Thursday, September 10, 2009

Eight days to get ready for the Quilt Show!

Today I finished up one of the projects I am committed (and should be committed for entering!) to finishing for the Sea of Quilts show. This is the largest project, so I am very happy to have it done.

The pattern is Boston Commons, and I started this quilt a year and a half ago. I've always liked the pattern, and when I found the Eleanor Burns book I knew it was time to tackle this one. I made it in a patriotic color scheme, and purposely tried to choose gender neutral fabrics because so many quilts are girly in nature, and I know there are lots of men out there who like quilts, too! I quilted it on the Lenni at our quilt shop, using King Tut thread on the top and bottom line on most of the bottom. Turns out it gave me better tension than the cotton thread I tried at first.


The quilting in the white area is my own idea, it was supposed to look like fireworks (at least in my head). It didn't come out quite like I pictured, but it does look nice, and fills the space well while using both thread colors.


The back is white on white with stars (matches the white on the top). I don't know why I was posessed to use white on the back, but it looks really nice!

It is a queen size quilt, and I will be offering it for sale in my Etsy shop after the show. I don't know if I will win a ribbon for it, but I am happy with the finished product. The quilting took me 6 hours, so it was quicker to do it on the long arm than it would have been on my home machine, and easier on my arms and shoulders! Though I discovered that my thighs got quite the work out squatting to check the underside of my quilt - the day after my first 3 hour session I had difficulty getting up and down stairs and rising from my chair! (Yes, someone needs to get more exercise here!)

Now it's on to the next project in line, a blue and white miniature quilt - after all, I consider Miniatures to be "my" category, so I need to have one done to enter!

Friday, September 04, 2009

Working, Baby, Working.

Yep, I've been doing a lot of work at the quilt shop, my daughter gave birth to her second son and I have been working on some big projects. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I hope to get back to quilting and blogging about quilting in the very near future!

This post is instigated by today's post on the Jolly Jabber blog. I absolutely love Fig Tree Quilts and I will do just about anything to increase my chances of winning! They have a new club and it is so tempting, but I have so many projects already pending that I really can't indulge right now. But maybe if I can get some projects done this month I will think about it a little more!

I still have to finish my jacket using the Patisserie fabrics I bought with the gift certificate I won from the the virtual quilt show earlier this summer - really need to remember to call and order the pattern or it won't get done in time for the quilt show. Plus that it will be jacket weather soon and I will be glad to have it ready to wear!

One more little blurb and I will go to bed - we got our Accu-quilt Studio in at the quilt shop today! Too much fun, we cut up 10 jelly rolls for the autumn braid quilt and chose fabrics for a charm pack to make up a little table runner I am designing on the fly - another project I need to make a little time for, but it will be worthwhile, I can sell my pattern at the shop. I started working on my Autumn braid quilt tonight, need to get it done before the show also so we can take sign-ups for the class. I am overcommitted as always, but by the time the show is over my life should settle down and I will have time for some serious quilt making. I have a long list of projects to work on, and blog about!