Friday, March 27, 2009

Butterflies In My Garden




The wide border done in winding vines and leaves with flowers is my own design. I used these same sort of bright colors on my daughters Butterfly quilt. I liked the way they nearly flew right off the quilt, that I redesigned this quilt in a Queen sized version with a nice "tuck under the pillow" length!

This is appliqued by hand and the top will be all hand quilted!

Let's face it; I have done 3 butterfly quilts and I like the results! Not only that, but, they are a great project to take anywhere to work on.

I found a pattern I have my eye on with a basket full of pansies and a butterfly hovering over them. This IS an antique pattern; old. I even found an antique quilt on line that someone was trying to sell with this exact pattern.

Haven't been quilting lately. Today I started sewing on my daughter's wedding dress, it is done except for the straps and any lace she wants on it. Not bad for a grandma...

Deb

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Cats and Dogs


I made this quilt about 6 years ago when my daughter was expecting my first grandchild. Thank God the quilt was here at my house as a year ago there was a fire at my daughter's home and they lost almost everything. The quilt I made her had gotten shoved to the back of the couch, under the cushions and it was a miracle that it was untouched! The middle grandson's quilt I made him with sailboats was in their Jeep and safe. Unfortunately, the youngest boy's quilt was burned...
This crib quilt went together nicely and no problem at all, I think I got the pattern out of some book I loaned from a library, not sure what book. Maybe a Thimbleberry one?
Deb

Monday, March 23, 2009

Grandmothers Flower Garden


I have been working on the Maple leaf (Autumn leaf) applique quilt. I think I am supposed to have at least 72 blocks for the quilt, I have 44 appliqued. I then have to go back and embroider the veins in the leaf as well as the stems. I figured I can applique about a block in 20 minutes, so it won't be long and the first stages of the quilt will be accomplished!


The quilt I have posted here today was a kit; the pieces were precut. Unfortunately, I started it and then ended up packing it away for years. The bad thing is that I didn't pack it in the right container. When I remembered I even had the quilt pieces..., I found that most had to be thrown away. Lucky for me I had enough to make a smaller version of the quilt. Since then, I have started on another "Grandmother's Garden". Thanks to that first quilt, I learned from experience. I am glad I searched for a better way of putting that kind of quilt together by using paper piecing(English Patchwork)! I can't believe I did this quilt without paper piecing!!!
The one I am doing now is a very slow process. I need 59 "flowers"!!! I have only 19 "flowers" done or almost done. I tend to work on this quilt when I get an urge to work on it or I want a "take-along" quilt project when I go visiting or on long trips when I am a passenger.
The quilt above ended up being; 52 1/2" x 65". I think it was supposed to be a twin sized quilt. Instead I throw it over a chair or the love seat.
Deb

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Grandma's Yo-Yo Garden

The wallhanging is quilted! It turned out great! I am getting ready to cut out my binding, sew it on the front and bast it on the back. Then Finished!!!!

I absolutely love Piecemakers quilt patterns! I have the "Times and Seasons" instructions to make all the old barn quilt! I have been slowly collecting the fabrics.

Off to finish the quilt!

Deb
The Quilt Lady

Plaid Stars Quilt


I got this pattern from a Fons and Porter quilting magazine; one of the earlier issues. I bought the kit at a quilt shop in Metamora, IL. They were nice enough to let me look at their fabric choices in the kit and switch the outer border for the one here in the picture!


The challenge for this quilt rested in the fact that, now I had all this fabric, how do I deside which ones would be sewn next to each other? So it was a must to cut the small squares and lay them out in the patchwork. It took some deal of time to make the quilt; I would start it with a passion and then run into a dilemma and put it down for days, even months. Then picking it up where I left off. I wondered from time to time while making the quilt, as I have done with a few others I have made. "Will this quilt turn out the way I had envisioned?"


Funny was the fact that when it was finished, I hung it up in my livingroom on the wall behind the treadle. I would stand there and look at it, with a frown on my face; something was wrong. Then it dawned on me that some of the squares were in the wrong place, duh. So once, I found what needed to be corrected, I had to go back to the "bag", pull out the leftover fabrics, and cut pieces out...I just removed the ones that were in the wrong place and sewed things in there rightful places. Guess I should make myself one of those boards so I don't repeat this again.

Deb

The Quilt Lady

Monday, March 9, 2009

Grandmother's Yo-Yo Garden


Lately I have been working on this wall hanging. It is from the Piecemaker's. I bought the pattern in Branson in a nice quilt store. I decided to do mine in pastels instead of how they showed it done. Since this picture, I have done all the embroidery work on it and added the applique leaves. I also have the center part of the quilt all handquilted.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Handquilting


I always have a couple of portable quilts going; I can either take them with me or sit in bed, watch tv and work on them. That is what I did Sunday, I worked on the Autumn Leaf, applique quilt. It has 72 blocks and is done in fall colors.


The other quilt is the Grandmother's Flower Garden. I use paper pieces. I finally got all the middle yellow hexagons ready and I am working on the next pieces; the solid colors. After that I will work on the prints/calicos and then the cream color ones. I think the best part is when you start sewing the pieces together to make the "flowers". The sound of the paper rustling as you turn and sew...


When my daughter was in the hospital there was an old Amish couple there and she was working on one of these. She used black instead of the cream. It was absolutely beautiful! Me being friendly...I went over and sat next to her talking about the quilt. I could have spent hours watching her! Her granddaughter was in the hospital. I wonder what ever happened to their granddaughter? As we were eventually transferred out of ICU after the many surgeries my daughter had to endure, and I never saw them again...


All too often people are mistaken when they think the Amish actually would keep a quilt that would have prints in them. They don't! They think it "worldly". They only use solids in their quilts. That doesn't mean they don't use prints for us "english" people. As that is one way for them to bring money into their community, is by making and selling the quilts. BTW, they do use sewing machines; treadles.


I restored an old treadle, when it was given to me it didn't work at all; rusty. But, thanks to the internet, I found a few places that showed you have to restore one! My macine is way over a hundred years old! It proudly sits in my livingroom; the first thing people see when they come a callin'. I love it, and wish I had a whole collection of them!


The Quilt Lady