Mini Spinning Star Hot-Pad-Table Runner in Blue, Teal, Aqua for Megan

Just finished binding this small, insulated table runner to give to a friend. Last September we had a service auction at church to raise money for some local charities. I volunteered to make a hot pad/table runner, winner provides the supplies. After this friend won, we discussed patterns and such. She really liked the one I made for my brother and sister-in-law a while back. The next step was for her to bring me some fabrics. Then I forgot about it and I’m guessing she forgot, too. One day in May, I happened upon a note that reminded me that she had not received her promised table runner. Then I happened upon a table topper like this only bigger, too big for her table.

So, in typical Virginia fashion, I figured out my own pattern to be the size I wanted and used fabric from my stash to make this. It was not exactly what she had asked for, so I guess there’s a chance that she won’t like it and I’ll have to make a new one, but I don’t think that will be the case.  (It wasn't - I gave it to her and she said it was perfect.) Freehand quilting in cool gray 3 Glide thread.

Leslie's Pastel Squares and Triangles Original Quilt

Leslie’s original quilt in blues, greens, pinks, and oranges.

I quilted it in cream Glide thread using Urban Elementz’s Time Warp pantograph.

The texture really shows up on the back. I think it was the perfect combination.

Marilou's Crayon Quilt in Primary Colors, Red, Yellow, Blue, Black

Fun, colorful quilt for Marilou’s grandson. Choosing the thread color took a little more thinking.

The red threads showed up on the blue and the blue thread showed up on the red. But then, , purple would blend with both! Yep. Success.

Lilac Glide thread on the top and Sterling Glide 60 on the back. Pantograph is Urban Elementz’s Bourbon Street Baby. The framed fabric on the back makes the quilt reversible.

 

Charity Quilt - Scrappy Pinwheel with Cream Sashing

I taught a demonstration at my quilt guild about sewing on borders correctly and binding by machine. For that, I needed 4 quilts that I could have ready for the 4 groups that would rotate through. My sister, Emerald quickly finished up four quilt tops in June so I could have them ready in July.

This is one of the quilts (along with the last few). This pinwheel quilt I quilted with Warm Gray 4 Glide on the top and Cream Glide 60 on the back, using the Bebop pantograph by Urban Elementz.

Charity Quilt - Scrappy Rail with Sashing in Red, Blue, Cream

Another quilt top made by Emerald for charity.

This one I quilted in Valentine Red Glide thread on the top with Candy Apple Red Glide 60 on the back using the hand-guided Easy Orange Peel pantograph from Urban Elementz.

Scrappy 16-square Blocks Baby Quilt

This little beauty was made by my sister, Emerald, to give to charity.

I quilted it using the “Zing“ paragraph from urban elements and used (appropriately) the emerald Glide thread on the top with Irish spring Glide 60 on the back.

 

Bremen Town's Musicians Quilt Panel Charity Quilt

Another charity quilt for my guild. When the person in charge of the charity quilts gave this one to me, she said that the first person she gave it to for quilting gave it back as the quilt didn’t speak to her. When I looked for an edge to edge patterns, I didn’t find one that I thought went well with the quilt, so I understand the perceived silence.

I decided to custom quilt it simply and I think it came out just fine. Quilted with Blue Jay Glide thread in the front and Pacific Glide 60 on the back.

Scrappy Rail Fence Charity Quilt

Charity quilt I quilted for my guild.

I used the Windy Wonderful Weather pantograph from Urban Elementz in Tabriz Orchid Glide on the front and White Glide 60 on the back.

Tutorial - How I Worked around Embellishments and 3D Flowers

How I Worked Around Embellishments

This quilt gave me some challenges to figure out how to work around them on a longarm, with design elements and lots of embellishments.

This is how the quilt top came to me, with prairie points and a small border outside it.

There were also lots of fun embellishments, like flaps, 3-D ribbon flowers and leaves, appliqué, and embroidery.

As always, I lined up the "top" (which is really the side since I loaded it sideways).

I used my horizontal and vertical channel locks to insure it was straight, then used my cord and toggles to mark where the edges were to come to, as well as specific vertical lines. This helps me each time I roll the quilt to keep everything straight.

I did an overall meandering loops design, simple and forgiving. I wanted all her work to shine and didn't want anything to overshadow it.

As I would quilt, I would move the 3D pieces out of the way to cover as much space, but not sew over the embellishments.

Basting down the sides was tricky. It was important to keep the little border underneath straight, but when the prairie points were bent out of the way, the edge would immediately shift.

 I found pinning the points out of the way, and careful measuring and pinning helped immensely.

Again, pinning the prairie points out of the way, I bound the quilt as I normally would.

And it's finished.

A closer view, above. 

A pieced back using leftover fabrics from her stash, below.

Chevron Quilt Made With Laura Gunn's Garden Wall Collection Fabric

Chevron quilt I made and quilted to death using Glide and Glide 60 Mocha thread. I have to keep this one.

Backstory: Many long years ago, my friend, Laura Gunn, had a new quilting line of fabric coming out called Painters Canvas (2013) and she asked me to make her a quilt using it. Together we designed the pattern and she selected each color to match an afghan her grandma made. See it here.

In payment, she gave me a stack of fabric from a different line, the "Garden Wall Collection" that she had designed. It’s beautiful fabric, but orange has never been a prominent part of my color wheel. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with it.

A few years later, as I was making as many practice tops as I could in preparation for getting my longarm, I ran across a pattern for a chevron quilt that had another quilt to make from the scraps. (That quilt has a story, too, but that will be another time.)

After making the two quilts, I used up the leftover fabric in the borders and backs.