Kate's Russian Tiles

This is the fifth Russian Tiles quilt I've worked on. See the others by clicking here.

Kate made this beautifully embroidered piece for her daughter, who loves crosses. So Kate asked if I could somehow incorporate crosses into the quilting design. Since this pattern is called "Russian Tiles", I researched the shape of crosses in Russian churches and used that as the cornerpieces. Kate also loved feathers in a couple of the earlier versions of "Russian Tiles" that I quilted, so I used lots of feathers throughout.

I especially love the fabric and threads that Kate used to construct this piece. The gray background fabric has a hint of shimmer to it, which really makes the quilting show up nicely!

Pair of Antique Quilts

These quilts came to me from Sharon in Ohio. They were made by a deceased member of Sharon's family. I have gotten to work on other antique quilt tops before, and I love imagining the person who originally made them. What was her life like? How long did it take her to make this quilt top? Did she have intentions for how she was gonna use it, or to whom she was gonna give it? Did she save up and buy fabric, or did she cut up discarded clothing and sheets? It's so fascinating to think about this stranger's life! And I feel strangely bonded to her, because I got to finish the quilt for her. In this case, Sharon had me attach the binding to the front of the quilt, and then send it back for her to finish by hand. I think this is an especially nice touch - a way for Sharon to spend the last moments bringing these quilts to finish.

Two Super-Cuddly Quilts

Sandy brought me these two baby quilts that she made for her nieces. They are the same pattern, except in different color schemes. The tops are flannel, and the backs are ribbed minky. With the flannel, minky, and 100% polyester batting inside, these things are gonna be supremely warm and cuddly!

I put the same edge-to-edge quilting motif (meadering loops) on them both, and Sandy also brought me uncut yardage fabric to turn into my "Effortless Binding". She's in the middle of a move to a new home, and since she'd packed up her sewing machine and sewing supplies, it was convenient for her to get these quilts back completely finished and ready to give away. Yay!

Baby Giraffe Quilt

This cuddly quilt was made by Linda for her great-grandson. The giraffe's body is made from fuzzy, faux fur, and its mane is giant rickrack. I think great-grandbabe will love the tactile nature of this quilt!

Quilt made of dresses

This quilt is from a lady named Gabriela. It was made by her mother, who I got to meet when they came to drop off her quilt. We had a language barrier (she is from Mexico), but I could tell that she had a lovely warmth. She spent years as a garment-maker, and she made this quilt for Gabriela out of a bunch of Gabriela's old dresses. Lovely idea!

The slicky fabric of these dresses was a little tricky to get mounted on my frame, but once I got it tacked down, it was off to the races. Gabriela picked an edge-to-edge design of loops and hearts, which worked well with this piece - filled with love!

Joni's Quarter Square Diamond Set

Another pretty and perfect set of quilts (3 total: 2 lap-size and 1 table runner) from Joni. She developed this pattern off the cuff, inspired by an online tutorial, but adding her own touches and variations. It had the crispness and cleanness that is typical of Joni's style.

I added some custom quilting to give it some secondary designs. I love how it turned out!

Joni's Quarter Square Lattice quilt

Let’s just take a moment to talk about what a meticulous quilter Joni is. Every. Single. Point. in this quilt was PERFECT! The lattice strips were a narrow 1/2”, which is tricky, because it becomes obvious is it’s not all the exact same width for the entire length. And let me tell you, it was absolutely perfect! 

There were lots of different color hues and values, making this quilt top moderately busy, so we decided to give it an edge-to-edge treatment of dancing paisleys. Joni brings double batts for every quilt she lets me quilt. And she uses heavy starch as she presses the fabric while piecing - and sometimes she even uses TWO layers of fabric for her quilt tops! This all adds up to a deliciously HEAVY quilt. This will be one to grab on a cold winter night, that’s for sure. We're supposed to get "record snowfall" today, so I'd say Joni's got her perfect winter equation!

Rita’s Rail Fence

This quilt is a traditional rail fence design, with blocks designed in a chevron pattern. The color choices create a lovely sense of movement. Rita asked for a simple stippling treatment, which is one of my good ol' favorites!