Mariner's Compass

Lorna brought me this really technical quilt top when I showed up at the Okotoks Quilt Stroll last Sunday. I was setting up my tent display, and Lorna (who had arrived for her shift as a volunteer for this wonderful outdoor quilt show) said, "Oh! I'm glad you're here. I have a mariner's compass quilt that I want you to quilt for me. I'll Don bring it to you, so that you can take it home with you. Can you get it done in time for the Open House in two Saturdays?"

Well, guess what... I did! In fact, I got it done in just four days! I ordinarily don't have a very long wait for my customers, compared to many of my colleagues. Right now, I'm at about a 3-week turn-around time. But I always try to accommodate rush requests. For instance, if I have quilts that AREN'T on a deadline, I'll leapfrog rush orders up earlier in my queue. I do this sparingly and only when I feel confident my clients won't mind. The hardest time of year is always pre-Christmas. But last year, I got all my clients' gift orders finished, with time to spare.

Quite a bit of dense quilting on this piece, accompanied by spaces with less dense quilting, so that they pop out. The compasses have sparse outlining (Stitch in the Ditch) and maybe some light filler in their backgrounds. Small meandering circles in the background space around the compasses. Some dot-to-dot ruler work in the setting triangles. Piano keys on the bias in the dark border. Serpentine and continuous curve in the half-square-triangles. Simple and clean... and out the door!

See this quilt in person on Saturday (Aug 26, 2017) at the Rumple Quilt Skins "Fall Open House"!