This quilt is very sweet. It’s a mostly flannel quilt mixed with some great embroidered blocks. Joan did such a nice job putting it all together. I don’t know if it’s from a pattern but I can pass that along when I find out.
When someone brings me a top to quilt, I believe that the most important part of my job is deciding what to quilt on their quilt. I have to take into consideration the feel of the piece, the areas where the quilting will actually show up, what parts of the top should be highlighted. I also have to consider the limitations of the long-arm and of myself. I am definitely better at some motifs than others. It’s a big responsibility.
I decided this quilt needed some traditional quilting to go with the traditional piecing. I stippled behind the center panel so it would stand out. I also stippled in the lighter sections of the log cabin blocks. I put feathered cables in the red/blue log cabin areas. The pieced blocks set on point in the border have a feathered wreathe around the little red center square while the embroidered blocks just have a simple line quilted a quarter inch in from the edge. There are straight lines quilted in the setting triangles and a graduated feather border in that final red/green outermost border. This quilt was a lot of work for me but I really felt like the quilt needed this treatment. I sure hope Joan likes it!
My friend Cyd made this quilt for her niece. It’s kind of crazy but Cyd sent her niece just the top for graduation so she could see it and then had her send it back so I could quilt it. I finished my part and now all Cyd has to do is bind it and send it back. Yes, we quilters are crazy that way.
I finished another quilt this week that is so different from this one. I’ll try to post it tomorrow. I’ve been very busy this week finishing client quilts and getting ready for Sisters. Next week is Quilter’s Affair and I’ll be teaching 4 days. This is my favorite gig of the year and I’ve been fortunate to be invited back for seven years now. Wow. I’ve still got one set of class handouts to finish and then I’m mostly done. Yeehaw!
I love working in my yard. It is so hard for me to stay inside and quilt on the machine when the yard is calling. This spring Rick and I worked so hard to finally get the front yard done. We had a garden designer make a plan for the front and back yards in 2005. It took us a couple of years to get the back done and now we’ve finally gotten to the front. I am so thrilled.
First we had to get all the grass out because it was more weeds and moss than actual grass. See?
Here is the naked yard after Rick rented the sod cutter. This picture was taken on April 30, 2009.
This is what it looks like today.
The new grass is coming in nicely and most of the new plants are in the ground. We’ve still got about 8 more plants that go in the front corner and back by the fence. Then everything will be done. By this time next year, everything should fill out and look great.
I refreshed some of the planters near the front door and they look great too.
Now it’s just maintenance and squeezing in those new plants that you just can’t resist. Fun.
My friend Yvonne from Lynden, Washington was in town yesterday and we went on a tour of some of my favorite fiber stores. Yvonne is a quilter and a beader so that’s what we focused on. We started the day in Multnomah Village which features the “triangle of temptation,” Northwest Wools, Fibers In Motion and Village Beads.
Here is Luann behind the counter of her beautiful shop.
Then we headed over to Northeast Portland. We went up to Alberta Street which features Bolt Fabric Boutique right next store to Close Knit. It’s a double feature!
Then we headed over to Southeast Hawthorne Street. Cool Cottons doesn’t open until noon on Thursdays so we didn’t go in. Yvonne was on a tight schedule and had to meet her hubby by 1pm. It’s a great store and the owners pick great fabrics. Well worth a visit.
I wanted to go to Cool Cottons last so that we could eat lunch at Pok Pok on SE Division. Pok Pok won best restaurant in Portland a year or so ago and it definitely lived up to it’s reputation. The food is really good although I did think you paid alot for what you got. That being said, I would still recommend it.
There are several other great fiber shops here in Portland that I wish we had time for, but they will have to wait til next time.
Posted in Misc., Quilting |
Sorry I’ve been so lax with the blog. Rick and I took an unexpected trip to Florida to see his family. It was a great trip and so good to see everyone. Now I’m home and it’s time to hit the long-arm. This quilt is from Dawn and it made me think of citrus fruit and island drinks. I quilted spirals in the center and put orange slices around the border.
