Passion

While Market is in Houston we, all of us that can't go, have

 

 

Amy at http://amyscreativeside.com/bloggers-quilt-festival/ host

the Festival twice a year.

 

Do you have quilt to enter?

Lots of fun seeing all the different quilts

and when the times comes

you will be able to vote for your favorite

in the different classes.

 

Make sure you grab a drink and a favorite chair because there will be a lot,

 I mean a LOT of eye candy.

Anyone can enter and you can enter up to two quilts, with different posts

of course.

 

This is the second of my quilts, first one can be seen here
http://dewquilting.blogspot.com/2013/10/iq-quilt.html

This quilt was in my head for a long time.  This is all original, my design.
I had a little help from a few tools

Some rulers to help with those curves and lines.
I bought the template on the right, from Judi at http://www.greenfairyquiltsblog.com/
several years ago, first time I used it.  I already had the quilt on the frame so I made a copy
and cut it out, traced around it.  See it there in the triangle area?
Also had help from

All quilting is free hand.  I love how this finished, just like the one in my head.

It was raining the day I took pictures.

I used two layers of batting, the bottom is Warm & Natural 100% cotton and on the top I used
Tuscany Wool that I bought at AQS show in Paducah this past spring.

I've heard so much about silk thread that I decided to give it a try.
It was ok, except the thread kept hanging on the top of the spool
which made a lot of thread breaks.  I ran out before I finished the quilting and didn't have time to order more

 

so I used So Fine#60 and guess what .... can't tell any difference.

In hind sight I wish I had used Glide so that it would have a little sheen.

Other than that I would not change a thing.

 

 

I made this to hang in my dining room, it is 53X53.
 My DH even likes it,

he keeps running his hand over it.

I do like how the wool makes the designs "pop".

You can't tell from the pictures, but I went around all of the applique and it pops off the background.

This quilt has a lot of first for me.

 

Thank you for visiting and check out all the quilts at

http://amyscreativeside.com/bloggers-quilt-festival/

 

 

 

IQ quilt

This is the time of year for the Houston Quilt Market. 

Do you have your bags packed? 

 Airline tickets in hand? 

Money for food?

More important than food, do you have your fabric nest egg in your purse?

No?

Me neither!

About as close as I will get to Houston is to go down the street to

Houston's Meat Market and buy something for dinner.

 

But Amy at http://amyscreativeside.com/bloggers-quilt-festival/

has a wonderful contest for non-Houston quilters.

We won't spend any money, eye candy is free,

our feet won't hurt, sit in your favorite chair,

you might need to get a bib before visiting, drooling is excepted.

 

 

 

 

This is my IQ quilt that I am entering in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

 

 

IQ quilt you may be asking.

 

IQ stands for Ian's Quilt (very original I know).

 

I made this quilt for my oldest son, Ian, who owns

 ICON Tattoo and Body Piercing in Nashville, TN.

I had planned for it to hang on a wall in his shop after he had to

relocate, due to his building of 8 years was being torn down (to make room for a parking lot, remember that song?)  Probably more than you really wanted to know...

anyway......

 

I did all of the quilting hand guided on my APQS Millie.

I made stencils for the words and quilted  micro lines (I don't know what else to call them)

to make them pop.  Warm & Natural on the bottom layer and Hobbs 20/80 for the top layer.

Love the way this combination of batting makes the raised areas really "pop".

Used Glide thread, has a little sheen to it and the light catches it just enough.

 

 

I used a design out of Karen McTavish's book for the borders.

 

 

A lot of micro stippling and micro lines.

I used a ruler for the

framing and the traced the motifs from Karen's book other than that

everything else was freehand.  Inspiration came from a quilt I saw that Lisa Snipes

http://thatcrazyquiltygirl.blogspot.com/

had made, after a email to her, she said "go for it"  she thought a quilt hanging in a tattoo shop

would be cool. 

Ian loves his quilt and I think he was surprised that his mom could

make a quilt like this.

I love how this quilt came together and love the way the quilting finished it.

 

 

Thank you for visiting and please look at all of the beautiful quilt over at Amy's

and vote for your favorites.

 

 

 

The reveal

I am so excited to share this one with you.

I had a lot of fun quilting this one and

learned a lot. I am getting the hang of it.

This one is mine, all mine, to hang in my dining room. 

 I've had this one in my head for awhile

and finally got to make it.

Wouldn't you know it would rain the day I wanted

to take pictures. I couldn't get the flash turned off and it 

wash out the pictures alittle.

Let me give some of the details.

 

It is 53X53 wallhanging.

The colors are a little brighter in the pictures.

I used W&N cotton batting for the bottom layer and my beloved wool batting that I bought in Paducah for the top layer.

I used silk thread and when I ran out of that, and didn't have time to reorder, I used So Fine.

I wish now I had used the Glide thread that I love.

 

 

I divided up the areas and found while quilting that I needed

to divide more of the areas, based on Lisa Calle's concept.

 

 

The design in the triangle is one that I bought from Judi at Green Fairy Quilts.  All of the other designs are mine made with rulers and some templates I made.

 

 

I just realized I didn't take a picture of the borders but you can see a corner in this pictures.  A lot of feathers, micro stippling, pebbles and McTavishing.  I don't like the thread build up when feathers have a spine, so I quilt mine without one.

 

 

I know a lot of pictures but I am very proud of this one.

I love everything about it and it turned out very close to what I had in my head.

 

Linking up withhttp://www.quiltmatters.blogspot.ca/2013/10/tgiff-lunch-anyone.html

 

and 

 http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/

 

    

Thanks you for visiting.

Have a sewing good weekend.

 

Let me give a peek at what has been keeping me

busy this past week.

Besides taking my father to the ER after a fall

and making sure that my mother and son was okay after she had a wreck, all are fine, (yes on the same day)

I was able to make some progress on this

 

I don't want to show the whole piece just yet,

really can't because it is still on the frame.

 

I have had so much fun working on this.

 

Yes, I mark my quilts with a blue marker,

never had any problems, now watch tomorrow I will.

I have heard so much about silk thread, how great and wonderful it is, so I ordered some for this quilt.

I don't really like it, there I said it.

I wish I had used the Glide thread that I love.

I actually ran out of the silk thread and don't have time to order

more so I started using So Fine #50.  I can't see any difference, so I hope that stays true.  A lot of work to mess up at the end.

I have heard from several teachers and instructors

to develop your own style, so I guess this is emerging as

MY style.

 

Have to have it finished this week( have plans for this one)

so be watching later in the week to see the whole piece.