Community Quilt 377

17 03 2018

How to quilt this small quilt, which had all sorts of elements — appliqued pieces, pieced blocks, etc. — in it? I started by stitching in the ditch around all the main elements, then did some straight stitching in the centre block, some free-motion curved lines in the curved applique pieces and in the border, some stippling in the white space, and some cathedral windows in the corner blocks. I left the remainder unquilted.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: Floriani (40 wt, rayon, colour PF129); Isacord (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour Fb 6650)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (candy apple red, white)

 





Two days = 3 quilt tops made

6 03 2018

I went on a four-day quilting retreat with friends in February, and made six quilt tops. One was mostly done — I just had to lay it out and add the connecting pieces — but the other five I made from scratch using the pattern I created for the second pink quilt top for the McGrath Foundation: https://rhondabracey.com/2018/01/31/pink-quilts-for-donating-to-the-mcgrath-foundation/

For two of them, I used my own Asian-style fabrics and I’ll post pics of them later, once I’ve finished binding them. (see https://rhondabracey.com/2018/03/17/blue-grey-and-gold-asian-style-quilt/ and https://rhondabracey.com/2018/03/17/red-and-gold-asian-style-quilt/). The other was a Christmas tree quilt: https://rhondabracey.com/2018/03/17/christmas-tree-quilt/

For the other three, I used fabrics from the Community Quilt (CQ) fabric stash that my friend who hosts us has in her house. The CQ people are always wanting quilts suitable for males (i.e. not pink and floral!), so I raided her fairly large stash of plaids and darker-toned fabrics to make two of the tops. For the third, I found some bright yellows, greens, and blues, and made the final top (Update: I got to quilt this one too!). All have now been donated to the CQ program for finishing off and delivering to charitable causes.

For the first top, I used some denim and orange/red fabrics from my own stash, and added more blues and white shirting fabrics from the CQ fabric stash.

For the second, I used more denim and some plaids from the CQ stash.

For the final top, I used fabrics from the CQ stash in yellows, blues, and greens, with some splashes of orange.





Community Quilt 376

14 02 2018

This big quilt had all sorts of Australian birds on it — budgerigars, fairy wrens, and I think even some parrots. I started by stitching in the ditch around all main elements of the quilt, then did an open headband motif in the main top, finishing with uneven ‘n’ shapes in the border.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: Fil-Tec Glide ‘Sea Foam’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 97494)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (white)

 





Community Quilt 375

14 02 2018

This quilt was very similar (the same as?) quilt #358 I did a few weeks ago. But this time I stitched large curves inside the blocks (using a soft mint green thread), with the overall result looking like some large flowers. In the border, I stitched half cathedral windows. No rulers.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: Fil-Tec Glide ‘Sea Foam’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 97494)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (white)

 





Community Quilt 374

14 02 2018

How to quilt this sunny applique quilt? Well, first I stitched in the ditch around all the blocks and the main applique elements, then did an echo stitch around each applique motif, followed by a medium stipple. I stitched ribbon candy in the yellow border and left the green border unquilted.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: Fil-Tec Glide ‘Cream’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 20001)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (light tan)

 





Community Quilt 373

14 02 2018

Someone had fun making a jelly roll race quilt top! Again, lots of busy fabrics in a wide variety of colours so a simple stipple was all that was required.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: Fil-Tec Glide ‘Chestnut’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 27521)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (light tan)

 





Community Quilt 372

14 02 2018

The busy-ness of the floral fabric lent itself to something simple in those blocks, so I opted for a free-motion ‘flower’, with a large meandering stipple in the border. I left the white blocks unquilted except for stitching around each of the embroidered flowers.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: Fil-Tec Glide ‘Chestnut’ and ‘White’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 27521 and 10000)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (light tan and white)

 





Community Quilt 371

14 02 2018

What a bright, scrappy quilt! How to quilt it? The fabrics and the design was so busy that I decided on an all-over edge-to-edge motif — squared off open headbands. I used a neon orange thread to pick up the oranges in the scrappy fabrics and to contrast with the deep blue.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: Fil-Tec Glide ‘Neon Orange’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 90811)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (red)

 





Community Quilt 370

14 02 2018

This quilt came all done except for the quilting — it was bound with those lovely prairie points, so all I had to do was quilt it. As usual, I started by stitching in the ditch around all the main elements and the applique pieces to stabilise the quilt. Then I did a meandering stipple in the backgrounds of the outer blocks (with a large stipple in the border, in blue thread), and vertical wonky lines (no rulers) in the backgrounds of the centre blocks. To keep the edge detail in place and prevent it from folding backwards or forwards, I topstitched about a quarter inch from the edge.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

  • Top: File-Tec Glide ‘White’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 10000); Robison-Anton ‘Paris Blue’ (40wt, rayon, colour 2283)
  • Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (white)

 





Pink quilts for donating to the McGrath Foundation

31 01 2018

I’m donating these two pink quilts I made to the McGrath Foundation (for breast cancer). The first one is made from pink scraps I joined together to ‘make’ new fabric.

The second was made from 6 pinkish fat quarters I didn’t particularly like (main top) plus other pink and yellow fabrics for the borders, and a lone deep pink square (my 6 fat quarters only made 47 six-inch blocks, and I needed 48). I made up the pattern — see below for my sketches of how I designed it. These instructions are based on 21 x 22″ fat quarters — you may need an extra one if your fat quarters are a less than this. Cut your fat quarters into long 3.5″ strips. Pick 16 random strips, pair them up on the long edge, stitch each pair together, and press the seam in one direction.  Cross-cut these joined strips every 3.5″ to make 48 blocks of two squares each. Cut 48 6.5 x 3.5″ strips from the remaining fabric. Join a 6.5″ long strip to the side of a 2-square strip. For a random pattern, mix up the fabrics you join, and when you put the block together add a 6.5 x 3.5″ strip from another fabric.

I have previously donated three other pink quilts to the McGrath Foundation — two small rail fence quilts, and a big one made from a jelly roll of pink batiks.