Madrigal Is Finally Quilted!!!

Hello Everyone,

I'm so glad that Madrigal is quilted and off of the quilting machine. I've been walking by the machine for days staring at it and wondering when I would ever get this done! I would work on it for a few hours at a time and only finish a couple of rows. I thought I would never see the end. I tackled this center section this morning along with the side borders. First I quilted around all of the applique pieces then added the feathery fill. I was a bit nervous to try this at first. I keep learning with each and every quilt I quilt. It's a dynamic process that never ceases to amaze me.

I'm very happy with the scallops. It adds a nice, classy touch to the quilt. Now to the binding.....I love to work on bindings. I think it is the feeling of completion that appeals to me. But this quilt is far from being done......I still have to write up the pattern. I've blocked off all of next week to get the pattern written and printed.

I'm just about "feathered" out. I'm quilting feathers in my dreams lately. I'm in the process of auditioning fabric for the binding. I've narrowed the field down to two choices. I'll probably end up flipping a coin.......or I'll ask for Joe's input.

I used an acrylic circle to create this pattern on the pieced blocks. The tips of my fingers are a bit tender from holding the ruler steady.

I'll be seeing some of you at the Party in the Garden drop-in class tonight.....6 o'clock sharp. Rootbeer floats for everyone tonight since it is just to warm to even think about baking and turning on the oven. We are finally get some summer weather the first week of Autumn!

As always,

Lynn

Machine Quilting Madrigal

Hello Everyone,


Yesterday I decided to scallop the border on Madrigal. Several years ago I purchased the EASY SCALLOP by Darlene Zimmerman. This product lives up to the name of Easy. It was so simple to follow the enclosed directions and mark the scallops on the quilt with a white Sewline marking pencil.

I do not have a deep "V" between my scallops which will make the binding easier to apply.
Marking the corners was a breeze.

After I put the quilt on the machine, I made a running stitch along the drawn scallop line in a light thread. Next I stitched my "spine" for my feathers mirroring the scalloped line and stitched in some free motion feathers.

Here is pass number two and three down the top of the quilt. For now, I'm planning on leaving the open area free of quilting in the setting triangles to see if I like it once the rest of the quilt in finished. It just may create a very interesting effect on the overall design. I always take digital photos while my quilt is on the machine so that I can refer back to the top. Because once I get to the bottom, I've forgotten just exactly what I did on the top! How many loops in the feathers? How many loops in the setting triangles?.....you get the picture! I'll roll up the quilt and start working on the individual squares today. No pantographs for me on this quilt! I'm pantograph challenged and each block deserves individual attention. All that individual attention will take me days and days....but it will be worth it. Theoretically I'm still recuperating and really shouldn't stand at the quilt machine for hours at a time....so I won't. I'm still taking my naps and trying to take it somewhat easy.

I will quilt my way to the bottom border then I'll take the quilt off the machine, turn it and quilt the side borders. It is so much fun to take the quilt off the machine and look at the fruit of your labor. Then I will decide whether or not to fill in the open space in the setting triangles.

Busy weekend ahead with the grand kids soccer games, Altamont Cruiers Car Show on Sunday (our 1956 Ford Crown Victoria will be there along with my 1942 Model Husband....good body style that year!), our grandson's 3rd birthday is also on Sunday and don't forget Quilting in the Garden at Alden Lane Nursery this weekend. It's a visual feast for the eyes. I'll take pictures and post them for those of you that can't be there. The quilts hang up in the hundred-year-old oak trees and it's eye candy without any calories! You just stroll through the nursery "looking up" at the quilts. It's great exercise for my double chin!

On that note, have a great weekend everyone!

As always,

Lynn

My Machine Quilting Space

Hello Everyone,

I received an email from a reader asking me about my machine quilting "space." So after much straightening up, dusting off and overall spring cleaning my machine quilting room.....here it is.

I have lots of storage underneath my Handi Quilter for the plastic drawer units available at Target. They hold all my thread, stencils, rulers, and of course lots and lots of kits, patterns and fat quarters. I just breezed through the house and gathered up every quilt that was easy to pick up and put them on the machine rails so I didn't have to sort out the drawers and tidy them up.

I print and collate all of my patterns on the back counter. My computer is directly across from the quilting machine where I'm sitting at this very moment blogging. I always have music playing in the background....ALWAYS. At any given time, you will hear everything from Classical music to Pink Floyd to Country. It all depends on my mood at the time and what my current project is.

One of these days, I'll clean up my actual sewing room and post pictures. But don't hold your breath on that one!

As always,

Lynn

Sallie's Quilt is finished!

Hello Everyone,

I love football season! It gives me a good excuse to sit down during the day and do some applique, work on bindings or apply a hanging sleeve to the back of a quilt. Today I finally finished up all of the hand work on Sallie's quilt......it feels so good to put a completed check mark by this project on my list.

I've just got to share with you a fabulous new "tool"....or better yet a very convenient way to effortlessly finish up your hanging sleeve so you can hang up your quilt, and step back to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Check out the Quilters Hangup. I went all through school in Paradise, California with the inventor of this wonderful product which doesn't make me too biased, but it's fun to say you know the inventor, Terri. She sent me a Quilters Hangup and I'm hooked on the Hangup!I put every table leaf I own in the kitchen table and spread out the quilt. (So much easier than working on the floor.)

You lay out the Quilters Hangup, cut it to the desired length, follow the clear and concise directions and you are ready to display your quilt. (After you sew it on during the 49er pre-season football game!) The Hangup has a patented design that allows the quilt to hang flat. Other than the fact the quilt is too big to hang up in my entry hall and bunches up on the stairs, I love the way it hangs.

Once Sallie's quilt is finished hanging up in the shop, I plan on removing the sleeve to use again on another quilt.....while Sallie retires to grace the bed at the cabin. The Quilters Hangup comes in a 3 yards length, so you have lots to work with and it also comes in black.

Thank you for sending me the sample Terri. You made my day so much easier and I really appreciate it.

As always,

Lynn

Lotta' Quiltn' Goin' On

Hello Everyone,

Between my granddaughters quilting, the two classes I'm teaching next week, and almost finishing up the quilting on Sallie's quilt.....I'm pooped! I wanted to get the majority of Sallie quilted and get it off the machine before we left for the cabin for a couple of days. I still have to turn her and get the long borders quilted.

I can quilt feathers left and then right, but I don't do so well going up and down the quilt. So in most cases, I quilt from top to bottom, take the quilt off the machine and turn it. I took the quilt off the machine to let it rest (not to mention letting me rest) so the sides won't get their "knickers in a twist" before I get back to it in a couple of days.

I'm still planning to have it completely quilted by Monday night for the second part of the class. The binding is a whole 'nother story! I usually work on binding in the car.....but not on Sallie. She is so big, she would act like a permanent air bag and I'd be safe, yet I wouldn't have any room to move.....nor could the both of us fit in the front seat at the same time.

This is a shot of the back of the quilt. I'm liking the intricate design on the back. It is such a pleasant surprise when you turn the whole quilt over and view the secondary design on the back. Just one of those quilting "treats" that come along once in awhile that are completely unanticipated.

Well my friends, some yard work needs to be done up here at the cabin. My Toyland Tree quilt is taking on a new and improved look. Pictures will be arriving on your computer in the near future!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

As always,

Lynn

Quilting Sallie's Quilt

Hello Everyone,

I promised the girls that took my Sallie's quilt class last week that I would have it quilted by the next class meeting on the 26th of July. This is the largest quilt that I've put on my quilting machine. In fact, it is the largest quilt that I've made. If any of you are wondering what batting I use, I've totally switched to Dream Wool batting. I love it so much that I purchased a 20 yard roll of it. I love the way it quilts, I love the way it drapes on a bed or hangs on a wall. When you think of wool, you think of "heavy".....this batting is light and airy and washes well too.

I have some very pretty pantographs but I just couldn't bring myself to quilt an all over pattern on Sallie. She is special and deserves to have each block quilted individually. This is going to take me days and days to quilt.

I'm definitely guilty of "over-engineering" a quilting project. I have to think about what I'm going to quilt for a long time. In fact, the entire time I'm making the quilt, I think about how I'm going to quilt it.

When one of our fabulous machine quilter's come into the shop, I ask them how they would quilt a quilt like this. It is my process of information gathering before I start off on my own. I was going to quilt cross-hatching on the border. I even marked one side then I changed my mind to long, flowing feathers. There is a small geometric pattern in the red border, and the cross-hatching and design in the material were competing for attention. Trying to decide what to quilt is the hardest part of machine quilting for me.

It is just so hard to tell how the quilt is going to look, when you can only see 16" of the quilt at a time on your machine. I'll try to get a few more rows quilted today....then off to the shop tomorrow to see all the wonderful customers with their fabulous creations.

I can't change my mind anymore.....I'm totally committed to the direction and style this quilting is taking me.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week quilting to your heart's content.

As always,
Lynn

THE BIG REVEAL

Good Morning Everyone,

Here she is.....finally done.

My goal was to get the quilt done by Monday night, which is preview night at the shop. I did it! Now it's time to finish up the pattern on this cold, windy, rainy day in California.

Make sure your speakers are on and enjoy the Butterfly Waltz. Click on the little arrow button to advance each page.

Create your own photo album

I hope all of you have a wonderful day.

As always,

Lynn

Let the Quilting Begin

Good morning everyone,

I hope all of you had a great Easter. We did!

I've been dragging my feet when it came to quilting the Party in the Garden quilt. This is the first time I've actually been hesitant about machine quilting. I guess I was afraid that I would not do a good job......so I keep putting it off. I didn't know where to begin or what to quilt.

I filled in at the shop on Thursday, and Lani, a customer, and excellent machine quilter stopped by. She saw my un-quilted quilt and offered me so many good suggestions. She was so kind to go back home and brought back two quilts she'd just quilted to give me some ideas. She also brought me templates and wool batting!

I emailed a note off to Crissie, (here's Crissie's blog http://wwwcj-loves2quilt.blogspot.com/ ) one of my blogging friends and a machine quilter, and here's what she said about machine quilting.

"I tell my friends I always lay their quilts in my guest bedroom and we TALK! Now, can you even start to believe that one? But it's true! Most of the time we work together and I know what to do and it comes out just like it wanted me to do! Other times I've had shy quilts and they stand off and won't talk, so ....... I give up trying to encourage them, I just go go go for it!"

So here is the beginning of my conversation with my quilt.

My thanks go out to Crissie and Lani for giving me inspiration and just the encouragement I needed to start machine quilting this quilt.

I'll be working the next couple of days at the shop, so progress will be slow, but steady and I'm going to have this done by the end of the week. I feel like this quilt is just "talking up a storm" to me now and I can't wait to get back to our conversation!

As always,

Lynn

Marathon Quilting Continues

Good Morning Friends,

The marathon Olympic quilting filled my house and life this week. I was determined to get Heartfire on the quilting machine and get it finished! I've mentioned before that I'm a slow machine quilter, especially when it comes to stitching in the ditch. I love quilting feathers and I can zip right along on the borders. But the interior of the quilt took me hours and hours. I can't stress enough to appreciate your machine quilter!

Here's the back of the quilt. The selection of backing fabric ranks high on my list. The back of the quilt should be just as attractive as the front of the quilt. The binding and backing also have to compliment each other. I'm not one to throw just any old piece of fabric on the back. As a general rule, most of my quilt backs are all pieced. I love the wide fabric, but I also love to use up what I have in my stash or sable (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy!) The French General fabric line has a wonderful, little decorative border by the selvage that I was able to utilize on the back. Zoom in if you can so you can see it.

So, it's quilted, and the binding is almost finished! I've got dark circles under my eyes staying up until midnight working on the binding while watching the Olympics. NBC always saves the best for last. And yes, I could record the events and view it the next day. I'm one of those people that doesn't want to know the outcome prior to the event. I leave the room when the evening news comes on with the results from the day. I like perching on the edge of my chair and being surprised at the outcome.

I told you I've been busy! Here's another block ready for applique for Party in the Garden. I love this little block! She was a fun one to design. The Garden Party fabric is just a joy when it comes to designing. The fabric just "speaks" to me. So now I have another hand project to work on next week until the wee hours of the morning.

On another note, here's a "shout out" to all of the Ladies from Sonora! What a treat is was to meet you when your bus made a pit stop at the shop on Thursday on your way to San Francisco. What a fun group! I think I'm just going to hop on your bus the next time you go on a road trip.

Have a wonderful week everyone, and remember, quilt every day and your projects will be finished before you know it!

As always,

Lynn

Day 30.....at the quilting machine

Hello Everyone,

I'll bet you are all getting ready for the big day tomorrow. I know I am. I just took a pecan pie out of the oven. The lemon meringue pie is next.

I finished quilting Austin's quilt this morning. I was practicing the wavy lines technique.....not too hard, but I need more practice.



The wavy lines just pull the quilt together. This quilt is going to wear like iron with the amount of thread in it. The machine quilting will make it last forever. It will stand up to a lot of use and a lot of washings. I'll take a better picture once I get the binding on.

How do you like this picture? Circa 1970 in Paradise, CA. That's my sister on the left with her Mary Tyler Moore hair, Mom then me. I get the award for the highest hair.

In retrospect we all take complete responsibility for global warming and the hole in the ozone layer. Do you know how much Aqua Net hairspray it took to maintain that enormous hair?? First there was the Dippity Do that we applied before the hair rollers that we slept in! How did we sleep? Or else we would have to sit under the portable hairdryer for hours, and hours while we polished our nails. We must have been crazy.



When my uncle took this picture 39 years ago, I definitely wasn't thinking what my Thanksgiving in 2009 would be like. I wasn't thinking about a husband, children, let alone six grandchildren. On that note, I probably won't be blogging everyday over the Thanksgiving weekend. That's going to be my family time with the little kids....big kids too....but the little kids steal my heart. There is much to be thankful for.

My best Thanksgiving wishes to all of you.

As always,
Lynn

The House on Edgewood Lane

Dear Quilting Friends,

I spent four days last week machine quilting my first and new design. The pattern which I named "The House on Edgewood Lane" will soon to be in a quilt shop near you!! Can you guess what quilt shop will have it in stock first?



Just when you think the design is finished, you end up making changes along the way that you think will enhance the "look" of the quilt. I have more notes of changes than actual notes! I used Beach House fabric by Blackbird Designs for most of this quilt. Then I threw in a little Rhubarb and Ginger and Sweet Romance....two old favorites of mine from my plentiful fabric stash. Just when I thought I was seeing daylight at the end of the tunnel, I had to machine quilt it!

In my opinion, machine quilting is extremely creative yet exhausting at the same time. It took me one whole morning to mark the crosshatching in the border and then mark the areas for the circular feathers.



Then another hour to load the backing and quilt top on my Handi Quilter (HQ16). Finally, let the quilting begin!!! It's the same as saying, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" I don't know if I'm just slow or just a perfectionist. It's not that I agonize over every stitch and thread color choice....well I guess I do. There are some problem areas, that I'm not going to stress over because in the grand scheme of the overall quilt, I'm the only one that will notice....I hope.




I've had a great time designing, piecing, machine quilting and doing the applique on this quilt. It's been a real learning experience and makes me appreciate all of the talented designers in the quilting world. Now I have to transcribe all of my notes that I made while creating Edgewood Lane and get them into an easy to follow quilting pattern. I'll work on the binding today until my arm tells me to stop and hopefully the quilt will be in the shop Monday morning for all to view. I have more ideas on my design wall and pages of drawings of new creations....."Let the designing begin...after I finish the borders of Blossom of Friendship!"


As always,

Lynn