Samples and Samplers..

My customer Christine recently picked up her first quilts...yes, that's right her first quilts.

This sampler quilt was pieced as a class project.  Christine chose to have this one custom quilted. This is often a good decision as then I can use the quilting as a tool and place some extra quilting where it is needed and it really show cases the different blocks in a way that a pantograph would not.

I chose different fills to compliment the block piecing, I think it turned out great and my Customer was really pleased too.

I chose Metro thread in Khaki Sand, unfortunately the backing fabric is very busy so doesn't show the quilting to the best advantage.....my customer brought her own wadding and chose the option of having the binding machine sewn to the front of the quilt so now all that's needed is to sit in an easy chair and hand sew the binding to the back of the quilt. What a great time of year to be able to do that!

This one is all freemotion hand guided by me....

I also quilted a pantograph with Quilt Path on this lovely purple and cream quilt for the same customer. Christine chose Wildflower with cream thread and also had the binding machine sewn to the front of this one too...it looks great....

In December I took delivery of my prize for winning Best of Show at the West Country Quilt Show, Janome followed through with their promise and delivered the 'quilting package' with the extended base that gives a level machine bed and also extra feet including the walking foot....I hadn't even opened the sewing machine box until the quilting package came....I'm strange like that...lol.....so it was like Christmas to open the boxes and take a look.....Thank you Janome and the West Country Quilt Show....

Recently quilted....

I still have a few quilts to show from November/December so over the next couple of weeks I'll get to them.

Kath brought me a lovely Irish Chain in lilacs and reds on a cream background....this was a Christmas gift for a family member, Kath chose a Wildflower panto and lilac Glide thread, the quilting showed really well on the cream backing fabric....

Maureen has been working on this appliqued quilt top for a few months at the 'Patch and Chat' Friday group at Borderland Fabrics in Jedburgh, it ended up a very large quilt. Maureen had already decided on a custom treatment and a cream thread, I used Simply Cotton 100% wadding/batting and Glide in the Linen colourway....this one is all freemotion, handguided with a little ruler work.....

I'm rather pleased with how this design has turned out, maybe Maureen will have it bound when I see her later in the week.

I've struggled to do much sewing over the holidays....mind was willing but the body was just too tired, I have managed to play with this quilt top over the last couple of days but didn't get too much done. I'll have to get back into gear next week.....back to working on quilts on Monday....of course I live on a farm so we don't really have holidays here......just days that are a bit less organised.....

Chasing my tail....

It's been a busy month and I know I have neglected to show some of my customer quilts this month, I know some of my friends like to see their quilts here on my blog.....

Can you believe Anne pieced this lovely batik top from scraps left over from previous quilts, it turned out really well. Anne chose a panto with an open design 'Begonia angel wings', it shows well on the lovely backing fabric, these batiks had a lovely soft feel with a high thread count not unlike Liberty fabrics. I have it on good authority that this quilt is already bound.....

A new customer Lisa posted me this lovely quilt runner in 'dogwood' fabrics. We thought wildflower panto would be appropriate, the wadding supplied by Lisa gives a lovely puffy definition to the quilting.

Lisa took the option of having a full binding treatment supplied and applied by me so that the quilt was ready to use straight out of the package, it looks lovely Lisa.

First time Sampler...

I find it very hard to believe that this is my new customers first quilt, it was very square and flat and one of those that are a pleasure to quilt.....

The pantograph is wildflower, it shows up lovely on the zingy blue backing fabric....

Angela chose the option of having her binding applied by me on the longarm, now all that's needed is a couple of evenings sitting by the fire with a little hand sewing....

Liberty Hunter's Star......

This quilt is made from Tana Lawn cotton fabric by Liberty of London, this is a very fine soft cotton with a high thread count. The pattern is a scrappy Hunter's Star using samples of lots of different fabrics from this very famous range.

It's amazing the difference a border fabric can make, there was really only one choice but I wanted to see which fabrics jumped out against these colour options.

I would have liked a real red but the blue fabric is the Tana Lawn, so we now have a blue quilt, that's what happens, see how the border fabric dominates and makes this a blue quilt.

I chose a white on white backing fabric and used Superior Bottom Line in white for the needle and bobbin. This is a fine thread, the white has a translucent quality which seems to mix with all colours and doesn't shout out against any of them, so the thread blended into the top of the quilt really well, I also changed down from an 18 to a size 16 needle. This quilt finished at 95" x 95", I used Quilters Dream wool batting/wadding as I love wool, but also because wool has a lovely soft drape to it, I was looking to keep the soft quality of the Tana Lawn cotton fabric.

Now quilting wise, I had many options, lots of custom designs came to mind, but in the end I chose a pantograph, 'Wildflower' by Willow Leaf Studio, it's an open design which keeps that soft flowing feel, and although it's a wool quilt it's going to be perfect for summer or an extra quilt for the bottom of the bed in winter.