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Scarecrow Daze Quilt Show

October 11, 2011
I had a wonderful time at Shelbyvilles’s Scarecrow Daze Quilt Show this past Saturday. I arrived at 7 a.m. and with the help of several other ladies, we got all the quilts hung on the frames. For those of you who are not familiar with this show, it is held in a tent set up on a large parking lot next to the courthouse square. I was getting ready to leave and meet some friends at another quilt show in another town, when a gust of wind toppled the middle row of double-hung quilts. They literally went down like dominoes!! OMG! There were three of us there, so we immediately started to get the step ladders out of the truck. Kate called the store and asked for emergency assistance from a class being held at that time. With their help we got everything back up in about 20 minutes. Wow! What excitement!!

Anyway, I picked up my quilt yesterday and found I won 1st place!!!! I got a $75 gift certificate to spend in Kate’s store – Main Street Quilt Company. AWESOME!! How cool is THAT! Thanks Kate! If you haven’t been to her quilt shop, you really need to make a point to go. It’s one of my very favorite shops. I love the old wood floors and high ceilings – and the rows of fabrics and goodies.

I’m working on a couple of wall hangings right now and then a large embroidered top that will get a full custom treatment will be next. I should have it on by the end of the month and will post pics of my progress as I go. Stay tuned for that one – it is a very special quilt top!
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Flower Power!

October 6, 2011
I just took this gorgeous Log Cabin quilt off the frame. Done with Kaffe Fassett fabrics, it’s definitely not your grandmother’s log cabin! I’m calling this one “Flower Power”. The piecer (Cheryl M) fussy cut large scale flowers for the middle square of each Log Cabin block. I decided to play up those flowers by quilting a rose in each of them and framed them with feather swags. The diagonal outer strip of each block was done in a chevron pattern. This was one large quilt! It seemed to take me a long time to do this one, but I think it’s just that my time is a little more scarce these days. It’s getting better though – my dad is getting stronger each day. Anyway, the fabrics are busy, so the quilting pattern isn’t obvious. I would probably recommend an overall pattern next time because of that. I used Glide pink and yellow and Quilters Dream blend on this.

Excuse the pic quality – I took these pics at 6:30 a.m. with no outside light coming in – just the lamplight which always casts a yellow light.
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Best of Show!

September 27, 2011
I entered my Sunflower Stars quilt in the Effingham Crossroads Quilt Show a week ago and I brought home a 1st place ribbon and a Best of Show ribbon! OMG! It was so cool to get those ribbons! I loved this quilt show. I met a gal there that I had found online at mqresource.com – Elizabeth Karnes. What a VERY nice lady, as well as a wonderful quilter. Her quilt got a 2nd place ribbon in the sme category. While I was there, I got an appraisal done on my quilt by AQS certified appraiser Hallye Bone. It appraised at just under $5000. OMG! Crazy! She said she thought I should enter it in Paducah and also thought I should look into getting a pattern published. I’m actually thinking of doing a “book” instead. I have 3 original designs – 2 finished and 1 I’m working on. The 1st quilt (Pretty in Purple) did not have any trapunto. I would like to quilt another one just like the first one (same fabrics, etc.) but using wool batting and trapunto. Then I could show the same quilt with trapunto and without trapunto. In addition, there would be the Sunflower Stars quilt along with my new one I’m working on now (tentatively named Springtime Shadows). Might make a neat concept for a book – how to turn a good quilt into a showstopping quilt with trapunto. Or something like that. 🙂 What do you think? Would you buy a book like that?

Here are pics from the show:

Me with my Sunflower Stars quilt and ribbons

Elizabeth Karnes and her quilt at the show.
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