Blueberries and watermelon to celebrate Labor Day

This red, white and blue twister quilt makes me smile. It has a patriotic flavor because of the color scheme, but upon closer inspection, you'll find a delightful sprinkling of blueberry and watermelon novelty fabrics among the plaids, solids and small prints. I'll be free-motion quilting this quilt for Kim, from my quilt guild.

This twister quilt has a 4-patch checkerboard strip on two sides. Nice touch!

It's been a while since I've seen the food novelties, and I think this is an absolute perfect application of them! And when 'real' blueberries and watermelon are no longer in season, Kim can still be enjoy them through her quilt. 

This quilt also reminded me that the Labor Day holiday is this weekend. Labor Day usually signifies the end of summer... but the blueberries and watermelon makes me want to enjoy one last picnic before bidding a fond farewell to the season. How about you?

Blueberries and watermelon are diced up in this end-of-summer spread.

If blueberries or watermelon are no longer in season, there are other fruit favorites at the local grocer or farmer's market. Choose from the dozens of salad, dessert and snack recipes (or the in-store deli and bakery works for me) and whip up something to celebrate the long weekend. 

It would be nice to enjoy one last summer hurrah before we welcome the fall colors and the shorter days and cooler temperatures settle in. 

Quilting a Wedding Wishes signature quilt

Becky, one of my guild friends, asked me to quilt a top for her. Actually, it was a project she got "recruited" into doing because she is a quilter. (Many of you know how that happens.) Becky calls this quilt a Wedding Wishes signature quilt.

Wedding Wishes signature quilt.

The signature blocks were available at the bridal shower for friends and family to sign. I noticed that one of the blocks had a date. As time passes, the recipients and future generations will appreciate that the occasion—and the quilt—is documented in this manner. The signed blocks were then sent to Becky for assembly. She chose batik fabrics for the border and sashing in shades of lavender, purple and blue with splashes of magenta to contrast with the white-on-white signature blocks. This is the border fabric.

Birds in the border print were outline quilted.

When determining how to quilt a quilt, I consider what this new layer of design—the quilting—can bring to the composition... how the stitching can enhance what is already pieced, appliquéd—or in this instance, written—on the quilt's top.

Sketchbook with quilting designs.

With pencil in hand, I made several pages of sketches before selecting the quilting designs. First, I worked up continuous line vines interspersed with hearts (appropriate for this quilt's theme), swirls, curlicues and feathers. I simulated a block with writing and auditioned various designs on that.

I felt there needed to be a better connection between the written wishes on the blocks and the quilting. The quilting needed to bring the hand written messages into better focus. How could this be achieved?

More sketchbook pages. Left: the heart motif enlarged. Right: swirls added to the heart.

The heart motif was enlarged to surround the messages. This provided a focal point and also added more variety in scale.

The quilted heart focusses on the message.

The swirled finials embellished the lower part of each heart half and unified the larger motif with the surrounding quilting. A few select birds in the border print were outline quilted to bring them into the foreground.

A few of the birds were outline quilted.

Full view of Wedding Wishes quilt.

After the binding and label are attached, this quilt is headed to California. They must have lots of zombies out there...

"Fighting Zombies is better with two!"

"Exponentially Embellished" accepted into the Georgia Quilt Show

Oh boy! I got the letter that my quilt, "Pi E² [Exponentially Embellished]" was juried into the Georgia Quilt Show. This is exciting news.

"Pi E2 [Exponentially Embellished]"
46.25" x 46.25"

This quilt started off as a sample to showcase Blank Quilting's Sisley fabric collection. The pattern is a modified version of "Easy as Pi" by the Franklin Quilt Company. You may remember this earlier post when it was in the quilting stage.

The fusible appliqué of the stylized prints, bright blenders and postmodern triadic color scheme (red-orange, turquoise and buttery lemon yellow) begged for something more than a mere zigzag or cliché buttonhole edge stitch. Bring out the threads! 40 wt., 30 wt., variegated... in the full color gamut.

Time to play with all the threads! The variegated-er... the better.

Then it was time to play around with the gazillion decorative stitches (you know, the ones that come standard with your sewing machine from which you use only three) and mess with the stitch length and width. Who uses the default settings, anyway? Yaaawn. Here is my stitch test swatch.

Experimenting with stitch length and width.

So, "Pi" (the top) traveled around with me for a cycle to show off Sisley to shop owners on my Fabric Rep Trek. Here is a detail of the fusible raw-edge appliqué with the decorative stitching.

Decorative stitching on raw-edge appliqué.

I like the dot fabrics in this collection. (Mini-Pi's?)

Variegated threads, decorative stitching on Sisley fabric collection.

As if the decorative stitching wasn't enough... the solid chocolate brown background fabric craved some "show off" quilting... and I was in the mood for it. When you see the close-up shots, you'll understand why it's called "E² [Exponentially Embellished]." (I don't know how to get the superior "2" figure using HTML. I found the code!)

All free-motion quilting done with my Janome 6500.

The chalk marker got lots of overtime on this quilt top. I used bits and parts of several quilting and painting stencils, as well as free-hand drawing, to chalk in the guidelines for the free-motion quilting.

Free-motion quilting using the piecing, stencils
and hand drawn chalk line for guides.

I rather like that lime-green (almost neon) thread in the middle ring. Juxtaposed with the deep rose pink thread (hmmm, another complimentary color scheme?), it gives it a little zing, don't ya think?

Pi Stats:
Unquilted top: 48" x 48"  Finished size: 46.25" x 46.25".
38.5 hours of free-motion quilting on a domestic sewing machine (Janome 6500). 7.5 bobbins of 60 wt. poly (Bottom Line by Superior Threads).
Threads include: 30 wt. cotton (Blendables by Sulky), 40 wt. cotton (YLI, and King Tut by Superior), 50 wt. cotton (Tutti and Konfetti by WonderFil, MasterPiece by Superior, and Aurifil), and 60 wt. poly (Bottom Line by Superior) in the bobbin and for the background stippling. The quilting was completed and the binding and label attached at the end of July.

Detail of "Pi E2 [Exponentially Embellished]"

In a recent conversation with the VP of Sales at Blank Quilting, Cliff G., he asked me if there was something I liked most about quiltmaking. I enjoy many aspects of the process: choosing the fabrics, designing with color, print and texture, and seeing the composition come to life. Lately, I'd have to say I really look forward to the quilting—and find myself creating areas in the quilt top specifically for the free-motion quilting to shine in its own glory. For me, the quilting is quite therapeutic and zen. This quilt is a testament to that.

Acceptance letter from the Georgia Quilt Show

The Georgia Quilt Show is September 19-21 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA. Good luck, Pi!

Practice your free-motion quilting on "pre-marked" strip quilts

Hey there all you free-motion quilting newbies! You know how I suggest to you in my "Into to Free-motion Quilting" classes that an excellent way to get some free-motion practice under your belt is by quilting charity quilts?

Practice free-motion quilting on strip quilts. 

Well, here's a thought on getting in some free-motion practice as well as getting experience with making your motifs a consistent size—think "pre-cut strip quilts!"

My guild, the Choo Choo Quilters, had a guild program earlier this year on using pre-cut 2.5" strips to make fast and easy lap quilts. (The program presenter called them "lasagna quilts" and I kept wanting to call them "noodle quilts.") Anyway, we sewed the pre-cut strips end to end, similar to the 1600" quilt and got results similar to this example.

I got around to quilting one of theses strip quilts (shown in the first picture) and realized that the pieced strips automatically create guidelines that are 2" apart. This is a perfect space to practice continuous-line free-motion patterns—and you don't need to mark the quilt top! So, if you want some practice quilting loop-the-loops, waves, or another continuous line design, try it on a strippy quilt like these.

Examples of strip quilts made by members of the Choo Choo Quilters Guild
Chattanooga, Tennessee.

This quilter added a flying geese border to her strip quilt.

The Choo Choo Quilters Guild is having it's annual Cuddle Quilt workshop this Saturday, August 17. Guild members will get together and spend the day making lap-size quilts for a local day-care facility.

Strips are cut and ready for the strip Mystery Quilt.

Our clever Cuddle Quilt Workshop coordinator, Sherry, has devised a Mystery Quilt using the pre-cut 2.5" strips. I have my strips cut and ready to go. Anyone is welcome to join us for the day—it will be fun! The location and time is on the guild's blog.