Colleen's Quilting Journey

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along Extra Block #4

2012-02-14T01:45:00.002-07:00

This is the last of the extra blocks I need to make my layer cake quilt into a twin size quilt. I think the pattern fits the fabric line "Love is in the Air."

I just wanted to post a very pretty Valentine, this Valentine's day!!!!

Dolly Dress Up #1

2012-02-09T14:10:00.003-07:00

I have several Dolly Dress Up panels. I have been wondering how to use them. I recently bought a book titled Circle of Nine. The concept is a design using 9 blocks. I used the basic concept, but as usual changed the pattern somewhat to fit my blocks. My blocks were 9 inchs and the pattern used 12 inch blocks. I just loved the circular design of this quilt where a circle of blocks goes around a center block. It is a nice change from sashing. If you click on the photo you will be able to see my quilting.

Here is a closeup of my quilting. Since there were lots of daisies in the dresses I chose to quilt some daisies in the spacer blocks. The corner quilting is part of a stencil I have.

I used the three remaining dresses on the back. Click on the photo to see a closeup of the quilting on the back. You can also see a small label in the right bottom corner.

I have been given a new calling in our church. The women's group has asked me and another sister to make quilts for the new born babies. We only have 3 or 4 babies born a year in our congregation. At first I wasn't to excited about it, but I remembered that someone in the church had made quilts for me and now it was my turn to make quilts for the young ladies. This quilt is the first of my Relief Society quilts. I love it so much that it will be hard to give up. I have hung it on my wall so that I can enjoy it a few months before the baby is born in April. This quilt is for the Hansens.

February 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge Block / Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice Installment #12

2012-02-08T13:02:00.002-07:00

This is my block for the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge sponsored by SewCalGal. The February lesson was taught by Diane Gaudynski. I have all her books and have studied her quilting for several years. I quilted the feather in a verigated thread, and did the outside echoing in an ecru thread. It isn't perfect, but from a distance, it doesn't look bad. (DON'T click on the photo to make it larger. You'll see all my istakes! lol ) Thanks to Diane for participating. I feel honored to have had her as a teacher.

FQSQA Block #9

2012-02-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

I just love this block. It is very unique to me.

I'm glad we got to make this one.

FQSQA Block #6

2012-01-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along Block #6.

I changed the pattern a bit, but kept the look.

FQSQA Block #4

2012-01-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed making this block.

It isn't really hard to make, you just have to follow the directions.

Here.

FQSQA Block #5

2012-01-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

I just love this block.

Simple.

Stunning.

Here's the directions..

2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge January - Fun and Done Quilting Practise Installment #11

2012-01-12T08:00:00.001-07:00

These are my practise pieces for the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge sponsored by SewCalGal.

This was the original pattern.

I added some loops because I thought it helped me go from one place to another.

This months instructorMartha Moore added an extra pattern on her blog. I really liked this one. It fancied things up

I am using the "Fun and Done" method from Praire Sky Quilting for my practise pieces. I started a quilt a while back with this method so I could pracise and not have to throw away all that fabric. I keep some samples ready all the time so that if I need to practise a pattern before quilting I will always have something ready to quilt. I will add the practise pieces from this challenge to this quilt. You can go here to see my other blocks and to see how far I have come since I started. Fun and Done Practise Quilt

Rainbow Crumb Quilt

2012-01-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

I made these blocks from my crumbs. I got my inspiration from here. A funny story goes with it. I was sorting these small crumbs into color piles on the kitchen table. My husband walks in and says, "What are you doing with that garbage?" I started laughing. It did look like garbage. I called my sister and she laughed too. The next day I showed him what I had done and he oooed and awed appropriately.

The following are closeups of the blocks. They are all 6 1/2 inch squares and are really square. The photos are just "off " square a bit.

I haven't been through all the colors yet. I still have green, yellow, red,..........

Busy Bee Quilt

2012-01-09T07:56:00.001-07:00

My DIL asked me to make her baby's quilt from this fabric. I started another quilt here, but didn't like it so I chose this pattern and made this quilt. After both quilts were finished, she chose the other quilt. I didn't care which quilt she chose. I make them all with love and hope someone will love them someday.

This pattern is "Shake, Rattle and Roll" from Praire Sky Quilting.

This leaf and ribbon pattern turned out pretty good. I am still an intermediate quilter, so it isn't perfect, but I liked my progress.

It is hard to see the flower quilted inside the large star. I still haven't learned to choose thread colors when free motion quilting. It is one of the things I need to work on. I quilted in a gold thread and thought it would show up more.

I quilted swirls in the red pinwheels.

I liked this straight line quilting on the outside borders.

Blogger didn't let me remove this photo. Anyone know how to do this?

This is the flower inside the large star.

This is the leaf pattern you saw earlier.

This yellow stripe goes the length of the quilt. I mistakenly cut the backing to small so had to do a creative, artistic repair.

I named this quilt "Busy Bee Quilt," but I may change it when it gets chosen from my baby quilt stash for another grandbaby. I like that the red pinwheels stand out. I hope it warms a sweet grandchild some day.

Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along with Moose on the Porch

2012-01-04T16:00:00.004-07:00

Colleen Lunt
Designer of Block Number 8

Today I am very excited to be a part of the Moose on the Porch Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along. I hope you enjoy getting to know me and I hope you enjoy my blog.

Here is my block

Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along
Block #8

Go to Moose on the Porch's blog to read my Biography and to download the instructions for this block
http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2012/01/block-8-with-colleen-lunt.html

Christmas Mug Rug

2011-12-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

I got on a roll making mug rugs. I wanted to make more like the last one I did, but I didn't have time. Then I remembered these paper pieced Christmas trees that were sitting in my orphan block box. I took them out and gave them a life. They are now "finished" objects. After quilting two of them, I thought of the metalic thread. I think it adds a lot.

Christmas Tree Mug Rug from Quiltville

2011-12-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

I saw a post on Quiltville's blog yesterday. She gave away a free pattern for a mug rug here. I don't want to start "new" projects, but I just couldn't help myself. I did add the small red border to the pattern. I seldom follow a pattern exactly.

When I printed the paper piecing patterns, I couldn't believe how small the trees were. This is small. You can use your crumb stash here. That stippling is really, really small.

I attached the back like Ricky Timms does. You make the part that looks like a binding an extra border on the top. The back is two pieces partially sewn together leaving a turning hole. I added the hanging loop before the back. Sew the back all the way around, clip the corners, and turn the mug rug. Next you press the edges and then quilt. I added the label after turning. I should have added it before I attached the back. It is iron on, but caught in one of the quilting lines. This was a WAY fun project. I was very excited about it all the way through. I am going to enlarge the pattern and see what I can do with a larger version.

Pin cushions

2011-12-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

The other day I went to my sister's and we played around with 2 1/2 inch squares and a pattern that belonged to a friend. I think these turned out cute.

Pretty Ribbons Quilt #1

2011-12-06T23:06:00.002-07:00

I started making the nine patches for this quilt and stopped. They were way to busy. I decided to put them on the back of my quilt. I then started making Pretty Ribbons #2. After I finished Pretty Ribbons #2 I got the nine patches out and tired to make a back for it. This is the result. I just "winged" it without a pattern, using the fabric I had left over. When I finished, I just couldn't put it on a back. It became a "front" again.

Here is a closeup of the quilting.

If you look real hard you can see the daisies quilted on the red. I need to learn to choose thread better. I want my quilting to show a little, but not take over the quilt. I used gold thread here, but it just disappeared.

The back of the quilt shows off the quilting.

I used 10 inch squares for the back.

It's hard to see the quilting, but it's there.

I hope you can click on this to see a close up of the quilting.

This quilt is going to a granddaughter born this year. Her sister named her "Pretty Ribbons" before she was born. She came home from the hospital without a name for a week and was known as "Pretty Ribbons" during that time. She has since received a name, but we still love her as "Pretty Ribbons."

Christmas Quilt Show Entry - Oh, Christmas Tree!!

2011-12-02T03:00:00.002-07:00

This Christmas wall hanging is a modified version of a quilt from a magazine last Christmas. I usually change the patterns of the things I make. The fabrics in this quilt are just ones I chose from my stash. I tried to get different shade of each color. I also tried to choose a dull version of the color. I was pleased with my fabric choices.
I did ditch stitching around the trees. I also quilted down both sides of the piano keys.
I did a loopy loop background pattern. I think it looks like snow.

If you click on this picture to make larger, you can see a sprig of holly.

The back shows off the quilting better.

As always a label.
Go to the following site to see all the other entries.
I would love you to vote for mine.

http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2011/11/2011-christmas-quilt-show-welcome.html

FQSQA Block #3

2011-11-21T12:15:00.003-07:00

This is my third block in the Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along. I spent lots of time choosing the colors for each position. I had them all sewn together and realized that I had twisted one of the half square triangles, so I ripped it out and did it right. I am so glad I changed it. It turned out just like I wanted it too.

Fat Quarter Shop BOM's 2009

2011-11-17T08:24:00.006-07:00

These are the blocks 4,5, and 6 of the Fat Quarter Shop Designer BOM 2009.

FQSQA Block #2

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along Block #2. I'm not to sure about these fabric choices, but I think it will look good once it is part of a quilt.

Easy Table Runner

2011-10-30T16:49:00.005-07:00

This is a fun easy table runner.

The lady who taught me how to make it said she found the tutorial at Cactus Needle Quilts here: http://cactus-needle.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentine-table-runner-tutorial.html It takes a 1/2 yard of the fabric that makes the border and a 1/3 yard of the center fabric. You can adjust these measurements according to the size of scraps you have. It is so fast. I think it might take 30 minutes if you already have the fabric chosen. Choosing the fabric can take hours!

Nursing Covers

2011-10-27T09:10:00.003-07:00

I had three new grandbabies in the last few months. Here are two nursing covers I made for their moms. I used the following tutorial: http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/2009/02/description-stylish-and-practical.html

One of the siblings picked the fabric for this one.

FQSQA Block 1

2011-10-12T08:10:00.005-07:00

This is the first block of our Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along. I am hoping the other blocks will be just as amazing. I liked it so much I made it the main picture on my blog page. This block uses mostly fabric from Awesome by Sandi Gervais.

Special Merit Award

2011-10-11T07:10:00.003-07:00

My Dazzeling Diamonds quilt received a special merit award at our fair. The judge told me she knew I had started machine quilting, but didn't realize how advanced I was. I did do a good job of quilting this, however, the flower I quilted in the border was an easy flower to do. You can see more of this quilt here: http://colleensquiltingjourney.blogspot.com/2011/02/quilting-on-dazzeling-diamonds-quilt.html

Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along Starts Today

2011-09-27T22:09:00.006-07:00

Moose on the Porch is having another quilt along. This time it is the "Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along," and it started today, September 27, 2011. I have been given the opportunity to be a designer for this quilt. I am excited about it and hope you will all check it out and "quilt along" with us. Here is the link to get started:
http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2011/08/fat-quarter-stars-quilt-along.html

Labyrinth Quilt

2011-09-03T06:43:00.001-07:00

Here it is! I finally finished it. This is my Labyrinth Quilt. It was a quilt I started at the "Quilting in the County Retreat." I loved this fabric the first time I saw it. This is one of my favorite quilts.
The way I make my bed it actually fits on this double bed. I changed the pattern a bit. I added the inner border with the half square triangles. They look like flying geese, but they are half square triangles. I wanted to make a quilt that fit on a bed instead of a lap quilt.
I read somewhere that is you have a busy border to do line quilting. I did it here and really like this border effect.
I wanted custom quilting for this quilt. I wanted to do it myself on my domestic machine. In this section of the quilt, I wanted to push down the wool batting so the african points would puff up.

Some of my left over fabric was really small so I made four patches and pinwheels from it. The rest I purchased in fat quarters and a few half yards. I used mostly the fabrics from the front, but had to add a few to make enough blocks to get the size I wanted.

This photo shows the entire top better.

This shows the entire back better.

This is a close up of the quilting on the inner border.

I did stippling in the background to let the star and the squares puff up and stand out. I did the ditch stitching, and it looked pretty, but after the stippling, it really looked nice.

This shows the stippling from another angle. You can also see the swirls I did in the center star.

This was a very easy quilt to piece. I did the center medallion in one day. I had to figure out my own outside border because the pattern didn't show a border for this size quilt. It finishes as a full size quilt. The pattern does different things to make the quilt larger. I only liked the lap quilt and the king size quilt designs, but I wanted a double or twin. I think my design worked out pretty well.

This is the hardest quilt I have ever photographed because of the dark colors. Some photos were overexposed intentionally. I also had trouble getting the photos in order during the posting. I hope you enjoyed the post anyway.

Fat Quarter Shop 2009 BOM #3

2011-08-07T07:30:00.002-07:00

Our quilting group is making the Fat Quarter Shop 2009 BOM Quilt. This is block 3. This was an interesting block to make. The instructions, however, were very well written. I really like the final block.

Fat Quarter Shop 2009 BOM #2

2011-08-02T06:35:00.003-07:00

Our quilt club is making this quilt. Here is the second block. I made two blocks. I am making a queen size quilt so I am using two quilt kits and putting them together.

Fat Quarter Shop 2009 BOM #1

2011-07-22T08:18:00.004-07:00

Our quilting club, The Steeple Rock Stitchers, decided to make the Fat Quarter Shop 2009 BOM Quilt. This is my first block. We are actually putting two kits together to make a queen size quilt, so we each made two of this block.

Labyrinth Quilt to come

2011-07-16T08:22:00.006-07:00

I like to post something at least twice a week. Life has happened.

I have been working on the posting of my Labyrinth Quilt. It is one of my favorites and one of the most advanced machine quilting examples I have made. I needed a photo of the finished front and back, and then my Internet died in a lightning storm. This is the quilt I worked on in the Machine Quilting Challenge.

I will get that posting up asap, but that will be next week. Until then I wanted to make sure I wasn't forgotten in the world of Blogger.

Midnight Flowers Kaleidoscope Quilt

2011-07-01T17:35:00.019-07:00

This is my Kaleidoscope Quilt. I have loved this pattern. It was so easy to make. I also quilted it myself on my domestic sewing machine. It was part of the learning process of machine quilting.

This is the back. I used a green flannel. This helps you see the quilting. When you see the fronts, you will notice that I quilted around the flowers. I also put a feather in the setting triangles. I made this quilt last year, but forgot to post about it. I am better at feathers now.

Stippeling on the purple fabric.

Back of a quilted flower.

I always love a label.

See some of the fun kaleidoscopes.

Once again, the finished quilt. I have come so far in my quilting since I made this quilt, but I appreciate the things I have learned from doing this quilt. I think that following a printed pattern with your quilting teaches your hands to follow a line. It is one of the exercises I would recommend to learn to machine quilt.

Love At Home Quilt - Sneak Peak of Quilting

2011-06-23T15:13:00.008-07:00

My sisters have been quilting from afar. I have tried to explain the quilting I am doing on my Love At Home Quilt. A picture is worth a thousand words. Just for your information, I designed this tree block myself.

This is the stencil I used on the tree.
This design is on Press and Seal. I only used it to audition the pattern. I did the quilting free hand with 8 dots. Four at the top of the heart and four at the bottoms of the heart. I also drew a few parallel lines in the roof to help get the roof stitching straight.
Here is the quilting done free hand. The nine patches are completely scrappy as you can see by the dinosaur. See the quilt top here: http://colleensquiltingjourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/love-at-home-quilt.html

Love at Home Quilt

2011-06-18T06:05:00.003-07:00

I first named this quilt Home Sweet Home. Then I decided to quilt it with hearts so it became Love At Home. It is a queen size quilt. I sandwiched it on Tuesday and finished the ditch stitching yesterday. I did two houses last night and will continue on houses today. There will of course be more pictures to follow.

Carpet Quilt

2011-06-10T06:59:00.009-07:00

Carpet Quilt? I know it sounds like a funny name, but there is a story behind it. We finally decided to replace the carpet in our house. I stress about that sort of thing big time, so when they were working on the living room, I went to my sewing room and looked for something simple to do to keep my mind off the disaster that was my house. I got out all my flannel scraps and started cutting squares. Then I put them together into this simple baby quilt.

I wanted to free motion quilt it. I decided on loops and double loops. This is my first quilt using this quilting design. This is the back of the quilt. It is a marbled flannel.

I thru in a few butterflies done with a stencil.

I love this butterfly stencil.

This flower is the first thing I learned to free motion quilt.

I threw in a couple of them too.

A butterfly from the front.

I decided that for this quilt I would free motioned my label in the corner.
I am big on labels. This one fit the quilt.

So there you have it.
My "carpet" quilt.

Memorial Day Quilter's Annonymous

2011-06-01T13:41:00.015-07:00

My family got together and had a quilting weekend. Here are the results:

Asian Kaleidascope Quilt

2011-05-30T10:49:00.024-07:00

I made this kaleidascope quilt at the "Quilting in the Country Retreat." It is actually one of the easiest quilts I have pieced. The trick is in the cutting.
The following are close ups of the blocks.
Click on them to see the free motion quilting.
I made this quilt a long time ago, but just discovered I hadn't blogged about it.

Lastly, always a label.

Rose Charity Quilt

2011-05-23T06:41:00.011-07:00

Our church has decided to donate some quilts to a cancer center. They asked my sister to teach a class on the quilt. The pattern we are making is from http://www.maryquilts.com/quick-strippie/ and is her Quickie Strippie. This is a wonderful pattern for a charity quilt. It is fast and easy and can be made by beginning quilters and experiences quilters. She asked me to make a quilt to show as an example. This is it.

I made my quilt with scraps. They are not from a fabric line. I didn't have more than 1/2 yard of any fabric I used. In fact the center strip was only a 7 inch scrap. I just cut my other two scraps in half and used all my fabric instead of cutting them to the 6 1/2 inches shown in the pattern. This pattern can easily be adjusted to fit the fabric you have. As always, I like to include a label.

Cowboy Boot Wall Hanging

2011-05-17T14:46:00.008-07:00

My husband is a cowboy. When he saw this wall hanging, he said it was the most beautiful thing I have ever quilted. I am not sure that is correct, but it is the most beautiful thing to him. I actually started this as a door prize to give away at a Cowbelles meeting, but after I got about half way done, I decided I couldn't part with it. Chick on the photo for a bigger picture.

This is one of the stars in the corner.

You can sometimes see the quilting better on the back. I drew the quilting on the boot. The rest is regular stippling and straight lines.

A close up of the boot.

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along Extra Block 3

2011-05-08T07:50:00.002-07:00

This is an extra block I made in the quilt along to make my quilt a twin size. My husband wants quilts that fit on beds. It is a very simple pattern. The color choices make the design.

FMQ Challenge Progress

2011-05-05T09:16:00.005-07:00

Check out my progress in the Free Motion Quilting Challenge. http://fmqchallenge.blogspot.com/search/label/Colleen

Moose On the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along Extra Block #2

2011-05-02T05:06:00.003-07:00

I mentioned earlier that my husband wants quilts that fit on beds. I had to add an extra row to my quilt along quilt. I was using the left over fabric I had. This was really hard at first, but I do love the blocks I eventually made.

Car Seat Cover for DIL

2011-04-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

My DIL asked me to redo her car seat cover and umbrella. After about 20 hours this is what I got. I used this tutorial http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/02/recovering-baby-car-seat.html. I am really proud of how it turned out. I didn't think I could do it. It was way past my comfort zone. It does look really sweet.

Sneak Peek for my DIL

2011-04-27T14:15:00.003-07:00

I have spent the whole week working on this project. I think it is turning out really well.

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along Extra Block #1

2011-04-24T07:05:00.004-07:00

My husband wants me to make quilts that fit on beds. The Layer Cake Quilt Along quilt is just a lap quilt so I have made extra blocks to make it into a twin quilt. You can't believe how difficult that is to start with. I really racked my brain to design blocks that were pretty and fit into the left over fabric I had. I do like what I came up with on this one. I had this really pretty print that I wanted to use. I put it in the center of this block.

FMQ Challenge

2011-04-21T12:12:00.009-07:00

I have joined a Free Motion Quilting Challenge. We are posting our progress here: http://fmqchallenge.blogspot.com/ This full size quilt is the first thing I plan to quilt in the challenge. I am currently doing the ditch stitching. I plan to do stippeling in the light background so the star and the squares will puff up. I used wool batting. I am also planning to do feathers in the orange triangles of the second border. I don't have any ideas for the outside border yet. Do you have any ideas?

This is the back of the quilt. I like to use the leftovers from the front to make my backs. I really like this. It ends up being a two sided quilt.

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice Installment #10

2011-04-15T14:38:00.004-07:00

Some people have asked if my Fun and Done Maching Quilting Practice quilt is finished. It is not. I have started sewing some of the blocks together. The reason it isn't finished is because it is a work in progress. As I need sandwiches to practice my quilting on, I use these blocks. I don't practice every day, only when I am getting ready to quilt something. I did decide on a quilt width and have started sewing blocks together and then rows together. I am still a long ways from being done. I thought you might enjoy the photo though. Click on it to see a larger image. Sometime people use fancy stitches to sew the sashing down. I just used a straight stitch.

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along #12

2011-04-13T08:16:00.002-07:00

I wanted to highlight this pretty fabric, so I changed the block's design to fit my fabric. I "Love" this block!

Favorite Quote

2011-04-11T09:43:00.002-07:00

I heard this quote last October and it has become a favorite. "There is nothing so bad, that whinning won't make it worse." Don't you just love that?

Christmas Wall Hanging - top only

2011-04-08T08:01:00.005-07:00

This Christmas wall hanging was made with ideas from the a pattern in the winter 2010 Easy Quilts magazine. Of course I can't make a quilt exactly like any pattern. I put my own twist on the pattern. I made my quilt scrappy, using pieces of fabric from my Christmas scraps. It measures 37 by 42. This is just the top. I will show the quilted quilt later.

Inspiring Modern Quilting Blog

2011-04-03T19:14:00.004-07:00

I have been following this blog for a while. I haven't done any modern quilting, but this site is so inspirational and fun. This blogger is based out of New York City. That seems like another world to me living here in the country. It just shows that we can have quilting in common no matter where we live. http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/ I just wanted to point out that all these quilts are scrap quilts. I particularly like the second photo. Stunning and scrappy.

Moose on the Porch BOM #10

2011-03-30T18:22:00.004-07:00

I was a little concerned about this block because there is no yellow in my layer cake. I also am getting down to the last of the fabrics and it is harder to choose fabrics that look good together. I finally used two different greens. I like the way it is better than if I had only used the small green hearts. I didn't have enought of the larger green print to use it only. I needed the larger green print to add pazzaz to this block. I think it turned out good considering all the challenges of making blocks at the end of a quilt along.

Go, Go, Go!!!

2011-03-23T05:08:00.008-07:00

One day there was a knock on the door. This is what was sitting on my door step. I won this from "A Few Scraps." http://afewscraps.blogspot.com/2011/02/time-to-give.html I think she was so generous. I truly thank her.

This is what was inside. I won a Go and a Die. I chose the 2 1/2 inch strip die. I have actually tried using the die that comes with the Go to "bust" my scraps. I still need more experience, but I think I am getting the hang of it. I watched lots of movies on utube to learn what I was doing. Gene Black has several videos that were especially helpful. Thank you Gene!

Civil War Fabric Giveaway

2011-03-17T13:56:00.003-07:00

There is a great civil war fabric giveaway at Sew and Sew. Check it out. I know some of my family are into Civil War fabric. The picture is of the fabric being given away. Most are 1/4 yd pieces. It totals about 10 1/2 yards. Go to this site to read more about the giveaway and the book:

http://emsewandsew.blogspot.com/2011/03/civil-war-reproduction-fabrics-giveaway.html

Help me Choose

2011-03-07T14:22:00.003-07:00

I am doing the Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt along. Last week the block given us was named "U Pick." The only problem is that it is to hard to pick. I am showing two pictures of arrangements. The blocks are not sewn. Will you help me? Which block arrangement would you choose? Please leave a comment to help me decide.

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake BOM #8

2011-03-02T16:26:00.003-07:00

This is a disappearing 9 patch block. Our family has enjoyed making quilts from this pattern. It is an easy pattern to start with. Don't you love this block?

Moose on the Porch BOM #7

2011-02-23T08:21:00.002-07:00

Here is the 7th block from the Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt along. We had a Quilter's Annonymous meeting this last weekend and my sister did the first 8 blocks. She was behind, but now is caught up. There is a person in the quilt along that my sisters and I have admired. She commented on my blog posting. I recognized her last name and asked if she was related. She was! It is funny how the Internet can introduce you to family members you didn't even know you had.

I can't believe I have won!

2011-02-16T14:30:00.004-07:00

Go to this site to see what I have won. I can't believe it. Thank you so much to "A Few Scraps." http://afewscraps.blogspot.com/2011/02/time-to-give.html

Moose on the Porch Quilt Along BOM #8

2011-02-11T07:44:00.002-07:00

One more down. I think I am really going to like this quilt! Nice block. I am getting concerned because we are getting to the bottom of the layer cake. I hope I have all the fabric choices I want.

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice Installment #9

2011-02-08T07:53:00.014-07:00

I haven't posted about this for a while, so I probably need to explain what this is. There is a technique and pattern out there called "Fun and Done." This technique allows you to quilt a block and then sew it together with other blocks to make a quilt. I took this a different direction and I cut the fabric the way the pattern suggested, but used a whole piece of fabric. Now I am practicing my machine quilting. After "many" practice blocks I will have a quilt instead of just a pile of practice pieces.

This block is a practice of the flower I used on my Dazzeling Diamonds Quilt. I left out a few of these lines on the actual quilt. It makes the flower prettier. This flower is from a book by Judy Woodworth titled "Freemotion Quilting." I really liked this book, but if the only thing I got from it was this flower pattern, I would still be thrilled. I recommend this book to those who are wanting to learn more than just the basics.

This is the same flower done with invisible thread. I was having trouble with pop ups so I used the brown thread on my actual quilt. This has a few more lines than Judy's pattern too. On the quilt I stuck to the original pattern instead of trying to make more lines. Sometimes "less is more." The original is much prettier. I have a picture of that quilting on the post just before this one.

Here I am using techniques I learned in "Free Motion Quilting Made Easy" by Eva A Larkin. This is one of my favorite books. It has helped me in my learning process.

This is a stencil I used on my Potatoe Chip Quilt. I was just practicing going around the stencil. I added the stippling. I didn't use stippling on my quilt. I wasn't willing to do that much work on it.

This is another stencil I used on my Potatoe Chip Quilt. It is an easy stencil, but it added a lot to the look of the quilt. That quilt is one of the best I have quilted on my home machine so far. Here is a link to that quilt: http://colleensquiltingjourney.blogspot.com/2010/08/potatoe-chip-quilt.html

Someone asked if I had finished the quilt yet. I haven't because I don't have enough blocks done yet. I will finish it after more practice pieces.

Quilting on Dazzeling Diamonds Quilt

2011-02-05T07:35:00.010-07:00

I haven't made it a practice to show pictures before the quilt is done, but I like to show you what I have been doing when it is taking so long to do. I had a hard time deciding what to quilt on this quilt. I was going to do flowers in the large diamonds. My sister convinced me that following the diamond pattern was what this quilt really wanted.

Here is a close up. I was trying to explain this pattern to another sister over the phone. That is really hard to do. A picture is worth a thousand words.

I did put flowers in the border. This isn't the final pattern. I did ribbons where the loop de loops are. I'll show that better in my final post of this quilt. It took about 20 hours to quilt.

Dazzeling Diamonds Quilt

2011-01-27T18:41:00.003-07:00

This quilt is called Dazzeling Diamonds. We made it at our Quilting in the Country Quilt Retreat. It is one of the hardest quilt tops I have ever made.

I am currently quilting it. So far I am quilting diagonal diamond shapes that follow the patterns on the quilt. Perhaps I will put flowers in the border.

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along BOM #6

2011-01-25T07:46:00.003-07:00

I think the secret to a pretty block is pretty fabric. They say "It's all about the fabric." I believe that. This is another favorite block on mine in this quilt along.

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along Block #5

2011-01-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

Another fun block in the quilt along.

Home Sweet Home Quilt

2011-01-18T10:36:00.005-07:00

This is a quilt pattern I got in a free book at Quilt Retreat. I looked for a book with easy patterns. I used all scraps. I also sewed most of it as a leader/ender quilt. As you can see, it is just a nine patch with a flying geese roof. The block finishes 8 by 10.

Civil War Quilt Block of the Week

2011-01-13T07:57:00.006-07:00

I am posting this for my sisters. There is a block of the week going on at the following blog:
http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/ Many of us have Civil War fabrics. I thought this might be a fun way to use them. Barbara Brackman is a designer for Moda and designs Civil War fabrics. She will be posting an 8" block every week. She also has directions for setting the block in the side bar of her blog. This year is the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. That is why Barbara Brackman has offered this pattern on the Internet.

Barney's Boot Block

2011-01-09T17:41:00.006-07:00

My sister's last name is Barney. She visits a quilt shop in Tucson. She has many different pair of fun boots that she wears. They made a quilt for a shop hop in the area. They named their quilt "Barney's Boots"for her and her fun boots. She knew I was making a cowboy quilt and lent me her pattern for the boot. Here is my interpretation for my quilt. I want to make a whole quilt of boots just like it in fun colors.

30 Year Old UFO

2010-12-31T08:05:00.005-07:00

We put up the Christmas decorations in the store room yesterday. I got distracted and started cleaning the store room. I had several boxes labeled sewing or fabric. I took them in the house and this is one of the things that was in them. These are painted blocks. They were traced from a coloring book. I believe they are about 30 years old, but I am really not sure. I am so glad they are on cotton. Most of the fabric I have from that time is polyester. Last night I started looking for something to sash them with and for a border. I sent word to my sisters to look for a special fabric in their stashes. I hope they can find what I am looking for.

Have a great day, and I hope your UFO's are much younger!

Little Ones Quilt

2010-12-27T08:09:00.010-07:00

When my mom was small they called her Little One. That is why this quilt is called "Little One's Quilt." My sisters and sil made it while we were taking care of my father while he was dying of cancer. We needed something to do besides just sitting there and waiting.

The pattern we chose is an easy layer cake pattern. We have made many quilts from this pattern. They always turn out nice.

My baby sister made the label on her Janome machine. It turned out very nice.

Moose on the Porch BOM #4

2010-12-18T06:30:00.003-07:00

This block is from the Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along. A very nice person on flicker just commented that this was her favorite block of the entire quilt along. I really like that lady!

Moose on the Porch BOM #3

2010-12-13T07:57:00.002-07:00

Here is my third block of the quilt along. I am enjoying doing this.

Dazzling Diamond Back

2010-12-09T16:33:00.004-07:00

I finished my "Dazzling Diamond" quilt and needed a back for it. I had lots of scrap fabric and didn't want to spend money on a one piece backing fabric. Bonnie Hunter over at http://www.quiltville.com/ says she makes a back with 10" squares. I took her idea and made this back. It is now sewed together and sandwiched. I will be quilting it this weekend. I am proud of the way the colors turned out on this quilt back.

Label quilted into quilt

2010-12-04T15:28:00.004-07:00

My sister was wanting to quilt a label for her quilt. I am just posting this so she can see what I did on this quilt. I think it is a good alternative to a fancier label. I still like the fancier labels, but this will do real well for this quilt.

Mequilter is have a 2nd blogiversary

2010-11-28T10:05:00.003-07:00

Mary at Mequilter is celebrating her 2nd blogiversary.
She is giving away a beautiful Christmas quilt.
Go check it out here: http://mequilter.blogspot.com/2010/11/blogiversary.html

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along Block #2

2010-11-22T20:34:00.003-07:00

This block was designed by Vickie Eapen. This one was hard to decide on the light fabrics. I think it turned out good though. I am using "Love is in the Air."

Cowboy Quilt BOM for Steeple Rock Stitchers

2010-11-17T21:49:00.003-07:00

At our quilt club today we were discussing our quilt blocks and how many we had. I decided to put mine on my design wall and take a picture to let the other girls see what I had. There are quite a few of us with 14 blocks. I missed two blocks, but made two extra blocks of some of the ones I taught. I need to arrange them better, but I think you can get the idea.

Steeple Rock Stitchers BOM November

2010-11-15T16:30:00.018-07:00

This is my Block of the Month that I am teaching for Steeple Rock Stitchers.

When making this block you will end up with 16 additional half square triangles. By putting them together and adding a small border, you will end up with another quilt block.

The following are a few ideas on how you can arrange your half square triangles to make your second block.

The last picture is the block I chose to make with my extra half square triangles. I added a 2 inch strip all around the block using the background fabric. I think the background fabric will work best for this outside border.

Moose on the Porch Layer Cake 1st Block

2010-11-03T09:38:00.004-07:00

I have joined the Moose On the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along. Here is my first block. I am really excited about this quilt along. I love my block. I have added the link to the quilt along below. http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2010/09/layer-cake-quilt-along-2010.html

Quilting in the Country Quilt Retreat

2010-10-29T06:58:00.012-07:00

I just loved quilt retreat. These are the most amazing women. I met so many fabulous quilters. Everyone was so willing to help you and to share. This picture is of most of the quilters. We are holding some of the samples of the quilts we made. I signed up for the Bali Star quilt second from the left and the Labyrinth quilt on the right.

This quilt was made by one of the quilters. She was making her own projects. I fell in love with this quilt. It was so simple, easy and stunning. I cannot tell you how impressive this quilt was.

This was one of the quilts I signed up for. I made a few changes. I am making it larger. I bought some extra fabric and did everything until the black border. I am now adding a border row of half square triangles and then another black strip and then the outside border. Photo to follow in a few days. It will fit a double or queen when I am finished.

Denim Frog Bag

2010-10-15T20:59:00.001-07:00

My dil made this bag from a pair of 18T pants

Isn't it just the cutest?

John Deere Bag

2010-10-04T10:24:00.010-07:00

My son needed a donation for an FFA auction. I knew that anything with John Deere on it would sell. Jeans are popular with FFA kids too, so I decided to make a jean bag.

I had several fabrics left over from other FFA auction projects. I used three different pink fabrics as you can see from the inside.

I wanted to add "bling" so I remembered this concho and beads. They were sparkly. Also notice the cute pockets. These are a size 6 donated by my very small, cute neice.

If you have followed me long, you know any project isn't finished until it has a label.

The finished bag. It sold for $45. A very nice donation, but it also means I donated most of my time since it takes about 12 hours for me to make one of these bags. I really don't mind, but giving one of these away is like giving away one of my children. She found a good home though.

My Free Motion Quilt Along Top

2010-09-13T08:06:00.007-07:00

I have joined a quilt along from "A Few Scraps."
I am really excited about it. Here is the top I made. I made it from a free pattern on http://www.maryquilts.com/. I was hoping to make it work for this quilt along. A Few Scraps said she got her inspiration from Mary. I think it will work just fine for this quilt along. If you are interested in joining, here is the link:
http://afewscraps.blogspot.com/2010/08/free-motion-quilt-along-quilt-top.html

Make-up bags

2010-09-06T16:26:00.010-07:00

I made this bag from the tutorial listed below. This is the front.
http://luannkessi.blogspot.com/2009/12/quilted-zipper-bagtutorial.html

It was pretty easy. I chose a butterbly stencil.

I actually made two. I was using fabric cut from fat quarters so I didn't have the full width of fabric to use.

Potatoe Chip Quilt

2010-08-30T05:07:00.019-07:00

I would like to introduce you to my "Potatoe Chip Quilt." I realize that is an odd name, but it has a background. My sisters and I got together and merged our scraps. We put them together in color groups that would make a nice quilt and then we each chose a group of scraps to make a quilt. I decided I would make a strip quilt from the scraps to show my sisters that these scraps were really valuable. I took strips, arranged them, and sewed them one after the other to each other. When I was finished I had a ruffle! It started flat on one end and grew and ruffled more as it went out. It was a beautiful color, but unusable. It looked like a potatoe chip! I asked my sisters if they had any ideas on how to save this beautiful piece of fabric. One sister said, "Cut it into 6 inch squares." That is exactly what I did. Look how pretty it turned out.
As you can see I added sashing and corner stones. I wanted to machine quilt my own quilt and I added stencil markings to show me where to quilt. I bought the leaf stencil at Hobby Lobby and I bought the flower stencil at my Bernina dealers shop.

I knew the quilting would show up on this border.

I decided to use a thread that almost matched since I am still learning how to do this.

I am pretty proud of my quilting. I am getting better.

I love this quilt. I think it is the best machine quilting that I have done. What a beauty this mistake turned out to be!

If you like my blog.......

2010-08-26T08:43:00.001-07:00

If you like my blog, please sign up to be a follower. It is really easy. Just scroll down until you see on the left, all the pictures of my followers. Click on the "follow" button.

Natalie's Bag

2010-08-23T13:48:00.031-07:00

I am so excited to show you this new bag, or should I say this repurposed bag. My neice donated some of her jeans to my bag making adventures. I told her that because she was so generous, I would make her a bag.

She had the prettiest pockets on the back. They are not only pretty, but are also functional. Good for cell phones, keys, gum, whatever.

The handles were made from the legs of the jeans. These handles are strong, sturdy and don't show the dirt.

For the inside of the bag she chose "Fresh Squeezed" by Moda. The grey didn't have a label.

There are more pockets inside for all the other things she has. The bottom is plastic canvas covered with yellow fabric.

Last but not least, a label from the "Bag Lady."

Frog Pillowcases

2010-08-20T10:19:00.010-07:00

I made these pillowcases for our family reunion auction.
For the tutorial I used search my index and look at other pillowcase posts. I posted the tutorial there.

Just different prints on them.

I think they are each pretty in their own way.

A view of them all.

More Dinosaur Pillowcases

2010-08-15T17:32:00.011-07:00

These pillowcases are for my two grandchildren's birthdays. They have birthdays a month apart.

I needed different hems to make them different so each child could recognize their own.

This is a better picture. I didn't realize
the focus was off. The fabric is really clear and pretty in real life.

BOM for July 2010 Steeple Rock Stitchers

2010-08-10T07:17:00.004-07:00

We are still working on our Block of the Month for Steeple Rock Stitchers. This is the block I taught in July. It is a simple star block. I did teach the simple method for making the "Flying Geese." This is a simple pattern but a loved pattern.

Paperdoll Bags

2010-08-07T09:16:00.009-07:00

These little bags are 8 inches tall and 8 inches wide. I got the pattern from a tutorial at this address: http://luannkessi.blogspot.com/2009/12/quilted-zipper-bagtutorial.html

Thank you for the tutorial. I really like these bags. The zipper is so easy and comes out so well done. Here is a close up. I have had computer problems and now I am back to blogging. So glad!

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice Installment #8

2010-07-17T23:16:00.007-07:00

We are coming to the last of the blocks that I have finished.

This quilting is Headbands from Diane Gaudynski's book. Don't you just love them. Even if I made mistakes, it still looked nice.

This is a stencil that I echoed.

This is done freemotion around lines going corner to corner and middle to middle.

I used a straight stencel to make this pattern. Can you see where I got the leaves backwards.

I will do more blocks as I learn to quilt.

I just finished a really great quilt I will post soon.

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice Installment #7

2010-07-05T06:41:00.017-07:00

Some of my practice pieces are getting better. Some still need more practice.

Simple meandering and stars. Need more practice.

Meandering leafs.

Stencil.

"You Can Quilt That Out"

2010-06-28T14:34:00.003-07:00

Click on the title of this post to see a really funny video entitled, "You Can Quilt That Out."

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice 6th Installment

2010-06-28T07:37:00.010-07:00

This one I left as a stencil. I like the hearts.

This is a stencil I bought at Hobby Lobby. I have had a hard time finding quilting stencils in stores. They have the best selection I have found.

This lovely design is one of my favorites. I think it came from Harriot Hargraves book. It is easy and so dynamic.

The middle of this one is a stencil. I was practicing my echo quilting. I need a 1/4 inch foot with a whole circle around it to keep my echoing straight. I got lots of practice here though.

Machine Quilting Fun and Done 5th Installment

2010-06-25T22:31:00.006-07:00

These four blocks are all from the book, "Free Motion Quilting Made Easy" by Eva Larkin.

I am finally getting the hang of things.

Even More Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice 4th Installment

2010-06-22T12:39:00.013-07:00

The books I have used for my quilting quides are "Quilt Savvy: Gaudynski's Machine Quilting Guidebook" and "Guide to Machine Quilting" both by Daine Gaudynski, and "Free Motino Quilting Made Easy" by Evan A. Larkin. They are all three fabulous books.

These are free motion grid lines made following lines drawn in blue wash away marker.

This is more echo quilting practice around a boot stencil.

Another stencil with free motion loops.

I can't remember the name of this pattern, but I absolutely love it. I think it is so much easier than it looks. This pattern is sewn around a grid of squares. This was sewn on a 1/2 inch grid.

This is the same pattern sewn on a 1 inch grid. Don't you absolutely love this pattern.

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice 3rd Installment

2010-06-19T13:38:00.009-07:00

Anyone who has read Diane Gaudanski's book will recognize these practice pieces. This is spirals.

This is doodling. I just added the heart for fun.

This of course are her feathers. Well, they are supposed to look like her feathers.

This is headbands around a butterfly that has echo quilting around it.

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Blocks 2nd Installment

2010-06-17T07:00:00.012-07:00

Here are more of my blocks. I was following Diane Gaudenski's book and doing what she said to practice. This is bouncing bananas. I did some of this before I read I should be using a lighter thread so my mistakes wouldn't show so much. It would have looked better in an ecru color thread.

This is clam shells. The butterflies are a stencil I bought.

Stippling practice.

Stippling around the butterfly.

Fun and Done Machine Quilting Practice 1st Installment

2010-06-09T21:22:00.011-07:00

When I decided to learn to machine quilt, I needed to practice. I have serveral "Fun and Done" patterns. I thought that would be a good way to practice my quilting. If I messed up a block, I could just throw it away. Believe it or not, I quilted all these blocks in the same day. I was reading Diane Gaudanski's book and she told you to quilt the pretty flower on the left. I did it extremely well compared to the quilting I did on the other three blocks.
I will tell you the name of the book I used to make these blocks after I get better at it. If I told you now, you wouldn't buy the book, but I really do get better, and the book I used is really great.

I just need more practice here.

Once again, I need more practice.

I think it is unbelieveable that I made this block the same day I made the others. I think the principle here is that smaller curves are easier to make. I use a varigated pink and white thread here.

My father passed away

2010-06-01T17:56:00.006-07:00

My father passed away on Monday morning, 31 May 2010, at 5:30 after a long battle with Prostate Cancer. I have been spending every free minute with him. We will miss him.

This is a picture of my siblings and I with our mother, without the sister taking the picture.

Smiling Daisy Quilt from Shake Rattle and Roll

2010-05-20T08:08:00.031-07:00

This is my Smiling Daisy Quilt from the pattern Shake, Rattle and Roll. The pattern gives you directions to make the pattern pieces, but depending on how you put them together you get a different design.

As you can see, I did my own machine quilting.

This quilt was not easy to quilt. This pattern inside the flying geese is supposed to be easy to quilt, but I had problems with it.

I was proud to do my own quilting. I will get better with practice, but I have to make more quilts that aren't "perfect" before I get better.

The back of the quilt is also this fun print.

Some of my favorite quilting was these butterflies. I practised them several times before I put them on the quilt and they turned out really good. (See inside the red cornerstone.)

It is hard to see the quilting in this busy print, but I just quilted a swerving line with long leaves on it. There are long leaves in the print, so I thought it fit the quilt.

I love this quilt. I have one of my girls saying they are going to have to have a baby girl next so they can choose this quilt for her. I don't do the labels on the baby quilts until the babies are born so I can put their names on they.

Pink Strip Potatoe Chip Quilt

2010-04-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

I will explain more about this quilt later. For now I just wanted to show you the finished top before quilting.