Splendoriffic Spring quilt

Isn't this quilt enchanting? So dainty and fresh. It just FEELS like spring! I'm so pleased that Jane brought it to me for quilting. She wanted a custom quilting job, but not too dense. The more intricate the quilting, the stiffer the quilt will be, and it was important to Jane that the quilt remain supple and soft.

I put simple stippling in the floral outer border. You can't even really see it, on that busy fabric. In the yellow border, I used large ribbon candy. Nothing at all in the blue inner border or in the sashing strips. Then in the blocks, I incorporated orange peel (aka continuous curve) and more stippling. Simple, understated, but I think effective.

Baby Animals quilt

True to form, here's another quilt that Rosemarie made to give to someone else. This is for a new baby in her family. My little girls were really tickled by all the baby animal panels. It's so fun for me when a quilt strikes their fancy. Maybe I'll have future quilters!

Rosemarie wanted a simple edge-to-edge design, and I went with interlocking square shapes, a sorta meandering rectangles idea. This will be a really serviceable quilt for the little guy, for sure!

My quilting is all free-motion, hand-guided on a longarm quilting machine.

Rosemarie's Pineapple Quilt

Many of the projects I've quilted for Rosemarie have been gifts that she's made for others in her life. But this one was for her own house, which I love, because as I was quilting it, I knew that she'd get to enjoy her own handiwork and revel in the beauty of this piece.

She wanted a full-on custom job, and told me she didn't mind a little more intense than her usual order. I did a bunch of ruler work in the striking, pointy pineapple shapes. Narrow swirls in the inner and outer borders. I'm glad I didn't spend too much time putting an intricate design in those areas, because the fabrics have enough variation that you can't really see the quilting anyway. But I'm glad I put a little extra time in the center-most cream-colored area. It shows up well, and I think it looks really classy and elegant with an undulating spine with swirly feathers.

The thing that took the most time was all the outer cream background areas, with the twisted grid pattern. It was a stencil that I traced onto the fabric with water-soluble marker. The marking took FOREVER. I chose to do the grid on a 45º angle, which made it really difficult to keep track of where the "repeat" was happening, each time I picked up the stencil to mark the next open area. After a while, I was wondering if my eyes were crossing! But I got through, and I think it's a really nice effect - reminiscent of the grid-ish pattern on the outside of a fresh pineapple, in my opinion. I like it!

And it makes me happy that Rosemarie liked it, too. She wasn't in love with the quilt top, when she brought it to me. She was second-guessing the color choices. It happens more than you might think. So many decisions go into making the work of art that is a quilt, and it's not uncommon that quilters will fall out of love with their project as it comes together and takes shape. And it's such a shame when that happens, after all the hours and money spent cutting, piecing, and pressing. But sometimes (like this time), the quilting can actually help re-kindle the magic! Here's what Rosemarie texted me after she got home with this finished project...

"I just spread the big quilt out on a bed, and for sure the quilting is what makes it!!!! Fabulous job. I like it now - LOL! Thank you for your originality in quilting it. Rosemarie"

Woohoo! That's what any quilter would love to hear!! Thanks, Rosemarie! CB

A Quilt of Inspiration

Rosemarie made this lovely piece for a friend. If you look closely, several of the squares have meaningful scriptures. Sure to give a reassuring pat on the back to the person who receives it.

It's got a warm and wonderful color scheme, and she asked for a light-custom approach to the quilting. I put orange peal in all the equal-sized squares. Simple ruler work in the on-point blocks and the star blocks. Stippling in the outer border areas.

Roy Rogers & Dale Evans... quilted!

Rosemarie is quickly becoming one of my favorite clients.... okay, who am I kidding? They're ALL my favorite clients! Rosemarie goes south for the winter, and while she's away, she pieces quilt tops together all winter long. And then brings them back and lets me quilt them for her. When she brought me this quilt, she brought three more. And then after I'd quilted them, she picked them up and brought me FOUR more! This lady is productive!!!

This quilt got an edge-to-edge "woodgrain" quilting motif on it. Have a look at these wonderful specialty fabrics. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans! Coupled with the great appliqued boots, this will be a favorite for any cowboy/cowgirl! My little girls were eyeing it pretty intently while I was working on it! Ha!

My quilting is all free-motion, hand-guided on a longarm quilting machine. 

Carol's Other Star Quilt

Another lovely quilt made by Carol for a grandchild of hers. This is going to a little girl. We agreed that we should keep the quilting loose and cuddly for a youngster of six years. So I applied edge-to-edge loops and stars in a free-flowing mindset. Have fun finding the constellations in the background fabric!

Carol's Star Quilt

Carol made this lovely quilt for a granddaughter who is a teenager, if memory serves me. The points on all these stars were really crisp and precise. I gave it some dot-to-dot ruler work in the white stars and some tighter swirls in the colorful background spaces. I think her granddaughter will love it!

My quilting is all free-motion, hand-guided on a longarm quilting machine.