I love the patterns found on Missouri Star Quilt Company. I think the pattern I used today is called Ribbon Stars. 

I picked up three disparate purples from full bolts being de-aquisitioned from the church costume closet - I think they were probably used for the three wise men. Several of us cut off a couple of yards to use.

When the purples were next to each other they really didn't go together. Then I went to a yard sale this summer and a lady was selling yardage left over from bridesmaid dressed - a black with flowers in all three of the purples! They also had some blue so I brought in that color in sashing.

The quilting is loop-the-loops in an overall coverage.

The backing was also in the costume closet - dark burgundy with a glitter on it.

Ddd0

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I found the pattern for today's quilt in a Fons & Porter Love Of Quilting magazine. Unfortunately, when I cut the templates out of the pages (which I had torn out of the magazine) it cut the magazine date off.

In any case, I went through my fabrics and pulled out the least attractive (I won't call them ugly) ones that I could find that went together.

Strangely, it didn't look too bad when it was all combined.

I did some straight-line quilting in the individual triangles and then some triangle loop-the-loops treating the four outer borders as one.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I was on a deadline for the day the Chaplain from the hospital was going to come and pick up the donation quilts for Passages. I've been very haphazardly working on getting several finished that I've been working on since I cut several kits in June.

For several days the last two weeks I've been quilting every day and finally finished up SEVEN of them!

I'll space these out over the next week.

Today it is a quilt I call Northern Lights. I picked up several mill-ends at the Sew and Stitchery Expo in February from a booth that has odd cuts in big bins. When I grabbed them I thought of them as Spirograph prints but in putting them together I started calling them Planetarium.

I cut all the pieces of the pattern I had selected but when I laid them out they were all too busy together.

I dropped in a 1/4 inch red sashing and BOOM!

Totally spectacular!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 4:48 PM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Serendipity!

That's what I call it when I FIND a gift card for fabric from three years ago that got misplaced... I fall in LOVE with a seashell themed jellyroll of fabric when I go with my gift card... I spy the PERFECT pattern to use with the jellyroll... and find out only days later that someone special is buying a BEACH HOUSE. Just like that, all the pieces come together for a wonderful housewarming gift!

I only had to add a few bits of fabric from my stash and they worked perfectly with the colors and theme: a tan with a print that looked like sand, a tan with a stone-like print, a white for the background that has a bright white dot that makes it look like bubbles or seafoam.

I even had a donated fabric for the back that is in the same shade of blue in a watery print with a bit of glitter in it.

I'm telling you, it's serendipity.

Here is the quilt - cut down considerably from the original pattern that takes it from a queen-size to a lap quilt:

Oh, yes - the border was from my stash as well.

I wanted to keep the quilting in the same theme so I downloaded line drawings of seven seashells and enlarged them to each fit on a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper. These were cut out including cutting into them so I could trace all the inner bits of shaping. 

I did that tracing with a Frixion pen ON THE BACK of the quilt so that I would not be distracted by the pattern on the front. I made sure none of the quilting crossed into the dark border since I was going to use a cream thread for all of it. I twisted and turned to fit the shells in, traced a set, moved the patterns and traced some more. I made sure that there would be no two shells the same next to each other.

I stitched in continuous lines, stitching over some areas as needed for 'traveling'. Then the Frixion pen was heated with the iron and 'poof' it vanishes.

Here are each of the shell styles that I used:

I used the backing fabric for the binding. The effect of this is one that allows the quilt to look good from the front OR the back.

Off to deliver it!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

This is the last quilt that I had sandwiched back in June. All the rest will have to wait for layering until September.

I used a pattern shared by one of the ladies in our quilting group. Several of them had made one or more of their tops for the baby quilts using this and I had some fabril left from a previously cut project that I knew would look great.

The black floral started out life as a wide striped fabric. I just cut out full blocks as big as the stripe would allow and adjusted all the other parts to fit that. 

The black border is a rosebud print that I bought a few years back and put it away waiting for inspiration. It perfectly coordinated with the floral.

I used up the very last of the floral in making the corner blocks for the outer border.

I kept the quilting very simple on this. I did echo quilting 1/2 inch from all the black fabrics and then stitched in the ditch down the yellow/green thirds.

I also did free-motion quilting as an outline to all the peach colored roses - one in each block.

The backing is a tone-on-tone peach leafy print. I used yellow in making the 1/4" binding.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 9:38 PM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I haven't been sitting idly between blog posts. It's just that I've been working on many projects but not bringing them to completion. I don't often post 'in progress' items, so it leaves idle time here.

In fact, I have been working on SIXTEEN quilts which are a various stages from pieces cut to waiting for quilting. Many of them are ready for backing but, without the space to spread them out, I will have to wait until I go back to group at church to sandwich them.

I did finish one today that I had sandwiched back in June.

I used the block construction called Stack, Shuffle and Slide (I used this on two of the baby quilt tops last winter) and selected only black and white fabrics. These came mostly from the 'fabric-by-the-pound' bin at the Sew and Stitchery Expo, though a few were in my stash. The fabrics were sorted dark to light and, at the insistence of my hubby, I threw in a few fucshia.

I arranged it so the darks trace a zig-zag on the diagonal.

The backing is also black and white:

In keeping with the modern feel of this project, I quilted with meandering squares in white thread.

Back to the machine.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 7:49 PM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

When at the BIG fabric store I fell in love with a particular print and actually bought it in three colors. Then I selected some other prints that echoed the colors that they had in common. It wash't until I got them home that I realized that the script printed in the background was scripture! Cool.

I wanted the butterfly fabric to be a true feature on a quilt and knew I had the right pattern when the Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial for the Friendship Star Sashing came out. It was perfect - using huge blocks with all of the design work taking place in the sashing.

I arranged the blocks to create an off-center concentric diamond shape and used a medium blue for the stars and a dull red for the outer border.

Here you can see how the snowballed ends of the sashing combine with a matching cornerstone block to create the friendship stars.

The scriptures (Revelation 4: 8, 11, 5:13) are repeated over and over in different colors and sizes across the fabric.

Here you can see a little bit of the quilting. I quilted the scriptures in script across the surface. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever."

This will go as a gift for a departing pastor from our church staff.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 5:14 PM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink

 I've seen several quilts with the wonky stars pattern but I was ezpecially drawn to those that interlock. I used the layout to draw up my own version based on a 5-inch block and pulled out all my scraps with shimmery, shiny, glittery and metallic finishes.

I chose a patterned black for the background fabric.

This quilt will go to Passages - the 45th one I have donated to them.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I found a cute pattern for a chicken block on Pintrest and used EQ7 to draw it up in a larger size (I used 3-inch strips). I made some other modifications, like removing the upper background strip and then made four blocks using greens for the backs, tans for the chests and rusts for the combs and beaks. The eyes are painted on using acrylics.

This quilt finished up at 60 inches.

This will go to our neighbors whose free-range chickens wander the neighborhood. When we go for a walk the chickens fall in line and join us for exercise.

They DO go "Home To Roost".

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I got an email notice that a small quilt shop nearby was participating in a shop hop. The way this works is that one goes to a quilt shop, collects the instructions and fabrics for a single block and then 'hops' on to the next store/stop. There is a folder to keep track of your visits and you get it stamped. Each store usually has a drawing and there is often a big drawing from those who complete all the stops.

Well, I went to the first shop and collected my folder and block kit. This shop is about 20 miles from me. A look at the folder showed me that there was a participating shop only 10 miles from home so that was our next stop.

This one was getting ready for some renovations so there was a large section of yardage on discount. I managed to stay away from those bolts but did get sucked into the four large bins of fat-quarters priced at $1.

I first found a print that had various background colors. I bought a total of four

Then I chose, to go with the prints, four goldens:

Four rusts:

and four greens:

So for $16 I have 4 yards of coordinating fabrics for some future project:

The followup to the shop hop story is that the rest of the participating stops are 30 to 50 miles away and in all directions. One could waste a LOT of gas driving all over for 'free' blocks.

So, we stopped with two. Sadly, the second block kit is truly lame - a faux red-work image and strips to border it twice. I would have been very upset if this was a block I traveled a great distance for.

I think I am done with shop hops.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I did not realize how many dotted fabrics I had used until I gathered up all the scraps to use in one quilt. I found a tutorial on the Missouri Star Quilt Company site that uses a 16-patch center in some traditional stars.

Along with my dots, I used muslin for the background fabric. I only needed to buy an additional dot for the sashings and for the backing and outer border.

I think there are 14 different dots in the 16-patches. The stars feature different colors of the same dotted print that I got in fat-quarters in a 'fabric-by-the-pound' bin.

Here you can see the quilting, which is loop-the-loop meandering using cream colored thread.

I am going to keep this one where it will live on the guest bed. It is the exact size of the queen mattress.

It's been nice to decide lately to keep some of these quilts for myself as, up to now, I have only made banners to keep. I now have spring, fall and Christmas quilts for decor as well as this guest throw. Hubby has the king dog quilt, too.

Hmmm, a blue winter quilt and a summer quilt for decor and I will be all set.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

OK, this is not technically quilting YET. What I have been doing is playing in Electric Quilt (EQ7) to design some quilt tops that I MAY turn into real quilts someday. They may look just like these or they may (more likely) be refined and edited when the fabrics are chosen.

I design quilts in several ways:

1) Find a pattern I like (free in a magazine or on the internet) and choose fabrics from my stash or purchase to make that quilt

2) Start with a pattern I like and change up the size of the blocks or the number of blocks (or both) before choosing fabrics

3) Choose a block I like and design a quilt layout around it

4) Design a block in EQ7 and then build a quilt using it

5) Grab some graph paper and start sketching patches until they form a block I like and then build a quilt around that

Here is one I started as a block on graph paper and later recreated in EQ7 so I could see what multiples would look like:

On this Pastel Plaid I recreated a single block I found in a magazine and used EQ7 to duplicate it so I could see what multiples would look like.

Once I went back to EQ7 AFTER I had made all the blocks to try out different layouts without having to keep moving them around on the design wall. I saved this layout to use some other time and did something else with the blocks I had on hand:

I had bought some fabrics that went together well and then started drawing and combining blocks in EQ7 to try for a layout I liked. As it turned out I used these fabrics for my last mystery quilt but I still have this nice design to use in the future:

This is one where I chose blocks I liked and then added fabrics and then worked on a layout that looked good to me:

I chose several paper-pieced blocks built in to EQ7 to create a possible garden layout:

And finally, I wanted to see what a paper-pieced sampler might look like if I changed them all to the same fabrics:

Oooh, I liked those corner block so much I created a layout using only them:

When I get ready to stitch one of these, EQ7 will tell me how much of each fabric I need, Give me instructions on paper-piecing, template patters and/or rotary cutting and finished sizes for the blocks and the quilt.

Can you tell I like EQ7?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I can't remember where I read that the quilting site on 'about.com' was going to have a mystery quilt sewing day on Super Bowl Sunday. I zipped right over to investigate and found that the designer has done this before and also does a New Years Day mystery quilt every year.

Well, I immediately selected some fabrics that I had purchased without a project in mind and cut up the pieces specified. The cutting instructions were issued over several days leading up to SBS.

We needed 5 fabrics: a dark, another dark or bright, two mediums and a light. All needed to contrast with each other. I chose a beautiful floral for my bright, and to match the colors in the print; a dark green from the color of the leaves, purple and coral from the flowers for the mediums and butter yellow for the light - also matching one of the flowers.

On Super Bowl Sunday the instructions started being posted early in the morning. I had to go to church and then prep food for guests so I didn't get to start my sewing until kickoff time (3:00 local time).

As I proceeded there were places where I wanted to use a different one of my fabrics for a border and these pieces had not been pre-cut so I was able to do so. I changed the inner border to the purple fabric and I changed the flying geese border to feature the floral.

Unfortunately, I misread the instructions and installed a set of corner blocks backwards but I liked the result so I left it that way.

Here is the wide view of this 48-inch quilt:

Can you say "Spring?"

I thought the solid green blocks were too bold so I did free-motion quilting over them in the style of the flowers in the print:

The rest of the quilt has free-motion meandering.

With a Christmas quilt and a Fall quilt now in my personal collection, I decided to keep this Spring one for the house.

In season, it will display in the living room, across a cedar chest in front of the window.

I guess I need to make Summer and Winter quilts so I have a full set for seasonal decor.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

However, I did get it to post on my Flickr page so I can give you a link to click on and you can view it there.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mystudio3d/24132612803

I hope you enjoy seeing what we created.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Monday, 1 February 2016 1:52 PM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

So, today really IS the last baby quilt in the donation project. I finally reached the nice round number of 25 and have decided that is the best place to stop.

I used the same pattern as yesterday from Karla Alexander the author of Stack, Shuffle and Slide.

This time the fabrics were leftovers from my duffle bag and coordinating fabrics from the stash.

Again, I finished the backing, quilting and binding on this one so I could go as a completed project to the collection point on time.

Project done - What's next?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I must admit to a bit of a quirk when it comes to numbers I feel comfortable with. I like numbers that are 'fun' like 11:11 on the clock, 318830 that spells my name upside down, and 252 that goes with an old joke by George Carlin.

I also like getting out of bed when the clock reads on the hour and will actually watch the clock to wait for it!

I feel uncomfortable when things don't come out evenly and so, when I ended up my baby quilt top project with 23, I couldn't stop thinking about 'rounding up' to 25 as a good stopping point.

I had taken a workshop with Karla Alexander, the author of this book:

She gave us a handout with one of the easiest blocks to make with just 5 fabrics and I used that to make my two additional quilts.

Sharing today the one made from scraps left over from my mystery quilt made on the cruise last fall.

Since I was running up against the deadline for the end of the project I chose to do the whole job, right through the backing and quilting. These quilts all have a binding made by double-turning the border to the back and top stitching it.

Tomorrow will be the last (25th) quilt in the baby quilt project.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

And as my final baby quilt top for the church project I created a 14 x 14 grid of 2.5 inch squares that were the final small scraps from all the other baby quilt tops I had made.

This collection of scraps was brighter than those I used in the last grid quilt and I enhanced that by using a bright turquoise border.

This is number 23 - and I am done!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

The tops for the baby quilt project are not due until the 16th so I took scraps from the other ones I had made and cut up enough 3 1/2 inch squares to do another. The result is a 12 x 12 grid with a 2 1/2 inch border of navy blue.

This is number 22 for the project:

This will make a great quilt for a little boy.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

This is the final quilt I pieced on the November 2015 quilting cruise. The instructor was Kimberly Einmo.

We were sent an illustration ahead of time along with the yardages we would need and cutting instructions. We cut the fabrics as specified and packaged them with coding so we would be able to quickly access the right ones for each step.

The class was taught with step by step directions and the use of a special ruler that Kimberly designed (and I bought).

The illustrated quilt design had  similar colors in solids and the center was an appliqued sunshine graphic, giving the quilt a southwestern feel. I chose similar colors but chose prints that featured fall flowers. then I created four maple leaves to applique on the center panel.

The quilt design stopped with the sunburst area but this left it too small for my taste. So I added a wide border in the background color to expand it.

The starburst areas end up looking like maple leaves, as well.

I quilted all the teal areas with vines and leaves and all of the starbursts with an echo line 3/8 inch inside them.

The finished size is about 48" square.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

The second class I took on the quilting cruise in November (2015) was a mystery quilt with instructor Kimberly Einmo.

Before I signed up for this class I took a mystery class on Craftsy with her as the instructor to see if I liked her style. Out of that came two lovely quilts from my stash.

For this class we were sent a set of direction on how to select fabrics, how much of each to buy and cutting instructions for each one. These were then labeled and packaged so we could easily pull out the right pieces to work with at each step.

Kimberly would have us pull out the specific fabrics cut to the right sizes and stitch them according to the current 'clue'. Then those pieces would be cut, if needed, and set aside. When we had worked through all the clues we had a sizeable stack of blocks which were then laid out according to her pattern and assembled into the mystery quilt.

We had even precut our two borders and binding!

I worked through all the available 'open sew' times and got my whole top done.

I did not take batting or the backing with me so I had to wait to assemble this at home. I quilted it with diagonal lines that go through all the large blocks and the purple small blocks - about 8 inches apart. A stitch in the ditch line runs on either side of the inner blue border as well.

The finished quilt is about 61 inches square and will be set aside to gift to someone special when the occasion arises.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink