May is here and finally is is nice to be outside. Our weather has gone from 40's to 70's in a matter of 2 weeks. It's pretty nice out there. But, I am stuck inside for a few more weeks, at least mos

Natalie Henderson,the talent behind Vintage Luxe, and a friend of mine is running some lovely workshops in Corbridge. I would go myself but am teaching my own evening class so can't! The theme of the workshops is "Repurpose found objects to create pique assiette mosaics" ‘pique assiette’ is the craft of re-purposing broken china, glass, jewellery, buttons - indeed any vintage ephemera - into mosaics the finished piece often tells a story, or has a theme ... you will learn how to source objects, nibble china, glue, grout, and complete a mosaic mirror frame and/or wooden heart The course runs over three evenings: 7:00-9:00pm Tuesday March 6th Tuesday April 3rd Tuesday May 1st The total cost for all three sessions £60.00 - includes all materials and refreshments to book and for further information about the course, access and facilities, please ring Delight & Wisdom on (01434) 632818 or email [email protected]

Free motion quilting tips- tips that make your free motion quilting easier and fun.

Hi Friends! Let me start with a quick hello and answer a few questions. I am still quilting, for myself and currently loving hand quilting. I am selling these quilts because they are many, and I don't need them all. I am working toward raising money for new ventures in my life and it is my hope that these quilts will travel, be loved, used and appreciated. If you are interested in buying any of the quilts posted please email me directly at: [email protected] All prices are listed in US dollars and include shipping/tracking within the US. I am happy to send additional photos upon request. Please, serious inquiries only. Quilts will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. I will respond to all emails as soon as I receive them and update status here. As always, thank you for your interest and time. #1 Diamond Mine This quilt was originally made as a class sample for piece as you quilt on the Longarm. It was made entirely on the longarm. The quilting designs, sample Compositional Quilting, Broken Wreath, Ghost Shapes and Modern Moon. The piecing is all raw edge appliqué. The back of the quilt is solid white, the batting is Quilters Dream wool, there is a hanging sleeve and the binding is colorful scrappy, machine sewn to the front and hand stitched to the back. This quilt has been washed and blocked. The quilt measures 55"long and 47" wide. SOLD Read more about this quilt as a work in progress here photo taken during quilting, all the blue marker you see has been completely soaked out. all the blue marking you see here has been fully soaked out of the quilt. during quilting #3 Crazy Triangles Soft Opposing Triangle quilt, inspired and encouraged by Katie Pedersen and Jacquie Gering. Measures 67" long and 62" wide, all hand guided custom machine straight line quilting, with ghost opposing triangles. This is a great bed quilt, it is soft and has a wonderful drape. This quilt has been washed. Quilters Dream Wool batting and backed with Anna Maria Horner feathers. Binding matches background fabric with a plum flange. SOLD Photo taken today in natural light #4 Define Circle for me This quilt was a bee quilt from the amazingly talented flickr group Fresh Modern Bee 2 This quilt measures 60"wide by 80" long. Batting is Quilters Dream Cotton, backing is Anna Maria Horner velveteen. The background fabric in this quilt is a natural linen, lots of out of print Heather Ross. The first photo collage and the second photo showing the mustard velveteen back were taken today, the remainder of the photos were taken before the quilt was washed and while the quilt was being quilted. Because this quilt has been washed the actual quilting stitches, cotton and linen fabrics, and cotton batting have all shrunk, the quilt has a wonderful soft drape and definitely has started to take on the appearance of an heirloom/antiqued quilt. SOLD Photos taken today (March 14, 2017) in natural light, no editing. Velveteen backing fabric pieced with linen and raspberry Anna Maria Horner, natural light, no filter. quilting progress being quilted #5 Down the Rabbit Hole Pattern is Maple Leaf Rag from Sarah Fielke's book, Material Obsession 2. The webs spilling out into the border were my original idea designed with the ghost web/wreath quilting in mind. This quilt is a fabric diary and has many rare and out of print fabrics. The name of this quilt is inspired by the Alice in Wonderland fabric from Heather Ross's Munki Munki collection, Alice can be found tumbling through the webs. In addition to out of print Munki Munki fabric this quilt has a great deal of Kaffe, Echino, HR, Alexander Henry, Silk, Suzuko Koseki, Japanese and vintage Kimono fabrics. All of the quilting is custom hand guided, some of the feather motifs are quilted using contrasting pale green and aqua softly variegated thread. The grey border is charcoal grey vintage linen. The quilt measures 70" square, it hangs very straight. Quilt has never been washed, backing is a made from leftover scraps of Kaffe Shot cottons and Anna Maria Horner Flannel, Batting is Hobbs Polydown, has a hanging sleeve and is very cleanly bound with Denise Schmidt teal and black fabric. SOLD Back of quilt. Back of Quilt Alice Alice Falling Alice's chair, Echino glasses #6 Marcelle Medallion Pattern from Alexia Abegg's book "Liberty Love". This quilt was a labor of love that took over three years to complete piecing/ quilting and binding. It is made with a navy/denim/plum and mustard palette, lots of out of print fabrics. The quilting is mostly a 1" grid with some ghost geese featured in some of the border rounds. Batting is Quilters Dream wool the back is light grey very lush flannel with a hanging sleeve and navy striped binding. This quilt has never been washed, has a lovely drape and hangs very square. This quilt measures 52" square. SOLD #7 Granny Squares This quilt was made by Heather Bostic and quilted by me using a digital on point maze design. The quilt has Quilters Dream wool batting with a dark grey anchor fabric on the back, it is bound with an assortment of scrappy solids. SOLD #8 Rainbow triangles and diamonds This is another quilt that was originally made as a class sample exploring Piece as you Quilt on the Longarm. Quilt measures 43" square has Hobbs Poly down batting, is bound with scrappy solids and prints, with a solid white backing. There are lots of grey flannels in the background and a lot of the pieced bits are raw edge. SOLD During Quilting

Приветствую всех, друзья мои! Сегодня я опять про стежку "перья". Просто влюбилась в этот рисунок стежки!

What is a Longarm and When Should You Buy One?

For all things handmade! Photos belong to their respected owners and my photos belong to me! If you need me to remove one of your photos, please message me and tell me which one and I will kindly do so!

Cathy brought this lovely king sized Beads Quilt, pattern by Jordan Fabrics. She added the pieced side borders to make it wider which was a nice touch. I quilted it with the Modernish pantograph, used a grey purple So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

Flowers - Can not remember the name of the book, but took class at Sew Many Quilts shop in Bend, OR. Will up date when book found.

Kathy Schwartz has owned her own longarm quilting business, Tamarack Shack Longarm Quilting, for more than nine years. She lives in Ontario, Canada and has a loyal following on the internet who enjoy seeing her signature style of quilting. We recently asked her a few questions...

I died when I saw these labels! I mean, seriously, there aren't better words. *unfortunately I have no source for these labels. The link takes you to a dead end Etsy page, sorry* Quilts are my favorite way to say I love you! So I just had to have some for all of the quilts I make for my loved ones. I have top secret plans to make a new quilt for my husband using Curious Nature (since my kids have taken over the last quilt I made for him). I really wanted to use the circle heart thingy from my regular labels. So I had some printed up from my usual Twill Tape Guy. I also adore these labels! It's kinda rude but oh so true! I think for now I'll just enjoy the idea of them. *click on the picture to go to the source*

This past spring, Australian quilt artist and teacher, Jenny Bowker, was teaching at the Empty Spools seminars in California. Jenny … More

I would love to make a gorgeous quilt like this someday...

I still can’t get over how wonderful and beautiful the quilts from the Home Machine Quilting Show (HMQS) were. You can see pictures from Part 1 and Part 2, and today will be my final round of…

Fun Poinsettia's! Isn't this a super fun runner for the Holiday's! We've got a free tutorial to share with you on how to make this simple "Fun Poinsettia" block, using the Quick Curve Ruler. Click here, to view and download your free pdf "Fun Poinsettia" block. 20 1/2" x 20 1/2" I made 3 blocks and put them together to make a runner, but I think a whole bunch of these would make a fabulous quilt. You could do up one for a darling pillow too! I wanted to make my poinsettia's to match my kitchen. Helen is making hers in more traditional holiday colors. They really take on a different look and I love the spinning petals created with this block! So if you are in need of a fun little holiday treat for yourself or need to make up a last minute gift for someone, than this is a perfect quilt project for you! Fun, fast and best of all....super easy!! We've started a Fun Poinsettia Flickr Group for those of you that want to share your Poinsettia's with us and each other! We would love to see what you come up with! Have fun and occasionally we'll check in to see how your "Fun Poinsettia's" are coming along! ~Jenny and Helen~

Collection Andre Jean Cabanel - Boutis anciens, Couvertures et Jupons en piqués

When it comes to the best thread for quilting, how do you choose? There are a lot of decisions to make and factors to consider. There's also the issue of whether you are looking for thread for machine quilting or hand quilting. Many of these thread tips are helpful for any sort of sewing, so keep this handy for your non-quilting sewing projects, too! The best threading for quilting is generally a cotton or polyester-cotton blend. Avoid cheaper polyester threads as they are more likely to break or snap over time. The weight of your thread depends on your fabric and pattern. Thicker fabrics or quilts with more layers of fabric need a thicker weight (or stronger) thread. First, we will discuss thread in general, looking at the terms associated with thread and how it's measured. Then we will go into the common thread materials each thread type from which each is made. We will then focus on types of thread you will see when looking at thread spools along with the types of thread that are readily available. Some are great for quilting and some are not as fitting. Finally, we will focus on the best machine quilting threads as well as the best threads for hand quilting. So, start reading and get ready to learn all about thread in relation to quilting and choosing the best threads for your upcoming quilt projects. Table of Contents Thread Basics Thread Material Types of Thread Best Threads for Machine Quilting Best Threads for Hand Quilting Conclusion

Приветствую всех, друзья мои! Сегодня я опять про стежку "перья". Просто влюбилась в этот рисунок стежки!

Are you overwhelmed with the simple elegance of a wholecloth quilt but are clueless on how make one yourself? Read for 5 tips on how to wholecloth quilt:

Come on in and join me in a rug cuttin happy dance! It's so exciting to finally have this finished. The idea for the quilt started well over a year ago. The tulips are from Lori Holt's book Quilty Fun. However I started this quilt before her book was published. She originally gave the pattern on her blog for free during a row along. So I saved it. Of course I bought her book anyway with the intentions of making one of her patterns. But you know me...I can't stick to a pattern. In the book it calls for one tulip as a block. Using 4 tulips and some math I came up with the Promenading Tulips block. (not my tree, its Charles front yard) When I get an idea for a quilt it's just that...an idea. The details are always changing and morphing. You can read more about how I came up with the different elements of this quilt here and here. Planning the quilting is another hurdle. The same technique is used in this process which means I do the quilt stare and keep my eyes open when surfing the web. With the inner scalloped border I knew I wanted the quilting to be dense enough to make the 3D effect really stand up, but I didn't want a quilt that was a stiff as board with that quilted to death feel. Finding that balance somewhere in the middle. The decision was made to leave some "poofy" areas towards the center of the quilt. Now I bet you all are wondering about this truck. Ain't she a beauty! There's a story behind her too. A few months ago I was on my way to momma's, of course I always take the long way, winding through the country roads and enjoying the scenery. My meandering takes me through a small town of Providence. It's one of those 4 way stop towns with a church and a few houses. Well I spot this truck (not for sale at the time), how could you not see the bright yellow paint and orange wheel rims. I told myself should I ever drive by and see the owner outside I'd stop and ask permission to use his truck as a quilt prop. Well low and behold about a month later Charles and his wife were standing there just waiting on me! I whipped my ole hunk of junk up in the drive and introduced myself. You never know if people are going to welcome you or not when it comes to country folk, some live out here because they don't like people. But Charles and his wife were the good kind of country folk, telling me to feel free to use the old truck whenever I wanted. They've recently put it up for sale, and I'd love to take it home but....all I can do is wish and dream. Thanks Charles for letting me drool all over your girl! Okay let's get back to the quilt. You've gotta have crosshatching and feathers in every quilt, right? I love the traditional look from the simple crosshatched blocks. The yo-yo placement was marked with blue water soluble pen before quilting. After the quilt was quilted the yo-yo's were stitched in place with a few tack stitches. I wanted to the the 3D effect on those also. POST EDIT on 11-6-2015 The border technique used for this quilt is from the book "Just Around the Corner, by Kari Carr". If your looking for the Inner Scallop border tutorial on my blog, I've removed it, you can read more about it here. The backing is vintage baby prints from my stash. Might as well make the whole quilt scrappy! Thanks for stopping by and dancing with me today! This post has been edited on 5/13/2015 due the huge response in the last couple of weeks. If you would like more information about making your own Promenading Tulips quilt click here. ~ Lea Anne ~ today's freebie from Lori Holt of Beeinmybonnet Pin It

Hello all, Today i am going to continue my investigation into the Provençal Costume by talking about something which may be surprising in such a warm climate, namely, quilted clothing. Quilted clothing is extremely widespread, as far as China, being a practical way to produce warm clothing. There are three garments worn as part of this costume which are sometimes quilted, the corset or bodice, the petticoat, and the skirt. Obviously these are more commonly worn in winter, but the skirt especially is sometimes worn even in warm weather for special occasions, such as weddings. There are two types of 'corset' or bodice worn in Provençe, with a lace up front, or an overlapping front which is pinned shut. The peasant class, the Paisanne, often wears a laced bodice as the sole outer garment, made of a double layer of colored or striped cloth. The Artisanne and the Bastidanne most commonly wear the bodice or corset which is pinned shut across the front. The back has a fold with lacing to adjust the corset to the body and provide support for the torso. This type of bodice/corset is worn over the chemise and under the dress or jacket 'caraco'. The corset is usually white or off-white, made of a double layer of cloth, and often finely quilted. Here is a photo of such a corset. Another similar garment is the petticoat, which in cooler weather is quilted the same way. These garments are made with minimal wadding or none at all, and often show very elaborate geometric and/or floral designs quilted into them. Here are some examples. More surprisingly, perhaps is a skirt worn by the upper class, the 'Bastidanne', which is sewn and quilted just like a comforter, and is considered to be a very formal garment. The normal skirt averages about 4.5 m around, but the quilted skirt runs about 2.6 m. The regular skirt is called 'jupe', but the quilted skirt goes by the special name of 'Cotillon'. Here is a drawing by Lucille Armstrong showing this version of the Provençal Costume. This is more or less the upper class, Bastidanne Costume, except that the sleeves on the jacket are usually longer, and the fichu is normally of whitework. Here is another photograph of a Provençal wedding, with both the bride and groom in the Bastidanne Costume. It is very refreshing to see people maintain their own traditions instead of submitting to the cookie cutter white elephant wedding gown of standard western culture. The woman standing at the left and the man kneeling at the right are both in Paisanne Costume, while the two women standing and kneeling behind the groom are both in Artisanne Costume. If you look closely, you can see that the bride is wearing a quilted 'cotillon'. If the cotillon is made of a printed material, then usually the quilting is made up of a grid of diamonds over the body of the garment, with parallel lines of quilting on the bottom edge. Here are some examples. These skirts are made in a wide variety of colors and print designs. These skirts are made by putting the lining cloth on a stretcher, then placing the wadding on top, and the outer cloth is then quilted by hand on top. The bulk of the texture of the quilting shows on the outside, and the inside is relatively flat. There is a second type of cotillon which is made, in which the surface cloth is of a solid color, often a rich silk. A band of design is inserted between the diamond grid of the body of the cotillon and the parallel pipes of the hem. Here is a photo of the Bastidanne costume including such a cotillon. The solid color of the top cloth enables the quilted design to be seen and appreciated. Those who wish to make more ambitious quilted designs choose to do this. The inserted design varies significantly in width. Here are a couple more examples. Here are some examples of the types of designs which are inserted. Each horizontal band is a separate design. There is yet one more type of cotillon which is sometimes found. Occasionally a girl makes one specifically for her wedding. While the dress for the wedding may be of any color, this particular type is often white. The added design makes a very wide band, but instead of being arranged in bands, the design consists of various images symbolic of a wedding, fruit, flowers, arches, baskets, hearts etc. scattered around the band. Usually this includes the bride-to-be's initials, and can also include inscriptions such as short prayers or 'this skirt belongs to demoiselle X'. These are obviously a lot of work and are often handed down as heirlooms within the family. Here are a couple of examples. I found this tradition of handiwork surprising, and I hope that you find it interesting and inspiring. Let us make and wear things that are not the same as everyone elses. Let us look to the traditions of the past when everyone contributed to the development of traditions. Thank you for reading. Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals Roman K. :[email protected]. Source Material: Mary Gostelow, 'The Complete International Book of Embroidery', New York, 1977 Rode de Basso Prouvenço, 'Le Costume Populaire Provençal', Aix-en Provençe, 1990 Andre Sainsard, 'Costumes Folkloriques Provinces Françaises', Paris, 1972 Royere, Gardilanne, Moffat et al, 'Les Costumes Regionaux de la France', New York, 1929 Charles-Brun, 'Costumes des Provinces Françaises', Paris, 1937 P. Leroux, 'Costumes Regionaux', Paris, 1940 Nicolette Tennevin & Marie Texier, 'Dances of France II. Provence and Alsace' from the series 'Handbooks of European National Dances', London, 1951

Its been awhile since I've shared client quilts, and I have quite a few for you to enjoy. Here are some of my favorites. - Bridget - It was so fun to take this basic pinwheel baby quilt and add lots of detail and textures. The fabrics are so soft and sweet. Love this! Inside the pinwheels I wanted to quilt some petal like designs, which are topped of by adding the line with the three dots. Inspired by another machine quilter. On the back those lines and dots form a chain on point. One of the great parts of quilting is seeing how the design comes together, especially on the back. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the back anymore. I used a cream thread and an 8020 batting on this quilt.  I love how the light catches the textures. I finished it off with a free hand back and forth rope design in the inner border and a loose swirl on the outer border. - Jane - After I pinned on Jane's quilt on the machine canvas...before even starting to quilt, I posted a picture on instagram...it was instaloved instantly. Her fabric choices and colors were spot on. Jane's request was lots of detail. As I look at each quilt, I try to figure out something that will enhance the fabrics and blocks...the background was begging to have these oval uneven stone like pebbling everywhere. Yes, on a quilt this size it takes awhile, but it was so work it. The "Spin Cycle" blocks just pop! I also wanted to detail the points and add something to keep it cohesive throughout the quilt. And, it was sure fun to do. The finished result is...perfect...or at least I think so, this is why its one of my favorites.  Love how the light enhances the fabrics and quilting.  I used a tan perma core thread and an 8020 batting. - Jean - Isn't this quilt amazing?!?!?! I has specific instructions to add a ton of detail to this quilt. The wool batting that Jean provided allows the quilting to pop and prevents the quilt from being stiff. Love the wool!! The hours that this took to even decide what to do were long, and I'd show you my drawing but its not too great...so I'll stick with these pictures. Enjoy! Its quilted with a cream perma core 30 tex thread.  Here is a close up of one of the blocks. Do you see the block inside the block?? Yeah, amazing! When figuring out a detailed pattern, I try to use some of the same quilting designs in different parts of the blocks to tie whole design together. You can see that here, with the two blocks together. Love this! The borders. Here are a couple pictures of the back...love to see all that detail together. - Jeanette - This was a fun little wall hanging to quilt. This was Jeanette's first quilt, and she did an awesome job! I wanted to crackle the background to give it some texture, because there is so much wide open space. Then, I added a swirl and feather design to the tree to give it a fancy look. One of my most favorite parts though is this wood grain trunk. I used coordinating thread colors and 8020 batting. -Jeanne- This was another instahit on instagram. By pebbling the background it made the circles and how they are quilted pop. A side view. I used 8020 batting and a white perma core thread throughout. - Jen - Jen made this quilt for her lucky son! To keep it masculine I wanted to add all the lines. The lines in the grey add extra dimension to the chevron. And, who doesn't love this color combo! I used an 8020 batting, grey and cream perma core thread. - Karen - This quilt is made up of a simple quilt block, and was begging for some detail. Thankfully the block allowed this orange peel design to dress it up. I used a 8020 batting, and a cream perma core thread. - LaReen - LaReen made this gorgeous table topper out of one of my favorites fabric lines. She gave it to her mom for Christmas lucky, huh! I wanted to do something simple in the background that would enhance the star. Also, something fancy in the red border to dress up all that space. It turned out lovely. When a client gets their quilt or topper back and says now they need to make one for themselves, its quite a compliment. Thanks, LaReen! I used a 8020 batting and coordinating threads. - Lisa - This was another instahit! Can you believe all of these 1" squares...its king size and there is no border, which means there are 10,368 squares. This is an amazing one! Lisa asked for simple cross hatching, and I love it! 8020 batting and a cream perma core thread was used. This gorgeous spool quilt is one that I think Lisa made with a guild. I saw a few other of my clients names signed next to their spool. I wanted to add some detail to the spool to make them stand out, so I just did a simple echo line outside of each spool in the background. Look at all of that amazing hand embroidered wool work. Lisa, you are amazing! I wanted to add something that would make the wool pop and would dress up the background and open space, this all over swirl feather design does that. 8020 batting was used, with a cream perma core thread. Lisa made this for one of her lucky friends, for her birthday. The colors and fabric choices, make this one of my favorites. Because this quilt has minky on the back I needed to do a loose all over design in the center. This one is super fun to do, and I can add just about anything to it. I thought crackle quilting would enhance the appliques that Lisa did. Love those stems and flowers. 8020 batting was used and coordinating threads. - Maho - Maho always makes amazing quilts and does a fabulous job each time. This is a perfect example, normally I cringe inside when someone brings a quilt with really large borders (because they grow and ripple out of control) , especially when the inside is pieced on the bias...but not Maho! She is excellent at cutting and sewing exactly! Thanks, Maho! This is a quilt that she made for her daughter. She wanted some detail...So, I did an all over pattern in the background...which was the easiest way to get around the ric rac. I thought the lines and feathers would add great texture to the chickens. This quilt is amazing!!! The light catching all the details. Maho's husband came with her to pick this quilt up and was in awe...I've heard he raves about it to some people that we both know. 8020 batting used and a cream perma core thread. - Sandy - These are called the "Shinning Star", and my mom made these three in a long weekend sewing getaway we had last year. Even though the fabrics are the same for two of them, I'm showing them to you because the quilting is a little different in the backgrounds. This is quilting example number 1. This is one she made for my grandma. A close up of the feathers. This has feathers all over it! This is quilting example number 2. She made this one for my aunt Kris. I quilted a very tiny cross hatch in the inside of the feathered circles. Feathered swirls in the star and feathers in the border. Close up view. This is quilting example number 3. This one my mom made for my sister in-law, Brooke. She is the classiest person that I know, so I wanted to keep it as simple and classy as possible. The background has lines, the star is a feather swirl and the border is also feathered, with a back and forth rope design in the inner border. These soft golds went well with Brooke's Christmas décor. Love the light catching the details. Another view. All three stars I used 8020 batting and coordinating threads. - Wendy - I'm sad I didn't keep more pictures of this quilt! This is the first quilt that Wendy has made, and she gave it to her mom. It turned out gorgeous! Love love love, this fabric line. I do want to show you the quilting though. We talked about adding some details to this border to show off all the piecing that she did while sewing...I love how this one turned out! It even awesome on the back, look below. The quilting on the center of the quilt. This quilting on the backside of the border. Fun to see how the pattern comes together. I used an 8020 batting a cream perma core thread from A&E. Lots of beautiful quilts, huh?!?! Which one is your favorite??? Hopefully I can do this more often, its inspiring for everyone to see all these different unique patterns. Hope you enjoyed this, and happy sewing! ~ leisha

I am FINALLY able to post a progress report on my newest star quilt. I work best on a tight deadline and I desperately want this piece done before my engagement at Quilting in the Desert in less than two weeks. I also want it to accompany me to Dubai next month. I'm actually going to make that deadline! I was working on it for a couple hours this morning, took a break and came back to my room and was captivated by how pretty it looked sitting in my machine so I took photos from my point of view. I love the little circles. I put in some baby clamshells and have beaded them with little gold beads. There are four of these corners and I am filling them with tight echoing and baby feathers. I am just starting a round feather wreath that will go around the entire outside of the piece tucking underneath the linen corners. This is being done with a very heavy silk thread. Obviously this piece is still in it's awkward "puberty stage" but I am VERY happy with how she is turning out. When I was going thru the photo folder I came across these beginning pictures and wanted to share. This is when I was just getting The Ultimate Stencil project going and learning what it could do. I laid the stencil down in the middle of my piece.. marked the lines that I needed and drafted the center star pattern... and quilted the main outline. Very cool! By the way, the huge star going around is actually a commercially cut stencil thru Quilting Creations...It's NH131 and NH132. When I originally designed this large stencil medallion a few years ago, I used the very same grid system on my drafting table that has since become The Ultimate Stencil. Funny how things come around. And now you know why I've named this quilt "The Ultimate Star". Hugs, Cindy :)

Border Design with Celtic Bubbles Now that you have tried quilting this beautiful overlapping spiral design, I'll show you a fe...

"He Heard The Surf Roar" by Ana Buzzalino was inspired by a photo of Lawrencetown Beach in Nova Scotia.

Are you ready for more quilting loveliness from P.I.Q.F. 2012 ? Let's go ! Four Voice Choir With Soloists , 51 x 49, by Annette Bamber...

I never uploaded all of my quilt show photos. Nor my Switzerland ones. So I'll be slowly uploading these over the next few weeks, to hell with getting them all color corrected properly.

It may seem like a long time till August but this year I'm determined to be better prepared for Festival of Quilts than I usually am. I've already started to make pincushions. These always sell well as they make nice gifts and don't take up much space in folks' suitcases! The embroidery machine has been purring away in the background while I free motion quilt a waterlily panel on the opposite side of the workroom. It's the most satisfying feeling - I can't tell you how much I love the sound of stereo sewing machines! This first batch are worked on indigo dyed fabrics, some of which have also been rusted. They were free motion quilted for a previous incarnation but have now been up-cycled using Husqvarna digital embroidery designs. While I'm in the zone I've also been making more 12 inch panels to decorate the stand. Laura printed and quilted the fabrics and I've been adding embroidery with another Husqvarna design - I couldn't resist Alliums when the garden is full of the real thing right now. We've got white ones and yellow but the purple are definitely my favourites. These are only just opening but they'll soon be magnificent, first as blooms and later as enormous seed heads that last for months. Just in case you think I'm going soft with all this flowery stuff - not all the flowers in our garden are so innocent looking! We're deciding where we can put this monster so the evil smell will not put us off our dinner. It attracts flies so nowhere near the house that's for sure! Can't remember if I've already let you see this but my latest crow painting is waiting to be scanned and digitally printed. I'm hoping Jamie can print it full width of the fabric for a bit of drama! Finally, I've had complaints about the lack of Amelie photos lately. Maybe she's trying to avoid the paparazzi these days. Looking cool anyway! Thanks for reading this. Talk to you again soon with more on preparations for Festival.

Karen Azevedo and I have been good friends for many, many years and I have always been in awe of her incredible talent. She does amazing quilting and handwork and was also one of the featured quilters at my 2016 special exhibit in Houston. One of her passions is Provencal Boutis. I am the lucky recipient of a few

Combining innovation and engineering with timeless design, the Millie is our top-of-the-line machine built with every feature a quilter could ever want in a longarm quilting machine.

I've been home 24 hours and what a whirlwind it has been! I am completely exhausted and to my friends overseas I have some incredible news to share - but that will be in "Part Two"! The Australasian Quilt Convention has been sensational for a number of reasons, not least of all that this year the event celebrated 10 fabulous years! Judy and Gary from Expertise Events have contributed enormously to quilting in Australia bringing overseas tutors 'down under' to share in their skills. We arrived Wednesday morning to deliver our quilts and then after a brief tutor meeting we discovered our lovely accommodation…… For copyright reasons I can't share many quilts as I haven't asked permission from the quilt makers. I do want to share these though as I am sure these friends will be okay with that! Each year a prestigious award is handed out - the Rajah Award (which you will hear more about in Part Two!!)…….anyway last year's recipient was the talented Jenny Bowker and a display of her incredible quilts was on display and sadly due to illness she was unable to be there.…… Amongst the many other displays were quilts from some of the tutors. There were 14 tutors from around the world with many and varied talents….. Again I have only shown images of those that I am able…….Gloria Loughman A very special friend and first time teacher at AQC Faye Packham…….. Julie Haddrick…….and the self portrait is incredibly lifelike!……. And yours truly!………. Between classes I popped down to see more including the "Best of the Best" quilts from each state of Australia and and I was glad to find one very proud quilter Michele (also spelt with one "L"!), from the Northern Territory. She was thrilled to bits that her quilt was selected and she informed me her beautiful quilt was made entirely of silk………..thanks Michele….. I also came across this quilt from my first book and beautifully made by Patricia also from NT……. One of our talented girls from home, Helen Campbell…….love it Helen……... Elizabeth Camping is also from home and creates very original and innovative pieces………. And South Australia shines again with Ming's intricately quilted work………... There is also the Best of Show winning quilts on display and this was the one from Janet Treen of New South Wales who eventually won Best of Australia. Well done Janet…your quilt is stunning…….. I met a very excited Pamela Brockwell with her "Best of Show" entry from Victoria…. Jenny Bowker was the winner from the Australian Capital Territory……. Jocelyn Leath represented Western Australia…..a clever portrait done in manipulated cheesecloth…... Pam Hill from Queensland and her entry……... I have been very lucky to represent South Australia on four occasions and my quilt was glad to be unfolded and off the shelf! It will travel until the end of the year so farewell my friend…… and for some reason I seem to be missing Tasmania and Northern Territory but you can see them here on the Bernina Australia site. Every year Expertise Events sets a challenge to quilters with a set criteria and size. This year the theme was TEN in recognition of the 10th year of AQC. Some of them can be seen here on the AQC website but I did take the liberty of photographing one of our very own quilters from home as her piece is just stunning. Ming's work is impeccable and there are 10 hidden cats in this whole cloth quilt made from a recycled tablecloth…….. The venue never disappoints …. it is the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and has a stunning interior…... Faye was so excited to be teaching for the very first time and her skill is in piecing especially encouraging beginners…………... and this is one of her shining stars who happened to turn sweet 16 on day three of four days with Faye! Well down Faye on nurturing another future quilter…….and to Skye and your beautiful Mum…it was so lovely to meet you both. We all hope this is the beginning of a long journey of quilt making (and thanks for my beautiful scarf too xxx). Skye managed to produce these two…yes TWO quilts tops at this one event - WOW!….. Well I didn't take too many photos in class but I did have to take this one of Anne……she read her instructions well as it told her to have everything labelled with her name….but glasses as well Anne??? Loved having you and everyone else……bless you all xxx So I will try to remain calm and gather my thoughts as I am about to type one of the the most incredible things that has ever happened to me in Part Two……...

I’ve been collecting Pansy Doilies for years and years and decided they could be used in as a collection in a quilt. I sorted them by general color as I have those with white or very l…

The modern quilt craze has hit Japan ! Here are some spectacular results from Japanese quilt artists. When the Sunset Crowns Mt. Fuji in ...

Learn how to make your own fabric starch, aka Quilter's Moonshine. It's cheap, easy, smells good, and you can get the recipe's free printable here!

I am a week overdue for posting all the goodies from our September retreat which took place weekend-before-last. As crazy as things get on my home front I always look forward to these retreats. There is something so special about the setting and the building where these are held...everyone that comes, including myself, just takes a deep breath and relaxes. My day starts between 4:30-5:00 am when I get the coffee started, gifts on the tables, tidying up done...the cool part is that it is soooo quiet and I get to watch the sun rise over the mountains. I even wiggle in a little bit of sewing time before the "kids" arrive :) I couldn't run these retreats without lots of help...Beth, who is pictured on the right, comes with me to every single retreat and helps me with anything and everything. These simply wouldn't happen without her! She is pictured with another one of my favorite retreaters, Shirley Hagan :) Barbara Cavanagh is one of my "regulars"...I met her for the first time when she was one of my students at Empty Spools Seminars (Asilomar) and she has been coming to my retreats ever since. She is, of course, a special "Linen Lady" and brought a finished project to share...simply amazing! I love how she covered up a center design she didn't like with a beautiful ruched ribbon flower. I always encourage retreaters to bring guild opportunity quilts so they can sell tickets...this one was over the top! The Yuba City Quilt Guild created a wholecloth linen quilt for their opportunity quilt...breathtaking doesn't justify this quilt. It is trapunto'd, beaded, and quilted to death. The pictures just don't do it justice. ...sometimes there just isn't enuf wall space to lay out a large quilt...I love how this quilt was embellishing the bench by the window :) Beverly Mack was one of my students in Sisters last year and is doing AMAZING work...she came with the small wholecloth practice piece above and then started venturing into a small hankie sized piece to get her feet wet. I loved watching her work...:) I always give away one of my wholecloth framed miniatures at each retreat and this is the one for September. These only measure 5x5"...loved how this turned out :) And last, but not least, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. McCloud! One morning after announcements, one of my retreaters Linda Wilson, approached me with a gift and pulled this pink wool-sculptured head out of a bag...At the time he was "naked" and had about a foot long arm that was attached to the bottom of his head with a hand attached at the end. I couldn't stop laughing...almost had to change my pants. I always say "what happens in McCloud...stays in McCloud" and we had LOADS of fun with him! Later on another retreater presented him with a crocheted hat to keep his head warm...the next day the same retreater fashioned a silk shawl to wrap around his skinny neck/arm...and then Linda made him some ears. He made his way around the retreat room in various poses, performing different tasks and he now resides right here in my sewing room where he is constantly bringing a smile to my face! I will be featuring him from time to time in my travels....THANK YOU LINDA! I will be leaving tomorrow morning to teach my 5-day Designs Workshop in Rancho Cordova (outside of Sacramento) so will have more inspiration coming up for you. Hugs, Cindy :)

Am Anfang ist immer eine Idee oder eine Person der man was aus Dankbarkeit schenken möchte oder eine Kombination aus beidem... Bei diesem Quilt war es die Dankbarkeit für die Hilfbereitschaft meines Schwiegerpapa's. Ohne ihn würden unser Auto und auch meine Maschinen in meiner Buchbinderei nicht mehr funktionieren. Daher war es eigentlich schon lange an der Zeit für ihn einen Quilt zu nähen. Die Farben waren schnell klar. Blau und Grün... Das passt auch zu dem Quilt, den die Schwiegermama schon einige Jahre zuvor bekommen hat. Die frischen Farben aus der Blueberry Park Serie von Karen Lewis fand ich sehr passend, auch wenn auf einzelnen Stoffe weisse Blumen drauf sind. Die Schwiegermama liebt Blumen und hat auch überall in der Wohnung immer frische Blumen stehen. Daher finde ich geht dies auch für einen Männer-Quilt... In diesem Fall jedenfalls... *zwinker* Mit Hilfe des Super Side Kick Rulers von Jaybird Quilts habe ich Dreiecke zugeschnitten und nach dem Muster des Boomerang-Quilts zusammengenäht. Ich habe das Muster etwas abgeändert und noch weisse Streifen zwischen die einzelnen Rauten plaziert, damit der Quilt es luftiger wird als die Vorlage... An meiner Design-Wand habe ich alle Dreiecke aufgehängt und mal ein Foto gemacht. Das Foto hilft mir zu sehen, ob irgendwo ein Block oder in diesem Fall eine Raute umplaziert werden muss oder ob es stimmig ist... Bei zusammen nähen habe ich dann bemerkt, dass der Quilt, so wie ich ihn auf dem oberen Bild zusammengestellt hatte, zu breit wurde. So habe ich dann noch ein paar Rauten weggelassen... Mit Hilfe einer Plexiglasplatte hatte ich mir verschiedene Quiltmuster aufgezeichnet und wieder verworfen. Dies war dann das Muster, von dem ich dachte, das wäre es jetzt... Doch nachdem ich zwei Rauten gequiltet hatte, fand ich es gar nicht toll. Es war iritierend, da das Muster auf dem Stoff der Raute folgte und ich dies mit diesen Linie durchbrach. Das war mir zu unruhig und daher trennte ich alles wieder auf... Die Blasenkette rund um die Rauten durfte bleiben, doch innerhalb der Raute musste es ruhiger werden und daher quiltete ich bloss noch gerade Linien im Abstand von 1 inch... Hier hat sich wieder mal gezeigt, weniger ist mehr... Und damit ihr auch mal ein bewegtes Bild von mir seht, habe ich mich bei der letzten Reihe mit dem Zeitraffer gefilmt *lach* Viel Spass bei schauen...! Die letzte Reihe komplett gequiltet... Ich hoffe, ich konnte euch einen kleinen Einblick geben, wie bei mir ein Quilt entsteht... Bilder des fixfertigen Quilts werden in einem weiteren Post folgen... Bis dahin, machts gut iva verlinkt: creadienstag , modern patch monday & handmade on tuesday

Cleaning was inevitable. It had to happen.... I rarely custom quilt for customers anymore but I have a few ladies who have been with me from my beginning who I will always quilt for. This particular lady loves the asian panels and I have really enjoyed quilting these tops. There are a wealth of quilting designs to be found in the fabric and I have always felt comfortable playing with the lush traditional Japanese motifs. I auditioned threads to get the process started. I will probably choose the lightest thread you see. And despite my dislike of changing threads I will likely switch on the ivory, to... ivory. My default thread color choice is almost always the lightest color present in the quilt top. My machine and I love Superior Threads. So Fine 50 wt. thread is what I use for the majority of my long-arm quilting. Studio clean, quilt loaded, now what? You guessed it....Plexiglas. The Plexiglas had a boxy maze drawn on it already, instead of erasing it I laid it down and used it as a starting point. I liked the way it looked over the circle, so I left it and started adding straight line work mixed with a tracing of the Japanese water and flower motifs. Moving the Plexiglas from the quilt top to a white table, gives a different perspective, enabling you to see the quilting design independent of the quilt top. It's a great opportunity to start evaluating how the quilting works or doesn't work compositionally on its own. I like where it's going but the circles need more definition, at this point I decide to get rid of the boxy maze outside of the circle and define the circles with a quarter inch (ish) echo. hmm... it's ok but something isn't quite right. I feel like the density of the quilting in the circles is too heavy. Densely quilted areas are going to recede while the areas that are less densely quilted are going to pop. In this case I would prefer that the background recede not the circles... back to the drawing board so to speak. I leave the boxy maze but change the scale, I do like a quilting design that maintains a similar density throughout. All the straight line work is still too much of the same for me, there is not a strong delineation between background and foreground. I am going to lose the boxy maze and add swirls to the background area to define and simplify the space. I like the feel of where this is going, I think it is starting to work more fluidly with the quilt top. I love working through my designs this way, I am able to see a lot of different ideas come to life without committing to anything. I will continue working out the kinks in this quilting design but I feel more confident in my direction and don't feel like I am just staring at a blank canvas any longer. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to make friends with your Plexiglas. I will leave you with a couple finished Asian panel quilt details, the first quilt is the back of an owl panel, the second and third are Kimono quilts, all pieced by Carlene Embry. Have a wonderful week.