Turtles Turtles Everywhere

....and the award for most densely quilted thing to ever leave my studio goes to...
*drumroll*

...this Turtle quilt.

I don't know what came over me, a bit of thread fever or free motion optimism, but whatever it was, I was compelled to quilt this thing into total texture overdrive.
The pictures really don't do it justice. The quilt is so fun to run your hands over, there's pebbles and lines and of course these cute little guys. 

It was a ton of work and my wrists need a break, but I think the effort was worthwhile. This Turtle quilt wraps up my set for Quilts for Kids, and is at the post office as we speak.  Bye bye turtles, enjoy the trip and give your person a hug from me!

Cause: Quilts for KidsSize: 36 x 48"
Fabrics:  Robert KauffmanPattern: Quilts for Kids
Quilting: Free Motion pebbles, lines swirls and turtles - on my domestic machine
Completed: July 2017

Austen's Garden

Baby quilts are the best. That may seem like a big generalization, but hear me out.

Sewing and quilting a small quilt for a bundle of baby goodness means:

1. They are quick to complete! Okay, quick-ish. Considering I have a queen size WIP that would be in middle school if it were a kid, a 7 month turnaround seems like sewing-hyperspeed!
2. They don’t require stretching and cardio workouts to be able to wrangle under a domestic machine.  This = fewer sore back muscles and less cussing = win.
3. They get to go live and have adventures with little kids. Is it tummy time?  Afternoon tea 
4. party? Sick day? Grab a quilt!

Convinced yet? Well, either way,  I would like to introduce a newly finished baby quit, “Austen’s Garden.”

She was such fun to sew (the top was started before we knew gender, so it was a fun challenge to keep it gender neutral).

The backing fabric makes me smile every time I see it.

The quilting was quite an adventure! I vowed to try new techniques for both skill building and to branch out creatively. I quilted the majority of this at “Quilt Camp” – a 3 day retreat style sewing event.  Side note- I was in quilty heaven guys, and I cannot believe it took me so long to give something like that a try! 3 days of happy chatter, humming machines, chocolate, and show and tells. Heaven, I tell ya….

But back to the quilt... the intense quilt marathon session was what I needed to overcome the challenge of starting/ stopping and getting distracted while I try a new design.

Every row is a new-to-me free motion motif:  city skylines, stars, candy ribbon, lines and pearls, and swirls.

Then there’s that border…

Let’s talk about the border…

all 3.5 inches of intimidating solid color (wont hide wonky stitches) border.  I was stuck.

I took a few minutes to explore the quilt store and stretch and stumbled on to Free-Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 by Lori Kennedy. I flipped through the book half-heartedly but as soon as I saw the flower design I knew that’s what the border needed. Sure that’s what it needed, but could I DO it?  Let me be a testimate to Lori’s amazing teaching skills, the steps were easy to follow, directions clear, and she breaks it into manageable pieces.  I practiced for a few minutes on a scrap sandwich and then dove in head first. After just a few flowers I got into a groove, liked how it looked, and dare I say.. had FUN free motion quilting! I used a variegated thread on the border, which has less contrast than white would have had, and that did make my newbie stitching a little more forgiving.

I finished quilting the border, happy danced, and immediately walked up to the register to purchase the book. I’m already excited to try more designs from it on the next quilt.

So there it is, Austen’s Garden in all her finished glory. It seemed fitting to take it out to my company’s garden for a farewell photo shoot.

I sent it home to give hugs and love to a sweet little girl, and I hope she (and her mom, my wonderful friend) have many comforting and fun moments together.

Quilt Stats:"Austen's Garden"

Size: 38"x 46"

Fabrics:  Stash, Michael Miller Petal Pinwheels,Alison Glass Sticks and Twine, Robert Kaufman Bluberry Park

Backing: Michael Miller's Pride in Candy from the "Origami Oasis" Collection

Binding: Stash

Pattern: my own

Quilting: Free Motion Quilting on my domestic machine

Completed: April 2017

Welcome to the Jungle Quilt

Welcome, little Jungle Quilt, to the land of the finished projects!

When I wrote out my list of Finish Along (FAL) projects in April,
I stumbled across this work in progress.

At that point is was only a pile of strips and squares.
To be honest, I wasn't even sure what pattern I had planned on sewing.



By the middle of May the top was mostly pieced, but a long way from done.

That photo is prime late night cell phone quality, too. Yowza! Thankfully that's history...

With the 2nd quarter FAL deadline looming, I decided to kick my rear into high gear.

Here it is all quilted, bound, washed, and crinkly!

This quilt was my first attempt at free motion quilting on my new machine. Not bad for a first timer, right? I played with a few options, including the knee lift and the 'cruise control'. 

What I learned: 

- The knee lift is awesome 

- Pre-wind a ton of bobbins
- I am not a fan of fmq'ing with gloves on

- I need to practice, practice, practice curves

Some curves had those dreaded 'eyelashes,' but others were right on.

 The quilting pattern was simple, but it provided just the right level of challenge.
 And I even went on a limb with those corners, by improv quilting a squiggly fan.

I'm sure that's the technical description for that shape. Yup. 

Even though it wasn't complicated, it was scary going for those curves with no real plan.
Looking at it now, I'm glad I went for it! No risk - no reward, right?

An unplanned but cool effect is that the quilting sort of disappears into the stripe where the quilting was parallel to the print.

It sort of creates an illusion of a basket weave, see it?

Sure, I only have two finishes this quarter, but I feel like a champion! 

Quilt Stats:

Name: Jungle Quilt
Size: 32"x 36"Fabrics:  Stash
Binding: Stash
Pattern: Quilts for Kids
Quilting: Free Motion Quilting - Lines and Curves 
Completed: June 2014

"But wait, Annaliese, I only see one finished quilt here, didn't you say there were two?" 

That's correct. I am so excited about both finished quilts, that I think each deserves their own posts. 

Keep an eye out for my 2nd finish this quarter (teaser: I may have fallen in love with wonder clips and machine binding on it..)

Linking up this finished quilt to the 2nd quarter FAL party here.

Happy Quilting!