Fresh off the frame!

TA DA!  

You last saw it as an awkward jpeg file with my doodles all over it.  

Here it is with playful blue bonnets  dancing across the top! 

 Didn't it turn out precious? 

Design choices

Here are two design choices one of my clients is choosing from for her baby quilt:

Freestyle meander level:

Quilter's Choice level:

What would you choose?

Second Breast Cancer Quilt Complete!

I delivered the beautiful quilt to my local quilt shop which will be auctioned off for breast cancer research.  Each block was as beautiful and expressive as each of its makers.  I chose an all over cabbage rose motif with leaves.  It turned out great!

Quilt for the Cure part 2

I put the large Quilt for the Cure top on the frame today.  

It was made by the customers of a local quilt shop, Among Friends.  This is the second one I've quilted for them and both will be auctioned off to raise money for breast cancer research.  

The challenge on this quilt is that there are many 3D blocks with embellishments or embroidery.  I have decided to put a freehand meandering cabbage rose with leaves on this quilt.  You can see the design I'm auditioning using quilter's plastic with a wet erase marker.  

Notice the bright green tape I put all along the edges of the plastic- 

very important!

I should finish this top up tomorrow and get it delivered to the shop in the afternoon.  Next up, a baby quilt for a new little angel.

Whirling, Swirling, Curling Wind Soaring Through The Murky Pond

Here's the grid dropped onto my client's batik quilt.  I found out the pattern is called Murky Pond in the Bershires and is from the book, Batiks and Beyond: 22 Quilts from Fabulous Fabrics.

Can you start to see the block on point emerge from the top?

Once I broke up the top into that grid, I played around with a twirling scroll pattern to give the quilt some movement.  

It is a pretty contemporary treatment of the top but I think it is a compelling way to add some sizzle to the top.

Now, those squares in the center are calling out to host a motif of some sort, don't you think?

I'll have to play around with those blocks and start thinking about the borders now.  

Of course, this is just one treatment and my client gets the final word!

Baby stripes and mysterious batiks

Here are two client quilts that arrived today.

Don't you just love how dramatically different they are?  I get such a kick out of seeing how the creative spirit is expressed through fabric from the same person.

The first quilt is for a precious little newborn who has endured so much in his first few weeks.

I have it up on my design wall right now so I can think about the motif possibilities while I'm working on two charity quilts for my local guild.

The second quilt this client sent me is made of these luscious batiks.  I don't know what the pattern is but the first thing that jumped out at me is the secondary pattern between the blocks. 

 I'm thinking about highlighting that block between the blocks.  I just love it when the quilting makes the viewer consider a whole new idea that isn't what you'd expect from the piecing.  

Do you see the secondary block pattern?  It is on point between the smaller squares.  In the next day or two I'll post another photo of the batik quilt so you can see what I'm talking about. 

These are the first two quilts I've done for this friend of mine and I'm so delighted to be a part of her handiwork!  

What a fantastic job I have, eh? 

Sage King Sized Spread

Isn't this pretty?It is a huge king sized bedspread for a local design shop. 

 The color is so soothing.  I wish I could see how it will look in the final room.  

The fabric is made up of diamonds with luscious embroidery defining the space.  

Due to the massive seams from the weight of the fabric and the 3D embroidery, I couldn't do an all over pantograph.  What I've done instead is an echo diamond throughout the top to emphasize the design of the fabric.

It is difficult work, however- making straight lines is one of the most difficult things to do on a longarm.  Curves and feathers are a TON easier.

Houston Quilt Show

I just returned from the International Quilt Show in Houston.  What an incredible experience!  I got to check out all the latest gadgets and goodies! 

I loved this swirled lone star.  

Overall, I felt so blessed to be around the incredible beauty and creativity required to make all the inspired creations that surrounded me.  

What a trip!