Dem Bones Whirlygiggle

This is the top for a Halloween quilt that I started working on this past week while watching the Olympics. I picked up the fabric awhile back when it was on sale for 70% off. One of the most difficult decisions I find in making a quilt is which pattern to use, since there are so many interesting and fun patterns to choose from. After many hours of looking through many quilting blogs, the whirly-giggle pattern was without a doubt my favorite selection for the whimsical Halloween theme that I am trying to achieve. The back will be solid black with an applique skeleton to carry the skeleton look from the black fabric used on the front to the back. It will be my first attempt at machine applique (let you know how that goes). I may quilt a couple of the orange parts with a spider web design. I need to find a design for the yellow; the yellow has little eyes on the fabric. The black will be outlined.

Christmas banner

My mother-in-law saw this fabric hanging in a quilt shop and like it so much that I purchased it for her as a Christmas decoration for this coming year. I machine quilted the ornaments, garland, pot, and boarders for her since she is unable to do the quilting. She said that she wanted to hand stitch the edges, which made me extremely happy since I do not enjoy hand stitching.


I was fortunate to find this Christmas fabric that I used for the back on sale at 70% off.

Plain Spoken Quilt

This is the front of the Plain Spoken quilt that I just finished today. In the quilting world, it is commonly referred to as "plain spoken" because of the use of fabric with no print and only rectangles for a plain pattern. Since we were in need of a new comforter for the living room sofa, I decided this pattern would look handsome in our living room.



There is a Balinese theme to the back of the quilt with this batik from Bali that matches all of the colors from the front. The added strip of solid gold (one of the colors used in the front) unites the front theme to the back. This looks extremely exquisite on my brown sofa in the living room.



Front and back, two totally different looks to this quilt. Don't forget to double click the image to see the photo enlarged.

Ironing board cover

My ironing board cover was looking ugly; so, I gave it a face-lift. I used the old cover to make this cute new cover. First, I cut up the old one and sewed the new fabric onto the old top. Then, I made a new sleeve for the ties by using the old sleeve. I covered and sewed the old sleeve in place with the new fabric that is also the side of the new cover. After cutting off the remainder of the old sleeve fabric that was left showing, I sewed the side to the top.


I also spray painted the rusty, yellow legs. I love the new look.

Bunny quilt

This started out as a baby quilt for my niece, but now will find its home with a person who just adores bunnies and the color pink. The pattern is rail fence, which is very easy and quick to put together. The bunnies,and the pinks and greens in this quilt are so cute. If you click the pictures you can see the print up close.


The back is a solid pink with a print of white butterflies. Since I had leftover pink, butterfly, flannel binding from my quilt, I decided to make use of it by using the binding on this quilt. I'm glad I did; I just love the look. My machine has a very cute flower embroidery stitch that matches the flower design in the light pink border. I used it to finish off the binding so that I wouldn't have to hand stitch. I repeated the pattern by stitching over a couple of seams.

My blooming garden.

This is the front of a queen size quilt that I made for my bed. I used the blooming nine patch pattern to give a feel of a garden. The fabric is flannel.


This is the back.

No more monkeys jumping on my quilt.

A baby quilt I made out of receiving blankets.



The back side of the quilt.



A closer look at the stitching that is used to finish off the binding.

Disappearing Nine Patch

My daughter was in need for another blanket. I surprised her by using her school's "tartan" colors. I decided on the disappearing nine patch since it is the closest to a tartan pattern that was easy for me to quilt at the time. I machine straight stitched down the middle of the thin strips. The diversity of patterns for the disappearing nine patch was fun to play with.


This is the back side of the quilt. I had extra material from the front that I used to make the back more interesting.

Tee Shirt quilt

This is my first quilt after an extremely long hiatus. The use of my daughter's tee shirts that she collected over the years and the simple log cabin pattern creates a different look from the typical tee shirt quilts. The back is a soft, flower print flannel.

Additional thoughts

Discoveries:

For transferring designs onto quilts: use Gladwrap Press and Seal.
It will stick to whatever you want to trace and then stick to the quilt.
After you're through quilting just peel it back off the quilt.

Lap size quilt sizes for adults: 56x70, 60x 75, or something in that area of measurement.

Machine quilting tips:
Use your fingers and hands to guild the quilt not your arms to move the quilt under the needle.
A single-hole throat plate may help in stitches at curves.
A presser foot with shank angled to the side and open in the front for greater visibility.
Needles:#70 Universal to start learning on, then switch to #70 sharp and then #60 sharp for tiny, precise holes. If using #60 sharp use thread that is #60 cotton two-ply silky cotton embroidery thread for top and bobbin. But if you use heavier thread then a larger needle is needed, like a #70 sharp or jeans/denim needle. No polyester thread for machine quilting.