Bleeding Heart Quilt

My customer Alison has just left, picking up 2 quilts - she was very excited when she left.  Today I would like to feature one of those quilts - her Bleeding Heart Quilt.  Alison's quilt is a wonderful black and white quilt with just a splash of colour in the centre, giving the quilt it's name.

Alison's quilt has been quilted with an all-over design called Hearts in Bloom from Timeless Quilting Designs - a very appropriate pattern on this occasion of hearts and daisies.

I do love the centre block of this quilt and the touch of colour it has added.

Alison has also put quite a bit of work into her back with a pieced strip down the centre and red appliqued hearts.  I love the effect of the quilting on the back of this quilt - the contrasting thread has been a great success, resulting in a truly reversible quilt.

I hope you enjoy your quilt Alison - happy binding!

Finally a Finish!

I have spent quite some time finishing this amazing quilt called "The Best of Friends" by Linda Bear.  Linda's quilt is a reverse applique quilt with 32 different twelve inch blocks and a large centre block resulting in this traditional style quilt.  Linda has designed and pieced this quilt which is going to be available as a pattern. 

In reverse applique applique two layers of fabric are used and the top layer is cut away showing the fabric underneath. The raw edges are turned under and handstitched down.  Linda's quilt is an amazing example of this complex style of applique.

Each of the blocks in this quilt have been quilted with a circle around the applique extending to the sashing.  This circle has then been finely cross-hatched and feathers quilted in the corners.  The sashing and borders have been quilted with the same style of feather.

The large centre square has been quilted in a similar manner.
 

 
Here is a close-up of the feathers quilted in the corners of the blocks and sashing.
 

And finally, a single block, showing the intricacy of Linda's applique and detail of the quilting.

 
For more photos of this quilt, have a look at my flickr page.
 
Good luck with this quilt Linda - I am sure there will be many quilters inspired to make this fabulous design.

I Spy Quilt

I am slowly returning to quilting after summer holidays and kids getting back to school.  I am looking forward to getting back into our normal routine and quilting.

The quilt I would like to share today is a bright and colourful I Spy Quilt made by my customer Lisa.  Lisa has done a great job, using a huge range of prints and tying them together beautifully with the plain blue sashing and the great border prints.

As the quilt has a lot of busy prints, we decided to quilt it with an all-over star design.

Lisa's quilt has been made as a gift for a young boy - I am sure this quilt will provide hours of entertainment and be treasured for a long time to come.

International Patchwork & Quilting Magazines

I have just returned from our annual summer holiday - we have had a lovely time of beaches, sunshine, relaxation, the company of family and friends and too much good food and wine.  It is great to be back and I am just starting to get back into quilting.  I hope everyone has enjoyed a great festive season and has had a wonderful start to 2011.

On my return from holidays I was thrilled to find a collection of quilting magazines amongst my mail.  I had ordered a number of back issues of the American magazine Machine Quilting Unlimited which, as the title suggests, is mainly concerned with machine quilting.  In addition, I received a German Patchwork magazine as a result of liaising with Brigitte Heitland of Farbstoff.

Some time ago, Brigitte had emailed me, asking permission to use a number of my photos in an article on the subject of machine quilting which she was writing for the German Patchwork Magazine.  The article has resulted in a fabulous look with a combination of photos by Brigitte and myself depicting the different styles of machine quilting possible.  Unfortunately, apart from the title, I will need someone to translate it for me!  Thank you again Brigitte for sending me a copy of this magazine - it was great to be involved.

I love reading the Machine Quilting Unlimited magazines - they are always full of wonderfully quilted quilts, great tips on different quilting techniques and often very useful articles on maintenance specifically for longarm machines.  In the January 2011 issue I was thrilled to find an article on the Australian Machine Quilting Festival which I attended last year in Adelaide in early October. 

I was even more thrilled to find that the article included a photo of my Field of Flowers Quilt which had won first place in the Edge To Edge category.

I hope everyone in Australia is enjoying a relaxing Australia Day holiday.  Back to quilting soon ...

Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows Quilt

I can finally show you more of the quilt made by Linda Collins from Quilts in the Barn which I quilted a few months ago.  Linda's quilt "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" has just been published as a project in Australian Country Craft and Decorating Vol 22 No 6.  The magazine came out today and I have managed to pick up a copy.  It is always great to see a quilt you have worked on in a magazine.

Linda's quilt was inspired by a bundle of fabrics and a Dresden Plate wedge purchased at the Australian Quilt Convention earlier this year.  During a retreat that same weekend, she played with both the fabrics and the wedge, desiging this quilt.  The result is a stunning quilt based on a traditional design.

I quilted Linda's quilt with swirling feathers in between the dresden plates and along the borders.  The dresden plates are quilted with continuous curves and a small feather flower in the centre.

Congratulations Linda on having your beautiful quilt published.  Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows would make a great holiday project - remember to pick up your own copy of Australian Country Craft and Decorating.

Ishbel

I used to be involved in a large range of craft activities but in recent years have focussed mainly on quilting.  As I don't seem to have the patience for hand piecing, I tend to have some knitting on the go.  A knitting project can take me quite a while to complete as I usually only work on it while watching our kids play sport or on holidays.

I have just finished a lovely shawl using the pattern Ishbel.

This was my fourth Ishbel, all of which have been given as gifts over the last year or so.  The shawl was knitted using Malabrigo Sock Yarn in Lettuce purchased from Eat Sleep Knit.  Ishbel is a lovely, easy knit and makes for a very portable project.  The yarn feels very soft and blocked beautifully.

I know it may be a while before you get to wear your shawl, Steph, as it is certainly not shawl weather in Melbourne at the moment - I hope you enjoy your shawl next winter.

I have decided to knit a different shawl next - I am trying the Haruni shawl which is a free pattern on Ravelry.  What "on the go" projects do you have?

Vintage Fabric Linen Quilt

My customer Linda Bear from Somerset Patchwork & Quilting has designed and made the most wonderful quilt using vintage linen fabrics.  Linda's quilt was made from linen curtain fabric which came from her grandparents' farmhouse.

Each of the squares in this quilt has been made from the same fabric.  Linda has carefully fussy cut 4 triangles for each square creating a kaleidoscope effect in each.  The light and dark squares have come about with the careful selection of light and dark areas of the curtain fabric.  I was amazed at the incredible number of different squares she has managed to create - closer examination of the lighter squares reveals an amazing array of designs which are not initially apparent.

There must have been a huge amount of curtain fabric to enable the creation of this quilt.  Linda did say that she still has a considerable quantity of the fabric left.



Linda's quilt has been quilted with cross hatching on the darker squares.   The cross-hatching is alternated with feathers which wind themselves through the remaining areas of the quilt.

The back too is wonderful.  Linda selected a backing fabric with a small print which still allows the quilting design to show.

Thanks for letting me quilt this stunning quilt Linda - I enjoyed the challenge and love the end result.