Friday, November 23, 2012

The week that was!

Those of us in business as longarm quilters don’t come up for air much at this time of year but I needed a breather and thought I’d share a little of what I’ve been up to this week. 

These quilts belong to 2 new customers, mother and daughter – beautifully pieced.

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This in one of Jeannie’s quilts – she is a prolific quilter and had actually forgotten that she’d given me this one to quiltSmile

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I love this quilt – it belongs to Ethel and I really wanted to keep it.  I don’t know why but some quilts just take my fancy.  I was up close and very personal with this quilt for some time.  My longarm machine – affectionately known as Dolly – has never liked to sew “fussy threads”.  In this case I was more determined than her and for the first time I managed to run Glide thread.  I chose a pattern that had holly and berries on it and set the IQ on its merry way.  As you can see the border fabric is busy and has lots of gold in it and I couldn’t see the pattern clearly.  Let me tell you it became apparent during the 2nd pass that I hated it!  So then came the painful task of unpicking and yes, the tension was perfect which makes that task even more difficult.  I have to say the end result was definitely worth it and I loved it that much that I had it hanging in the studio for more than a week before I let Ethel know she could pick it up…..lol! 

About the quilt – it is a Hunter’s Star which was taught by Shontelle at one of our Workshops using Deb Tucker’s Rapid Fire Ruler.  Oh, and yes, I chose a different pattern – still holly and berries but much more beautious.

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There will be more photos of this quilt to come as it has a Centre Medallion and small applique blocks around it and I’m going to custom them – a bit of Edge-2-Edge Plus going on here.  Stay tuned.

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The quilt below belongs to Carolyn and I’ve used a pattern from Lorien Quilting called Exquisite.  The quilt itself is called Galette and was designed and taught by Shontelle at our Mannum Retreat this year.  The fabric range is Papillon and there are still kits available for this quilt, if you’re interested send an email for further details.

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This is a simple but effective way to use Fat 1/4s – add a sashing and border and voila! you have a quilt.  Another of Lorien’s patterns used, Bubbles – it is so versatile and really quick which is a bonus!

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The last quilt belongs to Dianne and I can’t believe how long I’ve had this on the machine – thank God I have 2 machines or I’d be in real strife.  I find quilts such as this difficult to come up with designs as the negative space is different in each block so it’s not easy getting it to flow.  Having said this I’m pleased with the result and was so happy when I finally took it off the machine.  Dianne will be happy to get her quilt back because it’s dragged on like Blue Hills!

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Open Day and Sale

If you happen to be free on December 1st anytime between 10am and 4pm we’re having an Open Day and Sale here at Patchwork on Parade and we’d love to see you.  There are some fantastic bargains and homemade lemonade and slices to consume whilst sitting in the shady garden.  For further details click here.  Hope to see you then,

Hugs,  Sharon