Labor Day Project

It's Labor Day Weekend and I have a project to do. Jill. the VP of our local quilt guild, has issued a Kit Challenge due at the Christmas meeting in December. We are to bring in a quilt pattern (can be a purse or tote or whatever, as long as it is quilted) kit that we have purchased somewhere along the way and haven't touched, bring it in, have it recorded and if we complete it by the Christmas holiday meeting, we win a chance to be entered into a drawing for several prizes.

I brought in the Melinda Bula Geranium kit. I purchased it at Road to California in 2010 when my friend Barbara and I took the Rose class from Melinda. Yes, I intended to rush home and do it immediately, after all that's why I bought the kit isn't? But it didn't happen. But AHA, I pulled out of my quilting closet, took it into the Challenge meeting and decided to doit over the long weekend.

Here are some photos of the progress I have made so far...

You've seen the progression from yesterday through today. Tomorrow I will put the finishing touches on with fusible and then all that remains will be the quilting. I'm liking it a lot so far. What do you think of it?

 

It's a Minion Quilt!!

Here is photo of Aiden's Minion quilt I made for him. Being a newly-acquired family member, he has never had a quilt made especially of him from Grandma. So it's Minion time! Also made him a matching pilowcase and matching humbug bags.

Samurai Fighting Fish

This is the Samurai Fighting Fish from the cover of Susan Carlson's book, "Serendipity Quilts" before the quilting is done. It took me 3 weeks to complete the top, but I think it was well-worth it. I'm anxious to see it quilted.

Fantasy Fish continued

 Fantasy Fish is continuing to evolve. I used Shiva Paintsticks to enhance the background with ferns, bubbles and such. Kaffe Fasset flowers appear as anemones. There are stencils and other surface treatments. I particularly enjoy the addition of the black and white around the fins.

This is not ready to quilt yet as more embellishing will be done, but its's a sneak preview.

Twinnies

"Twinnies" is one of a set of quilts that I made at a quilt retreat at the fabulous Ritter Ranch in Sajuarita, AZ in the spring. I made matching small quilts for me and my dear friend Barbara to represent our close bond. We've attended many camps and classes together and always had a wonderful time.

The sunflowers in the center are 6" squares with petals stenciled onto my own hand-dyed fabrics with Shiva Paintsticks. There is a quarter inch border of yellow and then an inch of plum before the final sunflower batik border.

The quilt is currently with Ginger Daugherty of Blue Magic Quiltworks of Mesa, AZ as she quilts sunflower designs into it. I'm anxious to post the finished quilt.

The quilt first appeared in Love of Quilting magazine by Fons and Porter in the July/August 2006 issue. It was in an article by Shelley Stokes entitled "Sunflower".  I have saved the pattern and fabrics for just the right opportunity and this was it.  

Halloween Quilt

Here is a quickie shot of a Halloween spider web lap quilt that was paper-pieced. I did the web blocks ten years ago and put it away in the closet to sew together later. It's never too late to make a quilt...or too early. And voile! I added a border and piano keys that I made at Ritter Ranch (the retreat center in Sajuarita, AZ) and here it is before the quilting. Keep watching, I'll post the finished quilt. It's a birthday quilt for my daughter-in-law Stephanie in Indianapolis. Her birthday is October 2. I'll send it in late September.

Chocolate Truffle

This is a sample of a larger piece called "Chocolate Truffle" which features browns, pinks and teals. It is machine embroidered with a double-blanket stitch in brown Masterpiece thread from Superior. I love to play with decorative stitches from my Bernina 200 machine and do a multitude of projects in all sizes. This one will turn into a "mug rug" for a local quilt guild challenge when it is completed.

It will be followed up by a larger piece but for now it is a small practice piece just to study the color combinations.

My Amish Effort

I love the Amish quilts with black and here is my effort in its early stages. It is the beginning of a paper-pieced spider-web design done with black solid and my hand-dyed scraps from other projects. Here it in progress on the design wall. It will be 3 blocks across and three blocks down with a border (as yet to be determined). What a fun project to do with scraps.

Halloween Quilt B

Here is a Halloween quilt in its earliest phase. I made the Chinese Coins strip at quilt camp at Ritter Ranch in Sierra Vista in April. They are doing double duty as the original work was for borders on a spider web quilt. Apparently I was very excited about the strips and made enough for two quilts. Who doesn't love grandchildren. Now both families will get treated on this fun holiday.

Fantasy Fish

This piece, in its early stages, is called ""Fantasy Fish". I plan to add paint sticks and stamping and lots of embellishment before this piece is complete. This is only the beginning. The fabric selection has been made and some stitching has been added. The pale background was selected for its embellishment opportunities. Visit again and watch it progress.

This is the backing of the fish fabric after I added the Shiva Paintsticks. More to come however...and in this view it is portrait not landscape like it will be on the finished quilt. But its evolving.