We’ve had some really beautiful weather here the past few days. Lots of sunshine, beautiful fall sky, and warm temps – days like these really raise my energy level and brighten my mood. I’m so happy we’re having another shot of warm weather before colder days arrive. I have an outdoor painting project I’d like to get done before winter. I’m hopeful that project will be finished this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I’ve been super busy in the studio the past few weeks. I’m smack-dab in the middle of Christmas quilting for my customers. I’ll be pulling some late nights to meet a few deadlines but hey, that’s part of the job. And I have to say I *love* my job. I get to quilt some of the most interesting quilt tops. I’m going to share a few of them with you today.

First up is Karen’s embroidered and lace quilt. Yep, you read that right – I said lace. The quilt is simply pieced but has some interesting details that make it stand out.

That lace border is so pretty! When I took in the quilt I thought I could just flip the lace up and quilt under it. I was wrong. 🙂 The lace is sewn down on the corners so while I could flip it up around most of the quilt I couldn’t do so close to the corners. So I stitched some small feathers around the lace and left the border under the lace unquilted. Please don’t judge my feathers….they are a work in progress.

I love the black/white/grey color scheme. The only color on the quilt is in the embroidered blocks. Here’s a close-up of one of the blocks:

You can see the block quilting on the back much better than on the front.

I just love seeing the texture on the back of finished quilts! This top was a really fun one to play on and Karen was really happy with the end result. Thank you Karen for allowing me to quilt your treasure!

Next up is Lynn’s out of this world quilt! These fabrics are from Jason Yenter’s Cosmos line for In the Beginning fabrics. These prints are amazingly detailed.

We kept the quilting really simple – just wavy lines spaced about 1″ apart. The thread I used was Glide Cleopatra. Even though the thread is gold, it just melts into the background and doesn’t try to be the star of the quilt. The wavy lines are subtle, and very fitting for the theme of the quilt.

Lynn makes the most interesting quilts. She’s planning a sea turtle themed bargello next and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

Next up is Gusta’s fabulous quilt. To be honest, I didn’t even notice the really cool design created by the placement of the fabrics until I finished the quilting. Duh! I need to look at things a little closer, right? The quilting is an edge to edge design called Diagonal Plaid. Gusta asked for a geometric design for her quilt, so Diagonal Plaid it is. It gives just enough texture and compliments the piecing perfectly. I’ve been trying to remember the name of the pattern but for now it eludes me. I’ll find out when I’m back in the shop though and let you know if anyone is interested.

I also had fun playing on Sandy’s chevron quilt. Straight lines and feathers play off each other and add a bit of whimsy to the quilt.

I originally thought I would use the ProStitcher to quilt the feathers but after some consideration I changed my mind. I really want/need to practice stitching feathers so I decided to jump in and free motion them. I used the same Floppy Feather design I use when quilting feathers allover. They are nowhere near perfect, but somehow they work on this particular quilt. Sandy is a vibrant, funny and charismatic lady and these floppy feathers fit her personality perfectly.

I love how the straight lines look in the red chevron, and also how they border the feather sections.

Of course I have to show you the sunburst corner – it’s my favorite way to finish a corner when stitching a piano key border!

I’ve got lots more quilts to finish, which means I’ll have lots more to share with you. Are you making progress on your holiday sewing? I have a quilt I’d like to finish piecing before Christmas. If I can get it done it will be a gift for my husband. In all the years I’ve been quilting I’ve never made him a quilt. Can you believe that?!?! Poor dude! I’d say he’s waited long enough. We love to snuggle with our quilts in the evenings when we settle in for the night, so he will love having his own snuggle quilt.

That’s it for me today. I’m looking forward to checking in to see what you are working on. Stay safe this week, and happy sewing!

TTYL,
Beth