Pets on Quilts Show

If you haven't visited Lily Pad Quilting yet for her Pets on Quilts Show...you need to check it out now! Lots of fun posts about pets on quilts and you can vote for your favorite one. Here is the link for the virtual show and you can vote here by leaving your vote for your favorites in four categories in the comments. Her directions are very clear on how to do this. You can win prizes just for visiting and voting on your favorites, even if you didn't enter the show.

I had to enter Smokey and Conrad as we all know they love quilting and like to make each of my quilts their own. My post is here and if you want to vote for them, you just comment --Cat on Quilt-#55 here in the comments. Have fun visiting the show!

A few finishes...

I finished the binding on the new Circle and Spin to the Moon the other day. I think I have a new favorite! I have spent some time this summer working on others in this series, and have two more tops finished...now to get them quilted. I really enjoy making these not so perfect circles, so I have a few more ideas yet to do. 

 Pat brought in her finished Red, White and True QAL quilt top...it's a beauty!

Christine brought her Garden Window Sampler to show us the other night during class.She embroidered some antennae on the butterflies which really adds to the charm.

I taught two sampler classes this week, but was bad about getting pictures, so I will have to make up for it next time.

I got side tracked yesterday. I was planning on getting a quilt quilted...I have to do it in spurts because if I quilt too long my back starts complaining. So my plan was to quilt, sew, quilt, sew. I started out sewing and then just never stopped til I had all of the blocks finished. I couldn't stop! So I ended up quilting a few passes late in the day, but not as much as I hoped. Since I got all of the blocks finished yesterday, I want to put the quilt together today, but will quilt in between. I really will.

I go back to school tomorrow...

Abracadabra: From a favorite duvet to a quilt...

Awhile back, my daughter asked me if I could take their duvet cover and make it into a quilt.They weren't using it as a duvet anymore, but really liked it so wanted to be able to use it again. After much talking about how it was put together and what shape it was in (all over the phone and online as she lives in Seattle) I told her I thought I could. She sent it to me earlier this summer. After looking it over, trying to figure out the best way to take it apart and keep it square, I ended up cutting it apart on the seam lines. I decided not to square it up before it was quilted because it was pretty square already and I figured I would have to resquare it after it was quilted anyway as the corners were slightly rounded.  

I used my favorite panto, Leafage by Keryn Emmerson since there is so much off white and an 80/20 batting. The quilting went well as it was like quilting two sheets together...no seams to add bulk. 

I had planned to use an off-white binding, but found this vintage stripe I had gotten from my mom from her stash that looked really well with it. Angie liked it too, so that is what I used. 

quilt colors are bad in this photo.

I squared it up on a large table at the store. It wasn't as off as I thought it would be, given the way I cut it apart!

 I really like how it turned out and love the quilt itself. It was an easy process, so if you have a duvet that needs to be transformed, find a quilting friend and go for it!

I sent it to her recently and she loves it.

I've been figuring out a quilt layout this morning using too many fabrics, so  I need to cut it out now before I forget what I was going to do! I have a sampler club class tonight and tomorrow night, then back to school on Friday. Not really ready for it, but like those paychecks to keep coming, so I guess I will have to be ready.

Lots of this and that

Diane H

 I'm not sure where this week went, but it flew by. I sewed with friends a couple of days this week...that's always fun. I started the My Little Pretties Sampler Club Wednesday night. Their first block was A Dandy and it really lived up to its name.  As you can see, they all have interesting fabrics and they all got their blocks finished. That's always nice. I went easy on them...no homework this time!

Laural

Cheryl B

Marta

Billie

 It's so much fun to begin a sampler, touch and see all the new fabrics...there's an excitement there that only compares to finishing a quilt.

 Dianne finished her Simply Posies center block during Tuesday sewing.  It's very colorful and pretty. Her group meets Tuesday night, so we'll see the others then.

 Jo, a friend from Florida, sent me a picture of her finished Red, White and True quilt top. She changed the layout a bit, which I love. If you have been working on this quilt, please share your pictures with me...I love to see them. The free patterns are still available on Craftsy for a limited time if you still want to make it.

 You might remember that I started quilting this Circle and Spin to the Moon before I went on retreat. I have been doing so much other sewing since then that I haven't had time to get back to it, so I spent Friday in my quilting room and it's quilted.

 I really love this quilt and am anxious to get it finished. I used a gray/black thread and the Leafage panto. It's one of my favorite pantos for overall effect.

 I'm using the backing fabric below for the binding and it's ready to go. I will probably wait until I go to the store tomorrow for class to sew it on. I like sewing bindings on these larger quilts there as the tables are bigger than any I have at home.

I got the newest quilt in the Circle and Spin series finished the other day, so spent some time yesterday sewing the backing together and prepping the top for quilting. You will notice that this batik is the same design as the other one, just different colors.I haven't decided what I will bind this one with yet. I am going to get it loaded this morning and hopefully get a start on quilting it. I'm really excited about this quilt and will post some pictures when it's finished.

Happy Village....let's visit!

 I spent most of the past two days working on my Happy Village quilt and it's finished. I enjoyed making it and am already planning the next one. Water....the next one is going to have water...

As I quilted around the shapes, I could definitely see places that could use more quilting, like roofs, trees, fill in areas. So I did some quilting on some of the roofs and other areas. I think it gives it even more dimension. (If you look back and forth between the two pictures, you can see the difference). It's hard to know where to stop on this one...when to stop making houses, when to stop quilting. I was afraid to quilt the sky on my machine because I wasn't sure if I could get the look I wanted. Plus I had added in a piece of white tulle for effect and wanted to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. So I hand quilted the sky using a very light blue thread. I wish I would've made the sky a bit bigger by starting the houses down farther, but I can try that on the next one, right? 

Before I went on retreat, I made these Boxy Pouches for my retreat friends. I used purchased quilted fabric so they were quick and easy to make.  I have a few left for other gift giving.

Class highlights and a Happy Village

Jane

This week has flown by and I've been busy sewing and meeting with sampler clubs. Monday night's group is one of two that are working on the newest sampler, Simply Posies. Jane is using 30s repro fabrics for hers and decided to make one large posy. She had some multicolored strips left from another project, so is using them for the narrow border around the center. Her center has a pretty nine patch that ties in perfectly.

Laura W

 Laura is using two fabrics for the posies. Her fabrics have an asian feel with the gold overlay. She hasn't added her narrow border yet...she is planning something interesting for that too.

Deb M had her squares cut when she came, so got most of them added to make panels.

 Tuesday night was a work night for the group making the To The Point sampler. They didn't have experience using setting triangles and corners, so we spent most of the time cutting them and starting to sew the panels together. Two of the quilters worked on blocks they still needed to finish (oops, forgot to take pix of those!). They were doing well by class end and excited about seeing their quilts come together.

Nancy B sewing her triangles to the blocks.

Debbie McQ has some beautiful batik blocks!

Martha is using a white fabric for her setting triangles so that her backgrounds show up better.

 I took a day off from sewing yesterday to clean and mow, but I have plans to do some more quilting today on the Happy Village quilt. I need to get it finished this week.

 I worked on it a few weeks ago, but then got caught up in retreat sewing and other things that I haven't gotten back to it. Since I want to teach the technique in Oct. I need to get it finished and to the shop.The quilting wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be as you are basically tracing around each piece. My biggest problem was being able to see around the presser foot, so I found a plastic foot that I think will help with that.

As I was quilting, I decided that there was a blank space on the far left under the black, zigzaggy roof, so I added a new house. It really is hard to know where to stop, but I think it looks better now.

Off to quilt! Are you quilting too?

Can you sew too much?

Diana's Highlights Sampler

I've been back from retreat since Sunday evening, but it's been a busy week. I did a little catching up on Monday, then class Monday night, all day sewing Tuesday and class Tuesday night. A friend invited me to sew with the monthly sew-in at the local senior center Wednesday, so I sewed all day Wed. too. Now remember, I had sewn from Thursday about 10 until Sunday about 3:30. So that is a lot of sewing packed in to one week. I'm happy to report that I have 2 completed quilts, a third one with all the blocks made, just needs side setting triangles cut and then I can sew it together. Plus I made several red quilted pouches too.

 I had made a bunch of these for gifts a few weeks ago, and made 2 scrappy ones from the fabrics we use on retreat to play our games. It's easy and fun to do and easy to adjust the size if you want bigger or smaller bags. It's the Quilted Boxy Cornered Pouch.

Since the Highlights Sampler 20 class just ended recently, five of my retreat friends brought their quilts to work on. They are all so pretty and I loved watching them come together! As you can see, they all used their own color choices and they are all gorgeous!

Pat's Highlights Sampler

Rose's Highlights Sampler

Cindy's Highlights Sampler

Dianne's Highlights Sampler

Diana (top picture) left before we took this picture, but here are four of them all lined up. We had such a good time and I really need to catch  up a bit around the house today and then get back to sewing tomorrow.  I have already been out weeding and watering the garden and flowers, but there is a bathroom to tackle, so I'd better get to it. I took some pictures during classes this week, so more about them soon.