Quilt Primer

Six new ‘beginning quilting’ graduates.  Over the last month I taught another class of ‘Quilting Primer’ at Out of Hand in Calgary, after a weekend of fun and learning and completing a crib size quilt I think everyone is planning their next project. 

I always love to see the fabric choices.  Here are their pictures with the lovely finished quilts.

Chantel & Shiela

Marrianne & Lynn

Stavroula & Alex

Beautiful quilts ladies!  I hope to see you again in a future class.

Thank you all for a couple of enjoyable Saturdays, such fun and great conversation.

Learning is a treasure no thief can touch.

Alphabet baby quilt

A cute little Alphabet quilt by Janet, ready for the next baby to be born.  Janet is always ready with a baby quilt and generously gives baby quilts to her immediate family to give as gifts whenever their friends have babies.  Her stipulation is that they must find a book to give with the quilt.  Isn’t that a great idea?

Alphabet baby quilt

Quilted with the popcorn pantograph by Jodi Beamish, this appliquéd alphabet quilt has some fun text fabrics in the backgrounds as well.

Popcorn pantograph

Delightful Dr. Seuss alphabet fabric completes the back of this quilt.

We never know the love of a parent until we become parents ourselves. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Two quilts by Pat

This first quilt by Pat is the Sunday Morning quilt from the book Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison.  Pat made it hers by adding a teal inner border.

Sunday Morning quilt

Pat selected the Bountiful Feathers pantograph by Hermione Agee and a very pale aqua Fil Tec thread called cloud.

Bountiful Feathers pantograph

I love the complimentary fabric Pat chose for the back of this quilt.

Pat’s second quilt is called Double Chocolate Squares, what a great name.

Double Chocolate Squares quilt

Again quilted with the Bountiful Feathers pantograph, and we selected a honey gold tread this time.

Bountiful Feathers pantograph

Quilting keeps my hands busy, my mind calm, my heart happy and my family warm!

Emma’s quilt by Josie

Josie made this lovely lilac and white quilt for her granddaughter Emma.

Quilted with the Daisies Galore pantograph by Irene Steele and a lilac coloured thread.

Daisies Galore pantograph

I love how the quilting looks on the back of this quilt.

And here you see the whole back.

Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old. — Mary H. Waldrip

Bear’s Paw quilt by Doreen

Bears, totem poles and lovely complementary fabrics make up this quilt which Doreen made as a table covering for her daughter-in-law Shirley.

Bear's Paw quilt

We chose the Easy Orange Peel pantograph by Patricia E. Ritter.  I think we were influenced by the design in the fabric.

Easy Orange Peel pantograph

The Orange Peel pantograph is a lovely complement to both the front and the back of this quilt.  I do believe that this Kaffe Fassett backing fabric was chosen by Doreen’s daughter-in-law.

 

Kaffe Fassett Millefiore fabric

Daughter-in-law – You may not have been born into our family, but you seem to be born to be part of it.

Alpha Bits and Pieces quilt

This is Doreen’s version of the Alpha Bits and Pieces quilt designed by Sandy Klop.

Alpha Bits and Pieces quilt

Doreen incorporated an Alphabet fabric into the back of this delightful quilt.

Alpha Bits and Pieces was quilted with the Popcorn pantograph by Jodi Beamish and a Rainbow variegated thread.

Popcorn pantograph

Here is a picture of the whole pieced back of this Alphabet quilt, a great way to complete a quilt and use up some fun bits of co-coordinating fabrics.

Quilt back art

If your ‘Plan A’ doesn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters.   

2016 Finish-A-Long Second Quarter

Two projects to finish for the second quarter of the 2016 Finish-A-Long.

My ten year old grandson walked into my house one day and said “Grandma, if you ever have time I have an idea for a quilt that you could make for me.” Of course I was interested, he then showed me some pictures on the internet and we looked through my fabric to get an idea of colours. What he wants is the Minecraft character Creeper.  So my first project to finish for the second quarter is Owen’s Creeper quilt.  Here is a picture with the squares cut out and ready to sew.

Beginnings of Minecraft Creeper quilt

Second project is the one project that I did not finish in the first quarter, so here we go again.  From my 'quilt top' rack I chose a very old quilt top, perhaps the oldest in my collection, an Irish Chain in yellows and blues.  I will need to find a back, probably a white (I do have an extra wide bolt of white – that should work), and plan to do some custom quilting, of continuous curves and I’ll have to decide what goes in the middle of the white.  I am determined to finish this quilt by the end of June..

Double Irish Chain quilt

And that’s it, I did finish two of my own projects in the first quarter of this year, so I should be able to finish two in this quarter.

Take a minute to check out what others are hoping to finish, or perhaps join in the challenge fun at Finish-A-Long.

Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from people having too much to do, it comes from not finishing what they started.  ~ David Allen