Field of Stars

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My quilt got accepted into Quilt Expo.  Quilt Expo is held in Madison, Wisconsin on September 7, 8, and 9, 2017.  Words can not express how blessed I feel.  If you go to the show look for it under wall quilts – machine pieced.

Here are some close ups.

This is the first quilt that I did not have a pattern.  I used Julie Herman’s of  Jaybirdquilts Hex N More and Side Kick rulers.  I used her Park Bench pattern as inspiration but then just ran with it.  When making the blocks I concentrated more on value than color.  Somehow it just all turned out.  Of all the quilts I have made, my husband says he likes this one the best.

I’m so excited!

leafthroughmylife4 Comments

I finally finished piecing the Bobbin quilt from 12 Pack Quilts.  It is on the machine and I must say it is turning out beautifully.  I just love it.  I will tell you all the details when the quilt is finished.   For now enjoy the quilting.

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Happy quilting this weekend.

Patti

Free Motion Quilting

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I free motion quilted this piece of ice dyed fabric for a friend.  It is a piece I won during a drawing when I attended MQX Quilt Festival– Midwest in Springfield, Illinois last year.

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Because of the organic nature of the ice dyed fabric I didn’t want to quilt the piece too formally.  I love the free-flowing quilting.  Here is the quilting from the back.

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The backing was an old linen cloth that has a design on for embroidery.  My friend plans on having friends and family that come over to her house to sign and date the back.  What a great idea.

If you would like to try your hand at ice dying this is the book that came with the piece of fabric.  I haven’t tried it yet but hope to in the near future.

book

If you would like me to quilt for you contact me at baretreequilting@gmail.com.  Hope you’re getting time this weekend to do some quilting.

Patti

 

 

 

 

Slow Going

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I have been working on my Bobbins quilt for a while now.  I don’t know if it’s because it’s summer or the amount of actually sewing involved in this case.  I have been sewing squares onto two corners or a 3 1/2 inch square

 

 

 

At first I was going to mark each square with a line down the middle.     

But when I realized I would have to mark 576 squares I changed my mind pretty quickly.

So I used some masking tape to mark a line even with the needle of my machine and then sewed each square by starting at one point while making sure the point on the other side of the square stayed along the masking tape.

It certainly went much faster.

While I sewed I was able to look at my row by row quilt.

The rows were made by my good friends Louise Haddon, Dorothy Livernash, Nancy Thone and Carolyn Sanger.  I then but the rows together by adding the solid color, black shadows and backround.  I quilted the quilt after taking a class on Craftsy called Wild Quilting by Christina Cameli.   If you have never taken a class at Craftsy you don’t know what your missing.  I have taken several and I can tell you they are informational, inspirational and professionally done.  Hop over there and check them out.

 

I did enter a quilt in Quilt Expo which is held in Madison, Wisconsin on September 7-9, 2017.  If you have never been to that show try to get there.  It is an excellent show.  I should know by the end of the month if my quilt has been accepted.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.  I’ll let you know.

Happy Quilting everyone!

Patti

 

Hand Sewing

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So while I am on vacation I am doing some hand sewing.  I thought you might like to see how I make the circles with the help of Circleeze.  This is a handy tool that helps make perfect circles for applique.  You start with a square of fabric, the size circle template you need, and the base plate.

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Next you center the circle template on the square piece of fabric, bring up the corners and twist.

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You then insert the pinched fabric into the base pulling it tight from the back so the fabric wraps around the circle template perfectly.

You remove the fabric from the base, remove the circle template, and trim to about an 1/8th of an inch.  You can spray starch the fabric before you remove it.  I didn’t have any starch so this one is unstarched.

I then fold under a small portion so I can place the piece where I want it on the applique, turning the rest under after I have pinned in place.

You will still need to tuck and maneuver a little while you sew it down and then ta dah you have a perfect circle.  Or maybe just near perfect circle.

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What am I working on you ask?  Grace and Glory by Mary Sorenson  2002.  I have been working on it a long time.  I am bound and determined to get it done this year.  Here is one of the blocks in progress.

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Today I find out if I can get my Designer 1 sewing machine fixed.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial on Circleeze.

Patti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heart’s Desire

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So while I was up north this weekend I was able to take pictures of my first quilt from the 12-Pack Quilts book by Me and My Sister.  This one is called Heart’s Desire and I made it with Brighten Up fabric line from Me and My Sister for Moda.

The quilt from the book is really just the hearts in the middle but I wanted to (1) make the quilt bigger and (2) use up the half square triangles that were left over when I made the heart blocks.  So I added the thin border of smaller half square triangles that came from the top of the hearts

and the top and bottom borders of the half square triangles that come from the bottom of the hearts

I even used the selvages so that I could piece the borders.

Here is the back of the quilt that shows the ruler work quilting that I did on this baby.

And I also used up left over fabric on the back.

It was a fun quilt to make and quilt.

Hope you had a great Memorial Weekend and had a chance to remember those who gave some and those who gave all so that we can live our lives free to do what we choose.  I, of course, choose quilting.

 

Patti