Thread Tales From A Scrappy Quilter

Cathy's beautiful purple and beige Vintage Rose with the full pieced borders.  There are several variations of this quilt for the borders. Lots of purple in this one!  I do love purple too.   Cathy wanted matching thread to the fabric so I choose only 1 thread  for most of the purples.  The lights in the small pieced border did get a lighter purple, but that still made 3 purples that I used.   Invisifil for ditching, the one lighter purple for that border then all the rest I used Damson Glide.  I knew those solid like colors would look awesome with Jessica Schicks design for Vintage Rose in those borders and it did not disappoint.  I used some digital designs from Jessica, Wasatch and some hand guided longarm quilting to customize this quilt. This makes #3 VR that I have quilted, I have 4 more in the line up! All 4 very different from the 3 I have quilted.   3 I already have in house, they will be coming up for their turn

This beauty was pieced by my good friend Lou Ann and I custom quilted this for the current year fund raiser for Golden Needles Quilt Guild.   I choose to try  digital quilting designs by Peak to Prairie Quilting.  It turned out pretty spectacular!  Tickets are now on sale. One view as I was building and stitching out the designs.  I basically stitch one element at a time. Having a 26" throat space which shrinks down to about 22" quiltable area, to quilt these designs in a continuous stitching path, you must turn the quilt.   Hand guided, you can roll back and forth but it is such a pain!   You have to unclamp from each side, roll, clamp each side again and stitch - then repeat!  Center details in red thread.

This was the first DeJonge design that I have custom longarm quilted.   Pieced by Maureen Wood.   I must confess, I have a bundle of her gradated fabrics and a beautiful pattern but I just have not found the time to start.  I am also so accustomed  to Judy Niemeyer patterns where templates are given for every fabric that I hesitate to start this one.   Several friends were able to attend a DeJonge class near Dallas last month but I had too much on my schedule already when I learned about it.   On my bucket list! A few pictures of Maureen's beautiful Enchanting Stars:     Somehow, I forgot to take a full photo after trimming up the quilt.  I used a variegated thread from Superior, Fantastico #5003 Magic Carpet for most of this quilt and single layer of Hobbs Midnight Black batting.  I used Black Glide on the black areas.   I often use a gray so the thread shows more but this quilt needed the rich dark black.  I often had to refe

I saw this quilt @ a booth at QuiltCon - Savannah this year and knew I had to make it.   I not only made it but also made the quilt that was hanging next to it at her booth too!   It's a long story on finding fabrics but along the way I discovered Riley Blake Confetti Cotton solids.  They had the 5 purples I needed. Here she is, my Fade to Purple.   Pattern by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  All the quilt top fabrics are Confetti Cotton Solids, threads are Glide and MicroQuilter, maybe 1 Magnifico.  Bobbin threads are Glide 60 wt which I LOVE.   Batting is QD 70/30.  I love the finish! My quilt hanging at Houston Quilt Market - Riley Blake booth!  What a thrill.  Look at the props they brought in to coordinate with it.  Wish I had this wall at home.  My design progress at home. A finish in October at a retreat with Houston Modern Quilt Guild members.  Woohoo!  The show is 10 days away.  Can I get it quilted?   I do have a longarm business and other market client